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AWA 99 Wrap-up
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Anime Weekend Atlanta has come and gone, and while information on what happened there is still trickling in, here's what we've heard so far... The hot topic on everybody's lips was the announcement of the Rurouni Kenshin series by two companies -- ADV Films (movie, OAV's) and Media Blasters (TV series). Nothing has been determined about how this series will be released or who will do what in the dubbing process (or even what the series will be called) but Sony is still attempting to sell the series to a TV network of some kind. More on this as it develops. Media Blasters vowed to send us a press release last week, but we're still waiting for it.
Anime Weekend Atlanta also saw the announcement of plans for an all anime/action animation channel. While plans are still tentative, the channel will be a spin-off of the network's most popular block of programming, the Toonami segment, which currently consists of Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z, Ronin Warriors, Robotech, and Voltron as well as American titles Powderpuff Girls, Thudercats, and Reboot. According to IGN Sci-Fi, the channel already announced the Gundam Wing and Tenchi Muyo! TV series that will be shown in 2000, already expanding its anime line-up. The network also suggested picking up more Sailor Moon TV series as well as the movies recently released by Pioneer.
The announcement comes in the midst of Cartoon Network's process of spinning off two channels of programming dedicated to baby boomers (including animated shorts from the 40's and 50's from Warner Brothers, Walter Lantz, and Tex Avery, among others) and Hanna Barbara cartoons like Scooby Doo, Flintstones, Jetsons, Johnny Quest, and numerous others, leaving the existing Cartoon Network for newly appropriated shows.
