As the block transitions into a new lineup, Toonami fans were hit with some sobering news. And while we can sympathize that the block will be lacking some new series, we are hopeful this is only a temporary fix with Attack on Titan and Shenmue the Animation now finished. But there was some excellent news for Toonami-related series, like a nice rumor about Fire Force, a Sailor Moon anniversary, and a new home for Fena: Pirate Princess! If you want to know everything that was going on this past week, continue reading the latest installment of This Week From Toonami!
Some significant changes are coming to Toonami’s way starting this May. Now that Shenmue the Animation and Attack on Titan finished this weekend, some new series should have been joining the block’s lineup. Sadly, as Toonami announced this week, that won’t be the case. On May 7, Assassination Classroom will lead the lineup, and Naruto Shippuden will double up starting at 2 a.m. Shenmue the Animation will also get an encore run at 3 a.m. and will continue to hold that timeslot for the time being. For May 14, Toonami will dip back into airing the first season of Primal, making its triumphant return after having a Thanksgiving Day marathon. This addition will bump Naruto Shippuden to only airing one episode per week again. Finally, Attack on Titan will also get an encore run at 3:30 a.m. after Cowboy Bebop concludes. Many fans were troubled at the latest news, and while we aren’t super thrilled either, we must once again show patience when it comes to Toonami acquiring new series to air. Some have speculated that this could lead to Primal’s second season coming to the block down the line, but we can only wait if that will be the case.
Huge news, Fena: Pirate Princess fans! The hit Toonami-original is coming to HBO Max on May 6 after the company sent out a press release. It highlights the creations and voices of Asian American and Pacific Islander Voices to celebrate Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month (which begins this May). Many Toonami fans still talk about how much they loved this series, and having it available on a streaming platform will help gain a bigger audience! If you happened to miss the original airing on Toonami, you will be able to see why fans loved it!
Are you excited about the 30th anniversary of the iconic franchise Sailor Moon? A special program aired this week for those interested, giving details on what fans should expect for the celebration. A museum will run from July 1 to Dec. 30 in Tokyo’s Roppongi Museum, and manga creator Naoko Takeuchi unveiled a new illustration for the occasion! The museum will have three phases, including all kinds of artwork from Takeuchi, and will have an immersive experience theater! But the biggest news to come out of the program was that the final arc from the Sailor Moon manga will be getting a two-part anime film adaptation titled Gekijōban Bishōjo Senshi Sailor Moon Cosmos! A new website for the project went live, and there you can find a new trailer and visual. As of this writing, the first part is set to premiere during the summer of 2023. I’m sure many fans of the property are delighted to learn that more content is on the way, and getting to see the final chapters adapted in a visual format must be exciting!
It shouldn’t surprise many that popular clothing brands are interested in anime collaborations. We’ve reported before that the eSports organization Team Liquid also had a Naruto Shippuden-inspired clothing line that many people jumped on when announced. Now we can add the Jordan Brand as another who will jump into creating anime apparel. They announced this week that they will be doing something involving the favorite hidden leaf ninja. NBA star Zion Williamson also tweeted about his involvement which is rumored to be his first signature sneaker with the brand. Later in the week, Williamson shared a one-of-a-kind piece of artwork drawn by Masashi Kishimoto to add more excitement for what’s to come soon! It’s a very cool drawing, and we love to see more athletes showcasing their love for nerdy things like anime.
A rumor has been floating around that the third season of Fire Force is currently in production. Right now, there hasn’t been any confirmation, but we will be keeping our eyes peeled when news of this does happen or not. Hopefully, this is the case, considering how popular Fire Force was on the block.
Talk about a superb recreation, as Fullmetal Alchemist creator Hiromu Arakawa drew the movie’s teaser visual in manga form. According to Anime News Network, those who go to see the film will be able to acquire this artwork, and there will be two other giveaway items at different times. Right now, this artwork will only be available in participating theaters from May 20 to 22, the first three opening days of the film.
This week voice actor Billy Kametz (best known to Toonami fans as the voice of Josuke Higashikata from Diamond is Unbreakable and Rui from Demon Slayer) revealed in a YouTube video that he has been diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer. For obvious reasons, Kametz will be taking some time away from acting as he travels back home to Pennsylvania to be with family during this difficult time. Toonami Faithful is devastated to learn of this news and wants to offer support in his fight against cancer. For those who can and want to, Kametz has set up a GoFundMe account linked here for anyone who wishes to donate and help.
Due to the schedule of a lot of our staff members, we did not record a new episode of the Toonami Faithful Podcast. We wanted to do a special 400th episode, and it was postponed for this upcoming week to make it possible. We apologize for the inconvenience to our listeners who faithfully listen to us each week. That should make the following week’s episode even better!
Staff writer Bryan “Laser Kid” Johnson was floored by episode 12 of Shenmue the Animation, thanks to how every action came together in a way that rarely works. Laser Kid loved how Joy’s decision to help Wong led to Ryo and Ren being able to regroup and rescue her (to gain more allies) and gave Wong the opening he needed to find Yuanda Zhu. Comparing it to an Avenger-style assembly, seeing storytelling being this impactful did enough to give our writer a big smile. Plus, seeing Joy’s history confirmed from what we knew from flashbacks and Yuan losing his mind (while using a chainsaw) gave him and viewers a fantastic penultimate episode to enjoy. Curious about everything he had to say about the episode? Well, check out his review and find out!
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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