Obviously that anime has a wider appeal. But Toonami is designed for a younger demographic than perhaps the fan that chimes in with an online petition to change elements of its design.

"This is a petition regarding your (Cartoon Network's) Toonami line-up," the petition opens gravely. "I believe that the name 'Toonami' is very child-like, while the main audience is usually older and more mature."

The author of the petition then launches into the reasons how the Toonami block condescends to anime's true fans and "dumbs down" the material itself, an attitude shared by many of the most vociferous fans out there. Though die-hard anime fans represent a formidable slice of "Toonami's" audience, Akins designed the block for kids. Though, as a fan himself, he understands concern in the fan community.

"You're talking about a small section of our fan base. They're more fanatical, they're very pro-active, they're online. Those people probably feel the way I do personally. But Toonami programming is for a wider appeal. We can get a lot of anime fan response, but if the numbers aren't there we can't afford to buy the stuff and put it on. No advertiser wants to get in there because no one is really watching. Even though the shows are great, it's just a difficult proposition. And because they don't have the platform to succeed late at night yet, designing programming for fans is difficult."

Toonami, however, does have the midnight run, which reportedly does well but not resoundingly so; and the network is in the planning stages for a Saturday line-up that would give Akins more flexibility when choosing his programming. But right now he is saddled with the responsibility of maintaining viewership.

"I know that Toonami is relatively successful and has a big fan base. But if you're talking about the most popular thing on the Cartoon Network, I think you're talking about the 'Powerpuff Girls.' We are not the same thing. We're more of a franchise, we're a collection of cartoons, we're trying to build an environment and build a bigger thing as opposed to one solid property. One show is a tangible thing, you can grab on to it, you're cranking out toys and making shows. We're doing something different."

Though Akins was able to clear the air about certain rumors involving the Cartoon Network, some answers remain evasive and speculations abound about its future, such as the launching an all-anime channel.

"If you ask me if there should be a Toonami channel I'd say hell yes, there should be a Toonami channel," Akins exclaims. "There should be several of them, there should be a Toonami dish network all the time. But it's such a huge thing to make a network. We might be successful but it takes more than a good idea. It takes moving mountains. We're making this action block, we're trying to put the best action cartoons on and where it goes from there, we'll see. It's a lot bigger than we ever thought it was going to be, so don't count us out, but there are no concrete plans."

Cartoon Network has helped increase the profile of anime in the United States, which has lead to more distributors bringing more titles over to the US and has encouraged Japanese companies to set up shop stateside for a piece of the action. Like any media endeavor, the Cartoon Network, and Toonami, will grow, attract new audiences and find a way to explore untapped anime markets while remaining firmly rooted in the bottom line.

The following is a list of what the present and the future hold for Toonami:

Blue Submarine No. 6 © Satoru Ozawa / Bandai Visual / Toshiba EMI / Gonzo / Bandai Ent.

Gundam Wing © Sunrise / SOTSU Agency / ANB / Bandai Ent.