Welcome to the latest edition of This Week From Toonami! While nothing major happened this week, Jason DeMarco had another Twitter thread that had some interesting pieces of information that Toonami fans will want to check out. And we could independently confirm the reporting from a popular GameRant article that gained traction among fans. And October is the month anime fans cannot wait to arrive with so many popular series returning to simulcasting! Which could be a tease on what could come to the block in the future.
Toonami surprised fans with a different kind of promo for viewers. While we are accustomed to T.O.M and SARA having heart-to-heart talks with their audience, the subject is typically about ourselves and how we deal with negative emotions and get back on our feet. Our hosts took some time to discuss how bad the environment has been and what we can do to help save the only planet we know. It’s a touching message making sure Toonami viewers know all the things they can do to help a worthy cause by providing a few links, such as Friends of Earth, Rainforest Alliance, and Oceana, where people can start if they can. It’s always amazing to see these kinds of promos air during the block, and we love how Toonami continues to use its platform for good.
Some fans might have been skeptical of last week’s GameRant article involving Toonami, where they talked to a representative at Warner Bros. Discovery and mentioned the block is safe from any form of canceling. We wanted to follow up and make sure that this report was accurate since many Toonami fans trust us regarding news items as delicate as this. We are happy to say that we could confirm what the article in the GameRant article was saying and could not be more excited that there are long-term plans for Toonami to continue bringing fans the best in action animation. So while things seem dire at the moment, know that there are plans to keep T.O.M, SARA, and all the Faithfuls happy with a block we love!
On Aug. 30, Jason DeMarco had another interesting thread on Twitter where fans could ask him all sorts of questions, and he answered a few that pertained to Toonami that we found interesting. The biggest thing was that two unannounced series should be coming to the block at some point. And DeMarco even mentioned how he feels they could be long-runners compared to other original projects that have aired on the block, leaving us to wonder what that might be down the line. He also mentioned how Fena: Pirate Princess did well enough to get a second season, but with the director and Crunchyroll uninterested in making more, that time has passed, and it would appear that the door is firmly closed on more Fena: Pirate Princess being made. Plus, DeMarco mentioned that fans should request Sony to work with Toonami, that Netflix backed up dump trucks of money to grab the sixth season of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures, and that Uzumaki is still in production. It’s a thread we recommend you check out to get more information on a block we all love!
Are you having a hard time picking between chicken or beef? Could you be feeling a tad upset? Well, you might want to get your feelings settled soon because we have a date for when the second season of Pop Team Epic will premiere. Starting Oct. 1, fans can expect the meme-heavy humor series to make its triumphant return to simulcasting in the U.S. Hopefully, Toonami will be able to find some way to air it on the block, considering how much Adult Swim likes it (and frankly, we do too). And it would be fun for a new batch of silly moments to return to a block with its fair share of comedy!
A couple of new promotional videos debuted for two series we are keeping our eyes on for this upcoming season. The third one for My Hero Academia was released, which should get fans excited for the sixth season! In it, fans are teased about the upcoming Paranormal Liberation War arc and has the new opening song playing getting everyone ready for its Oct. 1 debut! But that wasn’t the only series, as the official Twitter account for Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury streamed a second promo on Sunday. Unlike My Hero Academia (and Pop Team Epic), the video mentioned that the anime will premiere on Oct. 2 and will air on Sundays in Japan. A new visual for the series was also published, getting everyone ready for what should be a highly anticipated anime series. But if you want to get more content from Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury, the prologue for it will air on Sep. 25. It’s something even Jason DeMarco has been keeping an eye on, so hopefully, an English dub can find its way to Toonami at some point.
Are you tired of hearing updates about One Piece Film Red? Neither are we, as this latest movie continues to grab records at the Japanese box office but also had some impact this weekend in the U.S. The film remains in Japan’s number one spot for its fourth week in a row. It has sold over 8 million tickets and has earned over $80 million in Japan. So with all these accolades, you’d think One Piece Film Red has hit illustrious company in Japan’s box office history. You’d be right, as it is now the country’s tenth highest earning animated film, passing Evangelion: 3.0+1.01: Thrice Upon A Time. And it is also the 29th highest-grossing film in Japan as of now. But what about in the U.S.? Surprisingly, the USC Trojan’s football team’s marching band performed songs from One Piece and its latest film to celebrate the start of a new season. It’s incredible to watch, and we recommend checking it out when you have the chance. And don’t worry One Piece fans! It was announced that the film would make its way to the U.S. in English this October! So plenty for everyone to be excited about at the tail end of the year.
You cannot stop it, as another video game title will have a Dragon Ball Super collaboration. Considering its popularity during its Fortnite event, it would appear that PUBG Mobile also wants a piece of that action. Announced on Twitter, there will be a collaboration between the two in 2023. No other information was revealed, but we will keep you updated when we learn more.
This week, Yoshihiro Togashi tweeted that he has decided to increase his staff following his health updates. As many are aware, Togashi has dealt with some severe pain that hasn’t seemed to improve. He’s mentioned to fans how he hasn’t been able to sit in a chair for two years and that doing things takes 3-5 times longer than it usually does. We are happy to hear that Togashi will be receiving more help to allow him to do what he wants in creating more chapters for Hunter x Hunter. But, we hope this is happening because he wants it and can live comfortably. We wish nothing but good health for Togashi and want to hear him mention improvements in his following statement.
On the latest episode of the Toonami Faithful Podcast, host Andrew “Sketch” Hingson is joined by Darrell Maddox, Happy Kuro Kitty, and a return of CJ Maffris to talk about the first six episodes of Primal. Our cast cannot get enough of this series with CJ mentioning how he believes this might be the best series to ever air on the Adult Swim iteration of Toonami. The gang dives deep into the series talking about the artwork of the second season and watching the bond between Spear and Fang grow in a way that is unique to its own. Primal is a series that you can’t compare to anything else and the fact that it’s being brought up in conversations about other animated series like Arcane and Invincible truly shows the quality of this project, and we are fully onboard with this primal theory, and we hope you take the time to listen to everyone gush about the series!
The convention circuit is back in full swing, and thankfully, our staff writer Sakaki has an in-depth review of his time at this year’s Otakon. He was thoroughly impressed at how well the staff was able to have things move along in a timely manner, and shocked at how many of his interests were being catered to at the event. Sakaki mentions some of the big names he was able to see at the convention like Toshio Furukawa and Mariya Ise. But was floored by some of the major announcements that took place at Otakon by Discotek Media acquiring Urusei Yatsura and Denpa LLC licensing Mitsuru Adachi’s Short Game short story collection. It’s wonderful to hear about Sakaki’s fun time at his hometown convention, and we hope you take the time to read everything he had to say about the weekend in what we hope will be more convention reports for the year!
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CJ 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