Adult Swim is "going back in time" with its new Toonami Rewind block. Every Friday, starting May 31st, Toonami will travel back in time and broadcast beloved anime classics, including VIZ Media's recent English dub of Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z Kai, and Naruto.
The two-hour block is reserved for Friday's between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. ET. The schedule for May 31st begins with the English dub of Sailor Moon, followed by back-to-back episodes of Dragon Ball Z Kai, and an episode of Naruto.
- 05:00PM – Sailor Moon (VIZ English Dub version)
- 05:30PM – Dragon Ball Z Kai
- 06:00PM – Dragon Ball Z Kai
- 06:30PM – Naruto
In a now-deleted tweet, Toonami co-creator Jason DeMarco confirmed that Toonami Rewind will use "classic older Toonami music and some older packaging" that were recreated in HD for an anniversary broadcast.
Sailor Moon is a superhero anime series produced by Toei Animation. Based on the manga of the same title by Naoko Takeuchi, it follows the adventures of the titular protagonist. Usagi Tsukino is a middle school student with the power to become a Pretty Soldier. Along with other Sailor Soldiers, she defends Earth against an assortment of evil villains. Viz Media acquired the rights to the Sailor Moon anime series back in 2014.
Dragon Ball Z Kai is a condensed, recut version of the long-running Dragon Ball Z anime series. Produced by Toei Animation, it was developed to commemorate the original anime's 20th anniversary while also creating a revised version of Dragon Ball Z with re-recorded dialogue and improved animation.
Naruto, of course, needs no introduction. Based on one of the best-selling mangas of all time, the Naruto anime ran from 2002 to 2007. The series consists of 220 episodes with the first 135 adapted from Part 1 of the manga. The final 85 episodes follow an original storyline and use plot elements not found in the manga.
Toonami Rewind is shaping up to be an amazing blast from the past for those who grew up with the original run from Cartoon Network. The original afternoon lineup ran from 1997 to 2004 and featured some of the most entertaining and memorable anime shows.
Toonami did return to Adult Swim on Saturdays in May 2012 following a tweet from the company on social media that asked its followers if they would want the block back. Cartoon Network temporarily brought back Toonami on April Fools' Day with reruns of beloved anime such as Dragon Ball Z, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, and more. Toonami continues to air every Saturday.