The death of anime on AS?

[Orihimes_Boyfriend]

Bad news!
Starting monday March 11 weeknights on Adult Swim (for now) goes all comedy. Except for 5am with InuYasha and Astro Boy. Saturdays will remain the same.

[MKVarana]

A few years ago, I'd be furious about this, but based on the way things had been going lately it's not surprising. Their cards have been expressing their displeasure with anime for quite some time now. Of course the worst part of this is that now there will be more of their comedy shows on weeknights, which, in my opinion, have been going down in quality quite a bit in recent years, to the point that I actually turn the TV off when a few of them come on.

[The Adventurer]

Well, mostly I love the AS comedy shows (Frisky Dingo, Squidbillies, Aqua Teen, the line up's great right now) frankly I don't like Death Note and hate Inuyasha, and reruns of Ghost in the Shell, Samurai Champloo, and Paranoia Agent don't really do anything for me any more.

So, really, this doesn't bug me at all. To bad though, but they just aren't getting the ratings any more.

Is Sci-Fi still airing Anime on Monday Nights?

[Individual11]

yeah, Sci-Fi channel is doing anime on Mondays (Tactics and Noein) as well as Starz Edge (which has been running Black Lagoon). A.S. clearly loses in comparison, though it is a shame that A.S. is marginalizing anime even more than they already were. I guess they don't have the budget to compete. 99% of their comedy shows suck big time.

[Orihimes_Boyfriend]

well I love Inuyasha but I have most of it on DVD and Im not a fan of the dub and will not stay up till 5 to watch any show. From what I hear sci-fi is killing them head to head on Mondays.

[Collectonian]

Ah well...guess I can stop having to stay up late to watch. Hate comedy, in general.

[stfram]

A.S. clearly loses in comparison, though it is a shame that A.S. is marginalizing anime even more than they already were. I guess they don't have the budget to compete. 99% of their comedy shows suck big time.


With the anime industry "hurting" for money, they could easily license newer shows.

Instead they run reruns of shows that have long since stopped attracting audiences, playing them at awkward times, and blaming it because it's anime.

They should take a risk, license My-HiME/Otome, Haruhi, The Third, Devil May Cry, Gurren, etc..

The rights would likely be cheap, too, with the R2 companies probably happy to play ball with TV agreements.

Probably won't happen, but one could dream.

[Lego]

You get the feeling that AS doesn't like anime that much. They'd rather put on shows that look like something a flash animator made. ATHF is on its way out, Sealab gone, Robot Chicken is to short, and I can't get into any other the other "comedy" shows shown aside from Family Guy and Futurama reruns.

[sbarrett321]

Was anyone really watching anime during the week? All of the premieres will still be there on Saturdays, in fact Code Geass starts in April.

I think it's a smart move to concentrate their focus on one night, get the audience they can from the first run, and move on.

[The Great Bear]

I stopped watching AS on weekdays a long time ago. Reruns and lame comedies didn't interest me. I used to catch the occasional Futurama repeat, but I think I've now seen them more than enough.

[bci110]

You get the feeling that AS doesn't like anime that much.

The folks at Adult Swim never liked anime in the first place. The only reason why they even have anime programing on their network is so that they can get people to watch their crappy comedies. There was a panel at Ohayocon that I attended where someone mentioned that they only have two employees at the AS studios that are true anime fans; the rest of the crew don't really give a damn about anime.

In any event, it doesn't bother me that much. The only time I even watch AS is when they air the Family Guy reruns. As long as they continue to pemiere new shows on Saturday (which in my view should be the only day of the week they should air anime) then it's really no big deal.

[BonnKansan]

They're still showing some anime reruns on Friday nights, i.e. the other night when most people are doing stuff besides watch TV. No more rebroadcast of the previous Saturday's premiere, so that's one less safety net if anyone was depending on it.

It's not like this is new, heck even Saturday is now half comedy, though it's mostly Venture Brothers so at least it's good comedy.

Can't really blame them if the comedy shows get them better ratings. I'm blaming the audience instead :susel:

And hey, at least it's the reruns that got cut back instead of the premieres, which makes sense in terms of ratings. We're still getting three new shows every Saturday, and I can't wait to see Code Geass, starting on April 26!

[Chacranajxy]

Eh, I usually change the channel or turn the TV off anyway when anime comes on because either:

A) I have the show on DVD and don't want to watch the dubbed, potentially edited version

B) I haven't seen the show yet but intend to, and don't want it ruined for me (ex: Blood+)

C) It's Inu Yasha, which is terrible. That is my opinion, but it is also a fact.

[Legion]

Instead they run reruns of shows that have long since stopped attracting audiences, playing them at awkward times, and blaming it because it's anime.

They should take a risk, license My-HiME/Otome, Haruhi, The Third, Devil May Cry, Gurren, etc..
DMC especially would be a good choice. It's already doing well over here and it's only available on video so far. Instead, CN/AS is apparently content to keep pumping out more flash-animated cartoons with 15 minute runtimes. However intentional it may be, the animation on those shows is largely terrible and a lot of the humour sounds like a bunch of in-jokes. I like Aqua Teen, Robot Chicken and Harvey Birdman well enough but when you start coming out with 12 oz. Mouse or (*ugh*) Assy McGee, you're officially scraping the bottom of the barrell. I'm not saying AS should replace these shows with more anime, but at the very least they need to find a new schtick.

[Rolancehack]

I stopped watching AS LONG ago, about when 12 oz mouse came out. It just felt too insulting to my intelligence and my status as one who enjoys anime to keep watching that trash.

There are other places for Family guy, and I hated seeing stuff like Futurama and Robot chicken jammed in front of anime, as it seemed like they didn't even think anime could do well on it's own (and to be fair it was a saturday night, when people are out doing saturday things). Which is sad, as AS was basically started because of Toonami's Uncut Gundam Wing, and then later was boosted to stardom through Cowboy Bebop.

[gnikdrazil]

No surprise there. They've kept pushing pack anime scheduling on Saturday evenings. I'm not really a night person so I'm not staying up to 12:30 AM to watch an episode of Bleach. Maybe I should get a DVR...but I'm lazy.

[joelgundam01]

Interesting!

Just took a look at their latest schedule update (http://www.adultswim.com/schedule/index.html).

Like you said the Saturday block and 5:00am time slots stay the same and they will also continue to air anime on Friday night.

What really caught my eye was the Saturday schedule. It looks like Code Geass will be begin airing on 4/26 at 1:30am.

[Buckeye]

Well, as long as I have my DVR, this does not really affect me since all that is being dropped are the reruns that occur on weekdays.

[Lego]

Just to make a general point if anyone has the "movie channel package" ie Starz, Showtime, HBO, and whatever it's much more enjoyable to catch anime when it airs. Starz likes anime a lot and the "WAM" movie channel shows a decent chunk of anime.

[davesimmons]

I noticed IFC (Independent Film Channel) was running Speed Grapher and Witchblade last night, so it's worth checking their schedule.

I don't pay attention to broadcast anime since I'm a subtitle snob :)

[Jaynin]

I don't know if there are any costs or fees per episode broadcast of anime, but if nobody is watching it makes sense to remove it. I know I don't watch AS on weeknights anymore. I hated when they premiered new Boondocks episodes on Mondays becuase I always forgot to watch them, and now that it doesn't air on Saturday anymore I've completely lost track of the show. Though on the other hand, squeezing all the new stuff into the weekend can be a hassle. I hate having to stay up through 2am to watch Blood+ on Saturday, I start to fall asleep by 1:30 and I don't have a dvr or even a vcr to record with anymore.

I don't think AS hates anime, they did fund Big O 2, pushed FLCL pretty hard, I think over the years they've given it a pretty fair shake and such, but ufortunately there just isn't much of an audience for anime in the US. But I really think AS did everyone a disservice with their juvenile attitude via the cards though. Even if the cards were just referencing idiocy on the message boards, that would be inside jokes to maybe 1% of viewers. Everyone else seeing them whine about anime ratings and ridicule and threaten anime fans only serves to drive off the fans who are watching and does nothing to bring in new fans. Parading the low ratings also psychologically puts in the mind of potential viewers that shows must not be very good or not worth watching. Segragating original comedies and anime then promoting some sort of contest between Saturday and Sunday only creates anime fans who wont watch comedies and comedy fans who wont watch anime because of an "us versus them" team atmosphere. They could have used that time to promote shows.

Also, I think Cartoon Network and AS in particular are terrible in advertising and scheduling. Schedules often change with little or no notice. I never know what's on when or what's new unless I look it up on the internet. Unless its Family Guy or American dad which seem like they get a promo every break, I only see ads for other shows maybe once in my viewing session if at all. I remember years ago their ads and music video promotions for stuff like Gundam, Tenchi, Cowboy Bebop were freaking awesome. Now we have those 5 second medleys of shows with the time and maybe a new tag in the corner doesn't really do much.

One last thing, I have to agree with other posters in regards to dreck like 12 oz Mouse. I liked most of the AS original shows, but when they let shlock like 12 oz Mouse go to air, they really started to lose my respect.

[Herron]

I haven't watched Adult Swim, much less Cartoon Network in years. Partly due to me not having cable/satellite in my room. But even if I did I'm not sure I'd be watching AS very much. Generally the anime they've got hasn't been too interesting to me and if it does sound interesting it's on way to late for me to watch. I'm usually up late but that's more because I'm surfing the net. I buy the DVDs anyway, I just enjoy watching anime more that way now. I guess it's because I'm not a casual fan anymore and I generally know what I like so I don't really need to preview anything. Don't like waiting through commercials! :grin: Like the option of watching it how I want to watch it too, no edits! And I'm not a slave to their scheduling.

As for the other AS shows, I don't like most of them. Even favorites like Aquateen, there's been maybe one or two episodes that I thought were good, but over all I can't handle it. I liked Robot Chicken, but I could never catch it and it was too short just to watch the rest of the crap to see it. I never got in to that other show.. can't remember the name, the one with the Moth villain, reminds me of a warped Johnny Quest. :P But it wasn't because the show was bad, it just didn't grab me. I find that one to be MUCH better then the other slock. I miss Sealab that was fun at times; and Harvey Birdman was great though I only saw an episode every now and then.

[akitafuki]

I haven't been able to watch Adult Swim for a while due to not having cable/satellite :O However, hearing about what they have been doing, I probably would eventually stop watching it. Only really cared about Inuyasha, Blood+, Bleach etc when it I had cable. Seeing that they are pretty much removing it makes me sad but oh well :/

[Helschadenfreude]

Sad to hear that, as I really got into anime because of Gundam Wing on AS. I don't really watch tv unless I'm at home anymore, and at that point, my younger brother is watching, football, random cartoons, and the disney channel. He doesn't really watch the anime but the comedies, and he actually likes anime. I think sometimes the shows are on way too late, kids that normally would watch them don't, because of the time slot. But I guess that's been hashed over.

Wow, Code Geass at 2am, geez guess what's going to watch it? I would have thought it was one of shows to put in the normal Toonami slot or whatever Gundam Wing used to air. It's pretty enough after all, not mentioning the awesomeness.

[kakugo]

Ratings for anime have never been particularly good for [adult swim], and while anime is often getting the higher ratings on Saturdays it's still only getting about 40% of the viewers they get on Sundays. And no, the fact that it's Saturday night has little to do with it as during the initial 2 ot 3 episodes of GITS:SAC they were getting over one million viewers. I don't think [as] has had ratings like that for anything else on a Saturday, not even Family Guy.

Anime simply doesn't bring in many viewers. It was true when Sci-Fi had their Saturday Anime block a decade ago, and it remains true today. If [as] didn't like anime they wouldn't have even tried playing esoteric titles like Paranoia Agent and FLCL.

[aagranov]

I'm thinking what we need is a Japanese run anime network for America along the lines of Japan's 24 hour anime network. If it were available streaming on the internet 24/7, particularly in HD - I'd so pay for that!

[stfram]

I'm thinking what we need is a Japanese run anime network for America along the lines of Japan's 24 hour anime network. If it were available streaming on the internet 24/7, particularly in HD - I'd so pay for that!

Already been tried by two different US companies, with middling results.

Anime Network had their 24hr linear channel, and that got zapped, although their PPV venture is still holding on.

The main problem is that there is only so much room for new channels on cable networks, and I doubt even a Japanese funded venture, unless they threw huge amounts of money at it, would be any more successful.

Unfortunately, AdultSwim/CN is the one channel where anime can be shown that has the necessary market penetration, and they don't seem to want to give new anime shows the same coverage that the other ones got back "in the day", like Cowboy Bebop, Gundam Wing, etc.

It's too bad, since shows like My-Hime and other "new" shows would likely find new large audiences.

[aagranov]

I'm thinking what we need is a Japanese run anime network for America along the lines of Japan's 24 hour anime network. If it were available streaming on the internet 24/7, particularly in HD - I'd so pay for that!

Already been tried by two different US companies, with middling results.

Anime Network had their 24hr linear channel, and that got zapped, although their PPV venture is still holding on.

The main problem is that there is only so much room for new channels on cable networks, and I doubt even a Japanese funded venture, unless they threw huge amounts of money at it, would be any more successful.

Unfortunately, AdultSwim/CN is the one channel where anime can be shown that has the necessary market penetration, and they don't seem to want to give new anime shows the same coverage that the other ones got back "in the day", like Cowboy Bebop, Gundam Wing, etc.

It's too bad, since shows like My-Hime and other "new" shows would likely find new large audiences.

There must be too much market fragmentation in America for this to fly. There just isn't any sizable enough market for it. 20K hard-core anime fans isn't enough.

[Talyn]

Is the Funi channel still going? or did that fold up shop?

[Mateo_home]

It's a shame for those who prefer their anime on TV. While AS did help me get even more into anime (I miss whatever they called their Saturday night block back in '03) the thing is, I don't care anymore. I stopped watching AS about four years ago, I also prefer to watch anime whenever I want on DVD and listen to it in Japanese, without annoying promos popping up every two seconds. I knew this end would come. G4 stopped airing anime about a couple of years ago for whatever it is their airing now on that train wreck of a network aside from X-Play. It was only a short while until AS would follow.

Also AS doesn't have anything for the moe audience. Yes, I know it's not a genre and it from a realistic viewpoint, would make the ratings drop even more.

[Talyn]

IFC is still doing good with their anime offerings....They air and present it the best of all the offerings on tv.... in widescreen and commercial free...

[lostnomad84]

Adult Swim has never been kind to anime since they ended Action Saturdays years ago from it's initial launch. Back then, they would only advertise action shows (ie, anime) during the anime shows themselves, but comedy shows during both anime and comedy shows. Plus when anime and comedy did air together, the comedy would always get first pick in the earlier slots, and anime got the later slots. As a result, you get few people notified about the shows outside the block, plus a later slot means fewer viewers as well. So it is no surprise anime has been getting lower rating since day one. I would also add to the fact that AS never really invested too much into the anime budget, so we've been treated to the same shows almost for quite a long time and few newer shows (yes, I am sick of Inuyasha, as well as some other shows I absolutely love like Cowboy Bebop and FLCL). The only exception would be The Big O season 2, which got promoted with the comedy and shown before comedy shows on Sunday nights and it got good ratings, so AS proved anime can do well if they want it to do well. It has also helped that AS got some new episodes or new shows, but anime will never be dominant or strong in the AS line up ever.

As for their comedy shows, they've gone from really good, a few years ago, to just being either a hit or miss. In my opinion, AS has weeded out all the crappy shows they've added over the last few years. So they've been more on the rebound again.

[JimMcH]

While I do admit things do look a little bleak, I don't believe that the sky is falling. The network does have Geass coming, and they did just re-up bleach. They did just lose (or are in the process of losing) quite a few of their licenses, some of which are a bit surprising while others are not. Which is probably why we are seeing a cut-back (not to mention sagging ratings).

Unfortunately compounding the situation are a lot of people with unrealistic expectations for the network. [AS] can't keep renewing every license they have, for (obvious) financial reasons. Especially when the titles aren't raking in the viewers (for many reasons which I won't elaborate here except to say that i've favored fully integrating comedy and anime for a few years now).

I do hope the situation improves, since although I don't watch the channel anymore (I want Death Note on the fix) [AS] does hold a special place in my heart for introducing me to anime. It would be a shame to see anime disappear from the block, and thus destroy what has become a wellspring for new anime fans.

[Horny_Otaku]

T"hey have Code Geass in the Spring and Beck and possibly Mushishi in the fall. They'll continue showing anime, they're just working on licensing it. They've been hinting on their forums about trying to use the state of cash starved ADV to their advantage. I can only hope that means Gurren Lagann gets licensed for Adult Swim sooner or later...

[JimMcH]

T"hey have Code Geass in the Spring and Beck and possibly Mushishi in the fall. They'll continue showing anime, they're just working on licensing it. They've been hinting on their forums about trying to use the state of cash starved ADV to their advantage. I can only hope that means Gurren Lagann gets licensed for Adult Swim sooner or later...

Haven't heard anything about Beck or Mushishi? Just rumors perhaps? I'd be ecstatic if [as] went for either (or both), though I am unsure how they will fair. Of course it is not as if anime is doing well to begin with, so I doubt either show will do much worse.

[demondragonking]

I don't really watch AS anymore, just my usual Saturday night watchings of death note & bleach...have Tivo set up for metalapoclypse & venture brothers in case of new episodes, but other that, theres no real reason to watch AS anymore. I will give them props for showing astro boy.

personally i would love if they sacked everyone currently works at AS, programing needs a despreate change.


fyi...remember to turn off your tivo's for April fools day weekend,.....im still pissed at the shit they pulled last year :susel:

[Orihimes_Boyfriend]

Hey guys, First thanks for all your responses.I've been working the last few days so I wasn't able to chime in. I too am looking forward to Code Geass starting soon and whatever the mystery anime that is in the bump is. Someone on the AS forums yesterday when I was on brought up a good point that its possible that the pulling the anime from weeknight is part of this years annual April fools prank they love to play on the anime fans. While I hope thats true I highly doubt it. However at this point most of the shows I like that currently air on AS I either have on DVD or will get soon. With the emplotion of the Anime Network's 24/7 channel Im hoping that more ADV show will go out to the TV networks like Cartoon Network/Adult Swim. I should also point out that my cable box still list the normal schedule with comedy and anime for this week but I think that its just has not been updated yet.

[mighty_vespa]

With the anime industry "hurting" for money, they could easily license newer shows.

First and foremost, I have absolutely no evidence to back up this up, but I was under the impression that [as] and Cartoon Network did not have to pay any kind of license fee to broadcast their anime.

AFAIK, companies like ADV, Geneon and FUNi used Cartoon Network (CN) as glorified advertising for their [eventual/hopeful] DVD singles and boxsets; CN just airs the programming and reaps the advertising fees.

Plus, in an industry who's very lifeblood is DVD sales the idea seems to have some merit. And Cartoon Network would obviously be more receptive to airing anime at no cost, considering some of the shows they've agreed to air in the past.

Lastly, I feel this notion that [as] hates anime is a little overblown. That network's shtick, if you will, is to "boo-hoo" all over their anime programs' ratings and needle the viewers that watch them. They always threaten to take away anime and what do they do? Announce that they're going to air a batch of new shows. :roll:

[as] just needs to do a better job of promoting their anime blocks to non-anime watching viewers, and quit dicking around with the scheduling. And I thought over-air networks, like FUX, were bad with their program re-shuffling. They've got nothing on [adult swim].