The forerunners, Shana and Sunako
August 11, 2008. It was 5:30pm back then; I arrived home and opened my TV to check if there is something good since back then, I am loosing hope on alternative programming. All the shows on other stations where the same, game shows, reality shows, crappy drama with the same plot with a different gimmick and all that crap.
I station surfed until I hit the jackpot, Avatar: The Last Airbender, a series that I just finished dubbed in Filipino. At first I was like, Katara’s voice sucks and all that. After it ended, an anchor-VJ type character of the newly rebooted ABC Station named, Kara Eriguel said that they are airing some anime. As an otaku, it alerted considering that those titles, namely: Shakugan no Shana and Yamato Nadeshiko: The Wallflower is not familiar to my ears because of the fact that I don’t have a DSL internet connection or cable (And apparently, cable never aired those titles!).
Anyways, I decided to check it out considering that there is no primetime anime block in any of the main TV Stations in the country. They aired Shakugan no Shana’s full OP credits after Alastor’s brief narration, something those other two networks are not doing since 2005. After the first ep of the said show, they aired the ED credits in full and what is surprising, they aired a preview! The only anime title that aired a preview here in the Philippines is the DragonBall Trilogy! After that, me and my brother talked about the show, my younger brother liked the show, while me, I am sorta liked it and sorta hated it.
The next show was Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge or what was advertised as Yamato Nadeshiko: The Wallflower. A romantic comedy title, my type, the dubbing was brilliant. I was at the edge of my seat laughing along with brother and our helper. And so, TV5’s Anime Block became part of our daily sked since then.
Since TV5 was just in its early rebooted days, I checked out their Saturday and Sunday skeds, those sked are rerun slots of the eps that aired this week. Cool! I have the time to catch up!
For the following months, those titles where known throughout the country. YamaNade became iconic to viewers that it became one of the top searches in Yahoo! Philippines back then along with Joyce Jimenez' car accident. Fans want to see the second season of Shakugan no Shana, while for me, I want to see something fresh.
After two reruns and an incomplete third run, they finally made their biggest surprise. It was advertised back then that they will air Mai-HiME, replacing YamaNade on the 6:30pm timeslot. It was a clue on things to come. After this, on Monday, viewers learned this, SnS is now on its second season, Mai-HiME but wait, there’s more. Noein a critically acclaimed title but quite underrated aired AFTER Mai-HiME, giving the humble anime timeslot an upgrade! It is now more than an hour and Code Geass follow it The once 1 hour anime timeslot made history, it is now two hours.
After those titles aired, those show where later replaced by Masked Rider Blade, Azumanga Daioh, Black Blood Brothers later replaced by Coyote Ragtime Show and Fushigi Yuugi, the third title that jumped over. The once two-hour anime block is now known as TV5 ANiMEGA, which later claimed to fame as the country’s premiere anime block.
Their fist year run was a success, attaining good feedback from anime fans that did not have the sources to watch their favorite titles legally. The block won praises from the online community and negative feedback for the dubbing of some titles. Still, 2008 was a good year for the anime block, but that will change in 2009.
2009 was both good and bad for the one-year-old anime block. Here is why. This is the year where they broke records in acquiring anime titles. This year, they aired Special A, 5 months after it aired in Japan, something that other cable network nor local TV station has done before.
Aside from that, a title that seemed to be branded as “untouchable to be aired here in the Philippines” by fans where touched by TV5, yep I am talking to The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. When I was checking on their forums, I learned that Kyoto Animation, that one who is responsible in the said title is strict in terms of licensing their titles overseas and as far as I know, there is no KyoAni title that aired here in the country until Haruhi came along. Haruhi is supposed to air along with Toradora! (A title that ended on March of the same year) but because of some set backs such as the dubbing the episodes, it never did after months later, it aired but it never had a complete run.
Aside from that, they did the rather impossible. They aired Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, a title that is still being aired in Japan, 7 weeks after it aired its first episode! Surprising, yes but it is not their biggest surprise. They aired the second season of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. Everyone thought it would be smooth sailing for the block but there was a twist in the story.
After six months of airing new titles, Toradora! went on an Endless Eight and never had a chance to air its 18th episode, along same with Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood that after it aired its 7th episode, it returned to its 1st episode. Other titles where on a rerun streak such as Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge and Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. The following six months where reruns and a chance to those new to the anime block to catch-up on what they missed last year. Rumor has it that TV5 was on bankruptcy that the only thing that is keeping them alive is their weekend block.
But everything changed when they went on a new management this year. Early this year, the rerun streak continues until this March, new titles started to come in. First was Lucky Star, another Kyoto Animation title that replaced The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya surprisingly. Golgo 13 and D. Gray-Man came in next and Toradora! had a complete run. The rest, like they say is history, early this year, new titles seem to pour in every month until the end of May, ANiMEGA will take a break.
On their Facebook Page, they have made the official announcement. The said post confirmed the schedule seen on broadsheets. Many fans that commented that it officially ended anime here in the Philippines, its end resulted to a mass exodus of fans those later created forums, Facebook pages, and the like. But they made a promise, they will return. Like in American Idol that takes a break after it ended one season, TV5 ANiMEGA has just took a break.
“Sabihin lang natin na tapos na ang first season ng ANiMEGA. (Let’s just say that ANiMEGA’s first season is over.)” Those where the paraphrased words the admin said, even if ANiMEGA is gone in primetime, anime still exist on TV5, thanks to Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Yatterman and Street Fighter II V.
After the block ended, some abused this time to gather anime viewers on their channel. It was those two months that it seemed that TV5 will now have competition in the anime ring. Until that last two weeks of July, they made the official announcement via a small side-promo that I saw while watching Ben 10. ANiMEGA will return this August 7. In addition, they made this announcement on their Facebook page. It became one of the major topics in the Pinoy online anime community. Questions, such as what titles they will air? Will D.Gray-Man continue and the like. Until on August 1, they made the official announcement. Gundam 00 is heading to their channel along with the return of D.Gray-Man, Azumanga Daioh reruns and FMA: B reruns that aired last Friday.
Everyone waited on August 7, the day the King has returned to seat on its throne. Fans where not disappointed with its return, D.Gray-Man continued where it left last time and Gundam 00 received positive feedback regarding on the dub… along with some disappointments (SUNOHARA WAS LOST IN DOUBLE O! HARO’S VOICE NOT KAWAII ENOUGH!). Even with that, its return went smoothly.
As of today, its fans on its Facebook Fanpage are over 9000, along with other fans that doesn’t have a Facebook account. More than a dozen titles that aired on the block, with more titles that will air in the following months, the question that bothers me right now, is this. Along with the changing TV5 network, will ANiMEGA stay for more than 2 years? Or it will end up into rumble like the other anime blocks that aired before it. I don’t know what’s the longest running anime block here in the Philippines, but one thing for sure. As long as they would still look back to its roots as the one who changed the shape of anime here in the Philippines, I would not worry about the future of ANiMEGA, because I know, this block is on good hands.