Noticias

It's the weekend once again, so the Bam Smack Pow team is here to bring you all the major anime news from the past week. Plus, we've got another recommendation for a cant' miss anime series for you to stream to close out June.

Since the end of June ends that 2025 is now half over, we'll also be sharing a recap of all the biggest anime from the first half of the year, so stay tuned for that.

McDonald's Japan announces '80s anime-theme ad campaign

「あしたも、笑おう。2025」#めぞん一刻 #きまぐれオレンジロード#マクロス #守屋麗奈 pic.twitter.com/0NrKnE4Dog

— マクドナルド (@McDonaldsJapan) June 27, 2025

Anime News Network is reporting on a forthcoming nostalgic ad campaign from McDonald's Japan. Set to the music of Coca-Cola Japan's '80s-era jingle, the classic anime-centric ad campaign features a montage of classic anime scenes interspersed with people enjoying McDonald's. Slated to launch in Japan on July 1, the ad...

An anime industry veteran has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for her assisted living costs after losing $6,000 from theft. She was previously a part of the United States branch of Production I.G., the iconic Japanese animation studio behind works such as Flcl and Ghost in the Shell.

According to Anime News Network, Jan Scott-Frazier launched a GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign to help her cover the cost of assisted living after a robbery put her $6,000 in debt. The current price of her rent is $4,000. "I hate to beg, but here I am on my digital knees," Frazier said. "I live in assisted living, which is very expensive. I need round-the-clock nursing and staff support, or else I could live somewhere else cheaper. Unfortunately, I am in such bad shape. I can't even get out of the hospital right now. I've been trapped here for a month. I don't know when I'll get out,...

For nostalgic fans craving the cyberpunk action of a Girls with Guns anime classic, Bubblegum Crash, the sequel to Bubblegum Crisis, is getting a Blu-ray release courtesy of AnimEigo. Bubblegum Crash will be available in HD via Blu-ray home media on January 21, 2025 for eager fans wishing to round out their collection of 1990s anime and stylish action. The series features all three Ova episodes, with episode #2, Geo Climbers, fully restored alongside episode #1, Illegal Army, and episode #3, Melt Down, upscaled to HD, all packaged in a lovely slipguard with bonus features.

Bubblegum Crash is a collective Ova series that follows up on the original series, Bubblegum Crisis, a 1987 series featuring the Knight Sabers, a female mercenary team who face off against Genom, a powerful corporation. Genom's primary product, Boomers, artificial cybernetic humanoids, feature prominently in the Bubblegum Crisis world. In Bubblegum Crash, Boomers are held up as saviors in 2034. However, everything is right in MegaTokyo,...

Anime distributor AnimEigo returns to anime's golden age in the 1980s as it announces the Blu-ray home media release on October 8th of Otaku No Video. The anime Ova spoofs the life and culture of otaku as well as the history of Studio Gainax and its creators.

The Inside Story of Anime's Late, Great Anime Studio!

Director Takeshi Mori (Gunsmith Cats) and the anime madmen of Studio Gainax (Neon Genesis Evangelion) gather with their friends for the most explosive club meeting ever! Bolstered by Kenichi Sonoda's (Bubblegum Crisis) charming character designs and the great Kohei Tanaka's (Gunbuster) rousing soundtrack, Otaku no Video bursts onto Blu-ray in stunning 1080p high definition! Featuring the original Japanese language with English subtitles!

The original anime club is back in session!

The year is 1982 – one year into the glorious New Anime Century! Unfortunately, college freshman Ken Kubo has yet to bask in the...

Voice actor Toru Furuya, who is known for his role as Sabo in One Piece and Yamcha in Dragon Ball series, has issued a public apology on his official X account on May 22, 2024, following an interview with Shukan Bunshun, admitting to a long-term affair with a fan and other serious misconduct.

In the statement, Furuya confessed to having an affair with a fan for four and a half years, which he ended in September 2023.

The voice actor revealed that he was drawn to the woman’s unwavering support and initiated contact with her, leading to the relationship.

Related:

[Full Story] Here’s How Toru Furuya’s Abusive Affair With His Female Fan Unfolded!

During the course of the affair, he recounted an argument during which he impulsively raised his hand against the woman, an act he described as “lowest behavior as an adult and as a human being“.

He also disclosed that...

In 1984, Izumi Matsumoto debuted his manga Kimagure Orange Road . Both the manga and its anime adaptation went on to become beloved by fans. To celebrate its 40th anniversary, an exhibition featuring more than 200 works of art, production materials, prints and more will be held in Tokyo and Osaka. The exhibition will combine works from the manga and anime, including Matsumoto's own manuscripts. Scenes and production materials from the anime will also be on display, including new artwork drawn by series character designer Akemi Takada. Related: Studio Trigger Teases Gurren Lagann x Kill la Kill Exhibition for This Summer Merchandise will also be available at the venue, including 88graph prints. An autograph session with Takada will be held on May 11, and the first 100 people to purchase 3,000 yen or more of goods at the exhibition will be able to participate. Related: Get Nostalgic with Kimagure Orange Road Perfume and Art Sets...

Video post-production company MediaOCD will acquire the distribution business of one of the oldest English-language anime distributors in the United States, AnimEigo.

Per AnimeNewsNetwork, the joint announcement made by MediaOCD and AnimEigo revealed the impending acquisition. AnimEigo's current and future limited-edition crowdfunded releases will remain under the AnimEigo brand, while Mvd Entertainment Group will continue to make AnimEigo's Home Video releases available at retailers. AnimEigo's digital storefront will continue to operate under new management and will migrate to the MediaOCD website in the coming months.

Related Anime Association: "40% of Us Make Less Than $16K a Year" The Nippon Anime & Film Culture Association (Nafca) has published findings from a survey of over 300 animators -- with the results proving bleak. New animated logo pic.twitter.com/arP4HISEzZ — Justin Sevakis (@worldofcrap) February 15, 2024

AnimEigo's Robert Woodhead and Natsumi Ueki, husband and wife co-owners and operators of the anime distributor responsible for the availability...

An animated high-school sports movie, The First Slam Dunk is also an adaptation of a long-running and beloved manga franchise. Running in Weekly Shonen Jump, an anthology comic whose closest UK analogue is probably still 2000Ad, the collected work was printed in 31 volumes. Several titles have made the crossover from those pages, just as Dredd did. Slam Dunk is kin to works like Fist Of The North Star, Kimagure Orange Road, One Piece, Death Note, and Dragon Ball. There's good odds that if you've heard of all of those you'll know Slam Dunk, and if you've only heard of one you won't.

The film is focused on Ryota Miyagi. Seen in a subtitled version, the distinctions between the -kun, -chan, and other suffixes are left as an exercise to the tutored ear. Other translation issues come from the basketball focus. 'regular member' might be the term of...

While incredibly successful, the anime adaptation of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations has its fair share of detractors. The biggest issue with the series is its inconsistent production quality, with the animation in particular being almost hilariously bad at times for such a major series. This is only made worse given the name behind the series production, as this studio is usually known for much better quality works.

Studio Pierrot has worked on some of the biggest anime franchises ever, with Boruto just being one of the latest examples. At the same time, some of these anime have had numerous problems, be it in how they handle the source material to other major issues. This has given the studio a rather mixed reputation, with the name Pierrot conjuring up images of both box classics and massive missed opportunities. Ironically, Boruto embodies all of these elements, with fantastic storytelling and animation...