[Writer's Note: This article will mostly be random irritation thrown at various topics and my thoughts on the subjects. Expect bias and opinionated beliefs. Smooth transitions will be non-existent, and I'll just skip around from one issue to another. And it's a little old - an update note follows.]

First, let me say I'm all for anime in the US. The more stuff we get the more that's available and the more we can watch, the better. I've usually already seen what hits the US, but in some cases I haven't and if it gets good reviews I'll go ahead and buy it. Example: Magic Knight Rayearth. Never seen it, and the only other CLAMP work I watched previously was X, which I wasn't horribly impressed with. But still, I dropped $100 for the boxset at Otakon and, since watching it, I've become a fan. It's not a knockout anime but fun to watch, and I'll definitely buy the sequel TV series since I hear it's even better. But even if I had already seen an anime, it doesn't mean I won't support it buy buying it on DVD. Saber Marionette J is one of my all-time favorites just for being one of the first anime I've watched that wasn't well known. I bought the entire series on DVD, and I love it even more. I'm just waiting for J Again, J to X and R to get the DVD treatment.

I couldn't talk about anime in the US without going into anime on TV. Personally, I have mixed feelings about this, usually depending on WHO is showing the anime. I hate Fox. No wait, that isn't good enough. I HATE FOX! Yeah, that's about right. Since seeing what Fox did to The Vision of Escaflowne, I've been against them showing any anime at all. And in fact, any anime that gets ruined by a TV network I refer to as "Foxing," (e.g. "Wow, they really Foxed up this show" or, "What the Fox happened to this?") I keep hearing of Slayers on Fox. It's going to be on Fox, it's not going to be on Fox, they've edited the first few episodes, it's all a rumor… you know what? Slayers shouldn't be on Fox because it'll be more Foxed than anything else you could imagine. Nobody will watch it and within five episodes it'll be removed. So what's the point? What's Slayers without all the breast jokes and demon slaying? Boring anime. Slayer's thrives off ecchi comedy and random acts of violence. Edit that out and you're left with the main cast walking around the wilderness aimlessly and eating absurd amounts of food at local inns. Woo-hoo, what fun.

So what about Cartoon Network? I've been watching CN since they started Toonami, back when Moltar hosted and they aired Robotech, Voltron and G-Force as part of the block. I feel Cartoon Network's Toonami is actually trying to be 'for the fans,' something you don't see very often. Dragonball Z is fine for new fans of anime, but it starts to looks worse the more anime you've seen. Gundam W? Good choice on showing an uncut (or at least more uncut than the afternoon version) at midnight. Tenchi Muyo? Very daring decision of picking that series up. Outlaw Star I had never even heard of prior to Toonami announcing it, but I couldn't get past the second episode as the dub made me grate my teeth. Bought the DVDs instead, the series was fun. Mobile Suit Gundam didn't do that well, but I predicted it wouldn't given the age of the show. An undeniable classic, but the art is lacking even for being twenty years old. The 08th MS Team did well, but I have to say the dub annoyed me tremendously. Gundam 0080 isn't a typical Gundam series, but I liked it and I've heard from newbie fans that they enjoyed it as well. (As you can tell, I'm a big Gundam otaku).

Then Cartoon Network does something I didn't think was even allowed. Adult Swim. Not all anime mind you, but some VERY touchy material. The first episode in Sealab 2021 had a scene that could be considered near hentai, and at least ecchi. And Cowboy Bebop! Oh wow, I never thought I'd live to see the day. Not a horrible amount of edits, although the entire September 11th incident lent itself to a few episode cuts, although I expected the entire nation's media industry to edit their content from that horrible disaster. (The Arnold Schwarzenegger movie Collateral Damage as well as the Spider-Man movie were both edited for showing events similar to, if not actually showing, the World Trade Center.) Some shows on Adult Swim are a little ridiculous *cough* AquaTeamHungerForce *cough* but overall it's an enjoyable three hours. Not that Cartoon Network is perfect either. They'll never get rid of Dragonball Z for as long as they're on the air, and I'm still very miffed that Mobile Suit Gundam was cut before it finished its run, with the excuse being the 9/11 attack.