Billy's Bootcamp

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Billy's Bootcamp is an exercise program developed by Billy Blanks. It created a pop culture phenomenon in Japan in 2007, much like Tae Bo did in the U.S. earlier, selling more than 200,000 copies in May of the same year alone. [1]

Billy Blanks visited Japan on June 21, 2007 to promote Bootcamp. [2] Upon arrival Blanks was greeted by 200 Japanese fans who affectionately call him "Taicho" (Japanese : 隊長, chief) at Narita International Airport. [3] Blanks appeared on many Japanese TV shows during his ten-day stay in Japan such as SMAP×SMAP where Shingo Katori, a member of popular Japanese boy band SMAP, impersonated Blanks. [4]

A tie-in video game based on the program, titled Billy's Bootcamp: Wii de Enjoy! Diet (ビリーズブートキャンプ Wiiでエンジョイダイエット!), was released in 2011 exclusively in Japan for the Wii, [5] as the third and final installment of Rocket Company's Shape Boxing fitness game trilogy.

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References

  1. "ビリーの減量DVD大人気 メタボ対策の通販商品". Kyodo News . Archived from the original on 2007-06-20. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
  2. "ビリーズブートキャンプがやってきた!". Nikkan Sports . Archived from the original on 2007-06-26. Retrieved 2007-06-20.
  3. "ビリー隊長来日、成田空港でファン200人歓迎". Sports Nippon . Archived from the original on 2007-06-25. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
  4. "ビリー、20日来日…ダイエットDVD「ブートキャンプ」ブレーク". Sports Hochi . Archived from the original on 2007-06-20. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
  5. 「Fit Boxing」プレイヤー必見! “中の人”に聞く,開発秘話と正しい運動法。プロによるレクチャー動画もあり (in Japanese), 4Gamer.net, March 16, 2019