News

With another week ending, the Bam Smack Pow team is here once again to share the biggest anime news of the past week. The week that was brings some noteworthy theatrical debuts, along with confirmation of new entries coming for long-running series.

Unfortunately, we have some sad news for anime and video fans to begin with.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure on Netflix Voice actor Dave Mallow dies, aged 76

As reported by Anime News Network, veteran voice actor Dorothy Elias-Fahn has shared that prolific fellow voice actor Dave Mallow has died. He was 76. Mallow will be well-known to fans of anime and video games of the 1990s and early 2000s. Over the course of a decades-long career, Mallow voiced roles in many well-known series across English dubbed anime, video games and, in particular, was a recurring voice in various iterations of Power Rangers over the years.

Before his retirement in 2019, Mallow's voice...

Dave Mallow, well-known for his acting work for the Digimon anime and Power Rangers television series, passed away this week at age 76 while in hospice care in Altadena, California.

TMZ reported that on March 12, Mallow, veteran anime and live-action voice actor, passed away the day prior at the age of 76 following a long-term decline in his health. Per a direct source, he died while in hospice care at the MonteCedro Senior Living Community in Altadena. Mallow is known for voicing numerous iconic anime characters, including the first Bleach anime's Kaien Shiba and Kensei Muguruma, Gotoh in Hunter x Hunter, Amarao in the first Flcl anime, Straizo in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and Oolong in Dragon Ball (Harmony Gold dub). He also lent his voice to the intro for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, along with many of the series' characters.

Mallow is survived by his older sister, Marilyn, and remembered by his many colleagues,...

Science fiction and anime have traversed a rich history together, with many phenomenal series like Steins; Gate, Dandadan and Dr. Stone continuing a long tradition of exploring elements of science via animation, thanks to Astro Boys storied success back in 1963. While todays audiences might be more familiar with current ongoing series, some old school anime from the 1990s and the early 2000s still hold up as culturally relevant offerings for viewers.

With themes still accessible to todays audiences, and characters with personalities so captivating that theyve practically taken on a life of their own, time means little to these old school gems. From the exploration of trauma in war presented by Neon Genesis Evangelion to the evolution of games for children in Angelic Layer, these anime series and movies still hold up today.

Trigun Brilliantly Combines Humor, Action and Philosophy The Character of Vash Remains Popular to Today's Audiences

Trigun...

Space Dogs

Stars (the voices of): Chloe Grace, Dorothy Fahn, Richard Epcar, Spike Spencer | Written by John Chua, Aleksandr Talal | Directed by Inna Evlannikova, Svyatoslav Ushakov

A brand new CG animated movie from Russia, Space Dogs is one of the first stereoscopic 3D animations to be released in the territory, and now it makes its UK debut (in 2D) on DVD and Blu-ray from the folks at Signature Entertainment. The film is very loosely based on the true story of Belka and Strelka, the two dogs who were famously sent to space by the Soviet Union in the 60′s.

In this family-friendly film version of events, Belka the circus dog is thrust onto the streets of Moscow when the rocket she is piloting hurtles out of control and out of the circus tent. Fortunately the crash leads her to meet a streetwise dog named Strelka and her rat friend Venya.

Fullmetal Alchemist Premium Ova Collection One of the best things about anime is the “omake”, or extras — also known as that stuff at the end of the tape. Long before DVD’s with their menu of special features, in the dark ages of VHS, anime fans were being treated to a smorgasbord of little goodies — from previews to music videos to something as simple as a visual catalog of a company’s other titles — pretty much anything the studio could find to throw on the last few minutes of a video tape. It was one of the things that made anime, well, anime. Lately we’re seeing fewer extras, as the industry and the economy as a whole have been forced to makes some painful cuts to stay alive. But if you’re longing for some of those good old days, not to worry. Funimation is about to release an entire collection of bonus material,...