Remember Toonami? YouTube hip-hop artist Richie Branson sure does.
Toonami was that great block of afternoon TV that featured some of the best anime series this side of Japan. Cartoons like Dragon Ball Z and Gundam Wing dominated the afternoons. And, for this cartoon lover, it was a great time for my family to bond as Goku charged up to Super Sayan (which took about 3 years).
On April’s Fool Day 2012, Cartoon Network teased fans with a Toonami afternoon, but sadly it was all a one time thing. Now, Branson’s got a new rap to let fans, and most especially Cartoon Network, know that Toonami needs to make a come back.
It’s a pretty cool rhyme, which begins with the creepily sung line: “Never never die…never never die.” I have to empathize with Branson, when he talks about all the cool merchandising based off of Toonami. Who didn’t go out and pick up a few new massive Gundam models because of Toonami? I know I did. That was back when going to Toys R Us was like going to an afterwork lounge/club.
Branson also gives a shout out to the original Batman animated series as well as several great anime shows like Yu Yu Hakusho and Full Metal Alchemist. He also makes a plea to bring back the original Thundercats and Voltron. I’d be all on-board for some Voltron, but I’m enjoying the new Thundercats right now. If anything, I’d want to see Transformers G1. I can watch that series all day. Nuff said.
Do you agree with Branson that TV is not the same without Toonami’s presence?
Listen to the rap now:
