There wasn’t any news involving Toonami this week, giving a more subdued feeling. Many anticipate an announcement soon with Shenmue the Animation and Attack on Titan set to conclude this upcoming Saturday. So many are giving their two cents on what will be coming over to join the greatest action cartoon block on the planet. The manga world was hit with big news involving Yuki Tabata’s hiatus. We learned how many copies of popular titles are circulating in the U.S. Curious about what we are talking about for this week? We have all the information you need to know if you’re a massive Toonami fan!
The manga world learned that the author of Black Clover, Yuki Tabata, will be taking a three-month (or longer) hiatus. Initially, Tabata wasn’t going to take a break as he prepares the series’s final arc. But after consideration and discussions with the editorial team, he decided to take some rest to be in better health to finish Black Clover. It’s been a topic that the manga world has talked about a ton regarding rest for authors and artists, and it’s a welcomed sight to see Weekly Shonen Jump allow Tabata to take some time to recover.
Variety magazine came out with a piece stating that the manga Bleach has 2.7 million copies in print in the U.S., and My Hero Academia has more than 10 million. Why is this important? Well, Anime News Network reports that VIZ Media will publish a special 20th Anniversary Edition of the first volume of Bleach on Aug. 2. And for My Hero Academia, VIZ Media will launch a 20-volume box set of the manga series on Oct. 18. Both properties have been a massive hit in the U.S., and learning that more collectibles will be available in the future has to put a smile on any fan’s face!
If there’s one thing we know about Naruto is that he loves ramen from Ichiraku Ramen. If you would like to express the same type of love for food, Toynk Toys has you covered. The company is selling a Naruto Shippūden-inspired automatic rice cooker from manufacturer Just Funky, which features Naruto chowing down on ramen. It costs $45 and has free shipping for those in the U.S. If you’re interested, you can use the link here to make your purchase!
The official website for the two upcoming Fullmetal Alchemist films debuted a final trailer. Various fights are highlighted in the video, getting everyone excited to see the entire movie. The website also unveiled a new poster and comments by the original manga creator Hiromu Arakawa wrapping a bow on what has been a relatively successful stint of promotion. We aren’t sure how fans in the U.S. can view these, but we will keep you updated when we find out!
We’ve reported an unofficial fan project from our friends at @ToonamiBot, and were treated to a brand-new minute-long trailer of what they are planning. You’ll see clips from the iconic block culminating in what should be something unique in the video. Make sure you keep your eyes on The Tsundoku Zone YouTube page to make sure you can see the first episode of The Book of Toonami.
We noticed an excellent video that made its rounds on Twitter (even catching Jason DeMarco’s attention). The website Newgrounds put out a flyer where they are looking for animators to do a Toonami collaboration with them. We aren’t entirely sure what this project entails, but we wanted to give a proper shoutout since it is Toonami-related. Check the link here to find all the answers about this endeavor.
Do you enjoy long podcast episodes? Well, Toonami Faithful has what you’re looking for as Andrew “Sketch” Hingson hosts the latest Toonami Faithful Podcast episode. He is joined by Bryan “Laser Kid” Johnson and Happy Kuro Kitty to talk about episodes 10 and 11 of Shenmue the Animation! With this series and Attack on Titan set to finish, our experts discuss what they think will replace the two shows. It’s always a fun discussion (think of it as a Toonami wishlist), and the gang is more than ready to throw out some suggestions. Later in the episode, Sketch switches gears, and Varun “VLordGTZ” Gupta takes Kuro’s spot as the panelists talk about the last 22 episodes of One Piece that have aired on the block. It’s a lengthy episode, but one you will not want to miss!
In the latest episode of Shenmue the Animation, staff writer Laser Kid discusses the central theme of change. He was taken aback by seeing how Ryo, Xiuying, Ren, and Joy were doing things differently from what they usually do to signify excellent character development. Ren especially was who our writer highlighted due to Laser Kid predicting he’d turn into a more dynamic character from a simple money-grubber. Plus, the Yellow Heads has become a more imposing gang than fans initially believed. Laser Kid has enjoyed how high the stakes have been as Shenmue the Animation comes to a close. Seeing this episode play out added more emotional investment from viewers, and our writer couldn’t be more pleased and excited at what will come next!
Fans have been buzzing about the latest (final) season of Attack on Titan. Toonami fans have had the pleasure of seeing the craziest plot twist of Eren moving from a boy looking to avenge his mother’s death to a genocidal maniac. The power he gained from the “Founding Titan” is astonishing, and staff writer Umeko Long wanted to break down just how wild this reveal was when it first debuted. Long talks about the breadcrumbs left throughout the entire franchise. The storytelling has been a treat to see unfold, and it has been a massive highlight for the block. Being our resident Attack on Titan expect, Long checks all the boxes and every angle to give you all the information you’ll have to check out when you can!
Thanks to the efforts of @Swimpedia, our staff member Colt “AmbientVirus” Buhr was able to provide more links for Toonami fans who have enjoyed the musical tracks that have been on or inspired by block. The songs in question were the Warm & Scratchy ones, and Buhr has a Dropbox link where you can download them.
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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