Article: On cartoon Network
On cartoon Network
Hello boys girls and adorable mascot animals, it is I zangulus, a most cynical member of the anifanikku squad. It is said that many critics are small minded people who exaggerate the slightest imperfections of any work with whatever wit they possess in a desperate attempt to shore up their fragile egos and fulfill their inferiority complexes. Such is the work of the lowest of intellectuals, caught up in a dance of delusion, clawing at the hopes and enjoyment of others and dragging the whole of humanity into a darker less meaningful world. This being said: Beware fans of dragonball Z, I just lost my job this week and need to feel big again.
Ah Cartoon Network the channel that any anime fan knows, love or hate (unless you live outside of the USA or in a cave). One of Cartoon Network's most famous programs is toonami. I have been watching toonami since it was showing speed racer and Voltron, two shows that despite the fact that they are, most contemporary Otaku try to ignore that they are anime. Yes that was a long time ago, when cartoon network was known as the all scooby doo channel. Eventually cartoon network decided that 1:30 pm was a bad time to show anime since everyone was either at work or school at the time. With a new line-up toonami became pretty much the show we know today. It has gone through many mutations and schedule changes since then.
Many people feel that it has lost most of the steam it used to have and now is only a showcase for dragonball. Sadly, I have to agree with this sentiment. Dragonball is in my mind a decent show but it's successor, Dragonball Z, is far too drawn out. Most people point to the frieza saga saying how many episodes does five minutes take? Personally I thought the show used to be good but pacing was ruined after the Z warriors fought the ginyu squad. Not only did the fight last too long but the fighting was ruined by cheap "we can move faster than you can see" animation and far too much yelling and powering up. Personally I would kick somebody if they were fighting me and just standing there. Yeesh. Personally my favorite fight in both of the series is the fight against the pirate robot in the Red Ribbon Saga. That only lasted an episode or so but had the feel of a really big fight. I am quite enjoying the new Buu saga though, as it is returning to the comic beginning of the show.
Not all is lost however, as there is another bastion of anime on cartoon network. Last September a new segment called adult swim aired. Airing late Sunday night it showed a mixture of American shows and Cowboy Bebop. All around I found the whole show very entertaining. When I saw that Cowboy Bebop was going to be showing I know that I had to watch no matter how late it was but I was surprised at how good the other shows were. I especially like the fifteen minutes shows like the brak show or aqua team hunger force.
About a month and a half ago things got even better. When It seemed that the Sunday adult swim was starting to stagnate they opened up a new Saturday showing of adult swim with three hours of anime. I know base my week around this now. I am not sure how much editing they do but it doesn't seem like much. You know you have been watching too much poorly dubbed anime to enjoy the line "Yuusuke was killed in a car accident." That is a far cry from sent to another dimension.
Overall I am quite happy with cartoon network as it has over the years given me a lot of free anime to watch. It has kept me happy whenever I am low on dough and I can not be more grateful, especially with the new programming.