Moribito to Return to Adult Swim TV in Summer

This won't mean much to those of you who can't see Cartoon Network, but Moribito is to Return to Adult Swim TV this Summer.

The Nebs Blog reports, from Media Blasters' booth at this weekend's Anime Central convention, that the Moribito - Guardian of the Spirit (Seirei no Moribito) anime series is returning to the Adult Swim television block in the United States this summer. The new run will include the entire series, and not just the 10 episodes that ran last year.

Yeah!

GrinfilledCelt wrote:This won't mean much to those of you who can't see Cartoon Network, but Moribito is to Return to Adult Swim TV this Summer.

The Nebs Blog reports, from Media Blasters' booth at this weekend's Anime Central convention, that the Moribito - Guardian of the Spirit (Seirei no Moribito) anime series is returning to the Adult Swim television block in the United States this summer. The new run will include the entire series, and not just the 10 episodes that ran last year.

Yeah!

Great news. I'd prefer people see the subs, but any exposure in the U.S. is good for Moribito, especially since I.G. and Scholastic will be paying attention.

Heya,

That is really good news, and I'm sure Media Blasters pulled off some kinda of threated, or Production IG for now showing the whole thing. We we're all kinda of wondering, I think. Espically since some kinda of lawsuit if buy the rights, or not give 'em if they don't show the whole season, or fan pressure caved in. Either way, I just hope it's not in a crappie time slot.

Now push for the books on the fourms. =P

Good news either way,
Ali

Awesome, awesome to the max.

Victory!!! Sort of, I really was hoping for this.

YEEESSSS!!!!!!!!! Oh, glorious day!!! I was beginning to think that it would take years to cut through the legal red tape to get the show back on the air.

Looks like 1:30 AM, starting June 13. No word on lead-in, but my guess it will be batting second after Bleach and ahead of FMA. All thing's considered, we could have done a lot worse.

1: 30 EST?

That's a helluva a crappie time slot, but yes. It could have been a lot worse, all said and done. Still miss the classic time slot of Toonami, but it was really a dead horse, and them beating it. Slowing crappie anime, but granted... The golden days was bad too, but it was fun!

Oh, well. Thanks for the heads up, Eno.


Hasta,
Ali

Alistair wrote:1: 30 EST?

That's a helluva a crappie time slot, but yes. It could have been a lot worse, all said and done. Still miss the classic time slot of Toonami, but it was really a dead horse, and them beating it. Slowing crappie anime, but granted... The golden days was bad too, but it was fun!

Oh, well. Thanks for the heads up, Eno.


Hasta,
Ali

Indeed, that's only an hour after the anime block starts and it sure beats 5:30 AM or whenever the hell it was on before. I still remember having anime at 9:00 on Saturday nights (lots of Inuyasha!) but those days appear to be over.

Updated - Bleach is the lead-in, followed by Code Geass.

Eh?

Bleach is just as bad. =/ It's like an American Soap Opera...it never ends bleach that is. But countless people like it, so I suppose it's a good lead in. I'm glad someone pressured 'em, and pressured 'em good. Now I just hope gets enough interest that it can rivet some folks buying the novels so they can all get translated! =D

I can't believe they have the anime block after they overrun Family Guy, and that crappie ass Tim & Eric show. -/ "Toonami" could survived if they gave it some better shows, IMO. Licensing, I'm sure, tho

Ali

Moribito Returns to Adult Swim — At Least in Repeats

Mostly old news with some new tidbits and clarifications.

The online schedule of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block lists the return of the Moribito - Guardian of the Spirit television anime series on June 13. The series restarts from episode 1, so there is no confirmation of when new episodes will premiere on American television. (The first 10 episodes already ran twice since last August.) Media Blasters revealed at the Anime Central convention in May that the entire series will run on Adult Swim this summer. Blood+ was originally listed as Code Geass' replacement at 1:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings, but Moribito will take over the timeslot instead. In addition, There will only be one new weekly episode of Bleach starting on July 11. Adult Swim has been running two new weekly episodes.

Heya,

That's cool little update, and thanks. Really, tho. I think it's a little to late now.... I think a lot of folks have forgotten this gem, or the alike. It's almost saying, "This is fantastic anime, it builds up wonderfully, but where is the action besides that few scenes?" Epically considering rest of the action packed shows that are usually shown. I think it's a good thing, but at the same time, a marketing fail for where it's being shown (Time wise). I think it would have done better in the days of toonami, or earlier time on Adult Swim. Like get rid of reruns of Family Guy (Show is going to crap anyways). Oh, well. Better stop there before I go on a crazy rant. Hahaha.


I don't care long as the novels do well enough to at least rest of 'em get translated. =D

Tootles,
Ali

Well, today's the day. I'll be interested in seeing how well, the series does ratings-wise, but given that 1:30 AM is still 1:30 AM and the first 10 eps are repeats to the AS audience, my expectations are realistic. I'd love to see a boost in DVD sales (Netflix has vol. 3 on "long wait" but that may be solely due to the small army of recruits I've converted clamoring after their one copy) which I've been hearing from some sources haven't been too bad.

Ah yes, thanks for the reminder, Enzo. I'd have forgotten.

I found a couple of posts over at Toonami* Fan, here and here, that talked about how with minimal editing Moribito might have done better on Toonami instead of Adult Swim.

--
*Toonami was a block of anime on Cartoon Network here in the US which aired earlier in the evening and was aimed at younger viewers - featuring shows like Naruto, DBZ, etc. Toonami brought a whole generation of young Americans into the anime fold. The whole block is now a fond memory.

Initial thoughts:

Looked great in HD - first time I've seen Moribito that way. "Nahji no Uta" was untranslated, which I thought was a nice tough. The dub is OK - Chagum is a rough one to adjust to, but it's just generally hard to get over how much better the Japanese seiyuu are. But if it gets one person to watch who hasn't already done so, well...

Edit: Bastards cut out the ED again. What a shame, since it's much better than the OP for starters. Not only that, it provides a great bookend to the OP (sung from Balsa to Chagum) as a message from Chagum to Balsa, and is just generally a great coda for the whole show.

I'm just glad to see it on again. AS always chops the ED off of it's shows. It makes room for their stupid cards. We're lucky they left the OP.

So you haven't seen the dubs yet, Enzo?

GrinfilledCelt wrote:I'm just glad to see it on again. AS always chops the ED off of it's shows. It makes room for their stupid cards. We're lucky they left the OP.

So you haven't seen the dubs yet, Enzo?

I rented one of the DVDs just OOC and watched a couple minutes of it, but that was a while back. Good God, the difference in the quality of the acting is just overwhelming. What a shame if this is the only way most of America will see the show - but I will admit it looks fantastic. You don't watch Moribito in HD, you drink it.

It's been so long since I've watched any anime on CN I'd forgotten they always cut the ED. While I admit being especially pissed because I chose the ED as the title of my fic (and used the lyrics to introduce Part I) it also offends me because of the dualistic nature of the themes here. The OP - sung by a man - a message from Balsa to Chagum. The ED - sung by a woman - from Chagum to Balsa. They're meant to co-exist, they express the heart of the emotions of the series and also the gender-bending qualities of it (a "pregnant" boy, a female warrior, a nurturing healer "husband", etc). And I just love the ED animation, ending with the shot of the water wheel - it's heartbreakingly beautiful stuff.

Let me selfishly add - I've finished my Moribito story and linked it over in the fan creations section. I hope some of you will read it and let me know what you think.

Enzo,

That's why I usually don't like watching the English version, IMO. Espically, after I've been spoiled by Japanese Voice Acting cast. I mean, they give it their best, but...it the people they choose a lot of the times is like...huh? I mean seriously, Kenshin is a good example of this.

I do agree with the art direction, and all the similarities that they added. It really does make you think, and I really, really do hope all the books get published, for it really is a amusing series, and the Editor is right. It does get better, she wasn't lying at all. Not to spoil to much so this paragraph does make sense, the anime does pull some materials from 2nd book in the series, and I'm assuming a bit more from others as well.

Oh, well,
Ali

On the sub vs dub thing, it's true that dubs often aren't as good, but I think that part of it is that watching subs forces you to pay close attention. You have to keep your eyes on the screen or you very quickly lose track of what is going on. You end up not missing much when watching subs so you get more out of it. You don't need to devote as much attention when you're watching dubs. I often do stuff on my computer while watching AS and just listen to whichever show is on.

That isn't to say that there aren't bad dubs. I rather liked Trinity Blood when it first came out, but I couldn't make myself watch the dubs on AS. It was terrible. You also have to realize that making dubs is a lot harder than the original versions are.

Making the original version is done by having the VAs read the script. They just act. Then the animations are done to fit that acting.

Making the dubs involves coming up with not only an accurate translation but one that matches the animation. The best translation of a line may be ten syllables in length different than the original and that just isn't going to work with the animation. Then the VAs not only have to say the lines convincingly, they have to do it so that it fits with what is animated. You can't have the character talking when his lips aren't moving or not talking when they are.

Not that I seriously doubted it, but CN has officially said they're airing the entire series this time. Episode 11 airs 8/22.

I sure am enjoying seeing the show on AS. I'm reading the book right now and I never realized how much was added to the anime that isn't in the book.

It suddenly struck me why Moribito does so poorly on AS. Who is it that makes up a large portion of AS' audience? They're young adults whiling away a Saturday night. They're drinking and talking with friends with AS on the tube. You can't watch Moribito that way. You have to watch it in it's proper sequence and pay attention. There is too much story and not enough action for the casual viewer.

This also explains why those mindlessly stupid, so-called "comedies" do so well. I could see where those lame-ass atrocities might be mistaken for something actually funny if you were only catching a line here and there. Now I only have to explain why those people aren't repulsed by their visual ugliness.