Toonami fans have a palpable excitement revolving around the block. We will celebrate 25 years of existence for the iconic action block as we head to March. While Cosmo Samurai 2 is the first extra for fans, we certainly don’t hope it’s the last. Other than that, not much news involving the block this week, but there will be a sequel for a massive fan-favorite series. And it will be the end of science as Dr. Stone’s manga is about to end! Curious about everything going on? Make sure you read up on the latest installment of This Week From Toonami!
If a series is popular, then you know more content will be provided. However, many should have been shocked at the recent news of a brand new Zatch Bell manga that is set to be published possibly mid-March (according to manga creator Makoto Raiku). Titled Zatch Bell 2, it would appear that a new story involving Toonami’s favorite mamodo will be available on digital platforms for any to read. It has to be exciting for Zatch Bell fans, and hopefully, there will be enough chapters to have another anime project. This series is a huge fan-favorite among Toonami fans, so we are pumped to learn that more Zatch Bell content is coming!
Getting excited about the Dr. Stone manga? That’s probably because the series is about to reach its climax in Weekly Shonen Jump! To celebrate its fifth anniversary, Dr. Stone will be concluding in the magazine’s next issue with more colored pages than usual, as Senku finishes the mission he set forth for himself in rebuilding the modern world. Those who have stayed up to date with the manga must be having a ton of emotions flow through them, as it is always tough to say goodbye to a fun property. But, with it finishing, that could mean that Dr. Stone might get a more faithful adaptation for the third season (and possibly beyond), which has to be a great prospect to have on the horizon!
Players of the My Hero Academia game, My Hero One’s Justice 2, can look forward to a new character soon! Next up will be the seductive hero Midnight, who will be joining the game’s roster as the fourth DLC character in the second season pass. Right now, there isn’t a trailer to show how Midnight will play in the game, but fans will want to be on the lookout for her kit and playstyle when she becomes available soon!
Netflix released a new trailer for the upcoming season of Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 this week. In the trailer, the main staff and returning cast members were highlighted and were accompanied by a May premiere date on the streaming website globally for fans to get ready! It will be interesting to see how fans react to this second season, considering how polarizing 3-D animation can be. But we will keep everyone informed when more details become available.
This week, Jason DeMarco shared an excellent article about FLCL Alternative, discussing how some can interpret the final season as an allegory for coming out written by Ang Cruz from The Daily Fandom back in 2020. While the series is best known for giving a visual representation of growing up from adolescence, specifically Kana, and looks into her sexuality. Cruz talks about how Kana, not wanting to change much of her life, can be viewed as still in the closet and afraid of breaking out from the normal they have already set up for themselves in life. Kana also inserts herself to help her friends as a distraction from her dilemmas. Cruz also dives into the relationship of Kana and Pets and goes further into detail about how Kana closeting herself after Pets leave, giving the author more examples of how someone could act when they continue to keep their feelings hidden from those they care about the most. It’s a fascinating article and one we hope you find some time to check out when you can!
One the most recent episode of The Toonami Faithful Podcast, host Andrew “Sketch” Hingson is joined by Paul Pescrillo, Darrell Maddox, and Bryan “LaserKid” Johnson. The gang talks about episodes two and three of Shenmue the Animation (what’s worked what hasn’t) and the first segment of Toonami’s newest original Cosmo Samurai 2! Get your “old jokes” ready as our more senior staff members find out where the sailors hang out and give you all the commentary and insights you could ask for on another great podcast episode!
In Shenmue the Animation, we continue to look into deciphering the letter left by Ryo’s father. Ryo was informed to use a mirror to flip the writing and needed to locate the Chens for assistance. Figuring out the code on the letter, Ryo calls the Chens and ends up in a warehouse where he learns about the mirrors that Lan-Di was searching for previously. After some quick detective work on locating the Phoenix Mirror (which was hidden at the dojo, as Lan-Di believed), Chai appears again and nearly makes off with the mirror but is thankfully stopped by Ryo. The Chens warn Ryo of the threat Lan-Di is, but undeterred, Ryo will continue his investigation to find all the answers he seeks.
LaserKid continues to be impressed by the adaptation of Shenmue the Animation, as he takes a deep dive into the third episode. He has dramatically enjoyed how faithful the series has been to the first game and loved seeing Ryo discover where the Phoenix Mirror was hidden, as it brought back a ton of nostalgia from playing the games. He’s been impressed with the spotlight minor characters have been having and enjoying how many game elements have been littered throughout these first three episodes. But, the pacing seems incredibly fast and does hope that this doesn’t mean other incredible scenes will be glossed over or rushed. But make sure you check out everything he had to say in his latest review!
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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