Taking talking tiger by strategy

By: BRIAN THOMAS
Date: Monday, May 07, 2007

I received a curious anime-related press release the other day from the BackgammonMasters.com website. It seems they’ve released theor second web shortin their Online Backgammon Animation Series, Life According to Jean-Claude Episode 2: Barbarossa.

That’s right, this online gambling site has come up with their own mascot, a talking tiger with a French accent named Jean-Claude, whose wacky exploits are designed to drive traffic to the site with webisodes posted on YouTube. Once there, players are welcome to download their software and play computer backgammon for free. But then, there’s also a way to play for money if you’re over 18, which is how they make their real scratch.

The short features a sleazy CGanime tiger in a game room rambling on about one subject or another for a few minutes, often arguing with his offscreen ami. As the release puts it, “Jean-Claude may not know why or where the battle of Barbarossa was fought, but he can tell you that persistence is the key to winning any battle.”

Yes, if you lose, don’t give up. Keep on playing. You can always earn more money. Maybe you can borrow more from your father-in-law. That would be a sweet idea. But keep playing at all costs.

It goes on to explain, "You can't turn a corner on the net without running into BackgammonMasters and their tiger mascot, Jean-Claude. Their mission for Jean-Claude is to position him as a powerful brand icon and a ground-breaking promotion for their skill game software.”

Sound’s reasonable. People said Jean-Claude Van Damme would never be a movie star, and he’s still starring in direct-to-DVD action features, despite the fact that he’s not a cartoon tiger.

SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK

Meanwhile, on BubeTube:

(O) AKIRA (Encore Action) Possibly the greatest anime feature ever made is playing regularly on the Encore Action channel this month. They also play several worthy anime series regularly, with occasional clumps of shows played back to back for a few hours, like Texhnolyze, Mirage of Blaze and Special Duty Combat Unit: Shineman. If you subscribe to Encore, check it out.

NEW DVD RELEASES

Here’s a rundown of the constant stream of anime comin’ at ya on DVD from around the world:

(O) AH! MY GODDESS Season 2 Volume 1: Everyone Has Wings – Flying Babes Ahoy! (ADV) It’s been almost a year since the Goddess Belldandy came to live with college student Keiichi Morisato, and he’s almost gotten up the nerve to kiss her. Unfortunately, the encounter with the Lord of Terror damaged some of Yggdrasil’s systems, and the contract binding Belldandy and Keiichi is among the lost data. Plus: it’s Christmas!
(O) DISGAEA Volume 3: The Netherworld War (Geneon) After a long journey filled with mayhem and misadventures, Laharl overtakes the Overlord's castle. The only problem is that Earth decides to make their move and eradicate the entire Netherworld! What's more, Flonne discovers disturbing evidence that the Netherworld, Earth and Celestia share a secret past that's not so pretty.
(O) FESTIVAL OF FAMILY CLASSICS: ADVENTURES Volume 1 (Classic Media) Jules Verne cartoon double feature includes an episode of the fun 1972 Australian TV series Around the World in 80 Days, plus the 1973 Rankin-Bass adaptation of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
(O) GUYVER: The Biobooster Armor Volume 4: Innocence and Wrath (ADV) Before any questions can be answered, things go from bad to worse for Sho, as a tragic encounter results not only in the death of someone dear to him, but the loss of his ability to transform into the Guyver. Left defenseless, he is faced with a fearsome strike from both Commander Guyot and the vengeance-seeking Lost Number, Aptom. Let’s face it: the original Guyver series was ahead of its time in concept, though often used to rehash old Spectreman plots. It’s nice to see that potential taken for a ride in this 2005 upgrade.
(O) KYO KARA MAOH! GOD(?) SAVE OUR KING! Season 2 Volume 4 (Geneon) The second season of adventures in the fantasy world beyond the toilet continues. A big party is held at the Great Demon Kingdom with those countries that wish to form an alliance. Yuri enjoys this reunion with his old friends; however, Wolfram is kidnapped by a mysterious group of puppets - and so is Yuri!
(O) MISSION: MAGIC Complete Series (BCI Eclipse) Early 1973 Filmation series in which a teacher takes her students on magical adventures. Starring rocker/actor Rick Springfield as himself. All 16 episodes plus interviews, scripts, documentary and more.
(O) SHREK 2 / SHREK 3D: PARTY IN THE SWAMP (DreamWorks) Widescreen & “fullscreen” editions of the first sequel bundled with the 3D direct-to-DVD semi-sequel.
(O) VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE Collection 3 (Media Blasters) Giant cat robots! 3-disc set of 1984 episodes, plus interviews, newsreel and more.

NOT ON DVD CORNER

We welcome the input of Maniacs who want to share input on this section, where we highlight a different genre feature that has yet to come to digital disc format – just send your suggestions toAnime Avalanchein an email identified with “NOT ON DVD” in the subject line.

(O) RINGING BELL (Geneon? ADV? MGM?) From Sanrio, creators of Hello Kitty, comes this odd 47-minute 1978 film about a cute little lamb whose family is wiped out by the Wolf King. He vows to get revenge, training to be a hunter rather than prey. Strange and haunting, it’s pretty grim for the audience it would likely be aimed at in the USA, which is probably why it is NOT ON DVD.

(Geneon? ADV? MGM?) From Sanrio, creators of Hello Kitty, comes this odd 47-minute 1978 film about a cute little lamb whose family is wiped out by the Wolf King. He vows to get revenge, training to be a hunter rather than prey. Strange and haunting, it’s pretty grim for the audience it would likely be aimed at in the USA, which is probably why it is NOT ON DVD.

And be sure to check back next week—and every week—for Mania’s Anime Avalanche! And check in every Tuesday for the latest DVD Shopping List!

Questions? Comments? Let us know what you think at Anime Avalanche.