Deadman Wonderland Episode One Impressions

Deadman Wonderland was a show I had high hopes for heading in. A very basic plot summary and an awesome opening sequence was all I needed to anticipate this show. I’m typically not a big fan of gory shows, but some shows, such as Blood+, have been able to click with me in the past. That said, I can confidentially say that if the remainder of Deadman Wonderland is as good as the first episode, this is going to be an awesome series.

Toonami 2012 Impressions (And How It Can Thrive)

Growing up, I spent countless hours watching the Toonami block on Cartoon Network. It was the block that introduced new action animated programming (mainly anime) to me. Without Toonami, my selection of anime would not have been nearly as diverse as it is now. The block’s host, T.O.M. the robot, helped to bring a personally to the block. It was like he was going on an adventure with you. It was a well-structured, well-presented block of programming.

Unfortunately, on September 20, 2008, Toonami held its final broadcast and ended its eleven year run. Honestly, I thought it was a bummer but I understood why they ended the block. For whatever reason, Toonami ran out of shows. At the time, the only show they had left with new episodes was Naruto, and that show was in filler territory at that point. I love Toonami, but I wouldn’t want to see it as a soulless shell of its former self.

Fast forward to April 1, 2012; Adult Swim was holding their annual April Fool’s Day prank. Instead of rerunning The Room again, Adult Swim decided to bring back Toonami for one night. Let me tell you, it was great to see T.O.M. again along with a long list of classic anime shows airing on TV once again. It was like seeing your favorite band of old reunite for one last concert. But it didn’t take long for fans to want more. Toonami fans (myself included) kindly asked Cartoon Network/Adult Swim to bring back the Toonami lineup, and it worked! Last night, Toonami made its return to TV, and it was good.

This new Toonami was good because it wasn’t trying to be exactly like the old Toonami. The shows they aired on Toonami in the past were great. But if Toonami is to thrive, it cannot become a nostalgia act.