As someone who grew up with this from day one, I cannot stress how much Gundam Wing played a role in how important the success of Toonami was, especially the Midnight Run. I feel like DBZ and Sailor Moon (to a lesser extent) are viewed with rose-colored glasses by those who grew up watching the afternoon shows in the early 2000s. But in my area, at least, the "uncut" episodes of Gundam Wing is what everyone talked about. Clearly DBZ outshines Gundam Wing in viewership, but that slice in time was something special. That intro into the show that sounded like something cut from Roni Size / Reprazent (Railing or inspired by anything on New Forms) and the quick cuts to big robots and explosions introduced by the O.G. TOM will forever be a core memory watching with my best friend every Saturday night during the initial run.
It wasn’t until in my older years did I start meeting people who were diehard fans of Gundam Wing. I was just in a different circle I guess. Or maybe the people in my circle were secretly fans of it and didn’t wanna say for some reason lol. This is exactly what I mean! Those promos / transitions that Toonami made with TOM added so much to the actual shows. The music that played in the background as you heard TOM talk about the show you’re about to watch, with dialogue and sfx playing alongside the voice over would always get me excited. The aesthetic always somehow matched with the anime. I don’t recall other tv channels ever being able to pull it off the way Toonami did.
Toonami introduced me to DBZ in high school back in the 90’s. I raced to my friends house that had cable to watch it. Then later on, buying bootleg vhs tapes straight from Japanese tv was awesome, commercials and all lol. Some of my fondest memories were from that time.
Toonami existed here in Brazil too, about the same time (about 1999 onwards, until cancellation), but, unlike the US, it was only responsible for the second wave of anime popularization, with Dragon Ball Z. "The first wave of anime" arrived here successfully (and totally unexpectedly --- a story of its own) on open TV years before: Sailor Moon, Yu Yu Hakusho, Pokemon, the original Dragon Ball, Shurato, Dragon Quest - The Adventures of Dai, Magic Knight Reyarth and many others. So, to many viewers, anime wasn't something new when DBZ aired on toonami... though DBZ itself was, and highly anticipated. Saint Seiya, by the way, was incredibly popular here from 1994 to 1996.... as much that the network airing it decided to create a show similar to toonami, with futuristic theme and all (but with a human actress as a host) just to exibit the anime, together with other less popular shows it had licenses. THIS was the anime my childhood... the type of making me program the VHS player to record the episodes during the morning (while I was at school) so then I could, in the afternoon, after class, visit a friend so we could watch in his house the episode of the day (Saint Seiya aired from monday to friday). I'm just glad this all happened on open TV, since my house didn't have cable. Interestingly, related to the cancellation of shows that had cartoons and animes inside of them, for decades a major network channel aired such shows during the morning, and only in the morning. This lasted until about 2010, when they replaced them by a generic host show of interviews. As a result, UP TO THIS DAY people are bitter with this interview show and its poor hostess. The hashtag "bring back TV Globinho" -- the name of the kids show that aired the cartoons --- ocasionally pops up in social media. Unfortunately, we didn't have here an april's fool attempt to revive it...
Wow. I had no idea that Toonami had that kind of reach and effect outside of the States. This was such a fascinating comment to read. Thank you for taking time to tell your experience with how you grew up with anime! You never know though, it could come back!
I grew up with Toonami same with a bunch of people but my earliest memories were staying up late to watch DBZ and then passing out some nights. I remember when Naruto first started airing and I thought it looked so dumb with the Chunin Exams. I think it wasn’t until I saw the previews for Orochimaru and Gaara’s attack on Konohagakure when I found it interesting. Started watching shortly after and now it’s my favorite anime of all time. Toonami is amazing and I wish all the time where I could go back to when shit was simpler and just watching CN, Adult Swim, and Toonami. And hot take but I found the filler Naruto episodes awesome and a great way to break up some arcs.
Same thing happened with me in “One Piece”haha but I know exactly what you mean. We look back at things from our past and realize what was taken for granted. Those nights of watching Toonami and how I watched it are definitely one of them.
Brought tears to my eyes man. So good. I grew up with it being born in 89. I remember my friend Jesse brought me over to his house one day. He all of a sudden puts on dbz. I asked after the first episode with a glow in my eyes “WHAT IS THIS??!!” If it wasnt for Jesse i never would’ve probably watched anime and toonami. It was funny. I remember how we were considered weird for liking Japanese cartoons hahaha. That’s what the school kids would call them😂😂😂 i would always say no its not cartoons. It’s much better. It’s anime. We always take those days for granted as we get older
I feel like we all have our own special story of discovering Toonami. Especially if it's something you continue to actively watch. We really do take that period of adolescence for granted. The times that were simple and where we found everything fascinating. I'm glad you liked the video man! Thanks for your story and thank you for watching :)
Toonami was that secret pathway that connected nerds everywhere. I remember watching the Rock Lee vs Gara fight on Toonami and it giving me chills as a kid from how groundbreaking that was for me as a viewer. Toonami is something special
Thank God for Toonami if it was not for Toonami kids and teens in America would still be watching dumbass shows like SpongeBob instead something deep and truly powerful
@StrictlyMediocre so true people say the story of Superman or batman should be immortal, but many anime stories truly reflect our world and actually inspire better
Hey, just found this channel from your outer wilds video and it's quickly becoming a favorite! I love the sense of humor and the continuity between videos, keep up the great work! (Also don't feel too discouraged that this video isn't preforming as well as the others, establishing variety content like this early on is a little difficult to start but is a great idea in the long run and the video itself is just as quality as the last few have been.)
Wow! Thank you for the comment! Don’t worry, I’m not too worried about the performance of this video or any future video that follows the same ratings. Like you said, my goal right now is to fill up my channel with a variety of content. I plan on continuing to create content that I enjoy regardless of the performance. Thank you for taking time to watch my videos! It really means a lot
I don’t care how common streaming devices like Crunchyroll are nowadays, or how they’re easily accessible. To me, even to this day, Toonami will ALWAYS be the leading pioneer that introduced me (and got me addicted) to anime. And even if I don’t watch it as much (or at all), I’ll always have a special place for it in my heart. And I will still continue to be a supporter for it. Toonami faithful!!!
First Anime ? I guess it depends on what is considered "Anime" ? Thinking back to a time when I was actually still a "Child", I can remember watching cartoons on Saturday mornings and seeing "Cartoons" like 'Speed Racer' , "Johnny Quest" and more. as an adult i rediscovered the genre(around 1995-97'ish?) with the first "Ghost in the Shell" animated movie. So, take your pick I think the M.a.c.h. 5 or the Geist would work for either time ?
It's saddens me how many people completely write off anime. Even now that the genres are endless. It's not just Shonen anymore yet some people just don't care. Such a weird mindset to me.
