Toonami Absolution

A walking castle powered by a fire demon. An ongoing war no one can seem to stop. A young woman cursed to walk the Earth in the body of a grandmother. Hayao Miyazaki doing what only Hayao Miyazaki can do.

This week on Toonami Absolution, Alyx, Jon, and Sam sit down with Howl's Moving Castle (2004), Studio Ghibli's adaptation of Diana Wynne Jones' beloved fantasy novel. While Toonami left this out of their month of Miyazaki, we couldn’t go through this project without stopping to say hi to Howl.

We dig into both the film itself (sharing our opinions on Sophie, Howl, and the rest of the weird and wonderful characters), discuss the movie’s interesting production history, and its odd reception in America, where the film ended up overshadowed by Hayao Miyazaki’s previous films.

Plus, we lament the biggest change from the original Howl’s Moving Castle book, Miyazaki’s refusal to make Howl Welsh.

🔔 Subscribe for weekly deep dives into Toonami and Adult Swim's most iconic anime films and series!

****

Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you.

From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball.

****

See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Saint Beasts arc explodes into its climax as Yusuke finally comes face to face with Suzaku, the last and most dangerous of the four.

This week on Toonami Absolution, Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover Yu Yu Hakusho Episodes 19 and 20: "Suzaku, Leader of the Beasts" and "Seven Ways to Die."

In Episode 19, Yusuke reaches Suzaku's tower while Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei hold off an endless wave of zombie-like Cultivated Humans below. But Suzaku's plan is already in motion as Botan and Keiko are forced to fight off a horde of zombies who will stop at nothing to get their hands on Keiko.

Then Episode 20 reveals exactly why Suzaku is the leader of the Saint Beasts: the man can split himself into seven separate beings, forcing Yusuke to fight a whole horde of powerful monsters with zero backup.

🔔 Subscribe for our ongoing watch-through of every Toonami classic!

Topics covered this episode:

– Yu Yu Hakusho Episode 19 "Suzaku, Leader of the Beasts" recap & review

– Yu Yu Hakusho Episode 20 "Seven Ways to Die" recap & review

****

Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you.

From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball.

****

See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Season 2 of Space Ghost: Coast To Coast keeps pushing the format into genuinely strange territory, and this batch of episodes might be the weirdest stretch yet.

This week on Toonami Absolution, Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover Episodes 7, 8, and 9 of Season 2: "Sleeper," "Jerk," and "Urges."

"Sleeper" brings in Hulk Hogan and Slash as guests and somehow both of them utterly suck. "Jerk" pairs Space Ghost with Sandra Bernhard and sees him growing increasingly frustrated as everyone, from the guests, to Zorak, Moltar keep calling him a jerk. This leads to the weirdest phone-in segment ever seen on television, and the oddest guest in Space Ghost history.

Then "Urges" takes things in a whole new direction: it's mating season on Zorak's home planet, and he wants to go, no matter the cost. Thankfully, this episode was co-written by Joel Hodgson, meaning that Zorak’s desires manifest as references to 1960s sitcoms.

Together, these three episodes show how Coast to Coast was struggling to work out if it wanted to remain as chat show parody or become more of sketch show or sitcom.

🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode of our watch-throughs of Toonami and Adult Swim's greatest shows!

📌 Topics covered this episode:

– Space Ghost: Coast to Coast S2E7 "Sleeper" (feat. Hulk Hogan & Slash) recap & review

– Space Ghost: Coast to Coast S2E8 "Jerk" (feat. Sandra Bernhard) recap & review

– Space Ghost: Coast to Coast S2E9 "Urges" (feat. Catherine Bach & Matthew Sweet) recap & review

****

Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you.

From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball.

****

See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the greatest animated films ever made. A battle between humanity and nature with no clean heroes and no easy answers. Hayao Miyazaki at his absolute peak.

This week on Toonami Absolution, Alyx, Jon, and Sam sit down with *Princess Mononoke* (1997), Studio Ghibli's epic fantasy film that changed the conversation about what anime could be in the West.

We discuss the film's jaw-dropping animation and the story that refuses to give you the comfortable ending you expect. We also explore the massive role Princess Mononoke played in bringing anime to mainstream American audiences including Toonami's "Month of Miyazaki" programming events and what the film's arrival in the US via Miramax meant for the anime industry.

🔔 Subscribe for weekly deep dives into Toonami and Adult Swim's most iconic anime films and series!

****

Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you.

From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball.

****

See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kuwabara vs. a tiger. Over a lake of lava. Twice. And then Hiei shows us exactly why you do NOT mess with him.

This week on Toonami Absolution, Alyx, Jon, and Sam cover YuYu Hakusho Episodes 17 and 18: "Byakko's Lair" and "Seiryu, the Blue Dragon."

Kuwabara gets his most brutal showcase yet as he takes on Byakko for a second time in a lava-filled arena pouring every last drop of his spirit energy into a fight that ends in a genuinely spectacular moment of sacrifice and clever strategy (turns out Kuwabara isn’t as dumb as he looks!)

Then, in one of the most iconic scenes in the Saint Beasts arc, Seiryu the Blue Dragon reveals just how cold (literally) these villains can be, before Hiei steps forward and delivers arguably the most efficient beatdown in the entire series showing that Yusuke got *really* lucky in their first fight.

We break down what makes these two episodes such compelling TV, how Hiei's character gets a crucial early moment of complexity, and why the Saint Beasts arc as a whole is a masterclass in escalating stakes and action writing.

🔔 Subscribe and follow along as we watch all of YuYu Hakusho from the very beginning!

****

Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you.

From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball.

****

See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yet more broadcasts from the Ghost Planet with Space Ghost: Coast To Coast Season 2 Episodes 5 and 6: Fire Drill and Le Livre d'Histoire.

Fire Drill is one of the seasons most surprising episodes as Space Ghost is joined by David Byrne and Donny Osmond. This does not go how you expect as while David Byrne struggles with Space Ghost, Donny Osmond takes it like a champ, leading to one of the show’s funniest segments.

Le Livre d'Histoire is a clip show, featuring part of Storybook House (from earlier in the season) and interviews with Jim Carrey and director of The Mask, Chuck Russell, both of which were originally a special feature on VHS copies of The Mask. Meaning that this Lokar fronted episode features little new content.

Space Ghost: Coast to Coast is one of the most important shows in the Adult Swim and Cartoon Network lineage it laid the DNA for Adult Swim as well as everything from Aqua Teen Hunger Force to Robot Chicken and we're watching it from the very beginning.

🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode of our chronological watch-through of Toonami and Adult Swim's greatest shows!

****

Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you.

From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball.

****

See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

They killed Optimus Prime. They really did it. And if you were a kid watching in 1986, you were never the same.

This week on Toonami Absolution, Alyx, Jon (who has never seen this film before), and Sam take on *The Transformers: The Movie* (1986) one of the most audacious, brutal, and beloved animated films in the history of American animation.

We break down everything: the shocking deaths of classic Autobots and Decepticons in the opening act, the introduction of Galvatron and Hot Rod, Unicron as one of animation's greatest villains, the iconic soundtrack (featuring "The Touch" by Stan Bush and an oddly censored version of "Dare To Be Stupid" by Weird Al), and the film's absolutely unhinged legacy as a toy commercial that accidentally became a rite of passage for an entire generation.

We also talk about the film's complicated reception a box office disappointment that became a cult masterpiece

🔔 Subscribe for our weekly coverage of Toonami and Adult Swim's greatest films and shows!

****

Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you.

From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball.

****

See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Four Saint Beasts arc kicks into high gear as Team Urameshi enters Maze Castle and Kurama proves he's one of anime's most underrated fighters (even if he gets his butt kicked often).

This week on Toonami Absolution, Alyx, Jon, and Sam dive into YuYu Hakusho Episodes 15 and 16: "Genbu, the Stone Beast" and "Byakko, the White Tiger."

Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei are deep inside Maze Castle, fighting their way through the Four Saint Beasts to stop the Makai Insects from turning humanity into a zombie army.

First up: Kurama faces Genbu, a stone-controlling demon who fights using fragments of his own body. Then Kuwabara gets his moment to shine, or at least tries to, as the fearsome white tiger Byakko makes his entrance and insists on testing the gang. But can Kuwabara’s sword even make a dent in the tiger’s mighty hide?

We also dig into YuYu Hakusho's complicated history with Toonami censorship, the infamous edits that plagued the show's US broadcast, and how this arc stands up as one of the series' most underappreciated story runs.

🔔 Subscribe for our ongoing watch-through of every Toonami classic!

****

Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you.

From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball.

****

See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Love advice from Fran Drescher, Carol Channing, and Alice Cooper. A pizza order gone catastrophically wrong. Space Ghost: Coast to Coast Season 2 keeps getting weirder, and we are HERE for it.

This week on Toonami Absolution, Alyx, Jon, and Sam dig into Episodes 3 and 4 of SG:C2C Season 2: "Girlie Show" and "Hungry." We break down how these two wildly different episodes capture what makes Coast to Coast so groundbreaking: the deadpan surrealism, the bizarre celebrity cameos, and the way it was quietly rewriting what a "cartoon" could even be on Cartoon Network in the mid-90s.

Plus, we talk about what Michael Stipe of R.E.M. and a famous TV dog have in common when Space Ghost gets peckish. And, in the most 1990s joke ever, we get a cameo from Mujibur and Sirajul, two characters from the Late Show.

Space Ghost: Coast to Coast is one of the most important shows in the Adult Swim and Cartoon Network lineage it laid the DNA for Adult Swim as well as everything from Aqua Teen Hunger Force to Robot Chicken and we're watching it from the very beginning.

🔔 Subscribe so you never miss an episode of our chronological watch-through of Toonami and Adult Swim's greatest shows!

📌 Topics covered this episode:

– Space Ghost: Coast to Coast Season 2 Episode 3 "Girlie Show" recap & review

– Space Ghost: Coast to Coast Season 2 Episode 4 "Hungry" recap & review

****

Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you.

From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball.

****

See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We return to the world of Transformers with the Transformers Armanda Premier Movie. This movie aired on Toonami on August 23rd, 2002. This isn’t a movie in the traditional sense, as it is just the first three episodes of the TV show "First Encounter", "Metamorphosis" and "Base" combined into one movie.

Transformers Armanda is a fascinating show as the series has a confusing production history as the show was rushed to air, meaning that not only is the animation shoddy, but the English dub is a confused mess that often gets the plot outright wrong. However, in one small highlight, Optimus Prime and Megatron are voiced by the people who did Transformers Beast Wars!

****

Toonami Absolution is a weekly podcast where Alyx, Jon, and Sam revisit the Toonami and Adult Swim shows that made them, and you, you.

From the block's early days with shows like Space Ghost: Coast to Coast and Transformers: Beast Wars to the imported anime that made Toonami and Adult Swim appointment television for a generation of kids, such as Cowboy Bebop, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball.

****

See more Toonami Absolution stuff (including the video version of the podcast) by checking out our Linktree!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.