With the Kapatid network bringing back a title from the late ’90s.
In new teaser plugs aired by the station, Philippine free-to-air channnel TV5 brought excitement to legions of animè fans in the country.
This, as the Kapatid network is set to make a return to its roots as it will be placing a Japanese animated series on its afternoon block for the first time in years.
While they have not yet revealed the exact title of the said program, long-time fans have deciphered it.
Etsushi Ogawa’s Cooking Boy Master will be making its way to TV5’s Hapon Champion block soon, although it has not yet revealed the premiere date as of this writing.
While it will air for the first time on the channel, the animè is no stranger to television, as it had aired in the past on Animax/AXN and ABS-CBN.
ANIMEGA
This move also marks a programming pivot for TV5, which carried Filipino-dubbed animè as an integral part of its primetime strategy during its early years after its rebranding from ABC-5, specifically between 2008 to 2010.
Around that time, the network carried shows like Fushigi Yuugi, Toradora, Code Geass, D. Gray Man, and more under the AniMega banner.
As TV5 moved to compete with ABS-CBN and GMA, it was soon retired in favor of various formats on primetime, including dramas, variety shows, and news.
It was brought back in 2013 with the broadcast of Mobile Suit: Gundam 00, which was broadcast every late morning.
Two years later, the Kapatid network aired titles like Sword Art Online and Magical DoReMi, which were both placed on weekends.
After a short break, the block would return under a partnership with AniPlus in 2017, with animès like Attack on Titan: Junior High, Kantai Collection, Myriad Colors Phantom World, and Voltron, which were aired every late afternoon or early primetime.
RECENT YEARS
Despite not branding it explicitly under AniMega, as they opted to utilize the equally long-running TV5 Kids block instead, the network has aired various animé in recent years.
The list includes the likes of My Hero Academia, Little Princess Sarah, Little Prince Cedie, and Dog of Flanders.
Currently, TV5 also airs Chibi Maruko-chan from Monday to Friday at 8:00 am.
HAPON CHAMPION
The afternoon block of the Kapatid network has seen extensive revamping in the past few months.
Back in March, movie block Cine Cinco Sa Hapon was dropped and moved to sister station RPTV after a new Korean drama belt was introduced, initially featuring the three top-raters in their domestic pay TV market: Sky Castle, The World of the Married, and Reborn Rich.
Aside from those, the country’s longest-running noontime variety show Eat Bulaga and the afternoon newscast Frontline Express are both part of this block as well.