Toonami celebrates its 25th anniversary with more "FLCL" and new original series

Adult Swim celebrates Toonami's 17th anniversary today (Thursday 25th March)! The programming block first aired on Cartoon Network in 1997 and introduced anime to a generation of fans in the United States. Since then, Toonami has evolved into the nighttime destination of the best young adult network for anime and action fans every Saturday night.

To celebrate the anniversary, Adult Swim has ordered the retirement of two new seasons of the fan favorite series FLCL - FLCL: Grunge e FLCL: Shoegaze - currently in production, and gave the green light to the original series, Housing Complex C, coming later this year.

“I can't believe that somehow, against all odds, our little block of cartoons survived 25 years on television,” said Jason DeMarco, Creative Director of Toonami and SVP Action & Anime for WarnerMedia. “We've come this far with the support of our fans and our network, and we're really grateful for both of them. Here are more adventures to come.

Housing Complex C centers on Kimi, who lives in a small, low-cost housing estate located in the seaside resort of Kurosaki, where trouble seems to follow her wherever she goes and horrible accidents start happening… Is it an ancient evil that haunts the residents of Housing Complex C? The series is directed by Yuji Nara with an original script and concept by amphibian. The animation studio is Akatsuki (Hinamatsuri, Tribe Nine).

FLCL: Grunge is directed by Hitoshi Takekiyo (After School Midnighters), animated by MontBlanc Pictures, and FLCL: Shoegaze is directed by Yutaka Uemura (FLCL: Alternative, Saga of Tanya the Evil) and animated by Production IG and NUT. Both the FLCL and Housing Complex C series are all executive producers of DeMarco and produced by Maki Terashima-Furuta (Production IG USA).

TOM (Steve Blum) and SARA (Dana Swanson) longtime animated hosts of Toonami: Countdown are at the center of Adult Swim's Toonami celebration. Their characters are featured in Cosmo Samurai Part 2, a four-part anime short, as well as in The Return, a brand new two-part special featuring a custom CGI TOM and SARA narrative piece that premieres on Saturday, March 19 and concludes. Saturday March 26.

Adult Swim continues to be a pioneer in the anime space by featuring both action programs and anime previews in the English language. The network is also known for co-producing original anime productions such as Blade Runner: Black Lotus, Fena: Pirate Princess, Shenmue the Animation and the upcoming horror series Uzumaki.

As part of the anniversary festivities, classic Toonami interstitials and specials will be broadcast aired, online and on Adult Swim's social platforms that trace key moments from Toonami's rich past.