Saturday Nights Anime Style

12A DBZ Kai



12:3A Akame Ga Kill



1A Parasyte The Maxim



1:3A Samurai Champloo



2A Naruto: Shippuden



2:3A One Piece



3A Kill la Kill



Toonami has always been a great outlet for anime in America. Although it has been lost to us for quite some time, it has returned recently through the kindness of a fellow anime media outlet in Adult Swim. Adult Swim is where i caught my my first glimpse of the iconic Cowboy Bebop and the murder mystery Cased Closed, so it is satisfying to see it revive Toonami to offer a block on Saturday for its anime fans. Toonami was a staple for young anime fans in the 90’s and with it recent resurgence has gained an even more appreciative audience. Its 2016 lineup shows its goals for the future but also its comfortability of sticking with its roots.

Dragon Ball Z is a no brainer for their lineup and Tom shows it knows it by giving it the top spot. Many of my fondest memories of Toonami stem from the classic moments of DBZ being offered by it on an after school schedule on Cartoon Network. Boy those were the days when you would watch a new exciting episode of Dragon Ball Z right before doing your homework. Having the Kai version shows both an appreciation for its past and a desire for a new take on it. Akame Ga Kill and Parasyte the Maxim follow up, showing a desire for new anime to be broadcast that already have a great fanbase. I’m of course guessing at the fan base for both of those show based on the cheers for them at Anime Expo last year during a panel because I have not watched either personally. Then comes the Adult Swim influence with the addition of the classic Samurai Champloo. I haven’t had the pleasure of watching Samurai Champloo on television since the first day I saw it announced on Netflix. This is a great space to get this semi-cult classic anime introduced to new fans in a space where it can truly be appreciated. After that you have a back to back casting of top mainstream juggernaut anime with Naruto Shippuden and One Piece. No introductions would be needed on my part because anime anime fan has undoubtedly heard of of one or both of these shows and is either a big fan of them or are pretty annoyed with their popularity. The anime given clean up duty is Kill la Kill which is still a rather new anime that has built up a substantial fanbase. Personally i think it’s a great choice to start with the buff guys fighting and ending with the girls taking their turn in the ring. All in all a great line up.

Will you be watching? Already a fan of Toonami but I know some have not been properly introduced to Tom and his love of great anime. Do you like or dislike the lineup? What would your personal lineup be? Discussion is always welcome.

Toonami Goodies