News
Metele Station Ends Anime Block After 4 Decades
posted on by Karen Ressler
Television station Nagoya TV (Mētele) will end its Sunday morning anime programming block in September. The block will be replaced by a news program in October.
The block has been running for 40 years, though until 1998 it aired on Saturday evenings. The first program that ran on the block was 1977's Muteki Chōjin Zambot 3, which was also the first in-house production of anime studio Sunrise (then Nippon Sunrise). The original Mobile Suit Gundam was the block's third title, and although the show itself had relatively low ratings, the tie-in plastic models and theatrical films were a success. The network would continue to air robot and toy- and game-based shows, including the Brave series, B-Daman, Dinosaur King, and Battle Spirits.
The network has been airing Heybot! and Kirakira ☆ Precure a la Mode, along with the live-action shows Uchū Sentai Kyūranger and Kamen Rider Ex-Aid. Kamen Rider Build is scheduled to take Ex-Aid's place on September 3. Mētele is on the production committee for the Heybot! anime.
Asahi Shimbun cited lower birth rates as a reason for the decreased ratings that led to the block's cancellation.
Source: Asahi Shimbun
