It has been a quiet week for Toonami fans this week, but beneath the surface lurks anticipation of what change may come to the block now that Dragon Ball Super has reached the end of its encore run. Plus, renowned manga artist Rumiko Takahashi takes her fans on a virtual tour of her home, and VIZ Media licenses a One Piece and Food Wars crossover manga. Read on to learn more!
Firstly, let’s address what everyone has been dying to know: what will replace Dragon Ball Super now that the final episode has aired? So far, the answer is unknown. It’s unusual for Toonami not to announce a replacement show, especially this late in the game, but perhaps the delay is an indication that we’re in store for something exciting! As soon as Toonami reveals the new lineup, we will be sure to report it. Make sure you’re following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram so that you won’t miss it!
This week marked the third anniversary of FLCL Alternative’s debut! It helped pave the way for more non-traditional action series to join the block and help spark more originals to be made at Adult Swim. Love it or hate, the mark the FLCL continuations left are impressive, and thanks to it, other series like Fena: Pirate Princess and Blade Runner: Black Lotus could be possible.
A new promo video for Fena: Pirate Princess debuted in Japan, showcasing the Japanese voices of eight new cast members spotlighting Grace O’Malley and her pirate crew, the Rumble Rose. In this link, you can check out who will be voicing each character over in Japan, as the Fena: Pirate Princess craze continues all over the globe.
In a strange turn of events, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure (Stone Ocean) will be released a bit differently from how Netflix typically operates. Instead of giving fans the entire series at once, it would appear that the anime is slated to get a monthly release for a batch of episodes. Now, details are a bit cloudy, but it will be interesting to see how this different approach works for the streaming giant—making Stone Ocean a critical property for Netflix since they are trying something different!
TMS debuted the second trailer for the highly anticipated Lupin The Third Part Six, which premieres in Japan and on simulcast streaming services on October. We hope that Part Six makes its way to Toonami in the future, like the previous Lupin installments. Additionally, FUNimation will add a bit of Lupin The Third to their streaming library on Sep. 14, including Lupin The Third Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Five, and The Woman Called Fujiko Mine. It’s the perfect opportunity to watch the series if you missed the Toonami broadcast.
In a bit of news that’s crazy to see, every One Piece volume has sold at least a million copies. Think about that. All 100 books of the epic tale of Luffy searching for the “One Piece” have been purchased over a million times. It’s an astounding feat and one that fans should praise for the sheer longevity of the story and how it has captured the imagination of fans worldwide.
In case you can’t get enough of the Straw Hats’ long-legged martial artist chef, this week, VIZ Media released the latest installment in the One Piece x Food Wars crossover manga, Shokugeki no Sanji. First published in 2018, Shokugeki no Sanji is a series of one-shot spin-off stories by Food Wars creators Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki to celebrate milestones of the One Piece manga. The most recent chapter is currently free to read for a limited time on their website and via the Shonen Jump mobile app.
This weekend Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal won an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program, giving the property another accomplishment! This series has been a massive favorite amongst animation fans, so it’s great to see it be recognized to win a prestigious award! From everyone at Toonami Faithful, we’d like to congratulate everyone who worked on Primal on this illustrious win!
Award-winning manga creator Rumiko Takahashi treated her fans to a virtual tour of her home via her official Twitter account. She posted pictures of memorabilia featuring her work, such as Inuyasha, Maison Ikkoku, and Urusei Yatsura, along with commentary on each piece. Visit her Twitter to see more images from the tour and reminisce about her works with her.
Grace O’Malley and her crew deliver Fena to Abel on board his ship, the Blue Giant. Upon seeing the wounds on Fena’s wrists and neck, Abel angrily dismisses Grace and refuses to pay for her services. He then tells Fena about the sordid reputation of the Goblin Knights to cast doubt upon her friends. Meanwhile, the Goblin Knights escape the cave by building a makeshift bomb, and they return to the Bonito II. As Yukimaru and the twins prepare to rescue Fena, Shitan stops them and insists they return to Goblin Island immediately, lest his brother Kei finds them and turns them in as traitors. He reveals that their mission to rescue Fena was actually to find the coordinates of the great sword Kusanagi in Eden. Yukimaru angrily declares that he will save Fena no matter what, and then he sets out on his own to rescue her. Later, Grace storms the Blue Giant to kidnap Fena and fails, so the crew attacks the ship to seek revenge against Abel. Editor-in-chief CJ Maffris reviewed this episode in-depth, so read here for more details. Class 1-A is back from winter break in My Hero Academia, except for Shouta “Eraserhead” Aizawa and Hizashi “Present Mic” Yamada. Detective Tsukauchi summons them to a secret facility to discuss the Nomus, particularly Shigaraki’s caretaker Kurogiri, who is being kept in their custody. Aizawa and Yamada learn that Kurogiri is a Nomu created from the remains of their best friend, Oboro Shirakumo, who died in an accident years ago. Tsukauchi and Grand Torino ask Aizawa and Yamada to talk to Kurogiri to draw out Shirakumo’s consciousness. However, as they speak to the villain through a thick glass wall, Aizawa is overcome with emotion as he is flooded by memories of his time with Shirakumo and Yamada. He declares that the three of them can still follow their dreams to start their own hero agency, and for a brief moment, Shirakumo’s spirit awakens and speaks to them.
A demon interrupts snack time for Moroha, Setsuna, and Towa in Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon when the pond they’re sitting beside snatches a bird mid-flight and drags it beneath the water’s surface. Setsuna decides to return to the demon slayer village to gather more information, and Kohaku instructs her and Towa to slay the pond demon. The twins discover a brother and sister who lost their parents to the pond demon upon their return. While spending the night with the siblings, their grandmother tells Setsuna and Towa that a sage once planted medicinal herbs near the pond to keep demons at bay, but a poison demon now guards it and is difficult to reach. When the twins fight the pond demon, they discover it has merged with the poison demon guarding the herbs. They work together to destroy both monsters by launching them into the patch of herbs, thus purifying them. Megumi prepares to face Momo in the third bout of the regimental food war in Food Wars! The Fourth Plate, but her confidence wavers before the competition even begins. Fortunately, Erina orchestrated individual training sessions as part of their preparation. She paired Megumi with Kojiro Shinomiya, the chef she faced in a food war at the Totsuki training camp. At first, Kojiro’s presence puts Megumi on edge, and she makes even more mistakes than before. Still, as they build rapport, Kojiro’s instruction not only draws out Megumi’s skill but also her confidence. When the competition begins, Megumi is ready to support her teammates and do her best to achieve victory. However, Momo proves to be a formidable opponent when the fragrance of her dish alone begins to sway the judges. Her delicate, cute presentation of her apple tarts in a bread basket outshines Megumi’s simple dorayaki, but Megumi’s love and hospitality come through in the flavor of her dish.
Vanica confronts Queen Lolopechika in Black Clover while her Dark Disciples wreak havoc across the Heart Kingdom. She reveals that she cursed the queen upon Megicula’s request and that her Dark Disciples shall remain alive as long as Vanica’s magic is active. While Mimosa holds Vanica’s Disciple at bay, Noelle teams up with Lolopechika and Undine to use an attack technique that the three have been practicing in preparation for facing the Dark Triad. Lolopechika and Undine create a giant water vortex called Ludic Sanctuary, allowing Noelle to operate more freely in Lolopechika’s mana zone and boost her mana. She transforms her valkyrie armor into a new form, complete with a mermaid tail for increased agility in the vortex. She pushes Vanica to release more and more of her devil magic as they fight. Once Vanica uses all of her mana and unleashes 70% of her devil power, Nero suddenly appears and seals her power away using her Eternal prison sealing magic. Meanwhile, rumors spread in the Spade Kingdom palace about a spy from the Clover Kingdom infiltrating their ranks. Then, a soldier discovers a mysterious cloaked figure wearing a Black Bulls uniform snooping in Dante’s quarters, but the figure disappears before the soldier can capture him. A new member joins the ANBU Black Ops in Naruto: Shippuden, who turns out to be the youngest recruit to the organization yet and from the prestigious Uchiha clan. Danzo instructs the young Uchiha to report the Uchiha clan’s movements to him. Might Guy attempts to join the ANBU to keep an eye on his friend Kakashi, but the Third Hokage and Danzo reject him because he lacks an inner darkness. Later, the two leaders orchestrate a double mission, where Guy and another ninja will exchange scrolls with the Hannya Black Ops from the Land of Woods, while Kakashi and Itachi keep watch to assassinate any double-crossers. The mission goes sour when the Hannya Black Ops attack the Hidden Leaf shinobi, and Kakashi and Itachi kill them all. Guy, horrified by what he witnessed, begs the Hokage to release Kakashi from his service to the ANBU before he loses his sense of humanity.
Senku and his friends capture Homura using a flash grenade and hold her captive in Dr. Stone, so she won’t catch up to Gen, Chrome, and Magna, as they bring the other phone to a dedicated site as instructed by Senku. However, Homura quickly escapes. Meanwhile, Gen and the others install the phone at Senku’s gravesite. Later, Taiju and Yuzuriha find the phone, and both parties tear up at the sound of each other’s voices. Goku is out of commission, but Frieza and Android 17 still have the strength to fight Jiren in Dragon Ball Super. Jiren attempts to fight back against their advances, but his power begins to wane, and a blast from Android 17 brings him to his knees. As Frieza aims his Golden Death Beam, Top shouts at Jiren from the stands and encourages him to get back on his feet. Goku rejoins the fight and combines his power with Frieza’s, much to the surprise of their teammates. Goku then throws Frieza at Jiren and joins him to push Jiren off the arena. All three fighters are declared out of bounds, and Universe 11 is eliminated from the Tournament. Before he materializes in the stands with his team, Goku tells Jiren that he looks forward to fighting with him again in the future. Android 17 is declared the winner and given the Super Dragon Balls. He wishes that the eliminated universes will be restored. Super Shenron grants his wish, and all the eliminated fighters rejoice as they reappear in the Null Realm. Whis brings Frieza back alive instead of returning him to Hell, though Goku warns him not to cause trouble. Now that the Tournament has ended, everyone returns home, and life for Goku and his friends returns to normal for the time being.
This week on the Toonami Faithful Podcast, CJ Maffris returns as host to talk about the second season of Dr. Stone. Joined by Andrew “Sketch: Hingson and Bryan “LaserKid” Johnson, the group, discusses what made this series such a fan favorite. CJ would also spark the conversation of the series’s legacy on Toonami and how fans will remember it. If you are a fan of Dr. Stone, you’ll want to hear what our panelists had to say about everyone’s favorite scientist.
A ton of lore was dropped on viewers during the sixth episode of Fena: Pirate Princess. We learn about the supposed motives of the Goblin Pirates, how Abel is connected to Fena (or at least her mother), and what’s Eden. It would seem that a huge battle is on the horizon with O’Malley angry at Fena and Abel, with Yukimaru disregarding his orders to rescue our main heroine. Thankfully, Editor-in-Chief CJ Maffris breaks everything down that happened in his latest review of the series! It’s one that he was excited about and cannot stop talking about that staredown between Abel and O’Malley!
This past week, staff writer Marion “microwaevy” Pèna was a guest on the My Hero Academia Podcast! They join a great panel of experts on the property to discuss their admiration of Eraserhead, hugging All Might (you’d have to ask them about that one), and breaking down the latest manga chapter! If you are a fan of the property, then the My Hero Academia Podcast is a must-follow, and hopefully, you can give it a listen to help bolster your fandom of the title! And it certainly feels timely considering the episode Toonami fans were able to watch this week!
Director of Social Media Celia Rose, Chad from the Macross Mecha Manual, and EXO from Macross Fan Central continue their Rebuild of Evangelion discussion with the third film in the series, You Can (Not) Redo, which contains all-new story and animation, and it diverges completely from the TV version of Evangelion. Warning: there will be SPOILERS, so listen with caution if you have not yet seen the Rebuild films.
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C.J Maffris is the Editor-in-Chief at Toonamifaithful.com. He also produced and directed the Toonami documentary, What Toonami Means To Me. Feel free to follow CJ on Twitter @SeaJayMaffris
Celia Rose is the Director of Social Media for ToonamiFaithful.com. Feel free to follow Celia Rose on Twitter @planetstwinkle.