{"id":955417,"date":"2026-01-01T22:59:27","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T22:59:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/?p=446097"},"modified":"2026-01-01T22:59:28","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T22:59:28","slug":"toonamis-push-for-original-anime-has-always-been-ahead-of-the-curve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/toonamis-push-for-original-anime-has-always-been-ahead-of-the-curve\/","title":{"rendered":"Toonami\u2019s push for original anime has always been ahead of the curve"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Toonami
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In 2024, you can\u2019t throw a stone without hitting an anime fan \u2014 not literally, of course. But what once felt like an exclusive club has become a mainstream, global phenomenon, appearing on everything from major streaming services to giant movie screens. And millions of today\u2019s anime fans have the same place to thank for their introduction to the medium: Toonami, Cartoon Network\u2019s beloved late-\u201990s\/early-aughts after-school programming block. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Considering its popularity, it makes sense that the lineup, which now airs on Adult Swim, began producing original anime of its own. But as an American-owned and -operated sub-brand, Toonami\u2019s original anime are special: They\u2019re not only high-quality, they\u2019re authentic, too. After nearly 30 years on the air, and a dozen exclusive anime produced by major studios, Toonami remains one of the lone non-Japanese brands regularly creating genuine Japanese shows. In that time, it\u2019s nailed down a formula that no one else has managed to replicate: one of authenticity, self-promotion, and capturing the zeitgeist.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Launching in 1997, Toonami\u2019s programming was a unique bedrock for Cartoon Network in the late \u201990s and early aughts. While other American channels aired popular anime \u2014 like Kids\u2019 WB and Fox Kids, homes to Pok\u00e9mon<\/em>, Yu-Gi-Oh<\/em>, Digimon<\/em>, the infamous 4Kids dub of One Piece<\/em>, and more \u2014 Cartoon Network\u2019s Toonami had the most robust collection of series. Every afternoon, kids could come home and watch everything from classics like Dragon Ball <\/em>and Sailor Moon<\/em> to fan favorites like the Gundam franchise and Outlaw Star<\/em>. (The channel\u2019s Toonami block also boasted shows like Hamtaro<\/em>, which was maybe too cutesy for action anime-lovers, but iconic to this writer.) As broadcast networks and English-dubbed home videos made these shows more accessible to mainstream audiences<\/a> \u2014 not to mention the Pok\u00e9mon craze<\/a> \u2014 anime\u2019s stateside popularity grew. With its diverse programming, Toonami developed an identity as a purveyor of high-quality goods<\/a>. <\/p>\n

But it\u2019s one thing to showcase great shows, which Cartoon Network did both during Toonami\u2019s daytime hours and weekend slot as part of Adult Swim (how many Western audiences were first traumatized by Neon Genesis Evangelion<\/a><\/em>). It\u2019s another to make them, which the network did for the first time in 2003 \u2014 and continued to do for the next 20-plus years.<\/p>\n

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