Blog Talkback: Toons of the 2000s: Reviewed Cartoons You Probably Haven't Seen, But Really Should

While I would have liked to see something like "Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go" something that was reviewed and actually aired on TV yet people still did not see it. However I realize that in the case of a show like that seeing it now might be hard since it's off Tv and does not have a DVD release. The shows picked were probably done so because they would be easy for people to catch if people wanted to. That's fair.
 
Each title was picked by the reviewer that wrote the entry.

And it isn't necessarily all that easy to pick up some of the titles. Jubei-chan 2 was a Geneon release and nobody's re-licensed it yet, although RightStuf has the four singles on sale for $6 each and the boxset for $27.
 
im glad to see Welcome to the NHK on this list. its one of my favorite tv shows of all time and i think every anime fan should see it at least once
 
I guess the criteria for this list is simply that it was reviewed in the 2000s, but it does seem strange for the '70s Star Trek series to be included in a Toons of the 2000s list.

Also, sounds like Netflix is just about as bad with anime as Zip.ca is up here.
 
I am pretty upset it is all anime minus one. Just because it is American, doesn't mean we have seen it. There are plenty of cartoons made other than Japan/Korea that could qualify. I guess it is a case of Japenophanalia.
 
I feel like different people made this list, it doesn't make that much sense compared to the others, and doesn't follow the rules set, which were stated by the writers.
 
These were all reviews that were written in this decade. And yes, different people did write this, that's extremely self-evident since due credit is clearly given with each entry. The point was to let some of the news team get on a soapbox and shine some light on the past.

As for the other complaint, I think it's a shame to look at a cartoon and only see what country it comes from. But if someone would rather assume simplistic bias instead of taking the writing seriously, I suppose that is their loss.
 
Several anime series and a 70s cartoon I *did* see plenty of as a kid (in the 80s via reruns on Nickelodeon).

My pick would probably be "Kenny the Shark", a supposedly E/I cartoon from Discovery Kids (and aired also on NBC) in the mid-2000s that I thought was hilarious, but nobody else seemed to have watched. Too bad; I thought Kenny was one of the funnier things I'd seen on cartoons in awhile...

-B.
 
I'm not saying any of those series qualities reflect the country they come from, heck I haven't even heard of half those series. I just am a little upset this list catered more to the anime crowd.
 
You're missing my point. The article does not say "these are cartoons you will like if you are an anime fan!" Even the entry for Welcome to the NHK doesn't say that. All five are being recommended based on their individual merits as cartoons, period. So, I'm saying to consider those rather than hurrying to think "oh, this is X, so it isn't for me." One is liable to miss out on a lot that way.
 
Dave the Barbarian come to mind. I feel that it was never given its chance, as it was an overall funny Disney-toon that couldn't compete with whatever was on at the time.

I don't know if Samurai Jack is obscure enough to qualify, but the animation is flawless and it has a plot to boot.

A favorite of mine that I think qualifies is My Dad the Rock star. It had a premise that got me in easily, a kid with a father as a rock star, yet he tries to be a normal kid. It was created by Gene Simmons himself, and even though it aired on Nick, it never got picked up by Nicktoons network.

Tutenstein too, and also the TimeWarp Trio, but I really would go for My Dad the Rock Star.
 
Well, assuming people have never seen a series is a pretty poor assumption to make but here are a few series that flew under the radar for the most part.

The Life & Times of Tim (this actually has a second season in production that will air on HBO sometime in 2010, but I didn't see it getting much love or acknowledgement)

Sit Down, Shut Up (Controversial choice, I know)
 
I really think the reason more anime appeared on the list is due to how most of us don't see all of the anime out there, and don't even hear about it. With cartoons here, we hear about most of the toons, more than we hear about anime, so less goes under the radar. Of that, less obscurity means all the better since it is an even more surprising find, and it can be better enjoyed. I hope I explained that right.
 
Actually, I do think that an airing on American television automatically makes a show better known (to our audience) than if it was released on a limited-run DVD by a small import company.

Re: 4 out of 5 being "anime" -- Come to Korea and try telling Koreans that their culture is indistinguishable from Japan's. At best you'd get a nasty look, at worst a (well-deserved) lump on the jaw. It'd be like going to Dublin and telling a guy you love his English accent. Mari even looks completely different from the anime on the list. If you're going to make an overgeneralization, at least make it plausible.

Oh, and I have a whole cupboard of Japenophanalia. Delicious.
 
The one you chose was ok, but it still looks somewhat like anime. I am not saying the cultures are the same, but to someone who just scans the article, its anime.
 
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