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Voice actress Yoko Kawanami of Armored Trooper Votoms and Dragon Ball fame died at the age of 67. Her agency announced on March 27, 2025 that the actress ed away on March 18, 2025 due to peritoneal metastasis. [Thanks, Excite.]

Kawanami was born on Yokohama, Kanagawa on April 22, 1957. In accordance to the wishes of her family, her wake and funeral was only available to close family . Kawanami was a prolific voice actress that started her career in the late 1970s, and was best known for her role as Coconna Vartla in Armored Trooper Votoms.

Additionally, Yoko Kawakami had several voices roles in some Akira Toriyama media, such as her role as Midori Norimaki in some of the Dr. Slump and Arale-chan anime movies, Ranfan in the original Dragon Ball anime, as well as Bulma's Mother in the Dragon Ball Z and DBZ Kai anime series.

Other recent major deaths in the Japanese anime and manga industry include Nobita's voice actress in the Doraemon anime, Noriko Ohara, who ed away on July 12, 2024, as well as the original Doraemon voice actress Nobuyo Oyama on September 29, 2024.

Yoko Kawanami died on March 18, 2025 from peritoneal metastasis.

The post Dragon Ball Anime Voice Actress Yoko Kawanami Died appeared first on Siliconera.

Bandai Spirits has revealed its showcase lineup for the All Japan Model & Hobby Show 2024. The company will show various model kits ranging from RG (Real Grade) Gunpla to the 30 Minutes series.

The main highlights of the lineup will be the two RG Gunpla kits of the Shining Gundam—Domon Kasshu's starting Mobile Fighter in G Gundam—and the Sword Impulse Gundam Spec II from Gundam SEED Freedom. Bandai Spirits will also release more HG (High Grade) Gunpla kits based on Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance exclusively via Bandai.

The company's showcase will not only consist of Gundam model kits. It will also show HG kits of the Scopedog Turbo Custom from Votoms and the Ashsaviour from Super Robot Wars: Original Generations. In addition, it will include a Figure-rise Standard Amplified kit of Obelisk the Tormentor from Yu-Gi-Oh and a 30 Minutes Sisters kit of Fuyuko Mayuzumi, one of the idols appearing in The Idolmaster: Shiny Colors.

Here is the complete list of model kits that Bandai Spirits will showcase at the Model & Hobby Show 2024:

• RG Shining Gundam (from Mobile Fighter G Gundam)
• RG Sword Impulse Gundam Spec II (from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom)
• HG LeSean's Zaku II (both Regular and Unidentified Types from Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance)
• HG set of Chubs and Kale's Zaku II Fs with conversion set for Solari's Zaku II Unidentified Type (from Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance)
• Option Parts Set Gunpla 16 - Meteor Hopper (from Gundam Build Fighters)
• HG Scopedog Turbo Custom (from the Armored Trooper Votoms series)
• HG Ashsaviour (from Super Robot Wars: Original Generations)
• Figure-rise Standard Amplified - Obelisk the Tormentor (from the Yu-Gi-Oh! series)
• 30 Minutes Missions - bEXM-6 Round Nova I
• 30 Minutes Missions - Option Parts Set 19 - Multi Shield
• 30 Minutes Fantasy - Liber Lancer
• 30 Minutes Fantasy - Rozan Lancer
• 30 Minutes Sisters - SIS-H00 Sestier - Color C
• 30 Minutes Sisters - Fuyuko Mayuzumi (from The Idolmaster: Shiny Colors)

The All Japan Model & Hobby Show 2024 will take place at Tokyo Big Sight on October 12-13, 2024.

The post Bandai’s Model & Hobby Show 2024 Reveals Include RG Gunpla appeared first on Siliconera.

The life-size statue of the Scopedog from Armored Trooper Votoms is on display with its iconic Red Shoulder at Inagi Pear Park since August 1, 2022. The limited-time color was originally set for display until October 31, 2022. The Inagi City Tourism Bureau has newly announced that it will extend the display through 2022 Christmas Day. People in Japan can still see the special design from Chirico Cuvie's Red Shoulder Battalion until December 28, 2022. [Thanks, Hobby Watch!]

The life-size Scopedog statue from the Votoms series made its first public appearance at the Inagi Pear Park in March 2020. The city of Inagi is best known as the birthplace of Kunio Okawara, the mechanical designer for Votoms and the inaugural Mobile Suit Gundam. While Sunrise is better known for showcasing the life-size statue of RX-78-2 Gundam in Odaiba and Yokohama, it also placed 1/5 scale statues of Amuro Ray's Gundam and Char Aznable's Zaku II in Inagi in 2016.

The Armored Trooper Votoms franchise began when its first TV anime show aired in Japan in 1983. The Real Robot show tells the story of Chirico Cuvie, a soldier who has to survive on his own after his former army pursues him for discovering a secret. The protagonist is also known for piloting a customized version of Scopedog, the 3.8 meters (12.5 feet) tall Armored Trooper.

The series also had multiple OVAs released afterwards, such as The Last Red Shoulder in 1985 and Pailsen Files in 2007. The latest OVA entry, Votoms: Alone Again, appeared in 2011.

Armored Trooper Votoms has also made multiple appearances in the Super Robot Wars crossover game series. The latest title that included the series' storyline is the 2019 Super Robot Wars T. Bandai Namco also added Chirico's Scopedog with a brand-new loadout in an Expansion Pack for the globally-available Super Robot Wars 30 in April 2022.

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