The January debut of the Cartoon Network's Sunday to Thursday late night Adult Swim block (11pm to 2am) roared out of the blocks to score double and triple digit gains in ratings among its target demographic group in its first week.  According to the network's press release, the block's performance was so strong that the Cartoon Network actually ranked number one among ad-supported cable skeins for delivery of males 18-34 during the Monday to Thursday 11pm to 2am time period.  Ratings among adults from 18-34 jumped 67% compared with a year ago, while ratings for men 18-34 were up 100%.

Ratings for the new Adult Swim (see 'Cartoon Network Adds 3 New Anime Series To Adult Swim') are important for pop culture retailers because anime series make up two thirds of the block, though not all the shows in the block are from Japan (Futurama has done very well).  But the performance of the four anime series in the block, Lupin III, Inu-Yasha, Yu-Yu Hakusho, and Cowboy Bebop, has also been very strong and with manga (Yu-Yu is in Shonen Jump) and DVDs available for all four series (along with toys and a variety of other merchandise), the success of the Adult Swim is good news for pop culture retailers who deal in anime and manga.