Edoropolis Emporium

I've decided, starting with issue 100, to start posting my newsletter here.  I used to archive old issues on a web page, but that was a pain and I've fallen so far behind I could never catch up now.  For those of you unfamiliar with it, the Pizza Cats Review is a monthly email newsletter that I've been sending out for 100 months now.

If you want to subscribe, send an email to prncssvi@aol.com from the email address you want the newsletter sent to.  There's a plain text version and an "Extra Toppings" version that has embedded pictures and some HTML formatting if your email supports it.  And for those of you currently subscribed who would rather read future issues here on EE and not get them in your email, send an "unsusbscribe" request the same way.  Of course, the monthly picture I send with the email version might be reduced in size here or left out on the EE version.  And if you're getting the "Extra Toppings" version of the newsletter, the EE version won't have all the extras.

KNT #1 With Subtitles Released
As a special treat for our 100th issue, the first episode of Kyattou Ninden Teyandee has been subtitled and is ready for release!  This was actually expected a little sooner, but our translating/subbing team wanted to make sure everything was done right.  Although this is episode #1, most of you probably know episode #2 was subtitled first, since it was easier to translate (thanks to the fact the story was taken almost directly from a manga we had access to).  This is a great occasion for Pizza Cats fans, and all the work was done by our fellow fans, not for any profit (in fact some of us have put our own money into getting this done), but done entirely out of our love for this show, without which, the internationally released Samurai Pizza Cats would never exist.  The great thing about these subtitled episodes is that they are like seeing a brand new episode!  Project leader Tigriss says, "Remember when I told everyone about my "Project Dream"... um...some-odd months ago?  Another dream has just come true. The first KNT episode, "Himitsu Ninja Tai Nyanki Shutsudo!" ("Secret Ninja Team Nyanki Dispatch!") has been translated and subtitled! A huge thank you to Matsumoto Sensei and Princess Vi for their translation work, and to Puutaro-kun for doing the subbing! Go to www.nyanki-fanatics.com to watch the episode that started it all!"

A Gift
SPC Producer, Andy Thomas, has released 2 items from his archives as a gift for us on the occasion of this 100th issue.  These are 2 videos used in the production of SPC.  One is episode #26, in the original Japanese (Daibouken! Zekko-tyou wo Sagase).  It has a timer which was used to measure the times the characters mouths were moving, so the writers could time new dialogue to match.  Unlike many dubbed shows, SPC's dialogue matches up with the character's movement almost exactly.  The other video is a "check copy" of "The Nuclear Potato".  This is the way the episode came strait from the studio, to be checked to see if any last minute changes were needed before the episode was released.  Andy says "It's been a long time since I have seen 'The Nuclear Potato', and I still like it.  But watching Episode 26 instantly made me want to sit at the keyboard and write new dialog, just like the old days.  Perhaps that's a challenge you could present to your readers as an online contest?"  I told him that might be difficult, since we all know how "Cold and Crabby in Little Tokyo", which is what episode 26 of KNT became.  But if anyone thinks they can match the skill of the SPC production team, they're welcome to try!  So, where are these episodes?  They are uploaded to 2 different FTPs:
ftp://fmatsumo.quimica.ufpr.br/misc/KNT_ProductionTape_Episode28.m4v
ftp://fmatsumo.quimica.ufpr.br/misc/SPC07_NuclearPotato.m4v
and
http://knt.shin-getter.net/misc/KNT%20Production%20Tape%20-%20Episode%2028.m4v
ftp://fmatsumo.quimica.ufpr.br/misc/SPC07_NuclearPotato.m4v   
You can play them with the Quicktime player, and m4v also plays on Media Player Classic with the MP42/43/44 codec installed (Thanks for the tip, Tsuneko). 

One Hundred Months of Memories
by Tigriss Tsimsiean =^.^=
The day has finally come--the one-hundredth issue of the Pizza Cat Review newsletter. If you were to ask me way back in 1997 if I ever thought I would come across an online group dedicated to the Cats that I got myself up at 7:00 AM to watch every morning--let alone told me that this fandom would spawn hundreds of web sites and one hundred newsletters throughout the years--I might've looked at you like you were crazy. Back then the only other fan I knew of was my brother, and when SPC went off the air, I found to my horror that I'd taped over nearly all the episodes I'd been recording (it would be some years later before I'd salvage three tapes for a grand total of five episodes) and my calls to the local TV station broadcasting SPC (yes, I was a fanatic right from the start...) were futile. Searching for "Samur(a)i Pizza Cats" in an online search engine (a new feat for me back then) yielded nothing. I was beginning to think I was going crazy; with no proof but my own memories that it even existed, maybe the Pizza Cats were just something I'd imagined.
Then, sometime a year later, a relative of mine I'd told about SPC randomly decided to look it up with an online search engine. Having tried that once before, I said it wouldn't work, but to my surprise,there were a few hits!  The first site I ever went to was samuraipizzacats.com (don't try it now, it's just ads) and I was hooked. I e-mailed Princess Vi not long after, and was soon subscribed to this newsletter, joined the SSPCC ("Save Samurai Pizza Cats Coalition", for those of you who don't remember), and was on my way to renewing my rabid fandom. ^_~
Look at us now. The Edoropolis Emporium forums are going strong with 275 members and counting. We have all the SPC episodes encoded--in English, and a few in other languages--AND all the KNT episodes encoded with two of them subtitled and more on the way! Even just a couple years ago, obtaining all of KNT--let alone being able to understand it unless you were fluent in Japanese--was just a dream. Now that dream is slowly but surely becoming a reality.
So here we are at PCR #100, and I'd like to thank the busy bunny behind it all. I may contribute from time to time (I've been kind of a slacker lately =/ ), but Princess Vi has been doing this on a monthly basis, with or without help, for all these years. And that's on top of everything else she's contributed to the Pizza Cat community. If anyone deserves the title of Ultimate Fan, it's her. Of course, I'll still be trying for second place, but I guess that means I should get my tail in gear and start pitching in more, right? ^^;  I just need to figure out where I left my auxiliary energy pack...
Anyway, as long as I'm thanking people, I'd like to give my appreciation to all you out there reading this who help make this community such a fun one to be a part of; from the fan-artists and fan-fic writers, to the encoders, translators, and subbers helping me with Project Dream, to all the posters on the EE and Nihonbare forums, and to everyone else for keeping the spirit of SPC & KNT alive, even after it's been off the air for all these years. I know in the grand scheme of things it may seem kinda silly to make this much fuss over an animated series, but I've met a lot of really nice people, even made some close friends, because of my obsession. And I hope everyone else, no matter what your level of fandom is, has a good time with it as well. ^_^

This Month's Pic
This is a display card that was part of a vending machine that sold small Pizza Cat figures inside a capsule.  These machines are still around selling the little figures from current anime series, but the Pizza Cats figures are now rare collector's items.  The figures can be seen at http://membres.lycos.fr/spctoys/sfigures.html

Issue 100!
I can't say that when I started this newsletter for about a dozen people in an AOL Pizza Cats Role Play Group that I thought I'd ever get to issue #100, with a few hundred subscribers all over the world.  But here it is!  I would like to thank all of you who have subscribed, and I especially want to thank Tigriss and SPC Polly, who have written many articles in past issues, and the folks over at Edoropolis Emporium, who's discussions often give me ideas for articles.
-Violet

I'm pretty strapped for time, so I'll have more to say a bit later. >_<

However, I still want to give a quick congrats to you on this 100th issue, as well as a huge thanks for continuing to keep all your incredible service to the SPC fandom going for all these years.  :-*

I tip my hat to thee, Bunny Princess!  ;)

(I'm also moving this thread to General SPC and stickying it due to it's uber importance!  8))

The big 100, very cool.

I think I subscribed for issue 70 something, I forget, but every month I could look forward to an interesting read.

Carry on, you crazy cat people.

^_^

Burkey

I had it in Fan Works because I'm a fan and this is my works.

This is wonderful! I had read almost every archived newsletter before gathering the courage to join the forum.
(yeah, I have a bit of a complex.) I'm really exited to start reading the new ones. I also can't wait to see those production  episodes. Thank you! :-*
(Boy I'm a terrible writer  (>:() )

And may it reach 200... :)

Wow... Congrats for that 100th issue... I hope see the celebration of the 1000th issue!!

TEYANDEE!!  ;)

Congratulations, Violet! I never suspected the existence of this newsletter.

The Oometsuke
If you watched the newly subtitled Kyattou Ninden Teyande episode #1, in the character information given at the end, it mentions the Nyanki are in the service of the "Oometsuke" (Usually spelled in a more westernized "O-Metsuke").  The subtitles explain that this is the Shogunate's Ministry of Intelligence.  "O-Metsuke" is a position given to certain trusted nobles in the Shogun's court, and is often translated as "Inspector General".  Their duties were basically to enforce the Shogun's orders, in everything from gathering intelligence on foreign powers to inspecting that coins were being minted to proper standards.  This office was held by four or five people who were in charge of monitoring the affairs of the daimyo, kuge, and imperial court.   To assist them, they had 16 "Metsuke" (Inspectors) working under them.  Wanko no Kami (Big Al) is an O-Metsuke, and his area seems to be the protection of the Shogun, his family, and property, not just from direct attack, but also from intrigue.  He is in charge of the guards in O-Edo Castle, and of course, the Nyanki.  The plots of Karakara ninja, secretly employed by Koon no Kami (Big Cheese) usually involve some scheme to discredit the Shogun, hoping to cause his removal.  As part of his duties to protect the Shogun, it's Wanko no Kami's job to stop them.  Thus, we have the O-Metsuke's Nyanki Ninja vs the Anti-Shogunate Karakara Ninja.  The O-Metsuke, along with the Roju (Senior Council), the Machi-Bugyo (City Commissioners), Jisha-Bugyo (Shrine and Temple Commissoners) and Kanjo-Bugyo (Finance Commissioners) formed the "Hyojosho" council, which is the group we always see in the court of the Shogun Iei-Iei and Usa Hime.  Koon no Kami is a member of the Roju.

Conventions and Cosplay
SPC fan, NeoMikey has done something only a hand full of fans have ever done before; he has created Pizza Cat costumes.  Mikey and his group recently attended the "Anime Central" convention, where they received a "phenomenal" reception.  Mikey says "I was hearing from the other two members how people would come up to them, compliment them, sometimes even shake their hands.  There are a lot of fans out there who never expected to see something like Samurai Pizza Cats actually implemented into costume."  The first costume was Speedy, which was home made by Mikey and a family of anime fans who have some costuming experience.  With that experience, Mikey was able to make the next 2 costumes himself and assemble a group to portray Speedy, Polly and Guido for the convention.  Materials used included football pads, plastic canvas, cloth, elastic, super glue, foam, carpet foam, super glue, toy weapons, and even a traffic cone (converted to make Guido's umbrella holder).  Of course, some anime fans who are not familiar with SPC were clueless, so Mikey also made custom "Pizza Cats" pizza boxes, which identifies the costume for the unfamiliar and doubles as a handy place to collect autographs at the convention.

This Month's Pic
A few glimpses into the world of Lucille.

Have a Nice Summer
I hate the heat myself.  My idea of a good summer is staying inside with the air conditioning on!  I'd like to thank everyone who wrote or instant messaged me last month to congratulate me and the others who have been helping out on reaching our 100th issue.  I'll keep working on them just as long as you keep reading them!
-Violet

You have done a very good research about the administrative system of Edo period.  ;] It's important to understand better some aspects in the series, since there are many historical references which is obscure outside Japan.

Very funny Lucille/Omitsu's pictures. The one in the bottom resembles the scene of SPC "Youth is for exploding" or KNT "Moyase seishun! Mata deta daisensei" episode, when :gurulou: attaches to her (with explosive consequences).

Good article... Is good that the Shogun and his family have so efficient guy working for them (All the other just...  :O)

How would Wanko gather the Nyankee?  :-*

Edoropolis Emporium Tops 10,000 Posts
The most popular internet gathering place for SPC and KNT fans, the Edoropolis Emporium message board, has recently reached over 10,000 posted messages.  The board contains sub-boards for various areas of interest to Pizza Cats fans, like SPC, KNT, Episode Downloads, Fan Works and Merchandise, as well as boards in Japanese, Spanish, and Portuguese.  There is also room for some off topic messages, such as discussion of other anime or games that the fans are interested in.

Scripts
Some of you might wonder where these scripts come from that are used to help accurately translate KNT episodes for subtitling. (And some of you might not even be aware we are using them)  The short answer is they come from me.  As a long time collector of anything Pizza Cats related, I've had some luck acquiring rare Pizza Cat collectibles over the last few years.  These included a few scripts.  Most of the members of the production staff would have gotten a script to use for reference for each episode they helped work on.  Some of these people would keep them afterwards, some would throw them away, and some would sell them.  Like animation cels, scripts have some value to anime fans who collect them.  Unlike animation cels, they have almost no value outside Japan, so you never see them for sale anywhere else.  They have no pictures, they average about one page for every minute of the show, all Japanese text.  Thanks to some communication with Japanese fans, and a few other sources, such as Japanese online auctions, I have managed to collect 33 of the 54 scripts, averaging about $3-5 each.  By scanning the average 30 pages in these and putting them online, I make them available to the people who will translate them (Mostly Matsumoto-sensei).  These are translated into English, Spanish, and Portuguese as text files.  The English version is further edited by Tigriss, then Puutaro does the work of actually placing the subtitles onto the video.  Sometimes the titles and numbers on the front of the scripts don't match up to the title and number of the finished episode.  Probably they thought of another title they liked better while working on the episode.  And if one episode was taking longer than another, it might be aired first, changing the numbering order.  It is also possible for a few last minute changes in lines or scenes during production, making the scripts not always 100% accurate.  But still they are a valuable tool in making the translations easier.

KNT Ratings
Something I read now and then bugs me, and I want to set the record strait.  Some people say that Kyattou Ninden Teyandee received "poor ratings" in Japan, and wasn't popular there, only lasting 2 seasons.  That's misleading.  The fact is that KNT wasn't super popular, like Sailor Moon for example.  That doesn't mean it wasn't liked or wasn't successful.  The fact that it had a second season at all proves that it had "OK" ratings.  There are a lot of anime (some of which were actually pretty good in my opinion, but many that weren't) that never make it to a second season.  The anime market is very competitive in Japan, and there are new shows coming out all of the time.  Plus I'm not sure the studio even wanted to go beyond 2 seasons.  Azumanga Daioh is still extremely popular to this day, but there is only one season; the story had been told and the series was over.  Like a great painting, there comes a time when you stop and say its finished.  The final episode of KNT was certainly meant to be the end of the story, not a lead into a hoped for new season.  It makes us sad when a series we like ends, but the fact that KNT and SPC still have loyal fans after all these years shows that was successful after all.

This Month's Pic
Its an animation cel of cute little Francine.

Hope you're enjoying summer, see you next month with our next issue!
-Vi

Really the final episode of KNT hardly left any chance of a new season, in my opinion, since Koon-no-kami (:bigcheese:) exiled himself. I can't see a way to continue the series without this character pretending to serving the shogun, but secretly plotting a way to take over the power. This possibility was completely ruled out after the last episode. If a new season was wade without Koon-no-kami, it would not be KNT, would become something else. Moreover this episode closed the possibility of love affair between Yattarou (:speedy:) and Omitsu (:lucille:), breaking therefore one of the strong appeal of the plot (Omitsu would lose her importance in eventual further episodes, I afraid).

It seems T. Souma, author of the Teyandee Manga, supports somehow my point of view. His story brought back Koon-no-kami (who framed and disgraced Wankoo-no-kami  :bigal:) and Yattarou still disputes with Sukashii (:guido:) the Omitsu's love. In other words, the relationship between the characters would be very same. At the final of this manga Souma manifested his dissatisfaction for the ending of the series. I understand his point of view, but can't see this manga as the sequence of the series. I consider it more like a self parody.

And, well, I can't enjoy the summer since it's winter in this side of the Earth.  :D

Thanks anyway for the Newsletter, it's pretty good.  ;]

EDIT: I forgot to mention, but really there are small differences between the scanned scripts and the video files. I promise to Tigriss mentioning some of these differences. She intends to publish them eventually in the newsletter. This is a work in progress tough, so have some patience.  :P

I always though Koon might return attacking directly Edoropolis, maybe with new Karakaras cause Karamaru and the YaminoYonNinSyu were defeated... Maybe the story could reveal more details like the origin of the Nyankees, Kuroi Bushô and Nyaggo King...

I always heear in several sirtes that KNT wasn't really popular but one of the facts that makes me think the opposuite is that was realized a lot of dojinshis... If a series isn't popular >I don'0t think the people want waste their time drawing mangas about this; I evenb found a Pururun doll in a merchadisuing magazine from 2 years agho more less...

Thanks for clearing that up.

ABC Family
American cable TV network ABC Family has been airing old Saban shows, which means they are almost certainly the ones who now control the old Saban collection of shows, including Samurai Pizza Cats.  What's more, it seems SPC would fit in nicely with the type of shows they air.  I think a good push from SPC fans might be enough to tip the scales and get our show back on the air.  Sure, its great that we are getting high quality episodes online, and it would be nice to get some official DVDs, but a real SPC fan should want to share SPC with everyone.  There are a lot of people out there who don't even know about SPC but would probably like it if they did.  And there are those fans who only saw SPC many years ago and don't really remember much about it.  Getting SPC back on the air would bring many more fans out.  This would also help in getting an official DVD released in English.  ABC Family has a feedback form at http://abcfamily.go.com/feedback/ (http://abcfamily.go.com/feedback/)  just leave the "Choose a show" part blank since SPC isn't listed.

New KNT Midi
Pizza Cats fan Felineki wasn't satisfied with the existing copies of the MIDI version of the KNT opening theme "Ottodokkoi Nihonbare".  It was made several years ago, and the software has improved since then.  So, Felineki remastered it and made a new version, saying "It's not perfect of course, but I think it's a bit more accurate to the original than the first MIDI. I'm actually quite surprised at how well it turned out, considering that I never really had any musical training of any kind."  You can judge for yourself  by getting it at:
http://home.mchsi.com/~mbiddinger/nihonbare.mid (http://home.mchsi.com/~mbiddinger/nihonbare.mid)
If you want other Pizza Cats midis, a few can be found at
http://members.tripod.com/~PrincessVi/music.html (http://members.tripod.com/~PrincessVi/music.html)
including the old version of "Ottodokkoi Nihonbare" if you want to compare it with Felineki's version.

Fans Beware: DVDs on eBay
Recently, a DVD set claiming to be a complete set of all SPC episodes has been showing up on eBay.  Now, since there is no official SPC DVD set out now (the ones made by Jade are questionable, but even if they were legitimate, they only have a few episodes), I personally am not too bothered by someone making DVDs unofficially.  If there are no official DVDs to compete with, then its sort of the company's fault for not supplying the demand.  But, I am opposed to SPC fans getting ripped off.  These DVDs are not the best quality, they were probably made from someone's tapes recorded off TV, or maybe even video files you can get for free off the internet.  Now, that doesn't mean they aren't watchable, and for some people it may be worth paying a little money for the convince of having all the episodes collected onto a DVD for you.  Just keep in mind what these are and don't pay too much.  It's not going to be the quality of an official DVD.

This Month's Pic
Polly has a snack.

Thanks for reading this issue, see you next month!
-Violet

Nice picture of Polly! Who is the author?

I had to do some research, because I didn't know myself, I found this picture a few months ago during a random search.  After doing some checking, the artist is Zen Migawa.  I can give the link on the Nihonbare board, but some of the content is not suitable for EE.

Oh, that picture of Polly is so cute! It reminds me of the fish-patterened kimono she wears in "Samurai Charm School". And I'm honored that you included my MIDI in the newsletter.

More on the Dubious DVD Set
In our last issue, I warned people not to spend "too much" on these home made DVD sets being offered on eBay.  At that time, I had assumed that this guy had at least put together the set from his own recorded episodes, and maybe it would be something that people who have trouble downloading big files could watch until something better came along.  I am now taking a different opinion after learning more about these DVDs.  I now say, don't buy these, not even for $1.  Apparently, this guy's DVDs (and there might be more than one seller now, I think some people actually bought this DVD set, copied it, and are selling their own now) have actually ripped off our episodes that Tsuneko encodes for us to watch.  Something Tsuneko does at his own expense so fans can see the show they love.  Now these #%@& are trying to use the work of fans (to say nothing of the work of the creators of the show) to rip off other fans and make money for themselves.  This isn't unique to SPC either, they do this with a lot of shows.  They cut off the credits on some of Tsuneko's encodes to remove the watermark and the French titles.  I know people want to be able to watch SPC, but don't give these guys your money.  Save it for when some official DVDs come out, and in the mean time, you can download better episodes than this DVD set.  Normally, I'm not a strict copyright enforcement person.  I don't believe in ripping off the creators when an official version is available, but I'm usually willing to look the other way when there is no official version being sold (if nothing was being sold then there's no money to lose).  But doing it for profit rather than as a fan trying to help other fans see a show they otherwise couldn't see just isn't excusable.

SPC on YouTube
YouTube.com is a site where people can upload videos.  On the downside, the quality is poor, and you can't save the videos unless you use some special software (but even then, the quality won't be improved).  On the up side, you can find a lot of fun and interesting videos there, and its not beyond a dial-up connection's ability to download if you're patient.  A faster connection will download about as fast as you watch the video.  Just doing a quick search for "pizza cats" at youtube.com brings up some episodes, clips of the opening with the theme song, and fan made videos.

Nihonbare Board
Started as a small message board for a few SPC fans/friends, it fell out of use as the bigger Edoropolis Emporium grew.  It seemed Nihonbare's usefulness had come to an end.  One nice thing about Edoropolis Emporium compared to your average internet message board is that there are very rarely any arguments or bad feelings.  However, certain subjects that are either too controversial or that aren't suitable for an all ages message board are not allowed on EE since they would be bound to cause an argument or offend someone.  But some SPC fans still want to talk about things like who would make a fun same sex couple or about a hentai doujin.  Rather than try to keep these subjects forbidden, the Nihonbare board was revived as the SPC fandom's "alternative" message board, allowing adult fans to talk about what they want, and keeping EE free of flame wars and safe for all ages.  This new Nihonbare isn't for everyone of course, but if you're open to it and would like an invitation to join, please contact me (prncssvi(at)aol.com).  Nihonbare is at http://members5.boardhost.com/pizzacats/ (http://members5.boardhost.com/pizzacats/)

This Month's Pic
Big Cheese and Company by Kit Fox Crimson (Not attached to the EE version of the newsletter, see it at http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/29982440/?qo=28&q=by%3Akitfox-crimson+sort%3Atime+-in%3Ascraps (http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/29982440/?qo=28&q=by%3Akitfox-crimson+sort%3Atime+-in%3Ascraps)).  You can see more of his art at http://kitfox-crimson.deviantart.com/ (http://kitfox-crimson.deviantart.com/)

Hope You had a Nice Summer
That's all for this issue.  Please stop by http://abcfamily.go.com/feedback/ (http://abcfamily.go.com/feedback/) and send them a note to request they show Samurai Pizza Cats (don't write "SPC" because they might not know what that stands for).
-Violet

Heh, one of the people who posted a message there siad something along the lines of "Wasn't that show a rip-off of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?"
 :D

I can see why people who aren't very familiar with the show might think that; ninjas, animals, and pizza... but that's really as far as the similarities go.

I personally can't see any relation between the shows.

I'm probably just missing what other people consider "similarities."

(And the Pizza Cats don't live in a sewer, either.) :D

Pricey Polly Purchased
Pizza Cats animation cels have turned up fairly regularly in the last few months, but although there have been some good ones, many of them weren't so interesting.  However, last week a great Polly cel, full body, good pose, in her armor, showed that good cels of popular characters are still in very high demand.  Bidding started at a mere $4.99, but after 14 bids, this outstanding cel sold for $127.75!  The winning bidder was Little Bad Wolf, a member of the Edoropolis Emporium message boards.  This isn't the first time a Polly cel has sold for over $100, but it is rare, since most of the best cels are already in collections and aren't being sold.  I can only imagine how much a good cel of the Pointless Sisters/Lovely Mipple would sell for!

More Downloads?
It has been a while since fans have been treated to any new high quality digital SPC episode downloads or new translated KNT episodes.  Don't worry though, these projects aren't dead.  They are however, labors of love, and they have to be worked on in between the duties and problems of the real world, including work, school, and family.  It isn't free either, these fans have spent their own money to cover some expenses related to these projects.  So be patient my friends.

The Pizza Cats' Only Humans
Despite the episode title, "The Pizza Cats are only Human", they are in fact cats.  Animalroid cats at that.  But did you know that humans have appeared on Pizza Cats?  Marilyn Monroe's face has been seen for a flash of a second in an explosion.  But aside from that, Santa Clause, in human form, appears near the end of "The Cheese who Stole Christmas".  The real-life narrator (in a animated form using a photo for the head) from KNT is seen being exiled by Usa Hime in KNT 47, but this scene was cut out of the English version.  It's possible that some other human characters may have been hidden in the backgrounds somewhere, but none have been reported as of yet.  Some characters, including Ninja-Crowbots, have been based on real life Japanese (or even foreign) celebrities, but they are drawn in animalroid form.  One of the more frequently seen examples of this is the constantly running ostrich, who's KNT name is "Choinaa Nana Gou" and is a caricature of Olympic gold medal track star Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

This Month's Pic
Otama delivers!  Hot and fresh, 30 minutes or it's free!

Hail to Thee, Oh Pizza Cats
OK, if anyone is wearing a Pizza Cat costume for Halloween, I want pictures!  See you next month!
-Violet

Yes, I still am translating KNT episodes, but the work doesn't go as fast as desired. Any progress will be reported eventually in the KNT Translation topic (http://www.edoropolis.org/forums/index.php?topic=123.0)  topic.

Lovely :francine: picture drawn by Souma Takuya. Any idea about when did it was drawn?

You got that right on the gorgeous Polly cel, Vi! Plus it's an honour that the winner came from this very forum!  :-*

Glad to hear the translation projects are still going well. I greatly appreciate the work all of you have put in, and I'm sure lots of other fans do, too.

Very cute picture this issue! Cats have wonderful balance, and this certainly seems comes in handy for their pizza business. It still amazes me how Polly is able to carry two orders of ice cream that are each taller than her, each on a separate tray, one in each hand.

Yes, the doujin it is in was printed August, 2000.

I've been delaying the release of the HQ episodes simply because of the sudden rush of dvd sets. i have seen people pestering fans who have my episodes asking when i'm releasing new ones. so i'm either going to have to release these low key (as 15 was) or stop the torrents altogether. i'm not one for having people rip off the original creators for a "quick buck". 16-20 are nearly complete, but i'm dubious on how to release these to be perfectly honest.

5 sellers of the 'dvd sets' have been banned from auction sites and referred to the relavent authorities. i won't tolerate it.

just an update.

Neko

For some good news, we've added more storage space to shin-getter.net, so once I get it set up, we'll have a "webseed" ready for everyone to use! This will allow you to obtain a complete download even when other people aren't downloading!

Do the Cats have Jetpacks?
Yes they do.  We've seen them being used now and then.  The real question is; why aren't they being used more often?  Fight the Ninja Crows in the air.  Avoid crashing into buildings.  Save time getting to the top of Ruby's building.  There maybe be some clue in a yet to be translated KNT episode as to why the cats use their jetpacks so seldomly, but for now, all fans can do is speculate.  Perhaps they don't hold much fuel.  Maybe they aren't very powerful and don't actually the cats to "fly" but just to give them more "air time" in a jump.  Or maybe the writers just only bother to remember the jetpacks when it suits them.  Violet and her Mom, Freida are seen flying around with jetpacks in "Princess Vi's Hippy Dippy Mom", but never again.  Violet's is built into the bows of her obi (the belt or sash part of a kimono), and Freida's is part of her backpack.  And Big Cheese is seen flying in the "Great Comet Caper", in a method very similar to that used by Tails from Sonic, by spinning his tail.  Being "Animalroids" and very connected to their mechanical attachments, maybe these characters just need to be in the right mood to be able to fly?  The crows don't need any of that of course, they have wings.

The Age Thing
It's something fans never get tired of guessing at; How old are the characters?  There are lots of opinions, but very few facts.  Only Violet's age is ever mentioned in the English version, when she yells "I'm tired of being an 18 year old burn out!".  But this was just a line thrown in by one of the American writers, not based on any fact from the Japanese version.  While Violet/Usa Hime can act mature at times, she can also be very childish.  Daisensei, a fan who is currently working on translating KNT, has found another character's age is mentioned in Meka meka ninpou hidenchou, which gives Reikainosuke Nekomata's (Guru Lou) age as 350 years old!  This could be some supernatural or mad scientist thing, but maybe in their guessing, fans are overlooking that these animalroid characters might age completely differently.  In any case, our Japanese counterparts don't seem to speculate about it as much as we do.  As one Japanese fan told me when I asked about the ages of Teyande characters, "They have no age.  They are forever."

This Month's Pic
Bad Bird's girlfriend, Carla.  Known as Okara in KNT.  This page from the Manjyu doujin says "Welcome to Pizza Cats, Karasuyama Branch".  "Karasuyama" means "Crow Mountain".

Until December
Next month will be our last issue for 2006 (but we'll be back in 2007 of course!).  In the December issue, we'll be digging up some old, forgotten SPC web pages that are still lurking around on the web.
-Vi

Perhaps flying is luxury reserved for members of the royal house?
Being a covert crow-fighting operatives of the government working for Big Al perhaps is why the Pizza Cats are equipped with them? But, they don't use them because it would reveal their connection to the palace??

Of course, ninja crows are already outlaws, so they fly regardless???

˜\(o_°)/˜

Do the Cats have Jetpacks?
I almost watched all Japanese episodes and didn't find anything about this subject. So remains only fans speculations, I'm afraid.

The Age Thing
"They have no age.  They are forever." is a good answer :D. In my view this represents a desire to keep the KNT world immutable, then the time doesn't concern. This conflicts with the ending of the series, since the latest episodes made the situations hardly reversible (:bigcheese: could not return with high rank in the court, for example) Tatsuya Souma (http://www.edoropolis.org/forums/index.php?topic=1103.0) manifested insatisfaction with how the the series ended, and his manga reflects such position.
I respect the opinion of them, but don't like a static KNT universe. In my thoughts the animaloids must born, grow, love, have children, age and die. I'm writting a fanfic with this conception, but am afraid it's not suitable to be published here for two reasons: it's entirely in Japanese, and doesn't fit for all kind of readers (specially the part 'they must love', if you can understand me). I started the topic Ages of KNT chars? (http://www.edoropolis.org/forums/index.php?topic=1080.0) just because it's necessary to my fanfic.

Until December
Thanks, Violet, for writting the newsletters. [language=japanese]Dou mo gokurou sama.[/language]

Violet, you bring up a good point that Animaloids might age differently from humans. I actually had considered discussing something along these lines in Daisensei's ages topic, but couldn't quite find the right words for it at the time. For example, in our world many animals grow into full adults in just a couple years, yet it takes a couple decades for a human to do the same! If it's possible for Animaloids to live 350 years or more, they might age and develop and an even slower rate.

I've enjoyed reading that newsletter, Violet, and the age thing is one topic that will stand around for the test of time.  8O I'd also like to find out more about Tatsuya Souma's philosophy of the KNT.

OkaraChan is so cute but... Why does she say KaramaruSaa instead Karamaru San??

maybe that fits in the same category as couples calling each other be pet names?
there's a girl i know that used to call me d-chan (my real name starts with a d), even though i'm 2 years older than she is, could be something like that..

In this issue we're going to do a little internet archeology.  We'll be digging up some old abandoned SPC web pages.  Back in the middle to late 1990's, as SPC fans became active on the internet, it seemed like just about all of them wanted to have their own web page.  Some were good, some were great, and some kind of sucked.  At one point, I was able to find over 100 SPC web pages.  So what happened?  For the most part, people discovered that starting a web page was easy, but keeping it going isn't.  Some people just lost interest, some just didn't have the time for running a web page.  More recently, web forums like Edoropolis Emporium have provided fans a way to share ideas and information without needing to build a web page.  So why bother to look up these old web pages?  There's still a lot of good stuff on some of these old pages.  Here's a few I picked out.  Others just never got so far, have missing parts, have too many ads, or have just vanished.

SPC Online
http://www.edoropolis.org/spconline/ (http://www.edoropolis.org/spconline/)
This wonderful page hasn't been updated since 2002, but it really has a lot to offer.  There are a few sections that were left unfinished, such as most of the voice actor information, and there are some outdated links, such as the now dead SPC Mailing List.  But it does have a great character section, and some nice fan art by the page's creator, "Lil' Polly".

Carla's Page
http://nickelback.host.sk/carla/ (http://nickelback.host.sk/carla/)
Was and still is the only Carla/Okara page on the internet.  It has a lot of obsolete links, but worth a visit for the Carla shrine.

Issarlk's SPC,KNT Page
http://membres.lycos.fr/rgilb/spc/index.html (http://membres.lycos.fr/rgilb/spc/index.html)
Once one of the top SPC pages to visit, it hasn't been updated since 1999.  Issarlk was one of the first non-Japanese Pizza Cats' fans to acquire the KNT soundtrack CDs, and his page was once the exclusive source of information about them.  There's also some manga/doujin stuff, fan art, and even software (A Polly "window sitter" for Win95.  I haven't tested it on XP yet.)

Samurai Pizza Cats Homepage
http://www.two4u.com/pizzacats/ (http://www.two4u.com/pizzacats/)
A lot of you probably didn't even have internet access back when this page was first built back around 1991-92.  It was moved to it's current host in 1996, and hasn't been touched since.  However, this web page is important to us, since it is not only the very first SPC web page, but represents the very beginnings of SPC Fandom on the internet.  Unfortunately, most of it's images are missing now.  They would be considered very low quality by today's standards, but for a while they were the only SPC pictures to be found.  The episode guide, although it has a few errors, was what all SPC fans went by for years.

P.U.R.R.I.N.G. Samurai Pizza Cats
http://www.edoropolis.org/spcvr/index2.html (http://www.edoropolis.org/spcvr/index2.html)
You can tell this web page's owner is a fan of Francine, because she's at the top of his long list of character bios.

KonKon's SPC Page
http://members.tripod.com/~Yuurei/ninden/ninden.html (http://members.tripod.com/~Yuurei/ninden/ninden.html)
Aside from some basic SPC info, this page has a Big Cheese shrine, and even an interview with him.

Little Gravitation: The Pizza District
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Towers/9607/pizzadist.html (http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Towers/9607/pizzadist.html)
This page was home to the rather ambitious and very incomplete "Completely Useless Samurai Pizza Cats Encyclopedia", a great idea that was just too much for one fan to do alone.

Guido Anchovy's Shrine
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Pagoda/2177/ (http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Pagoda/2177/)
Although now cluttered by Geocities' excessive ad bar, this was a page dedicated to Guido.  It has Guido pictures, Guido quotes, Guido's weapons, and Guido's potential girlfriends.

Jonas Miles' SPC Page
http://www.geocities.com/jonas_miles/ (http://www.geocities.com/jonas_miles/)
This was the center of activity for SPC FanFic writers and readers, and there's still plenty to be found if you're looking.

Speedy's SPC Page
http://www.angelfire.com/hi/spcfans/index.html (http://www.angelfire.com/hi/spcfans/index.html)
Aside from being a good example of what a typical SPC web page looked like back when everyone wanted their own web page, you can find a lot of the pictures that were once hosted at other web pages here, including the ones missing from the first ever SPC page.

That Overflowing Bath of Wonder
http://endpo.0catch.com/spc/ (http://endpo.0catch.com/spc/)
One of my old favorites and I still hope it will come back to life.  This page gets lots of points for originality and design.

This Month's Pic
Merry Christmas Seymour!

Happy Holidays Everyone
See you next issue, next month, next year.
-Violet

Acrheology is right! These are the very sites that discouraged me all those years ago.  It was these sites that made me believe SPC was a dead.

Most of these were the pages that got me excited. I didn't realize before then that the show had an online or real life fandom presence. Of course, I didn't know much about how many fans of different things there were then. I'd never downloaded a movie or TV show, only mp3s. Issarlk's page was great for info on the KNT CDs when paired with Tigriss's section about it. Issarlk had the Japanese track titles while Tigriss had the translated ones (both romanized and English). Jonas Miles' page was cool, it had some RMs of KNT episodes and other goodies. Overflowing Bath of Wonders I'd like to see active again. Whoever created it, come drop us a line, we miss you!
I was most surprised that pages about SPC had been around for years. I wish I had done an Altavista search for pizza cats just once on it back in '98 or something. I'd have had fun.

Wow. This comes to show how much we've gone when it comes to the internet! But, it was a treat to see these web sites. Any fan site that is SPC or KNT related is my kind of website!

As for the monthly pic, don't get too excited Big Cheese, I think you've got a ton of coal in that stocking!

It's pretty cool how each of those sites vary in content - you'd look around each one for the best bit of information you'd want to find out. Like, which page has the most fanfics, which page supports what character, etc. It's all very humbling for the show having so many web pages dedicated to them! (*?*)

I visted some of those listed and several others not listed back around the time I found EE. Some of them had disappeared when I tried to find them again, but there are some still functional out there...

Those pages were who brought me back to the SPC world!! I really loved The End Game Saga from Jonas' Page but I just could get the first chapter...

I really miss those old pages.
And just to let you cats know, the Polly window sitter works just fine under XP.

New Episodes Encoded
I told you before that more episodes were being worked on.  Well, now Tsuneko has released 2 more high quality SPC episodes to start 2007 off right.  Number 16 "The Big Cheese's IQ Corral" and number 17 "Field of Screwballs".  Currently, these are available at Supersonic's FTP site at http://knt.shin-getter.net/spc/Tsuneko/
These episodes were made into AVI files by a new method Tsuneko is trying, and these look even clearer and sharper than the earlier episodes, which were already of very high quality.

Fan Fic Writing Contest
For any fan fiction writers or wanna-be writers who need an excuse to write something; Burke and Truro from Edoropolis Emporium have decided to hold a little fanfic writing contest.  This is a friendly competition, so don't be intimidated if you don't think you're the best writer ever.  There are a few rules: Keep the story as similar to the format of the SPC TV show, as possible. Any format (Script, story etc) and word length (within reason though. No novel-length stories please).  No Fan-created characters, with the exception of the 'Robot of the week' .  Entries must be 100% new material. Please refrain from posted pre-existing fan fictions, the deadline for submissions is midnight, on February 14th.
http://www.edoropolis.org/forums/index.php?topic=1215.0;topicseen

Translated "H" Doujin
For those interested in the part of Pizza Cats fandom that isn't really suited for "all ages", the Nihonbare board has uploaded some doujin comic pages created by Japanese fan artists, and now translated by Matsumoto, and edited by myself into English versions.  One thing that we didn't change is the layout.  The panels of the comic have to be read Japanese style, from right to left.  There are currently 3 comics translated, all from the doujin book "Manjyu".  Needless to say, these are "adults only", and are only available to Nihonbare members.  Nihonbare is an alternate Pizza Cats message board for topics not suitable for Edoropolis Emporium.

This Month's Pic
This animation cel with it's original background was used in the episode "Gaku! Mijime na Koon no Kami" which became "A Little Bit O' Luck" in the English version.

Happy New Year
January also marks the 9th anniversary of this newsletter.  Yay!  But we'll wait until next year before we make any big deal about it.  I'm sending this month's issue a few days early, since I might be too busy on Sunday.
-Violet

Very nice image this issue. Seeing scans of the show's cels is great enough, but I particularly enjoy the ones with backgrounds like this. There are so many details in those backgrounds that are easy to overlook when you're watching the show.

Great, finally a good thing about be an adult and the censure kicks my ass... Hey Vi, can you gimme a hand?? ;)

I never look the little links about the pages... -_-U

Sign up for the fiction contest!

Whoo! [/Shameless plug]

Burkey

Yah. That's some detail in that background. Even the pebbles have their own shadows.

How the passage gets darker from the long distance adds bonus points for the detail of the background. Thought I might ask; do you own the cel, Violet?

Samurai Pizza Cats Homepage was the first page that got a link in my site, that reminds me, I haven’t updated the links in ages-_-

You cant visit the “Foro de discusión en español de Los Gatos Samurai / SPC / KNT” on this forum to see a preview of the next update in the personages(Characters) section.

I own many great cels, but not that one.  That's just a scan I've picked up somewhere in my years of saving SPC pics I find.

Eto Rangers Come to Edoropolis
Juuni Senshi Bakuretsu Etoranger ("12 Warrior Burst Eto Ranger") is an anime made 4 years after the end of Kyattou Ninden Teyande.  It is of special interest to Pizza Cats fans since many members of the KNT production team worked on this show.  Like KNT, Eto Ranger features animal characters.  In this case, the animals are not mecha like in KNT, but they represent the 12 animals of the Asian zodiac. Fans will notice a similarity between some Eto Ranger characters and KNT characters, since character designer Noritaka Suziki worked on both shows.  Unlike KNT, Eto Ranger was broadcast only on satellite TV, so it wasn't widely seen. (One reason why Eto Rangers merchandise is almost nonexistent)  The show has been translated and aired in Italy, Taiwan, South Korea, the Philippines, and South America, but no English version was made.  Fans are currently working on subbing episodes into English.  Because the 2 shows are so closely related, Edoropolis Emporium has opened an Eto Ranger sub-board for fans to talk about the show.

KNT Manga Translation
Daisensei and ElonNarai have been steadily translating and editing T. Souma's famous KNT manga.  This excellent manga has always been loved by Pizza Cats fans.  It picks up where the TV series ended and takes our cats on a new adventure.  Soon, English speaking fans will be able to enjoy it even more, since they'll actually be able to read it.  Only a few fans outside of Japan own a copy of this out of print manga.  But the pages are being scanned, translated, and edited into English.  Follow the progress at http://www.edoropolis.org/forums/index.php?topic=1103.msg13894#msg13894

Princess Preparations
My Spiffy Diffy Web Page, also known as Princess Vi's Internet Empire, will turn 10 years old this April, and I'd like to do some upgrading to mark the occasion.  If you have some suggestions on things you'd like to see there, please tell me about them.  I'm also looking for help with the Samurai Savings Time page, particularly in the character section, http://www.angelfire.com/ca/savespc/characters/index.html where I intend to link each character's name to a page with information about them.  And, of course, please let me know about any problems with the web pages.  My Internet Empire is big, it's hard for me to keep track of it all!

This Month's Pic
Is an old Bandai advertisement featuring KNT toys among other things.

See You Soon
Just a couple weeks until March, and I'll be back with a new issue.  Happy Valentine's!
-Vi

I still haven't gotten around to watching Eto Rangers yet, I need to do that.

As for upgrading your webpage, I've come across pictures of a few KNT doujinshi that aren't on your big doujin list (maybe you already know about them, but the page simply hasn't been updated to reflect this).

I know there's a few that I have but haven't added yet since I haven't updated it in a few months, but I'd like to see what you have.  Try to get in touch with me on AIM so we can compare notes.

Introducing SPC
You love SPC, but how do you share your interest with a friend who has never seen it before.  Chances are, the average person either has no clue what SPC is, or has misconceptions about the show.  Some of the most common misconceptions are: 1- It's a rip off of Ninja Turtles.  2- It's a "kiddie" show.  Saban's own limited marketing of the show is partly to blame.  Ninja Turtles was popular at the time, and Saban did want to get some of that market, so they did try to appeal to TMNT fans by trying to make the shows seem similar.  But there is really very little in common, and Ninja Turtles was never popular in Japan.  Still, you're not going to convince your friends unless you can get them to actually watch SPC.  Saban's commercials did make SPC look like a "kiddie" show, so it's understandable why people would get that idea.  In fact, young kids can enjoy SPC just as much as anyone else can, so it's not entirely wrong.  But one of SPC's great strengths is that it can be enjoyed by all ages.  One thing SPC fans have found while trying to introduce the show to friends is the first episode isn't necessarily the best one to show someone for the first time.  While it introduces the characters, it doesn't really capture the spirit of the series.  The writers were just getting started, and it's not their best work.  Some episodes fans have suggested include:
Pizza Delivery of Doom
If You Knew Sushi
Youth is for Exploding
Terror of Prisoner Island
Cold and Crabby in Little Tokyo
But use your judgement (and the episodes you actually have available at the time).

International Names
My character guide at Samurai Savings Time http://www.angelfire.com/ca/savespc/characters/index.html has been updated to include a few more Hebrew character names.  However, I still need some help here, as I'm missing a lot of French and Italian names, along with a few others.  I need the French names for all of the Rescue Team, Al Dente, Fred, all of the Rude Noise, Fredia, Mom and Junior, Guru Lou, and Carla.  I need the Italian names for Spritz, the members of the Rude Noise, the Ninja Crows, Mom and Junior, and Fredia.  Still missing from the Hebrew names is the Rude Noise and Mom & Junior.  The Spanish names are only missing the members of "Los Mucho Ruido".  And, if anyone is familiar with any versions of Pizza Cats in languages other than Japanese, English, French, Greman, Spanish, Hebrew, and Italian which uses different character names, please get in touch with me so we can add those.

This Month's Pic
Is a girl in a Nyangoking costume.  No, not a real girl, she seems to be sort of like a mascot character.  This is from the back cover of a doujin book.

Thanks for Reading
Hope you enjoyed this month's issue.  Since February is short, I thought I might be late, but things worked out fine.  See you next month!
-Violet

Ah, I remember seeing that doujin when it was up for auction, great to see a better scan of the Nyagoking girl. Drawing mecha as cute girls seems to be something of a tradition in Japan, it's been done with Gundams and such for quite a while.

I noticed the update to the character names page, and thought the Hebrew version's name for Francine was pretty cute (and unique, since all of the other non-Japanese versions stick with "Francine" or a variant thereof)... "Parmesana". Goes rather nicely with the pizza theme. :francine:

Although the Mexican names of the Rude Noise... To tell the truth this translation had the custom of change the names of the characters that didn't appear really often and the names of these crows also had this...

I just remember their names that were said in certain chapter (I don't remember which); Cuervo Jefe, Mojo Rojo, Bala de Cañon Mojada and Arnold Swarzennegger ( ?:|)

To tell the truth one of my friends was very impressed with the japanese version of Bad Bird Uncaged 1; he said "Hey! That's a shonen Anime!!"; this episode could be a good one cause shows the action and humor of the series; but is too revealing... I think the best chapter for show to a friend can be Let the Cellar... I don't remember the rest of the name...

Vi, i'll get the names off the french DVD's when i have time.

and IF i can find the betamax tapes on with the russian version of SPC, i'll try and get someone to translate the names.

Neko

I know very little about the Russian version.  I thought it was just subtitled from one of the other versions.

Spiffy Diffy 10th Anniversary
My "Princess Vi's Spiffy Diffy Web Page", the center of my "Internet Empire", will turn 10 years old on April 17th.  Back when I started the page, SPC was in it's prime in the USA.  There were still plenty of episodes I hadn't seen.  How exciting it was to turn on the TV and see a new episode!  I still love SPC today, and I get excited when a new KNT fan sub comes out or Tsuneko releases another high quality episode for us.  Sadly, I don't have the free time I used to have when I started the page, 10 years ago with a poorly designed one page web site (made with a AOL web page maker designed for idiots), featuring about 10 low quality screen captures that had been given to me or swiped from other web pages.  It was my hope that when this day came, I could do some make over on a grand scale.  And, I still want to do that, but real life has forced me to stretch it out, and rather than do it all at once on the anniversary, I'll be redesigning things one section at a time for the whole year. 

SPC AMV
You know what SPC stands for.  AMV stands for Anime Music Video, and they're nothing new.  For years, anime fans have been making their own music videos by combining their favorite music with clips of their favorite anime and editing them to go together.  Like anything done by fans, the quality can range from amateur to professional.  SPC AMVs have been around for a while too, but to see them you had to find some web page hosting them or have someone send a copy to you.  Youtube isn't know for it's high quality video resolution, but since many of the AMV were made using less than DVD quality video (Tsuneko's encodes weren't always around, and some episodes still aren't out yet), the Youtube versions are quite watch able, and more importantly, very easy to find.  If you see one you really like and must have the original, at least you'll have some idea what to look for.  My favorite is "Cat-Toon Heroes" by Tigriss (Teyande Studios), based on the Aqua song "Cartoon Heroes" (Aqua is most infamous for the "Barbie Girl" song).  You can watch it here http://youtube.com/watch?v=ATd952uW2g8&mode=related&search=
After you're done, just start checking some of the links to the right and you'll find a lot more SPC AMVs.

What's Shaking?
A few of our web resources are being shaken up.  Nyanki Fanatics is gone due to hosting problems.  It's not known if or when it might ever be back, but it won't be any time soon.  Our FTP at shin-getter.net was shut down for having anime episodes, but SuperSonic isn't going to let that slide and plans to relocate the FTP.  However, it's likely the new one won't have as much room.  Nihonbare, the SPC/KNT alternative discussion board, is losing it's host round the end of the month.  Nihonbare will relocate before the deadline.  Several choices are being looked into, but I can't say for sure where we'll move.  More news on all of these forthcoming.

This Month's Pic
Well, it's Easter.  And Easter might not really be about bunnies, but it's the nearest thing to a bunny holiday I can think of.  So here are some happy bunnies playing.

The Bunny Princess wishes you all a happy Easter.  Did you find those eggs I hid?  They'll start to smell after a while, so you'd better find them!
-Violet

Happy anniversary to the Violet's web page!!!  ;) Long life to your Internet Empire!!!

More things that make us worried!  :O Perhaps I need to set up my server more properly. I have not taken care of my server since the last hardware crash, because I trusted that Supersonic's server made my server less important than it used to. That is no longer the case, it looks.
Here in Brazil we gave chocolate eggs to kids in Easter. Like Santa brings presents in the Christmas, the kids believes that rabbits brings the choco eggs to them. Yummy!  Well, my son can't eat lactose, so we gave him a lactose free chocolate (with soy replacing cow milk).

Always good to have a backup FTP, in case the usual one has a problem.

Well, you can help me a bit with the “Lista of personages” I fell that the “B team” and Rude Noise parts could be better, for example I don’t know the Spanish name of the especial attack the rude noise used to defeat the rescue team, and the Spanish name of the “combined weapons” of the Rescue team.

the russian version has its own dub up until episode 19. It then was subtitled using english episodes after. so unless they ran out of money or something who knows.

i'll get some info on the russian version for you at some point. but the name of the series in russian is:

Коты Пиццы Самурая (hopefully the forum will display it)


(Translated means: Cats of the Pizza of the Samurai)

A correction:  My web page's 10th anniversary is actually the 19th.  I started working on it on the 17th, but it wasn't online until the 19th.  So I guess either day could be right, but the 19th is "official".

SPC Radio Play
If you haven't already, you really should check out Truro's SPC radio play at http://truro359.tripod.com/id7.html !  This is entirely a fan made production, but you'll enjoy an experience that rivals seeing a new SPC episode for the first time.  The story is well written, the production is professional level, and you'll be amazed at the talent some of our fellow fans have as voice actors. 
Narrator/Speedy/Guido- D-Mac
Polly- Kate669
Francine- Rina-Chan
Princess Vi- Zee-Chan
Mama/Junior/Badbird/Prince/Aladin- Truro
Al Dente- Aramek
Guru Lou/Catton- emcgo
Big Cheese/Spritz- Andy
Jerry- Jarrah White
Lucille- Envy
Meowsma- Kawttus
Bat Cat- reptileguard
While you're at Truro's page, be sure to check out his SPC music videos too.

All Ages Appeal
One of the great things about SPC is that it really does have the ability to appeal to people of all ages.  Everyone from young kids to mature adults can enjoy SPC.  Sure, a 5 year old might not get a joke about O.J. Simpson running through an airport, but seeing a girl shoot missiles from her hair is fun no matter how old you are.  One fan told me that both her mother and her daughter enjoy watching SPC with her.  Even without the benefit of being on TV, SPC is gaining fans as we share it with our friends and family.

Developments
As mentioned in our last issue, there have been some problems with some of our web resources.  Here's an update.  Shin-getter FTP is getting it's own dedicated server, and Threaux has offered the use of some extra space, but this is still in progress.  In the meantime, Daisensei's FTP in Brazil still offers some episodes and other SPC/KNT related files.  The old Nihonbare board is now just a memory, but the new one is even better thanks to SuperSonic's hosting and assistance.

This Month's Pic
Is an animation cel with Guido and Polly.

Thanks for reading this issue.  We'll do it again next month.
-Violet

Well, I'm hoping to start on another Pizza Cats radio play somtime in the near future. You can audition, once I get the script sorted  :) (Currently working on the scripts for an 11 episode ninja-based audio series at the moment, but I'll get to the new Pizza Cats script as soon as I can.)

I'm glad the play went down so well. It was a great project to work on.

BTW, loving that cell of Guido & Polly  :-*

Legend of the Starving Cats
Daisensei Matsumoto has translated a short comic from the Hash doujin, and I have edited the scanned pages to make an English version.  Keep in mind while reading it (and most other Japanese comics) that you follow the panels from right to left, not left to right as in Western comics.  Felineki has pointed out that the title "Ueneko densetsu - Shukumei no Takuhai" (Legend of the Starving Cats - Destined to Deliver) is a parody of "Garou Densetsu - Shukumei no Tatakai" ("Legend of the Hungry Wolf - Battle of Destiny"), a video game by SNK. Yattarou's Neo Geoshirt supports this since "Neo Geo" is the arcade hardware system that this game ran on.  You can read this comic and a few other scans from Hash Hash at Nihonbare or just by going to  http://www.edoropolis.org/violet/library/hashhash/index.html
More translations are being worked on now.

Nekosupi and Zumi Fox
Although Japanese KNT fans have produced thousands of pages of fan art and comics in doujin books, there's not much to see as far as web pages or online galleries.  One rare exception is "Ten".  He has made some doujin books, but he also has a web page called "Nekosupi" with some art on it, including KNT fan art.  His web page is at http://nekosupi.kemono.cc/
It's Japanese only, so if you need some help to find your way around, the KNT art is here http://nekosupi.kemono.cc/ill_KNT.html
Also of interest are some KNT and ETO Rangers icons at
http://nekosupi.kemono.cc/sonota/icon/icon.html
His link section includes a link to another Japanese web page of interest, which is Zumi Fox's Teyande page at http://www.pluto.dti.ne.jp/~zumi-fox/teyande/
This page's main feature is a Teyande Encyclopedia (which was also published as a doujin book).  This is entirely in Japanese of course.  There is also a small gallery with some of her art and gift art from other KNT fans.  Zumi's page hasn't been updated, but since it's main purpose was to put the Teyande Encyclopedia online, it probably is as updated as it was intended to be.  The Nekosupi page isn't updated often, but does seem to still be active.

This Month's Pic
A recently sold cel of Guido and Polly.  Does Polly have a pointy nose?  People have noticed some wide variations of art style depending on which artists were working on an episode.

Is it Summer Yet?
My web page's 10 year anniversary celebration continues with an update to my Princess Vi information page.  See you next month with another newsletter and update.
-Vi

 :O Odd. I just noticed right now; if it weren't for her ears and her tail, I would never guess that Polly's supposed to be a cat. She has no cat like features on her face. No wiskers. Nothing!

Strange.

Well, lots of times she's drawn with a triangular, cat-like nose (although it's hard to notice unless it's a close-up, because the girls' noses are usually drawn very small). But in this case, you're right. That early design drawing on Violet's page had her with whiskers. In fact, in that drawing all 3 of them were sporting much longer, more pronounced whiskers that the little ones Guido and Speedy ended up with.

I didn't know that the Teyandee Encyclopedia was published as a doujin. Very interesting! I visit that site frequently, it's reall a great source of info.

I had seen the KNT art section at Nekosupi, but hadn't come across the icons yet. They're cute! I like the Felicia and Vic Viper ones.

Same pic two months in a row?  ?:|

How embarrassing!
This newsletter was never meant to be a one bunny job.  I thought when I started that people would send me articles and I'd just put things together, write an article myself here and there, and send it out.  But with a few rare exceptions, I ended up doing the whole thing myself :P  This month I've had a lot of other things to do, so the newsletter is late and I screwed up the picture.  I had a different one ready, but I got the 2 mixed up.  I guess I'll have to do something to make it up next month.

New Episodes Encoded
Tsuneko has informed me that Episodes 18 & 19 will be released soon.  Thanks to Tsuneko, fans have access to high quality copies of SPC that we can watch while we wait for somebody to get around to making some real DVDs (not the cheap bootlegs people have tried to sell on eBay!).

5 Years of Los Gatos Samurai
Congratulations to Blackcat for the 5th anniversary of his Los Gatos Samurai web site.  This web page may be unfamiliar to some of you because it's not an English web page, but it is the #1 SPC fan page of the Spanish speaking parts of the world.  Blackcat plans on making some upgrades this year to give the site a fresh look.
http://www.gatossamurai.galeon.com/

Buy KNT Doujin Online?
Yes, you can, sort of.  Not the actual paper books, but a digital form.  But why would you pay for this?  These are the digital versions of the books being sold by the actual artists.  They aren't scans of old books made by fans (with that shadowy area where the binding keeps the pages from being flat).  Plus buying KNT doujin from the artists will encourage artists to make more KNT doujin!  First, a warning: MOST doujin are "adults only"/"hentai".  Quite often not the whole thing, but usually at least some.  However, DLsite.com, a Japanese doujin download site does have one very good doujin that is "general" rated.  Many doujin are coming out in digital form now days, so there are several sites like this in the Japanese online market.  DLsite has decided to take advantage of the international appeal of anime and manga to make an English version.  Prices are in yen, but with the US dollar value listed.  You will need a credit card (most debit/ATM cards with a Visa or Master Card logo should work.  Ordering is safe and secure.  All of the KNT doujin are less that $10 US.  You can see what is available at http://eng.dlsite.com/search/result/=/product_state/3/limitation_age/0/keyword/teyand/_search/1/.html
The listings have ratings (general or adult), a short description in English, and samples.  If you only get one, I recommend the "Tomorrow will be Clear", which is 200 pages, general rated, and has some good comics.  Although you can order from the site in English, the doujin are in Japanese.  But you'll still enjoy them.

This Month's Pic
Last month I got a little confused and sent the same picture I had sent the month before.  How embarrassing for me!  To make this up to you readers I give you 2 pages of translated comics.  Remember to read the panels from right to left.

Enjoy Your Summer
See you all next month!
-Vi

here's the other page

Actually it's winter here, in the southern side of the globe. :gurulou:

I'm glad to see you made this scanlation available for wider audience, since it has been published at Nihonbare board (http://www.edoropolis.org/forums/index.php?topic=1353.0).

Except for the really bad joke, there's nothing "offensive" about it, so it doesn't need to be limited to Nihonbare.

Oh, I hadn't heard about those doujin downloads. I'll definitely have to look into them, thanks a lot for sharing this! :) Nice work on the comic editing.

EDIT: Ha, one of the doujins available for download is the same one I recently won on auction.  :D

SPC Web Comic
"Cold" is a new SPC fan web comic written by PsyGuy and drawn by Mr. OMA.  It's a story in the style of a classic SPC episode, complete with a comic book version of the theme song to get things started.  The story takes place about a year after the Comet Caper in a rebuilt Little Tokyo.  I won't go into the story much more than that, since you should read it yourself.  The comic has it's own home at http://www.fireball20xl.com/spcc/?id=001 , but it's also be uploaded to art gallery sites, Deviant Art and Fur Affinity (it's easiest to read it on the fireball20xl site, but on the other sites, you could leave comments or ask questions for the creators with the individual pages)

Doujin/Manga Translation Projects
There are 3 major doujin (fan made comic books) and manga (professional made comic books) translations making a lot of progress recently.  First of all, the Kyattou Ninden Teyande manga by T. Souma that is so well known by Pizza Cats fans that it's usually just called "The Manga".  This book, or at least the KNT half of it, since the other half is an unrelated story, is being translated at Edoropolis Emporium.  About 37 pages are done as of today (8/9/2007).  Similar to "Cold" and many other fan-fics and comics from all over the world, this story takes place after the end of the anime series, which just shows that people everywhere really wanted more KNT/SPC.  Elon Narai at EE tries to finish a page every week, with Pizza Cat fandom's #1 translator, Daisensei, providing a script. You can check on the progress over at http://www.edoropolis.org/forums/index.php?topic=1103
Next we have the doujin "Hash Hash", being translated at the Nihonbare board.  Nihonbare is normally reserved for more "adult" content, but aside from a couple of pictures, Hash Hash is mostly just normal fan comics, which are acceptable for all ages to enjoy.  So, after a comic from Hash Hash is finished being edited into English, it is moved to my manga page where anyone can read it.  Daisensei is doing the translating and I am doing the editing.  You can see some of the finished pages at http://www.edoropolis.org/violet/library/hashhash/index.html  or go to Nihonbare to check out the work in progress.
Finally, we have "The Secret of Pizza Cat".  Unfortunately, the person who scanned pages from this 300+ page doujin only scanned the "H" stuff, leaving out a lot of fine stories and artwork.  But if you like the naughty side of fandom, you'll enjoy the comics from Secret of Pizza Cat.  Hayama is working on this project, and posts the pages as they are worked on, so you can see the ones that are only partially finished, which is most of them right now.  But in most cases, the unfinished parts are sound effects, signs, and stuff that won't keep you from being able to follow the story.  Because of the adult content, you can only see these at Nihonbare http://sonofabit.ch/nihonbare/index.php?topic=17.0

Felineki's MIDIs
There are now over a dozen MIDIs of KNT music thanks to Felinki.  He says he plays to make MIDI versions of all of the music used in KNT, and he has a pretty good start.  He's even done 2 pieces that weren't included on any of the soundtrack CDs.  One of those is "Usa Hime's Theme", which I've been wanting for years.  Felineki has been sharing his work on the Edoropolis Emporiums at http://www.edoropolis.org/forums/index.php?topic=942.0

This Month's Pic
A not so happy looking Otama, from an animation cel.

Thanks for reading this month's issue.  All the articles in this issue show just how alive SPC fandom is.  Writing and drawing, translating and editing, and even music!  Keep up the good work everyone!
-Violet

Wow, I'm in the newsletter! :D I hope lots of other fans out there will enjoy those MIDIs as much as I enjoy making them. The Cold comic is looking very good so far, I'll definitely be following it. And, AFAIK, the rest of Secret of Pizza Cat is going to get scanned eventually.

I'm astounded to hear that PsyGuy wrote the fancomic. Does that mean that he's also a fan of the Pizza Cats too?  :-* What a legend!

I don't even know who that is, I just read the name off the web page.  He's done a good job at making it SPC-like though.

He's one of the main people at Fireball20xl.  Owns the web space I believe.

And yeah, appearently he is, and he converted OMA.

Daisensei's FTP Service
For a few months now, the SPC community has been hindered by the lack of a FTP site to host our various files, such as episodes, soundtrack MP3s, and manga scans.  But now, Daisensei's FTP in Brazil is up and running.  This FTP has limited space, so not all of our episodes can be hosted here at once, but the selection is changed from time to time.  You can reach it at ftp://fmatsumo.quimica.ufpr.br or http://fmatsumo.quimica.ufpr.br/ftp .
Keep in mind this is a small, private FTP and it may be offline now and then, so if you aren't able to connect, try again later.

SPC Fan Art Archive Returns
The archive has been down for a few weeks due to server problems, but it is now back up.  Stop by and have a look, and if you have any artwork of your own to add, send it in.  To make things easy, I am assisting with submissions.  So, you can send your fan art to me by replying to this address, and I'll see to it that it gets added.

Things Have Always Been That Way
A new comic from the book "Hash Hash" has been translated into English by Daisensei, with myself editing in the English text.  In this comic, titled "Things Have Always Been That Way", the Pizza Cats shop is damaged and the cats have to find other jobs while it is repaired.  The artist managed to put just about every major and a few minor characters into the story, so your favorites are probably in there somewhere.
You can read this and see other translated and untranslated parts of Hash Hash at http://www.edoropolis.org/violet/library/hashhash/index.html
Also, check out the new look of my Gallery while you're visiting my web page: http://www.edoropolis.org/violet/gallery/

This Month's Picture
If you're a fan of Big Cheese/Koon no Kami, you can buy this original animation cel at Nichibei Anime.  The text says "Ai Love Koon-chan", which is probably a pun, since "Ai" is Japanese for "Love" and sounds like "I".  This and some other KNT cels are for sale at http://www.nichibeianime.com/cels/samurai_pizza_cats/index.html with prices from $30-$150.

September really delivers with a subbed KNT comic, and the return of the Fan Art Archive and one of our FTPs.  Enjoy!  See you next month, when I hope to have some more good news!
-Violet

"I Love Kon-chan", eh? I can see it now...

:jerry: "Kooon-chaaan, you got some 'splainin' to do!"
:bigcheese: "WAAAAAHH!!"

Interesting…

KNT 3 Sub
The long awaited subtitled version of KNT #3 is complete and ready for release.  This episode is Project Dream's best work yet, and includes such extra details as notes to explain Japanese puns.  As an example, when an old man stutters asking for water (mizu) and says "mi-mizu", Omitsu offers him a worm (mimizu).  Normally only fluent Japanese speakers would get the joke, but now you can too.  In the English version of SPC, the same pun was dubbed over to have the old man saying didn't have the "firm body" he used to, and Lucille thinking he said "worm body".  As a bonus, Project Dream organizer Tigriss is also releasing the translated version of the manga this episode was based on.  A few of the early KNT stories started off as comics and were later adapted to anime.  Although the plot is basically the same, the anime version made a lot of changes.  The manga has been uploaded to http://www.megaupload.com/?d=937PKFM3
Like most translated manga, remember to read the panels from right to left.
The subtitled episode, Hore Hore Ana Hore Motto Hore! ("Dig Dig a Hole and Dig More!", which became the SPC episode "Underground, Underwater, and Undercooked") is at
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=7T1EEB93

Cat Attacks
We all know about Speedy's "Cat's Eye Slash", his special attack, and most fans probably even know that it has the same name in KNT, "Neko Mei Slash".  Even though the SPC writers didn't have KNT scripts to work from, it's plain to see from the cat's eye shape the attack produces that it should be called the "Cat's Eye Slash".  Polly and Guido's special attacks aren't used in every episode, and were never really given names in SPC, but in KNT, Pururun's attack already has an English name, "Heart Breaker".  She uses her sword and flute to make a heart shape, which splits down the middle as it is projected towards the bad guys.  Sukashii's attack is called "Ichimonji Fire".  Ichimonji doesn't translate well, but means "a straight line".  A fitting English name for it might be "Beam Fire".  Sukashii does this attack with the sword from inside the handle of his umbrella, and it produces a slash of blue flame.  When Yattarou's Neko Mei Slash fails to stop Karamaru's super armor, the cats come together for a combined attack, each using their special attacks together in the "Nyanki Sanmiittai Kougeki" or "Nyanki Trinity Attack".

This Month's Pic
Something for you Bad Bird/Karamaru fans.  An original animation cel scanned with a black background.

I hope this special edition of the Pizza Cats Review has made your day a little better.  If you would like to comment on or talk about the new subbed episode or the manga, please join us on Edoropolis Emporium, http://www.edoropolis.org/forums/
-Violet

Great, a new KNt SUB episode was released!

so THATS how to read magna...like arabic...from right to left O_O

Not really like arabic, traditional Japanese writing goes from top to bottom (i.e. the lines are vertical), and the first line is the rightmost one.

The newsletter may be delayed this month due to computer problems and my busy schedule.  If anyone wants to write an article, I could really use the help this month.  Send them to me by private message or email. Even if you don't think you can write a good article, I can help you fix it.

No prob, Vi; I know how frustrating it can be when your computer's not working right.  Check your email: I just sent you a little something for your site (if you want to post it there, that is).

Arthur Grosser- The voice of Bad Max
by Truro
In all the episodes where the Rude Noise appeared, their voices tended to vary between episodes. The only exception of the four, was Bad Max, who had a consistent voice throughout the series , except for the episode 'The Case of the Bogus Billionaire', where he had a standard Ninja Crow voice. For a long time, we the fan base believed that Bad Max was voiced by Walter Massey, who also voiced Guru Lou. While it is true that most of the actors 'Doubled up' voicing several character, it has been discovered that Bad Max was actually voiced by Arthur Grosser; professor of Physical Chemistry at Mc Gill University. It was discovered after Truro had found Dr Grosser's voice demo. See URL below-
http://klbtalent.com/Grosser%20Arthur.html
Upon checking his IMDb profile, it seems that Dr Grosser is still acting,his latest project being the TV Movie 'Abducted: Fugitive for Love'

More Cold
I know that sounds like improper English, but I mean that there is now more of the SPC fan comic "Cold" .  Normally, I really don't care for fan stories that have new fan made characters taking over the starring roles.  After all, I'm a fan of SPC, not a fan of this new character the writer just made up.  The first several pages of Cold were just like watching a SPC episode, but then suddenly it's "Hey! Here's some new characters!", and I started to think this comic was on the way down and was going to turn out just like all those fan-fics I don't like where the fan made characters become the center of attention.  But I've decided to keep reading.  Now at 40 pages, this is one of the most successful Pizza Cats fan comics to have been made outside of Japan, and it is still going.  I'm hoping that now that the fan characters have had their introduction, the focus of the comic will go back to the original SPC characters, but we'll have to wait and see.  Cold is uploaded to Deviant Art and Fur Affinity, but the most convenient place to read it is at it's home page at http://www.fireball20xl.com/spcc/?id=040

How Tall?
Fans always want to debate about how old the characters are.  That information isn't really provided in KNT, but we do know how tall many of the characters are.  Here are a few that were mentioned in the show and are "official" (inches rounded off):
Yattarou: 133cm 4'4"
Pururun: 130cm 4'3"
Sukashii: 150cm 4'9"
Karamaru: 140cm 4'6"
Koon no Kami: 145cm 4'8"
Genarisai: 144cm 4'7"
Usa Hime: 120cm 3'11" (150cm if you include ears)
Omitsu: 125cm  4'
Now, many fans are going to notice this says Yattarou is taller than Pururun, but when they are standing together, Pururun is clearly slightly taller.  There are a couple possible explanations for this.  The most likely is that Yattarou, who is very sensitive about being short, includes his ears in the measurement, while Pururun does not.  The other possibility is that Pururun's height is measured without her helmet.  And as most fans know, Yattarou and Sukashii never take off their helmets.

This Month's Pic
Night time Pizza Cats.

Sorry for the delay
My desktop computer died and was out being fixed for a few weeks, leaving me with an unreliable laptop that likes to crash randomly.  So, I fell behind on the newsletter as well as all of my other online activities.  But it's back now, so I'll be catching up on my projects.
-Violet

Nice find on Bad Max's VA, Truro. I thought it was cute how they gave Usahime two official heights, one with ears and one without. :D Gennarisai's taller than you would think. I suppose that makes sense, since he rarely ever stands up straight, he's usually hunched over a bit with his knees bent.

I need some "test" readers for an old(2002/, 2003,2004?) SPC fanfic in English that I am trying to fix, if any of you are interested send me a pm, and yeah "Cold" is good...

nice newsltter & i claim the 100th post :D

And I'm professor of Inorganic Chemistry... it looks like SPC attracts chemists...  =]

Must be all the explosions ^_-

Christmas in Edoropolis
Why is there a Christmas special in Kyattou Ninden Teyande?  Most Japanese are not Christian, but Christmas has still managed to become a popular holiday in Japan, probably starting during the post-World War 2 American occupation.  The religious significance has been disregarded for the most part, Japanese shops wanted to cash in on the gift buying profits Christmas brings, so they've encouraged the adoption of the holiday.  It's not as big of a deal as in predominantly Christian countries, but if you're in Japan this time of year, you'll see a lot of Christmas related advertising.  In fact, it's probably more open in Japan where they'll still say "Christmas" in ads rather than sticking with politically correct "Happy Holidays" American ads use to avoid leaving out any non-Christians.  "The Cheese Who Stole Christmas" reflects the Japanese view of Christmas, which is all about presents and Santa Claus.  One thing you may notice is the pizza shop is open on Christmas, like most Japanese shops, they wouldn't close for it, and like other Japanese business people, Otama isn't going to miss out on all the sales to be made.  The masks dropped by Koon no Kami/Big Cheese are based on Otafuku masks used in Kyogen theater.  Kyogen is a less formal, shorter and comedic version of Noh theater, and the character Otafuku is the Goddess of Mirth.
Some scenes removed from the English version show what presents the Cats actually got.  Yattarou got one of the official KNT video tapes which were being released at the time, Sukashii got a "Date Map" book to show him good places to take any potential dates he might get, Pururun got nail polish, and Otama got a calculator.

Why does Francine always rhyme?
Well, she doesn't, not every time.
She will occasionally say something plainly,
but it seems rhyming is what she does mainly.
When KNT was on in Japan,
rhyming was not in the plan.
Otama and Fran both love money and fun,
but only Fran rhymes when firing the gun.
Poetry is her way of communication
for launches or normal conversation.
She could be a rapper if she had a beat,
she'll sell you all the pizza you can eat.
Green clothes and cat bells are her style
but the cash register bells make her smile.

Battle of Pizza Cat
The Nihonbare team has finished translating another comic from the doujin "Hash Hash".  This one is called "The Battle of Pizza Cat" by Yukio Oki, translated by Daisensei, and edited by me (Violet).  In this comic, Pururun tries to show Otama that she's a real lady, starting a competition in the pizza shop.  The pages were uploaded to Nihonbare as they were translated, and now that this comic is finished, I have uploaded it to my Manga Library for all to enjoy.  You can see it at http://www.edoropolis.org/violet/library/hashhash/index.html

This Month's Pic
It's Otama-chan, so cute!

See you next month/year!
-Violet

I just watched the KNT Christmas episode the other day, the part where Yattarou gets a KNT tape always makes me laugh.  :D While SPC is known for fourth wall breaking, KNT had its fair share of it, too. When Otama holds shows her new calculator to the audience, you can see the display says "waribiki" (tenths discounted), part of her usual phrase when docking someone's pay. A nice rhyme and a very cute scan this month!

Awesome. ^_^

Hey, it's better than vogon poetry.  :P

I've read yer translated comic, and it looks like a riot is going to happen! :D What's gonna happen to Yattarou and Sukashii?!

New SPC Pantomime
These are audio only plays made by SPC fans on Edoropolis Emporium.  Like last year's, this one has a bit of a Christmas theme, which I think could have been left out, since for 11 and a half months of the year I'm not interested in hearing about Christmas. But other than that it's well written and produced.  It this episode, the Big Cheese gets a hold of a magic lamp and uses it to wish away the Pizza Cats.   http://truro359.tripod.com/id7.html

Princess Vi Wants You
I usually do this newsletter on my own, but it's not because I don't want your help.  I always welcome any articles people would like to contribute.  Even if you're not a great writer, I'm a great editor.  I can fix any messy article you send me.  Even if you just have ideas for articles that will help let me know what people would like to read about.  Artists, you can help too.  The newsletter includes a picture every month.  You can have a chance to show your art here, all I ask is that you send me something new that isn't already on the internet, and that it be good.  After the newsletter comes out, then you can post your picture on your DA or FA account and show it to everyone else.

KNT Torrent
Started by Tannim, this torrent contains all 54 episodes of Kyatto Ninden Teyande.  These are the unsubtitled episodes, many taken right from old video tapes taped off Japanese TV.  If you want a complete set, this is your chance.  If you are not familiar with torrents, it is a method of file sharing that allows multiple computers to upload and download the same files at the same time, which spreads the bandwidth out and makes things more manageable.  As a curtsey to other users, after you have completed downloading, you should stay connected to the torrent for as long as possible, since it will continue to upload for the other people.  http://www.edoropolis.org/forums/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1583.0;attach=1264
If you don't even know what a torrent file is, that goes beyond the scope of this newsletter, so I'll just refer you to Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.torrent

This Month's Pic
I should have asked some artists to do a special picture for this issue (see the article below), but I didn't think of that until it was too late.  So, instead I've gone into my collection, found one of my original KNT animation cels that has never been scanned before, and made a nice scan of it for you. 

10 Years of SPC News
Every January I think I mention it being the newsletter's anniversary.  But this one is special.  As you can see by the issue number, 120 dived by 12 months a year equals 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY!  I had been considering discontinuing the newsletter, or at least stopping the monthly schedule and just sending one out when I had enough articles.  Not because I'm any less dedicated as a SPC fan, but because the Edoropolis Emporium forum is around to post any news.  But I decided rather than let the forum replace the newsletter, I could use the newsletter and forum together.  Recently I've been getting most of my ideas for stories from EE posts.  With the newsletter I can sum up some of the things being discussed and even do some research to add new information.  Plus, not everyone has time to come check EE every day.  So, for now at least I will continue the monthly schedule.  Having a schedule is good for getting things done, without it, I become a lazy bunny and keep putting things off.  So see you next month.
-Violet

The pantomine was cool.

Princess Vi Wants You? While It would like to help, Im busy with the making of "Gatos Samurai 2.0", Most of the text stuff is done, I just have to get enough estamina to sit one day in from of my computer and turn all of the stuff into a website. So Yeah I hoipe It will be ready for next Chistmas.

KNT Torrent?

Cant use that, No Internet at home-_-  ·!·"·$·%$·% You Telefonica!

This Month's Pic

Its Cool!

10 Years of SPC News?

Wow, 10 years? Really? Awesome!

I just can't understand why I can't download torrents from EE, they always appear like a messy file that i can't use... I finally got Internet and now this...

well, lets celebrate by stripping for the 10 years of SPC News

the torrent, well i suggested some sites to Tanmin to upload it to & put the EE link in a .txt file ^_^

the radio play was brilliant, cant wait for the next one

& the picture, brilliant

I'll see about sending you some art if I can ever manage to get any finished (which isn't likely). Thanks for the cel scan!

120 issues of newsletters... you have been done a great Job, Violet! :-*
 Besides it's great to have the forums and the newsletter working together. I don't think newsletter would be ecliped by the EE.

Plush Pizza Cats
Setsunakou.com is an online anime shop.  They mostly specialize in Sailor Moon items, but one unique service they offer is custom made "UFO" dolls.  No, these aren't dolls of aliens (OK, some are), the name comes from the "UFO Catcher" games which are the Japanese version of the claw vending machines in which you use a small crane to try and grab toys inside the machine.  UFO catcher dolls are usually in the 6-12 inch range, plush, and have simple cut felt features.  Setsunakou dolls were never actually used in these machines, but are modeled after this type of doll.  Since they are simplified, don't expect an exact replica of the character, but if you want a plush of your favorite Pizza Cat to snuggle, this might be just right for you.  Lady Flame of the Edoropolis Emporium has ordered several custom UFO dolls of SPC characters.  Setsunakou has photos of these in their catalogue (http://www.setsunakou.com/ufo/samuraipizzacats.html), and since they already have some practice making these, you can order them online with no problem. But if they don't have what you're looking for, you can have it made for you as long as you can provide some good reference pictures.
http://www.setsunakou.com/ 

Time Will Tell
Can Pizza Cats fans pass the test of time?  The answer is "Yes".  We pretty much have already.  In about 2 more years KNT will be 20 years old.  Some fans weren't even born yet back in 1990.  Towards the end of this year it will have been 10 years ago that the last SPC episode was broadcast in the USA, in some other countries it's been even longer.  Yet the fandom seems to actually be growing.  True, there are some new fans who are just now discovering SPC/KNT thanks to videos, but mostly it's just normal people who liked the show discovering "Hey!  There are other people who like this!"  People who had done nothing more than watch the show are starting to get involved.  Being an active fan is more than just watching, its doing.  Even something as simple as posting in a forum makes you an active fan, but some people do a lot more.  Artists, writers, translators, programmers, people with the technical expertise to do things like encode audio/video, run forums, web pages and FTP hosts.  I haven't seem much success in flash videos or games yet, but I think that's something that may become more common in the next few years.  Anyway, as long as we have fans who care enough to actually do things, the Pizza Cats will live on.

Model Sheets
This is nothing new, but since I've noticed people looking for model sheets of the Pizza Cats and other characters from the show, I will take this opportunity to remind people that there are model sheets online at the Samurai Saving Time site.  These aren't fan art, but scans of actual model sheets used during the production of the anime.
http://www.angelfire.com/ca/savespc/model.html

This Month's Pic
This nice picture of Yattarou is by Wakame-san http://wakame-cm.jugem.jp/

Thanks for reading, see you next month!
-Violet

20 years... The time really goes fast... ;] ;) =]

I visited Wakame-san's site but I couldn't find the Yattarou picture, so I guess it's there no more. Instead, I found a cute picture of Cream (the female rabbit of Eto Rangers).

Cream :)
Her transformations could be the subject of more fanart.

Plush Pizza Cats

It would be cool to get some, but as usual, I have no cash for that.

Time Will Tell

After more than five years of suffering and pleasure because my fanaticism of SPC, I just tell myself I should do something. Like end that fanfic, or do a revamp of my site, but the truth is that the Wikipedia has taken away my desire to continue updating “Gatossamurai”, and there are lot more SPC fanfic writers that they where years ago. I fell outdated, because people don’t use IRC anymore, and I never fell good talking to just one person in MSN, AIM or whatever. To be honest I still here because I need to get all the episodes. The community will live on, but in the next few years, I just won’t be here.

Model Sheets

I had those

This Month's Pic

I like it

i like the pic & i would like a plushie please :D

I've only just got reading the latest newsletter (been trying to cut down on my computer use lately) and it was nice to see that I got a mention!  Weird, but nice.  Thanks, Vi!

Check out Expresso's 3-D Speedy http://www.edoropolis.org/forums/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=1673.0;attach=1437;image  This isn't the first time someone has made a 3-D image of a Pizza Cats character, but it is pretty impressive!

Pizza Cats Figures
There are several varieties of Pizza Cats figures.  All were made in Japan in the early 1990s, although some were later repackaged to sell in Europe.  I categorize these figures by size.  The first are the "Small Figures" which are about 2 cm and made of a soft plastic or rubber.  Although they are small, they are fairly well detailed.  They come in various colors of plastic and are unpainted.  Since they are soft, if you painted one yourself, the paint would easily chip off.  These figures came from various sources.  They were sold in vending machines, in boxes of candy, and sometimes were included with other toys, like the Pizza Parlor Play set.  Most of the important characters in the show are available as one of the small figures.  Next are the "Medium Figures" which are the most uncommon type.  They are made from a harder plastic and have moveable arms and legs, and come with some accessories.  They are slightly over 6 cm.  I've only seen the Yattarou figure in this size, but it's likely a Sukashii and Pururun were also made or at least.  These could be painted as long as you didn't plan to play with them.  Next is the "Action Figure" at about 7 cm.  These are the most desirable to collectors and fans since they look fine without any painting.  The parts are made from different colored plastic with stickers for details like the eyes.  They come with accessories.  Some parts like swords and tails are made from a softer plastic so they won't break easily if you play with them.  Only the cats are available as action figures.  Finally there are the "Large Figures".  These are made of hollow plastic and are only painted on the front, and are about 10 cm.  The come with soft blue plastic weapons and tails.  They were designed to be played with by children and are more durable than the action figures.  The characters available are Yattarou, Pururun, Sukashii, Koon no Kami and Karamaru.  They were sold in boxes individually and as a set.  The line between toys and model kits is sometime very narrow in Japan.  Aside from the figures mentioned, there are a series of 3 "Mega" model kits which are about the same size as the action figures and do have moveable arms.  They are not really tough enough to be played with, but they do come with spring loaded launching projectiles which would never pass as "child safe" outside of Japan.  Like all model kits, these require assembly and painting to look right.  Finally I will mention the "Resin Figures" which are purely for display.  These are made of solid hard resin parts, and usually require assembly and skilled painting.  A few were officially made by Bandai, but most are fan made.

Recruiting
Its not like I don't have enough to do already, but as a dedicated SPC/KNT fan, I would like to see all of these KNT episodes translated.  Translated episodes will lead to more fan interest, and in many cases this has later resulted in DVD releases.  Project Dream has done an excellent job producing extremely well done translations with the best video available to us for now.  However, we only have 3 episodes done.  Eto Rangers, which has an even smaller fan base, started their translating project after KNT fans did, and are already done with 11 episodes.  The problem is that there are a lot of us depending on a very small group of people, all of whom have lives outside of fandom and limited spare time to work on this project.  To assist Project Dream, I would like to look into the potential of starting a second translation team and start on some episode that Project Dream hasn't on yet.  For any chance of success, we need a few people with the following skills:
Translators: The most important job, must have at least a basic understanding of Japanese.  There can be more than one translator.
Video Editors: Actually adds the subtitles into the video.  Possibly also adjusts the video to get the highest quality image/audio.
Producer: Coordinates the different duties of the team and checks quality control.
People who already are helping other translation projects, including Project Dream are welcome as long as they have the time to work on this too.  I'm putting this team together (assuming we have anyone with the skills required), and I will be in charge if needed, BUT, I do not insist on being in charge.  I have enough to do already and I will gladly work to help out anyone more qualified to run the group.  Otherwise I can help with translation, but I still need help since my Japanese is not that great.  Anyone with the skills required interested in helping, please email me at prncssvi@aol.com

This Month's Pic
This cel of "Mi-chan" sold at auction on a Japanese site last week.

See You Next Month
Remember, you can write articles for the newsletter too.  I'd like to get some more articles from other fans.  I'm sure I'm not the only one with something to say.
-Vi

brilliant newsletter as always Prince Vi (now where have i seen that before :D)

i like the picture aswell!

Expresso's 3-D Speedy

Blackcat in Guido mode:

That’s cool, not as cool as me, but is good!

Pizza Cats Figures

Darn, that’s something I will never have -_-

Recruiting
Sorry, I’m useless in this

This Month's Pic

Is amazing how people with money become stupid and wastes money in just anything, ok I’m just envious of their money, but still… BUAHHH!!!  I WANT MORE MONEY!!!

PS: I bet you cant hack a Nintendo 64 rom of "Mistical ninja: staring Geomon" to change the main chracters into the SPC and Guru Lou!.

Ah, you've only seen Yattarou in the "Medium Figures", eh? I only saw the Yattarou one for the first time recently, and wondered if anyone had seen any others. The resin kits are amazing, and really speak to the skill and devotion of the fans!

As much as I'd love to help out with a new translation project, I don't think I have much to contribute. I only have very basic and limited video editing experience. Interesting to hear that 11 episodes of Eto Rangers have been subbed already. They've been busy!

I saw that same cel auction. For some reason she always looks particularly cute when she's holding that tray.

KNT Staff Member Tenko's Blog
by Daisensei
Recently Felineki found the illustrated blog of Noritaka Suzuki (aka Tenko), at
the URL:
http://geocities.yahoo.co.jp/gl/suzukitenko
Suzuki took part in the production of Kyattou Ninden Teyandee, and was responsible for the character designs for the TV series. He is also known for his work on many other animation series, like "Tekkaman Blade". Moreover there is a reference to him in the "KNT Teyandee manga" book, drawn by Tatsuya Souma.
Of most interest to Pizza Cat fans is that Suzuki still draws some KNT characters in his blog. In March's entries there are pictures of Karamaru (Bad Bird), Okara (Carla) and Nekomata Reikainosuke aka Daisensei (Guru Lou). The most recent one was drawn in reply to a fan's request posted in his blog. This shows how kind Suzuki is, and how he still remembers the anime characters he helped create 18 years ago.
It is good to see that KNT has not been forgotten by one of its creators.

Pizza Cats Collectibles
Is collecting Pizza Cats items getting easier or harder?  Most KNT official products were created in the early 1990s.  Although some fan made books and model kits have been made more recently (and are still being made in a few cases), these "doujin" items are usually only produced in small numbers, and almost always in Japan.  The loyalty that keeps fans loving the show years after it stopped airing on TV also keeps those fans from selling a lot of the items they have.  But, there is some good news for anyone interested in collecting some Pizza Cats items.  Animation cels, and occasional toys, books and games have been turning up on eBay.  There seems to always be a few cels for sale (although they usually are the same ones, nice ones do show up now and then).  The other items don't show up as often, but anyone interested should search regularly and you'll probably get lucky.  More Japanese have started using eBay to sell anime items to the worldwide market.  Yahoo Japan auctions usually have 2 or 3 pages worth of KNT items for sale.  Navigating can be difficult if you can't read Japanese, and bidding can be difficult, especially since many sellers will not ship outside of Japan, but there are a few reliable agents who will bid for you and ship your item.  Keep in mind that there are fees involved.  An 800 yen (about $8) item may cost over $20 after fees and shipping costs.  I have noticed that its actually easier to find KNT cels on eBay than on the Japanese auctions.

Nihonbare Relocated
The "adult" SPC/KNT board, "Nihonbare" has lost its old host.  The board has now moved in to Edoropolis where it will continue to provide a forum for anything too risque for the "all ages" Edoropolis Emporium.  To view Nihonbare, you need to be over 18 years old, be a Edoropolis Emporium member (since the Nihonbare is hosted there now), then send a PM to me (Violet) or an email with your EE member name.  For those curious, most Nihonbare discussion revolves around fan made doujin books (most of which have some "hentai" content which prevents them from being safe to post in EE), some fan art, and an "anything goes" version of the "They Said What?" caption contest.  One benefit of this move is that Nihonbare now has all of the features of EE.  The bad news is, all old Nihonbare posts have been lost.  With the move, I've also decided to allow ETO Rangers material in Nihonbare since the series is closely related to KNT and is included on EE.

This Month's Pic
This Sukashii picture is from Tenko's blog.  It's the oldest KNT picture he has on it, so I'll save you the trouble of searching all the way back to June 2006.

No Takers
No one has taken me up on my offer to start a second subbing team to assist Project Dream in translating and subtitling KNT episodes.  I'm not really surprised, there just doesn't seem to be enough SPC fans with the skills needed, and most of them are already working with Project Dream.  So please keep this in mind before you complain that subbed episodes aren't coming out quickly enough.  However if there ever are enough people willing to help and with the skills needed, I'm still willing to give this a try, so I will keep my offer open.  This does go to show why its important to keep "spreading the word" about SPC.  More fans means more people with more to offer and share.  This year, try to share some episodes with your friends who may not have seen it yet.
-Violet

Luuurve that Guido/Sukashii pic. Cute  :-*

good newsletter

i didnt even notice Nih moved

i also like the pic of the month!

KNT Staff Member Tenko's Blog -Noritaka Suzuki (aka Tenko)-
the URL: http://geocities.yahoo.co.jp/gl/suzukitenko

Geocities? How can something work at geocities? But is good to see Fans are so damn anoyng they can make people still do something about a show they worked almost two decades ago. If i where Suzuki I would be mad about people bugging me with old stuff!

Pizza Cats Collectibles

I have more chances of paying someone to do a ten pages fancomic than getting this kind of stuff, credits cards suck here, and transferring money isn’t easy, so my only chance is finding a local artist to do the work.

Nihonbare Relocated

That’s cool, I have some short stories that beg for an editor and some clean up

This Month's Pic
-Sukashii picture-

I’m a Guido fan, so this is great!!!

No Takers

I think that the staff could work in translation the CD dramas, then after the text is done, we could get some people to do it in English as fan material!. The idea sounds silly but the "SPC in classic fairy tales" fan audio drama has been going for two years. I bet some people would beg to replay their “fan” roles if the CD dramas where re-done SPC style.

PS: Of course I suck and no one cares about what I say, have a nice day ^^

KNT Music Lives On
Music from KNT is sometimes still used today as background music for various Japanese TV shows.  I recently found an example while watching clips from the Japanese comedy show "Downtown Gaki no Tsukai" on YouTube.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4H4v48_qbw
This is by no means an isolated case.  I personally have heard various KNT music being used several times in various shows during visits to Japan, but this is the first time I've come across one online where I can share it.

"Open Source" Translation Project
Since I was unable to put a second KNT subbing team together, I've decided to try something else.  Just like "open Source" software allows any programmers who have ideas for improvements to work on a program, I will be trying an "Open Source" KNT Translation and Subtitling Project, using Edoropolis Emporium, and anyone who wants to help or even just check on progress will be welcome to stop by and contribute whatever they are able.  I personally feel that my Japanese reading level is at a level where I can attempt to translate scripts, especially if I have other people to check my work and help out. 

New KNT Doujin
Online doujin shop DLsite.com is offering a new downloadable doujin featuring some KNT characters.  Since this is a "hentai" doujin for adults only, I'll save the details for the Nihonbare board, but the significant news for all Pizza Cats fans is that this is the most recent KNT doujin, released just last month.  This shows Japanese KNT fans are still active (although not as organized as us).  Doujins are usually fan made books, but in recent years, there has been a trend to offer doujin on CDs or in a downloadable format.  This has the advantage of being able to offer more than a book, such as flash animation, audio, and games, as well as the traditional comics and pictures.  These are called "Doujin Soft" ("Soft" being short for "Software").  They range from digital versions of the paper books to complex 3-D video games.

This Month's Pic
Phone call for Polly?

That's all I have for you this month, see you in June.
-Violet

Sweet! I saw something similar on some Japanese quiz show, which used music from the Billy Hatcher game (who remembers that, anyway?).

But you know what'll be awesome? 'Battle in Flash' in Shaman King. Or other anime which are too many for me to list. ;-)

What a strange video ^^;

LMAO at video.

Polly pic: Polly goes shopping for a new telephone receiver; she broke the old one trying to strangle Speedy with it.  >:[

lol crazy video

Polly Pic: i think its for you Mechadon/Narrator :D

Oh no! I don't think so; I'm not falling for the ol' "baseless phone" trick.  (...again. :-[)

Man, I can really go a long way with that Polly/Phone pic. So many jokes I can think of. (some of them very dirty) It's defiantly the highlight of my week.

come on, tell us, we need a laugh

When you get 10 U.S. Marines to just wonder what the hell was going on, that is priceless. That video just made our morning.


And something i always wondered, what are the Nihonbare boards?

The Nihonbare board is for the SPC/KNT topics that are not suitable for "all ages".  It's here on EE (although it used to be a separate board), and to access it you need to send a note to me or Supersonic to be added.

Well, I remember have heard one of the KNT BGMs in Tekkaman Blade (AKA Tecnoman)... I was puzzled but then I leanred that Tekkaman Blade was made right after KNT so I just think the music people got lazy...

KNT Music Lives On?

Is not that weird, some TV shows in japan use old music from other shows....

"Open Source" Translation Project

Huh... good luck!

New KNT Doujin for adults?

Weird, but I want it ^^

This Month's Pic

A Phone call for Polly?

I bet is her mommy asking when she is gonna get married...

-Blackcat

KNT Manga Becomes International
By Daisensei
Souma Tatsuya's "Kyattou Ninden Teyandee" manga is probably the most famous work produced after the end of the TV series. For a long time this manga was only accessible to Japanese readers, until translation work was started in a discussion board (see http://www.edoropolis.org/forums/index.php?topic=1103.0). The thread is one of the most visited on Edoropolis Emporium, so it is likely this project has been attracting much attention.  Every week one scanned and translated page has been published, and now 78 pages from a total of 97 are available online. In that pace one may expect it would be finished in few months.
Text only Portuguese translation are available too (at http://www.edoropolis.org/forums/index.php?topic=1109.0), but only few pages has been edited to the scanned pictures. The Spanish translation status is better, it began recently and is based upon English scanlation (see http://www.edoropolis.org/forums/index.php?topic=1917.0). However its main translator has been sent to Iraq, attending his duty as US Marine. Owing to
this, it was feared the project could be stopped temporarily or even definitely, but other people have stepped up to help and the project is very active now.

SPC Shop Closing
The Nekofuji Anime Shop, commonly known as the SPC Shop will discontinue sales through it's web site.  Shep, the owner says he was never able to find enough of the rare SPC and KNT items to keep the online shop stocked, but he will continue to sell these and other anime items on eBay when he is able to acquire them.  The site also has a gallery of scanned KNT animation cels that have been sold in the past.

SPC "Cold" Web Comic Progressing Well
I can now say this is the most successful SPC web comic to date.  Others have made shorter comics or started and quit after a while, but this one is still going strong.  As you may know, when I see a fan story introduce new characters, I usually just groan and think "Well, now you've ruined it.  The new character will take the spotlight and the original characters will just be in the background." After all, I'm a SPC fan because I like SPC, not some new fan character.  So far, "Cold" seems to be walking on the edge.  There is a fan character who plays an important, maybe even starring role, however, I can't say the original SPC characters have been taken out of the spotlight.  They are still featured prominently enough to keep my interest.  "Cold" is now over 80 pages.  It is updated on it's own site, and on Deviant Art.  Updates on Fur Affinity seem to have been discontinued of just fallen behind.
http://www.fireball20xl.com/spcc/
http://bignasty4life.deviantart.com/

This Month's Pic
"Shima Nagashi!" is Japanese for "Exile to an island!"

-Violet

I feel the same way about fan characters. They seem to be a way for the author to place himself/herself in the story ... which is fine I guess, as long as it doesn't become a Mary Sue/Gary Stu type situation. But I like the COLD series so far. Great art and some really classic lines, just like the series. I too hope the original Pizza Cats don't fade into the backgroud. It'd be shame because the writer has captured their characters perfectly so far (IM humble O) :)

i like the monthly picture


i do hope that scanlation manga will be published ^^

Good to hear that the manga translation's gaining so much interest! Sad to see Nekofuji go, although given how limited supplies of SPC/KNT items are, it's understandable. The cel gallery is a great resource though, and I hope it will stay around.

I just subscribed to the newsletter and I love it Violet!
Can't wait to get the next one! ;)

Another great newsletter, Vi! I love the pic ^^ *saves*

Exactly why I'm afraid to make a doujin... ;_;

Zomg, leik fanchars are overpowered, nerf nao plz.

Fan characters can be great, or totally ruin a story; it's either one or the other, never in between.

So far, everything with a fan character has ruined everything! ESPECIALLY my writing!

~Burkey *emo crow* //_-

I already like Aster on her own merits.  So that would be different than expecting me to care about a character I've never heard of before.  But if you are worried, the solution is to make it clear it is an Aster story, and if SPC happens to be in it too, that's just a bonus.  That way it's not presented as a SPC doujin so no one can complain.

OR

Have Aster as the guest villain.  It's normal for SPC to have new villians.  Usually robots, but also like the Rude Noise.

KNT Manga Becomes International

I have done English to Spanish before in a manga scanlation, so I can help if you want. In fact I insist! I am really bored since Samurai Pizza Cats High Quality episodes downloads are no longer available.

(He traducido ingles a español antes en un manga, así que puedo ayudar si quieren, de hecho INSISTO en ayudar, estoy condenadamente aburrido desde que no se pueden bajan mas episodios de SPC en calidad alta.)

SPC Shop Closing

OH well... we can still have fan stuff! (Todo mi dinero de sobra se va en juegos de Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, Sega Genesis y demás basura vieja y obsoleta)

SPC "Cold" Web Comic Progressing Well

I envy this guy a lot-_-

( Si escribes en español y te gustan los Gatos samurai, o sea la versión en español. mándame un pm para una basura fracasada de fanfic de los gatos hecho de a muchos)

This Month's Pic

I like it, but I am sad the for the lack of SPC fans that do colorations -_-

(Quiero imágenes grandes así las pongo en mi sitio web de los gatos ^^)

You may work on Hash Hash Spanish scanlation. Its English scanlation has been carried out in the Nihonbare board, but most of its contents is suitable for all type of audience. Check it at Nihonbare, or at Vi's library (http://www.edoropolis.org/violet/library/hashhash/index.html).

No voy a traducir hentai, ¿ok?

Just a quick question for Vi: is there something wrong with the Toybox page?  I'm only asking because I haven't been able to get in there for ages.

try accessing it from her site or use another browser

I always had trouble when trying access Vi's homepage at my home, it seems to be a problem in the ISP (has it been banned or something?). Nevertheless things went fine when I access that page from my job, where the Internet is through academic backbone.

I don't remember that link being there before, so it's probably something new that isn't finished yet.

Daisensei
Brazil is home to the largest Japanese community outside of Japan, and one of them is Professor Matsumoto.  Online, he's known as "Daisensei" the Japanese word for "Professor" and in honor to his favorite KNT character, Nekomata Daisensei (Guru Lou in SPC).  He didn't just adopt this title online, he is a Chemistry Professor in the real world.  Daisensei is also a "Dai fan" (Big Fan) of the Pizza Cats, which he first saw on Brazilian TV.  Since joining the Pizza Cats online community, Daisensei has been our most valuable translator, even though neither Japanese nor English is his native language (like most Brazilians, he grew up speaking Portuguese).  He was the main translator for Project Dream's subtitled KNT episodes, the "KNT Manga", many doujin comics and various other bits of Japanese information.  Aside from translation, his knowledge of Japanese culture has been helpful in figuring out some of the puns and cultural references that KNT is full of.  This alone would make him a very valuable member of our group, but there's more!  He also hosted a FTP site which allowed many fans access to episodes and scans.  This FTP went down recently and for now has been replaced by a file sharing account for KNT episodes  http://www.4shared.com/dir/7639808/35831bc0/sharing.html

Tsuneko Update
As most of you know, Tsuneko is resposible for encoding the high quality digital SPC videos we have online.  It has been awhile since one was released, but I was able to chat with him for a bit recently and he asked me to let everyone know that he has not forgotten us.  Although offline life has held up progress, he has still been working on the project and has let me know that episodes 18-26 are now completed and should be released before too long.  Tsuneko's work is of the highest quality, the episodes he encodes are the best thing avalible to fans until we can get an official DVD release.

Pixiv
Deviant Art is the most popular online art gallery in the English speaking part of the internet, and even enjoys a lot of popularity with people who speak other languages.  Pixiv is similar, but is set up entirely in Japanese.  Unlike Deviant Art, you cannot even view people's art on Pixiv unless you are a member, and signing up requires filling out forms in Japanese.  Pixiv is much smaller than "DA".  There is Pizza Cats fan art, but probably only about 20 pictures or less, some of which are by one of the few non-Japanese artists who has the same pictures on another art gallery.  Still there is some recent KNT art from Japanese fans, showing there is still interest in the show. 
http://www.pixiv.net/ (Japanese Only)

This Month's Pic
Is by Doragonone and was posted on Pixiv.

See you next month!
-Violet

as usual a good read Vi!

i like this months picture ... Guido looks kinda cute/Innocent

Thanks for the article about my fan activities, all of my efforts have been done because there are loyal SPC/KNT fans like you.  Reading about me in the newsletter brings a weird sensation though...

Great newsletter! Sorry but this was the first one I've read in months and I'm not quite what was happening to me... :-[

I presume one had to understand a heck lot of Japanese to get about with Pixiv; but still, saw some amazing stuff there.

I hate to admit it,  :speedy: looks like he has fat legs, cool picture though

Speedy ALWAYS looks like that! (hey, shut up, Guido!)

also notice that speedy has longer legs then the legs he had on the anime

Don´t worry, this kind of fame doesn't last, like no one talks about SPC_FAN anymore... if it wasn't because of him, I bet some people wont be here.

PS: Find D-Mac online, get him to talk to you and win a cookie!

Truro's New SPC/KNT Page
This is designed to be an overall Pizza Cats reference page.  It's still in the building stage, but unlike previous attempts at such a page, this one is being built with the cooperation of other SPC fans in the Edoropolis Emporium, providing information from a wide range of Pizza Cats knowledge.  There a good start to a character guide, some information on the game and some manga.  An episode guide is planned, but not finished yet.
http://truro359.tripod.com/littletokyoonline/index.html
 
Daisensei's FTP is Back
You can reach it at ftp://fmatsumo.quimica.ufpr.br or http://fmatsumo.quimica.ufpr.br/ftp. This month is also the 3 year anniversary of this FTP serving the SPC fan community.  The FTP site host Tsuneko's high quality SPC episodes, raw and some subbed KNT episodes, as well as manga and doujin.
 
Still Looking for SPC Episodes?
This isn't new news, but I think it may have been missed by some people who could benefit from it.  Back in March/April, Cloud Boy uploaded many SPC episodes on Megaupload.com.  The quality of some episodes may be better than others, but usually, it's the best we've got until we get DVDs.  If you have a decent internet connection, downloading a good AVI/MPG copy is better than trying to watch lower quality YouTube episodes.  Some people have trouble downloading from Megaupload, but it usually works, so if you are looking for an episode, give it a try, especially if you are looking for an SPC episode that hasn't been done by Tsuneko yet.
http://www.edoropolis.org/forums/index.php?topic=1855.0
 
SPC Icons
Tora-chan has made a whole pile of SPC icons, many of them animated.  These are ideal for you message board avatars, journals, and some might even work as desktop icons.  Help spread them around the internet and get SPC some attention.
http://community.livejournal.com/t0ra_icons/tag/spc
 
This Month's Pic
A page from the KNT NES game manual.
 
Violet Update
I've been very busy this year, and as a result, fallen behind on things.  You may remember that I used to update my web page monthly.  That hasn't been happening, although the page is by no means finished, I still have updates planned, especially for the "Toybox" section dealing with SPC collectibles.  It's been very difficult for me to keep my monthly schedule for this newsletter.  I considered going to a schedule where I just send out newsletters when I have enough stories ready, but the deadline helps keep a little pressure on me to get me working.  Originally I intended to have fans send in articles and I would just edit the newsletter, but the way it worked out is I do everything and only occasionally does anyone send me an article.  Despite being busy in my "real life", I did manage to keep my newsletter and web page going last year.  But this year I've taken on some additional projects.  I am working on translating a KNT script and I have been editing manga pages into English.  I knew taking on more projects would take time away from others, but at least I'm still always doing something Pizza Cats related.  So if you see me slowing down on one area, it's only because I'm working on something else.  SPC/KNT still remains close to my heart.
-Violet

intresting picture, it looks just like the anime

brilliant newsletter as usual Vi

the picture is brilliant, but kinda looks like Big Cheese done a Michael Jackson, gone white

I'll be looking forward to the eventual update of the Toybox page. I appreciate all the work you've been putting in the various projects, and I'm sure many others do, too.

The only diference is that while "Ackson" is behind kids, the Cheese is behind old people...

 :bigcheese: and  :jerry: forever!

If Violet hadn't mentioned, I never should have remembered about my FTP/HTTP server's anniversary. Just in a such occasion Tsuneko presented us with new episode files. That's a remarkable moment for SPC/KNT fans.

I liked very much the SPC icons made by Tora-chan. They come from episode snapshots, and are of good quality. Congratulations for her work.

looks like jerry's been hit by a smooth criminal

The icons are great... Thanks for another excellet newsletter Himesama!!

The OVA That Never Was
An "OVA" is "Original Video Animation" which is anime that goes straight to video (DVDs now days) rather than TV.  It's a common practice in Japan, where so much new anime being released often prevent sequels.  It's also done for "movies" based on an anime series.  Shows like Tenchi Muyo and Sailor Moon had several OVAs.  Some anime never goes on TV in the first place, but goes straight to OVA, these generally have to have a following already (usually from a manga or game) otherwise no one would know if they wanted to buy the videos.  One of the artists from the "Hash Hash" doujin, Gyou, claimed to have read scripts for a planned Kyattou Ninden Teyandee OVA and gave a synopsis of the first 4 episodes.  This may or may not be true, but the stories seem very KNT-like.  Even if he just made it all up, it's still fun to think about, so here's an episode guide to what may have been KNT episodes 55,56,57 & 58.
Episode 55  "Hello, Good Day! The Queer Fox is Back"
This episode starts off with a typical day in post-comet Edoropolis.  Everything seems normal at the Pizza Cat shop until Okara (known as Carla in SPC) arrives in tears, saying that Karamaru is missing.  The cats decide to drop work to go search for Karamaru.  They are surprised to find out Otama doesn't try to stop them from leaving work (it turns out that is because Karamaru, now retired from being a ninja crow runs the highly profitable Karasuyama branch of Pizza Cat).  Meanwhile, a new American ambassador arrives in Edoropolis, Admiral Koon Kuriimu (Koon Cream).  As you might guess, this is actually Koon no Kami in disguise.  As a sign of good will, "Admiral Koon Kuriimu" presented Usa Hime with a little gift; Karamaru!
Episode 56  "Bring Back Karamaru! The Great Marriage Obstruction Plan"
Due to the fact that they work for Wanko no Kami, who works for the Shogun (and Usa Hime), the Nyankii aren't allowed to try and stop the marriage.  But seeing Okara in tears is too much for Yattarou to stand, so he vows to find a way to rescue Karamaru anyway.  Usa Hime is so delighted and distracted with her gift that she allows Ambassador Koon to do whatever he likes.  This doesn't sit well with Wanko no Kami, who fears for the independence of Edoropolis (and his own job) if Koon should get too much power.  So he authorizes the Nyankii to proceeded with trying to rescue Karamaru.  I order to save Karamaru, the Nyankii first have to fight a mecha called "Steamship-to-awaken-sleeping-Pacific-Ocean #1000", which is a reference to Admiral Perry's "Black Ship" that ended Japan's isolationism in 1852.
Episode 57  "Let's sing Karaoke: Usa Hime-sama's Great Song Contest"
A lazy inventor has developed an advanced karaoke machine called the "Super X", but being so lazy, he only bothered to make one.  Usa Hime has become a big fan of karaoke.  When she learns of the Super X, she commands Wanko no Kami to get it for her.  He gives the assignment to the Nyankii.  "Ambassador Koon" also wants the Super X to use in his restaurant.  He attempts to get it by going to the inventor's, but is bluntly sent away.  The Super X was then put up for auction, where the Nyankii and the new Ninja Crow leader, Genchan, compete for it.
Episode 58  "Who is that Karaoke Star?!  The Judges are in Tears"
To celebrate getting the Super X, Usa Hime holds a karaoke contest.  The Lovely Mipple, Sukashii, Otama (who wants the prize money), and a cross dressed Yattarou all pass the preliminaries.  However, the "Queen of Enka" (Enka is a type of Japanese folk music), "Misora Koon" doesn't do as well.  During the finals, held in a large hotel's banquet hall, the mecha "Hatoya #4126" attacks.

For whatever reason, no OVA was ever made.  Perhaps it was all only wishful thinking, or maybe most of the staff had moved on to work on other shows like Eto Rangers.  The Souma manga also has Koon presenting a captured Karamaru to Usa Hime to get back into power, which might show that Souma was also familiar with the OVA plot.  For now, the Cat's future adventures are in the hands of fan writers and artists rather than an animation studio.

This Month's Pic
Pururun from the "Girls of Teyande" Doujin.

Artists! 
Would you like one of your pictures to be featured as the monthly picture in this newsletter and be seen by hundreds of SPC fans?  I need SPC art that has not yet been uploaded anywhere (you can upload it after the newsletter comes out, I just want the newsletter to have it first).  When the issue with you art comes out, I will give you credit and include a link to your web page/Deviant Art/Fur Affinity/where ever you post you art.  Please contact me.
-Violet

yet another brilliant read

& i love the picture!

Wow... Teyandee ovas... Would be cool to see Karamaru as a member of the Nyankee...

That OVA script was published in Hash, Hash doujinshi book, whose scanlation work has been carried out at Nihonbare board (http://www.edoropolis.org/forums/index.php?topic=1867.0). Some of its scanlated pages were made available at Vi's library (http://www.edoropolis.org/violet/library/hashhash/index.html).

Nah, I like more the idea of him having a rival pizza place... but I also like the idea of Lucille as a live news reporter, so who cares what I think?

Yes, it was editing that page that made me want to write this article.

"The Queer Fox is Back."  I wonder how they would have translated that title for a Pizza Cats episode.

Something like "The Big Cheese is Back" or "The Return of Big Cheese" probably. Maybe something punnier... ;)

That makes me think; has anyone drawn Big Cheese dressed like Japanese comedian "Hard Gay"?

Princess Vi's Spiffy Diffy Page to be Spiffy Diffy Someplace Else
Violet here.  Most of you know my web page, officially called "Princess Vi's Spiffy Diffy Web Page" (A parody of the episode title "Princess Vi's Hippy Dippy Mom") but also called "Violet's Internet Empire" or just "Vi's Page".  Since I first started it in 1997, it was hosted on AOL, where I first got internet access and still have my email.  However, AOL has gone from being the top ISP to just another free email service with a decent instant messenger.  Apparently, they have decided that they aren't making any money hosting web pages, and are discontinuing that service at the end of this month.  My page outgrew AOL a long time ago and has parts spread out over several web hosts.  Some, like the "The Pizza Cats Toy Box Page" could be their own web page.  However, the main page, started as a simple "Princess Vi Shrine" was on AOL and will be moved to Edoropolis.org, where some parts, like the gallery, are already hosted.  Some old parts will not be moved and I'll just let them go away with AOL, but all the important stuff will be moved.
The new URL will be http://www.edoropolis.org/violet/

Pizza Popularity Passes Pokemon?!
Because of poor marketing of SPC by Saban, people sometimes assume that Kyattou Ninden Teyandee was not a popular show in Japan.  While it's true there are and were animes much more popular than KNT, that doesn't mean KNT wasn't popular.  In the "Ask John" colum of AnimeNation.net, John was asked about this by a fan.  He had copies of "Newtype" an anime magazine from the period KNT was on the air (Newtype is still in print today).  One of the things Newtype reports on is ratings of anime currently airing.  KNT's ratings while it was broadcast in Japan from Feb. 1990 to Feb. 1991 ranged from 9-13%.  Classic long running shows like Doraemon and Chibi Maruko-chan get those kinds of ratings currently.  Unless you are an anime geek, you might not be familiar with those shows, but Doraemon has been running since the 70s and was declared Japan's "Anime Ambassador" by the Japanese Foreign Ministry in March 2008.  At the height of it's popularity in the 90s, Chibi Maruko-chan had a 39% rating, the highest ever for any anime show.  By comparison, shows that are currently considered popular by non-Japanese anime fans, like One Piece, Naruto, and Pocket Monsters Diamond and Pearl earn ratings of 7 to 8%.  While no where near Chibi Maruko-chan's record, those shows are considered successful, so, with it's 9-13% rating, you can certainly say that KNT was successful in it's day.

This Month's Pic
Karamaru by Kosuzu Yuuki

Princess Vi's Spiffy Diffy Page to be Spiffy Diffy Someplace Else
Ok, is good to know your page is still going, and moving... my page Gatos Samurai needs a new host and to be updated, I have all the info typed somewhere, but well... since the comunity, I dont see the point of my webpage anymore...

Pizza Popularity Passes Pokemon?!
Thats becausenowadays they make a lot more animes than back then, so the market share for each one is smaller.

This Month's Pic

I like Bad Bird...

well, knt/spc is more popular, but since its been more then 10 years old., it's not the most well known, but it's still the awesomest anime, in my opinion
                                                                                                 ^ since the last time the anime was on TV

Samurai Pizza Cats Episode LIII: Return of The Cheese.

Yeah, a Star Wars parody in the title could have been funny.

I'm not suprised. Pizza Cats's goodness vs Pokemon's endless cycle of filler episodes used to wipe backsides with- No contest.

SPCPRP
Truro Web Studios has announced the third in the series of annual Samurai Pizza Cats Pantomime Radio Plays. The script is approaching completion, and auditions are set to begin in early November. Just as the 2006 radio play spoofed Cinderella and the 2007 play parodied Aladdin, this year's pantomime will follow a Jack and the Bean Stalk motif. Along with the core Pizza Cats and Big Cheese's henchmen (Jerry and Bad Bird) Lucille and Guru Lou are also set to appear. Auditions are to begin in early November, with the hopes of the finished radio play being released from early to mid-December.
 
A Message from Tenko
In reply to a question asking if he used reference for drawing KNT characters in his blog, character designer Tenko replied:  "Well, after all I'm the original “Teyandee” designer , who knows everything about how they are shaped and put together. (The huge enemy robots weren't my designs though.)  The mega-up-parts ("Extra Toppings Armor) which were designed by toy makers and only cleaned up by me haven't remained in my memory, so they won't be appearing in my blog drawn without reference.  Nevertheless, I have everything stored in files.  I had never made anything higher than magazine illustrations or being manga artist's assistant until then, when suddenly I became the character designer of a TV animation that would be aired weekly. So I drew with great tension, bewilderment and enthusiasm. I remember it all pretty well.  Except from the colors, since I only saw them on the finished animation.  However for drawing "Okara" I had to check the production's file and some video.
 
SPC "Cold" Comic Gets a New Artist
Former artist "Mr.Oma" has left the "SPC: Cold" team, and new artist who seems to go by the name "Tay-To" will be taking over.  You can get a preview of her art style at her DA page
http://shadowsnack101times2.deviantart.com/
Which includes some practice Pizza Cats pictures.  "Psyguy" will conitinue as writer.  The comic's home page at http://www.fireball20xl.com/spcc/ is the best place to read it.  I'm not sure if Tay-To will also upload pages to DA as Mr. Oma used to do.  In any case, it will probably take a while for Tay-To to get ready to take over.  SPC: Cold has over 100 completed pages, making it the most successful non-Japanese Pizza Cats comic.
 
This Month's Pic
This animation cel of Omitsu/Lucille is currently up for auction on Yahoo! Japan.  http://page4.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/d88902521
 

SPCPRP

I sugested "Cinderella Polly" as a name for the first one and as usual I was ignored

A Message from Tenko

Kinda interesting...

SPC "Cold" Comic Gets a New Artist

100 pages is a lot!

This Month's Pic

I like it a lot...

Easy to see why, with a half- assed name like that.

Sounds like someone needs a hug and a kick in the rear.

SPC in the Blog World
I generally have no interest in places like MySpace and LiveJournal, but while doing a web search I happened upon
http://www.myspace.com/lovelymipple
Actually has some well researched Lovely Mipple info, which I shall share here.
"Lovely Mipple is a fictional band that appeared in the hit Japanese anime, Kyatto Ninden Teyandee. The band's name came from merging the names of the singers: Omitsu and Pururun (think of the "r"s as "l"s).
The band only appeared in two episodes, and only sang for a few short scenes, however, the voice actresses for the band got together and sang another song (Koi no Kikime which is proving difficult to locate). YASU Keku-nai is the whole version of the song that appeared in episode 7.
Lovely Mipple has an English counterpart, The Pointless Sisters, which appeared in Samurai Pizza Cats. Since Americans tend to not create English soundtracks for anime, and since the Pointless Sisters only sang for a few seconds in a scene, there are no whole songs made by them."
There's also
http://www.myspace.com/spizzacats
Hosts the SPC theme music, and not much else except for linking to Edoropolis Emporium for anyone interested in Pizza Cats.  Apparently there was a KNT page too, but it seems to be gone now. I noticed a lot of people have SPC videos linked into their MySpace pages.  These are probably all hosted on YouTube and can be found there, but if you have a "blog" page on MySpace or where ever, it's another way you can share your love of SPC/KNT.
 
Felineki Knows His Nimpou
Felineki wrote such a good response when on EE someone asked about the "Special Attacks" moves on KNT, that I wanted to share it with you.  Even though I did a similar article many issues ago, this gives a lot more information.  This doesn't cover Yattarou's already well known "Neko mei Slash" (Cat's Eye Slash) which we see in every episode and are already very familiar with.
He says:
"Sukashii's hypnotic attack is called "Nyanki Ninpou: Neko Damashi" ("Cat Deception", or "Cat Trickery"). According to my dictionary, this term refers to a sumo technique involving clapping ones hands in the opponent's face to confuse them. Pururun's scratching is called "Nyanki Ninpou: Kakimushiri no Jutsu" ("Scratching Technique", basically).
 
These and the ones you've already mentioned are the most commonly used, but there are a few others that are used only once or twice. Two of Sukashii's that come to mind are the umbrella-throwing technique used to take out a group of Ninja Crows in "No Talent Guido" (why do I use the SPC titles even when I'm discussing something KNT-specific...? Easier to remember and recognize, I suppose), and one that produced a series of rings that bound up another group of Ninja Crows. I can't remember which episode the latter was used in. Both of those have names, but I can't recall them offhand. Pururun has a bomb that looks like a heart-shaped cushion called "Tokimeki Poppun Bakudan" ("Throbbing ??? Bomb" (not sure what "poppun" means)) which she used in "Samurai Savings Time".
 
Karamaru's technique that he uses against Yattarou with the Neko Me Slash energy that he caught with the Komusoutector is called "Karakara Ninpou: Hi no Tori" ("Bird of Fire" (Phoenix?)). It's a pretty obvious reference to Gatchaman, one of Tatsunoko's most famous shows (despite Karamaru's insistence to the contrary... in one episode, when the Nyanki quote lines from Gatchaman, Karamaru replies that no one would understand a reference that old). His technique that he comes up with on his own in the finale is called "Majin Shinkuu Giri" (Demon Vacuum(?) Slash"). "Shinkuu" literally means "vacuum", but in the case of fantasy martial arts techniques and such, it seems to refer to an attack that magically hits the opponent from a distance through thin air.
 
The Otasuke Members have a few different "Gattai Ninpou" ("Combination Ninja Techniques") in which they combine their equipment to form various weapons. The most commonly-used and most powerful is the "Otasuke Bomber", which involves all four of them. Rikinoshin and Nekki can perform "Mizu Machine Gun" ("Mizu" = "Water"), while Gotton and Mietoru can perform "Kamikaze Rotor". The latter was powerful enough to destroy the torso of the separating/recombining robot in "Terror of Prisoner Island".
 
Usahime and Usanotsubone have their own special attacks, which they like to use on each other.  Tongue Usanotsubone's is "Flying Body Attack: Tsubone Special", and Usahime's is "Usahime Superior Rolling Shimanagashi" ("Shimanagashi" = "Exile/banishment to an island", one of Usahime's favorite pastimes, of course). Unfortunately, this scene is pretty sparsely animated, so we don't get a very good look at what these attacks actually entail.
 
The Yami no Yoninshuu have a few combination techniques of their own. Their ability to summon their giant robot Makkurou seemingly out of thin air was called "Makkurou no Justsu" ("Makkurou Technique", basically). "Yami Karasu" ("Dark Crow") allows the group to fly together, surrounded by a giant bird of black flames. Another technique, used in a different episode involves a formation that fires a beam, along with an apparition of the Karakara "Flying Skull" emblem. According to the Teyandee Daijiten site, this technique is also called "Yami Karasu", but to my ears it sounds a bit different, although I can't be sure what it might actually be. This site had Sukashii's sword named incorrectly when compared to the official script, so it's possible they made a mistake with the name of this technique as well.
 
On the subject of weapon names, Yattarou's sword is, of course, "Youtou Masamasa" ("Legendary Sword Masamasa"). Karamaru's copy of it is called "Youtou Muramura". The "Masamasa" and "Muramura" names are in reference to Masamune and Muramasa respectively, two legendary Japanese swordsmiths. In mythology, Masamune's swords are considered righteous and calm while Muramasa's are considered evil and violent. Sukashii's sword is "Koutou Pikapika" ("Luminous Sword Pikapika" ("Pikapika" = "glitter", or "sparkle")). Pururun's sword is "Bitou Kirakira" ("Beautiful Sword Kirakira" ("Kirakira" = "glitter", or "sparkle"... again))."
 
This Month's Pic
The Cats from a "shitajiki".  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shitajiki
 
Happy Holidays everyone!
-Violet

Emporium Readers-
This month's newsletter had a big article based on a EE post, so I apologize if some of you have read it already, but the newsletter is still mainly based on email and reaches a lot of fans who don't have time for forums, so I felt this very informative post by Felineki was worth sharing.

I've been wanting to hear Koi no Kikime since I first read about it. It's on the Red disk of the "Aburami Brothers" series, which was produced by Satoru Akahori, who was also one of the main writers for KNT. Apparently there's also an alternate version of YASU-kekunai on Yuko Mizutani's "Appale" album.

I'm honored to have my writeup featured in the newsletter. I hope other fans will find the info interesting.

The artwork on that shitajiki is great. Very nice brushwork, particularly in the shine on their armor.

BTW, I'm planning on submitting an article for the newsletter about some of the musical hardware that was used in the creation of KNT's soundtrack, but it's currently still in progress.

That Shitajaki's the larger image than the one I downloaded from Violet's site years ago. Pretty good find!

I am that Violet and I own the shitajaki.  Pizzacat asked me for a larger scan, and since I was getting ready to mail the newsletter at the time, I just used it as this month's picture.

I'd like to extend a special thanks to all of you on Edoropolis. Thank's to your tiresome efforts SPC will live on forever. We have been working hard to get SPC ready to join our site. We will launch this new series for the  New Year. SPC will always have a permanent home at PRP. SPC can finally join with the other great Saban series. This is truly a great day indeed.

Thank you. One and all. :D

Here's the link:

http://www.freewebs.com/powerrangerplanet/

Click on Other Specials.

Um, PowerOnyx, you have the same problem that the watch seller on ebay did, i.e. using fanart without permission. (And no offense to the artist, but it's not the coolest piece of work either.) So, how about using some official art from the show instead?

It does seem to be pretty popular, at any rate. I even came across some pictures of someone apparently getting it tattooed on their leg. :O

Actually PO... i think this pic might work a bit better... might just be me though :-\
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/00/SPCintro80.jpg

Wow, guess I'm in the minority on that one. ^^; But hey, more exposure for SPC! :-*


Agreed, you can't go wrong with the ol' pose. :guido: :speedy: :polly:

Little Tokyo Online
This web page is growing to become a great source of general SPC information.  A good place for new fans or curious folks to come learn more about the show.  The episode guide only has a few episodes listed so far.  If you haven't watched the episode, you probably shouldn't read the guide to is, since they are very complete and will ruin the plot for you.  If you have seen the episode, then read and enjoy your memories.  The character guide is well done and has listing for most of the characters uploaded.  There are also a few articles about KNT manga, CDs, and the video game.  The web page, built by Truro with help from some Edoropolis Emporium members, is fairly new and still needs more work, but it's already very good and worth a visit.
http://truro359.tripod.com/littletokyoonline/index.html

Okara is a Country Girl
Karamaru's girlfriend, Okara (Carla in SPC) has an accent in KNT.  Thanks to Japanese fan GIGA, we now know the accent indicates she is from the Tohoku area, which is the North-Eastern part of Japan's main island, Honshu.  Tohoku was a mostly rural agricultural area in Edo times.  Because Karamaru and Okara were together as children, it might be assumed they are both from the area originally.  The most easily noticed characteristic of her dialect is when she addresses Karamaru as "Karamaru-saa" rather than the standard "Karamaru-san".

New KNT Translated Comics
Sometimes I just don't have enough Pizza Cats news for this newsletter, so I just need do something to make some news.  So this month I've uploaded some translated comics from the Japanese doujin "Hash Hash" to my manga library.  The new additions are "Clear and Serene" with Yattarou adopting a new training style, "Cats Forever" starring a slightly lecherous Reikainosuke (Guru Lou) hosting his own show, "Nyan-Kye" where Karamaru tries to take a battle with Yattarou one step too far, and a few other one page features, including a guide to the first few episodes of a hoped for new KNT series that was featured in the newsletter a few months ago. 
http://www.edoropolis.org/violet/library/hashhash/index.html

This Month's Pic
This excellent Sukashii/Guido cel recently sold on eBay.

Thanks for reading, see you next month!
-Violet

Noticed one mistake on the updated Hash Hash page: both the "Clear and Serene 1" and "Omitsu and Usako" links point to the same page.

Anyway, the "Clear and Serene" comic might seem a bit confusing, because it's actually a crossover of sorts. It has two characters from the anime "Iron Leaguer" standing in for Yattarou and Sukashii. Since I'm not particularly familiar with that show, I can't really explain any further. But someone who is familiar with both shows should be able to understand this comic best.  :P

Interesting info about Okara's dialect. Thanks to GIGA for the info and Violet for translating and sharing it!

Thanks for finding the bad link, it's fixed now

Carla being a country girl just makes her more innocent and cute, but I guess even those gals like "bad boyfriends" ;7

Hey everyone. I wanted to let you know that floatingyeti has a dvd box set of SPC. I ordered on the 15th and got it today. I'm watching it right now! :D Great quality and the price was amazing. :-*

Here's the link:

http://www.ioffer.com/offer_transactions/show/8052836

And you just paid for something we offer for free.

Wow. It even has our favourite ripped-off fanart on the cover.

and i bet the seller got most of the episodes from tsuneko

and i bet the seller got most of the episodes from tsuneko
[/quote]

probably.... spc never made dvds or something, right?

probably.... spc never made dvds or something, right?
[/quote]

i'm not sure ... really ... all i know is

THEIR IS NO SPC MOVIE ... the seller said it included the movie ... but its only 3 episodes together, 01, 51 & 52 (comet caper)

Trying to profit from tsuneko's free encodes: oh you better believe that's a paddle'n.  >:(
 :polly: :speedy: :guido:

if there is anyone who should profit ... is Tsuneko himself!

I believe the only legit SPC DVDs released so far has been the two sets that were released in France. All of the other ones that show up on eBay and other places seem to be bootlegs made from encodes found online.

Actually, I believe that is the movie, TGL. I looked on Amazon and there was a VHS of it for sale. Yeah, same episodes strung together, but I think that's how it is.

i downloaded the same VHS rip ... via BitTorrent ... and since Wikiapedia doesnt have anything about a movie ... go figure

They felt oddly familiar.  :'(

But yeti said he never liked the fact that the cartoons from the '90s were never released on box sets.  So he took initiative and started to create them from torrents he downloaded.  I guess that's good for the fans who want them. (Like me! :D) Plus I had this on order before I got my new computer. (When I ordered SPC I also ordered Bucky O'Hare as well.) Now I have a DVD burner. Still, he should credit those who made his sets possible, though.

He didn't only take the cred, he made money from using someone else's DA fan art :/
Can't you get sued for that or something?  :huh:

Plagerism hotline? ... anyone guess what episode i pulled that line from?

Silly TGL. Don't you know that nobody actually watches SPC episodes?

i listen to them ... so i know what episode it came from

I love Guido!  =]


KNT was a show with talking robotic animals, that was based in the idea of a sentai show (See Gachaman). One of the confusing aspects of the show was that the characters, despite being robots, where alive, they got old, died, had kids, all that junk. Another thing about KNT was that they based the special armours in the SD Gundan OVA, released in 1989, one year before KNT, toys makers forcxed the armors in the show. KNT can be considered an attempt to make fun of a sentai, however since some sentai have been really humorous, maybe it was just an animated sentai with talking animals. Another thing about the show is that features a mix of accident tradition and modern technology, a recurrent theme in a lot of other shows that came after it, like "Saber Marionete J" and most recently,"Edo Rocket". Is also one of the theme of the classical Goeomon videogames, from where KNT borrowed some things. Anther theme in KNT is the love triangle, Yattaro first focuses himself in Omitsu, but as the show progresses he gets less interested in Omitisu and more interested in Pururun. Because of the heave edit it had, that's hardly noticed in SPC.  Yattaro colours are red and white, the colours of Japan flag, that's traditional sentai leader colour (See Gachaman), unlike modern sentai that just has the hero with Red only. Sukashii colour is blue, the traditional rival/fried color.  Pururun color is pink because well, she is the girl, and because she has "The power of love".

Having woman that are stronger than men are also a recurrent theme in KNT, something that has been featured in a lot of other shows, like Saber Marionete J and most notably in Slayers, where Lina/Rina Inverse is really powerful.

And the last thing I'm going to say, is that in all those shows, no matter how strong the girls are, they are still women and like to be treated like woman. See "Samurai charm school".

Heheheheheh... I just got  ?:|

I must be slow, I just realized something. Say that the Japanese way with the surname first, and you have "Kuriimu Ko'on" which sounds like "Cream(ed) Corn" in Engrish.  ^^  Kinda reminds me how Ko'on-no-Kami's NY relative was named "Poppu Ko'on" ("Pop Ko'on", or "Popcorn"). So it seems KNT has plenty of puns, just like SPC. ;)

Your Guide to New York Pizza Cats
It seems everyone in Edoropolis has an American counterpart in New York.  Not all of them appeared in the anime when the Japanese Pizza Cats followed the villains over, but most of them do show up in the "Yankee The Cats!" comic from the "Kyattou Ninden Teyandee Ro" doujin http://www.edoropolis.org/violet/library/teyaro/index.html
Most SPC/KNT fans already know the main New York cast.
Japanese Character                      American Counterpart
Yattarou (Speedy)                        Michael (Sundance/The Sundance Kid)
Pururun (Polly)                             Maddona (DeeDee)
Sukashii (Guido)                           Prince (Cosmo)
Otama (Francine)                          Ball (Abigail)
Omitsu (Lucille)                            Honey (Lucinda)
Koon no Kami (Big Cheese)           Poppa Koon (Chester Cheedar)
Shogun Iei Iei (Emperor Fred)         President (Ambassador of Zimbabwe)
Those all appeared in the anime, although some only for a few seconds.  The comic includes a lot of the American character who do not appear in the anime.  The studio found itself falling behind on the episode, since they had to make a lot of new animation and backgrounds, and couldn't recycle scenes like the launch or Edoropolis background paintings. So some scenes were cut, and if you watch the episode carefully, you'll see some scenes where the animation just stops and you have a still picture for a few seconds.  The staff must have been in quite a panic to get it done on time. 
Usa Hime (Princess Violet)              Rabby, the president's daughter
She was supposed to make an appearance in the anime, but was written out to save time at the last minute, so she is still sort of an official character.  She does get a role in the comic.  Instead of sending people to "the island", she has them sent to Alaska.
The rest of these only appear in the comic.
Wanko no Kami (Big Al)               Chief Jolly Murdock
Gennarisai (Jerry Atrick)               Interri Gention (Pun of "Interrogation")
Karamaru (Bad Bird)                     TakaKite
And you need crows of course.  Honestly I'm not 100% sure what's up with these guys since I've never tried to translate this, but there is a "Muteking 9" and the ninja crow counterparts appear yelling "Roller Hero", but I'm not sure if that's what they call their gang or if it's song lyrics they are preforming.  Aside from TakaKite, there are 3 other lead crows; TakaMaro, TakaSake, and a female crow, TakaMii, which are more like counterparts for the Dark Quartet (Rude Noise).

The Battle for Edoropolis Emporium
Edoropolis was being invaded!  Not by ninja crow robots, but by spam-bots.  These "bots" are programs used by spammers to set up accounts and post spam on message boards, like ours at Edoropolis Emporium.  Fortunately, most of these spam-bot are too dumb to figure out how to actually post, although they do occasionally manage now and then until a moderator deletes them.  However, that didn't stop them from trying, and by January, Edoropolis Emporium had over 800 member accounts.  About 400 of these were spam-bots!  (Note: The number of members shown at the top of the EE main page is not correct.  It currently shows we have around 1000 members when we actually have around 375.  Before the clean up it showed over 1,800 members.  Thanks to Tigriss for noticing this.) Rather than just deleting these fake accounts as had been done in the past, I also took the time to check their IPs against those of known spammers, and ban those IPs to keep them from setting up more accounts.  This has slowed the spam-bots down to a level that we can control, but there are always new ones who keep trying, so the battle never really ends.

Magical Girl Pururun
See Pururun in her "Sailor Moon" type magical girl comic.  Translated from the Japanese "Hash Hash" doujin, this comic is now available in English.  Keep in mind that like most Japanese comics, you need to read the panels and word balloons from right to left.
http://www.edoropolis.org/violet/library/hashhash/index.html

This Month's Pic
This "Lovely Mipple" picture is by KamakuraAmy from the Japanese art site, Pixiv.
-Violet

I think "Muteking" was the title of another Tatsunoko show, so there might be some sort of references or inside jokes going on related to that show.

Anyway, yes, there is definitely quite a bit of evidence that the staff was struggling with the New York episode. One thing that I personally found interesting was that the SPC adaptation staff worked around some of these unfinished scenes to make them not quite as jarring. Changing dialogue order so as to not have a motionless on-screen character speaking and such. I wonder if Rabby ever had an official model sheet drawn. The few fan arts I've seen of her seem to have the same design.

The story was a nice mixture of KNT with Bishojo Senshi Sailor Moon and Tokyo Mew Mew. Amazing that the term "b*tch" was used in the story. I think I've seen it used in plenty of anime besides the two mentioned anime.

That wasn't the actual word.  They really called her "obasan", which is a way to address an older woman, but they way it was said would have the same effect as the way it's translated, so it makes more sense in English that way.

So, who's that little robot dude with the neon "Dicso" sign on Page 6??? He's awesome.

Love the crows with the army berets.

The DJ, who might be the American counterpart of the professor.

Wow. I never would have guessed that.

Nothing!, is just my way to say that my Gatos samurai site is gone...

Just an FYI for the rest of you, "TakaKite" was actually named "TakaKichi".

Correction to Last Month's Newsletter
Probably due to the small print on the scan I was trying to read, I said the NY counterpart of Karamaru (Bad Bird) name was "TakaKite".  But I messed up and read the last Japanese character as "te" when it was actually "chi".  So his name is really "TakaKichi".  Tigriss spotted this error in the copy I sent to her to proof read, but I had already sent the newsletter off before she was able to reply.
 
Friends or Rivals?
It's generally assumed Polly and Lucille are friends, but are they really?  Polly always seems to be upset when Lucille is getting all the attention.  But, yes, they are friends.  When Lucille is in trouble, Polly is guenuienly concerned.  When Lucille is offered a chance at stardom, she insist Polly is included too.  Polly is what modern anime fans call Tsundere, which is a kind of "hot and cold" personality where a character will act uncaring or hostile towards another, but inside they really care for the person.  (Tsundere can apply to both female and male characters.)
 
A Brief History of SPC Fandom
As long as there have been Pizza Cats, there have been Pizza Cats Fans.  When KNT first aired on Japanese television, the internet was still a novelty.  Interaction between fans was rare and usually happened in the real world rather than online.  Japanese fans produced the first home made "doujin" comics and model kits soon after the show started.  The Samurai Pizza Cats hit Europe and Canada before the USA, so the first SPC web pages were from Europe and Canada and were already online long before SPC aired in the USA.  The Pizza Cats' appearance on American television in the late 1990s drastically increased the number of SPC fans.  By now the internet was more common, and SPC fans from all over the world started to communicate on IRC and AOL.  Hanging out in an IRC chat room was one way to meet fellow SPC fans.  The other way was to make your own SPC web page to let other SPC fans find you.  At one point there were over 100 SPC fan pages.  Some attempts were made at setting up mailing lists, newsgroups, and messages boards for fans with some never really getting anywhere, and others operating successfully for a few years.  This newsletter is in fact a surviving relic from those days.  Then SPC went off the air in the USA, and although it was on for a little while afterward in a few other countries, soon the days of SPC on TV were over.  At this time the fickle fans moved on to follow the next trend, but the true fans never gave up.  After struggling along with a few remaining web pages and several attempts at message boards, high speed internet became more common, allowing a SPC revival as it became easier to watch and share episodes online.  The Edoropolis Emporium grew into the central gathering place for SPC fans and remains so today.
 
This Month's Pic
Yattarou by Sumiren on Pixiv
 
Have an idea for an article for the Pizza Cats Review?  Don't be shy!  Write it and send it to me.  Don't worry if your writing skills aren't the best, I'm the editor and I can fix all those little mistakes for you.
-Violet

I remember reading a comment on Pixiv in which someone called Pururun "tsundere". :P Too bad SPC got so little airtime in the US. It really is great that internet technology has allowed us to share episodes and other materials, as well as hold discussions. It really helps keep the fanbase active.

Bad News for SPC Cold
After about 6 months of silence, during which many fans assumed she was busy working on the "SPC Cold" comic, artist Tay-To has reappeared and announced that she will not be doing the comic.  Artists have told me that drawing a comic is a lot more work than drawing single pictures, and apparently Tay-To realized this too late.  This is a big set back for the comic, now without an artist.  Will it be the end?  Unless an SPC fan artist with enough free time to work on a comic shows up to fill in, then it's likely that the longest running English SPC comic will meet the same fate as most of the others; Left unfinished in the middle of the story.

And Now, Good News
Tsuneko has completed encoding high quality versions of all SPC episodes and is ready to release them.  Finding hosting and uploading these takes some time, and there are also a lot of people still trying to get the older episodes and who need to catch up with those before they are ready for new releases.  But the big task is done, it's all just a matter of uploading and downloading now.  The high quality episodes are made by carefully matching audio from English episodes (which is often in poor quality and needs a lot of cleaning up) with video from the French DVD release.  Until English DVDs are released, it's really the best English speaking SPC fans can hope for.  Watch Edoropolis Emporium for announcements regarding new releases.

Visit the First and Oldest SPC Page
Dating from the mid 1990s, this web page was the first and oldest surviving Pizza Cats web page.  When it was set up, everyone was using slow dial up interent connections, and its light graphics files only took a minute or two to load.  This Dutch and English page was set up before SPC even aired in the USA, and I think before it aired in Canada.  When I say it's the first, I'm not excluding Japanese web pages (the internet was still so new when KNT aired in Japan that at the time what little web activity there was were all text BBS's).  In a way, it's nice that it hasn't been updated since 1996 (and even those updates were just to fix some things, not to add or change the content or design) as it gives us a look at what those early days were like.  Have a look:
http://www.two4u.com/pizzacats/index.html
SPC has both benefited and been held back by its time of airing.  A few years earlier, and it would have missed having an internet following, but if it had aired a few years later, people would have been recording it straight to digital instead of VHS tapes, there would have been a larger internet following, and probably DVDs and more products around.

This Month's Pic
Yattaorou by Tokyo artist "mtkn"

-Violet

I was hoping someone would continue with SPC: Cold, I kinda wanted to read whats next...

Give my regards to the artist who drew up this month's pic. That is... wow. I like the ear turned to the side.

*sigh* Every month I'm reminded how blessed we all are to have Violet around. Most of the regulars just fool around, and I feel that the current attitude on the forum is my own doing. I feel like all I've done is muddy up something that used to be so pure, and so much ...better. I can't help but imagine that Violet must feel something she loves has been hijacked.  What ever the reason is that keeps you coming back with updates, I'm thankful for it, thankful for you.

If all you do isn't for the likes of me, I understand; all I've ever done is cause trouble.  :-[

It's very hard for me to keep going sometimes.  I have a lot of other things to do in my life, I don't have a lot of time for writing or working on my web page or other projects that I want to work on.  This month I had the flu which is why this issue is later than normal.  But Pizza Cats is something I'm passionate about, not something I'm willing to just give up on.
There may be people here who care more about how fancy their sig is than about SPC, and spend more time in the "Longest Thread" than in "General SPC Discussion", and I don't care if those people stay or go.  I didn't create EE, its not mine.  If it was, those people would be gone already.  But there's still plenty here who are here for the right reasons and that's who I do this stuff for.

The newsletter's a reminder to me of what I used to be obsessed with; and more often than not, I've seen stuff in there that I either didn't know or had heard about in the distant past but had since forgotten. Since I don't have anywhere near the time I used to have, I can't really contribute anything worthwhile, whether to the forums or otherwise. I can use all the reminders I can get.

Thanks for the newsletters, Vi, and I hope you will be able to continue it as long as you are able.  :)

Episodes? Awesome!

Well, I am still searching for a good host for my site-_-

I'm glad to see Tsuneko's high quality video files will be available soon. If you deleted some files, my server can store all 52 episodes.

You and me both, bro.

Everyone knows I'm rotting this place from the inside out.

Always have, always will, ever since I came up with this forum's name.

On topic: I've always read and enjoyed the letters and perhaps we're not giving enough grats to Violet for her work and effort she puts into everything. I know it's not much, Bunny Princess, but you rock the BurkeWorld's world for sure! :D Please continue on being strong and giving us spammers something to read once a month.  :-*

~Ror

I'm probably one of the people who contribute the least, and im ashamed of that.
I've been thinking for a while to start some new rounds of "They Said What?" using the rules that kyo set up a long time ago. but right now i dont have any time. maybe in the future.
i'm sorry if im one of the people you see as annoying, ill try to be better. after all, this is a forum about my favorite show.
Thank you for the newsletters, and thanks for putting up with us.

A new 'they said what' thread would be awesome  ;) Loving the newsletters! SPC rules and always will!

Damn...that's a great shame to hear that COLD is now on indefinate hiatus. But considering how difficult it is to keep a comic going on schedule, it's not all that surprising. And Ohma  has left big shoes to fill...

Very true. Heh, you might say that 'Cold' has been left out in the cold! ...i'm sorry.

Well, since the guy didnt own most of the characters, is amazing he did more than 100 pages...

Anyway, life goes on, who knows? Maybe one of those so called SPC fan made videogames will be finished someday, people are againg writing SPC fanfics, and a few are good. Plus I bet we will have a new audiodrama someday.

Yes, I am ver positive today...

PS: And I wont bug people with the SPC interactive fanfic anymore, I am writing a "kitties on space thing" that somehow resembles SPC

SPC Ownership
SPC fan "ANE" did some top notch research into the ownership of SPC.  (Details http://www.edoropolis.org/forums/index.php?topic=2509.0 ) The main obstacle to getting SPC on DVD is that it's not really clear to most people who owns it.  Tatsunoko Studios in Japan is the original owner, and they still own KNT.  Some Japanese fans have hopes that the 20th anniversary of KNT next year will prompt a Japanese DVD release, but that's all rumor at this point.  Saban leased the rights to the animation for 10 years, with a right to extend for another 10 years.  The first 10 years expired, and it seems the contract was extended for a second 10 years by Fox Family in 2000 since the French DVDs were released after the first 10 years.  Back in the 90s, Saban was the clear owner of the rights to the English and other non-Japanese versions of SPC and they did release some VHS tapes (one in the US/Canada and 2 in England).  But Mr. Saban decided to cash in and sell everything.  Fox ended up with Saban's shows.  But then they went under and that's where the trail became unclear.  ABC Family Worldwide (Owned by Disney) got the old Fox Family shows.

In any case, the second 10 year extension will expire next year.  This will force some action.  If ABC Family lets the contract expire, someone else might get the rights to SPC.  If they renew, they'll need to do something with the show to make it worth while. 
But for the meantime, ABC/Disney is holding SPC. Threaux recently came across a good way to let them know us SPC fans would like a DVD release.  They have a "request a title" page.  You can ask about shows you want to see released on DVD and they will notify you when it becomes available.  http://disney.go.com/disneyvideos/moviefinder/request/requestvideo.html
If a bunch of people start requesting SPC, this might get their attention.

Expresso's 3D Cats
Well known SPC fan artist Expresso has been working on some very impressive 3-D Pizza Cats art.  You can see some samples on YouTube at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHnVu-nWw7E  Speedy Running
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odGxlqMZt6Y  Speedy's Cat's Eye Slash
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSX5a_SAdYU  Work in Progress Vi model
Expresso is multi-talented, and you can see some of his fine (but not SPC related) paintings at his web page http://www.shardonline.com/

Pizza Cats at Furaffinity
Furaffinity is a mostly "furry" art site similar to Deviant Art.  (Furaffinity actually allows all types of art, but with a name like that it's naturally mostly furry).  There has been SPC fan art there since it went online, but unless you knew where to look, finding any was a matter of luck since there was no "search" function.  "FA" now has this, making finding SPC art much easier.  Pages from the old "SPC Cold" comic dominate the search results, but along with that you'll find some familiar and unfamiliar SPC art, ranging from "Great" to "Gah!".
http://www.furaffinity.net/search/  FA membership is free, but you don't need an account to use the search.

Looking for KNT Episodes?
Here's a handy list of KNT episodes available for download
http://hsbsitez.com/files-collection-downloads/1252/Kyattou+Ninden+Teyandee
There's also a list for Eto Rangers
http://hsbsitez.com/files-collection-downloads/414/12+Senshi+Bakuretsu+Eto+Ranger

This Month's Pic
Pururun with her flute by Japanese artist Iikoku.

-Violet

20th anniversary... Creepy...

I hope tatsunoko release the Teyandee DVD's... this series still being so underestimated...

Hey Vi, like many others I'd just like to say a hearty "thank you!" for all your hard work :)

Same here. These newsletters are always full of new info, such as there being two UK VHS releases. Speaking of one of tapes, I have found something about it; I'm just waiting on a response...

Back to Fox Kids, Saban and the rest: I am trying to pull together some kind of timeline/history of all the various companies and who bought what. It's already too large for a post here, but I'll get a summary together for a post in Off-Topic.

There is a very good book called Disney War by James B. Stewart, which covers Disney buying Fox Kids, but mostly covers things to do with Michael Eisner's time there.

Wow.... 20 years...

Saban's SPC Comics
A lot of people didn't even know that Saban released English language SPC comics.  These were part of the "Saban Powerhouse" books, which like everything else Saban did is totally focused on "Power Rangers" with other series just thrown in haphazardly.  The books don't have dates or issue numbers on the cover.  There are only 2 issues of interest to SPC fans, (that I know of) and they are "Powerhouse: Into the Fire" and "Powerhouse: Simple Simon Says" in case you want to try and hunt them down in your local comic shop or on eBay.  Of the 2 SPC comics, one is quite good, and one is quite bad.  Lets talk about the bad one first.  It's in the "Into the Fire" issue.  Hidden in the back of the book behind the usual Power Rangers tripe is a 15 page Pizza Cats comic.  Something that would normally make SPC fans rejoice, if it wasn't done so horribly.  I'm not saying the artists, Penciler Rusty Haller, and Inker Steve George, are bad.  Rusty Haller has drawn many other comics professionally and quite well, but the writers, (Clay and Susan Griffith) probably never even watched the show.  Well, they probably watched one after someone at Saban told them to write a SPC comic.  And the colorist (Graphic Colorworks) should just be ashamed.  The comic is called "Too Much Golf in the Kingdom" which is already a bad start, since Little Tokyo doesn't have a king, it has an emperor (and I am talking SPC here, not KNT).  "Too Much Golf in the Empire", "Too Much Golf in the City" or "Too Much Golf in Little Tokyo" titles that even the lamest fan fic writer who actually watched SPC could come up with would all have been better choices.  In the story, Big Cheese gets Emperor Fred hooked on miniature golf so much the Fred resigns as emperor to become a mini-golf pro.  I'm not going to go into detail about the story, instead I'll be posting the whole thing soon, but here are some of the parts that show that the writers really don't know SPC. 
Fred talks normally.
Vi is the one who calls the Pizza Cats, all Big Al does in the book is make shocked faces.
Speedy is the one who answers the phone, Fran must be on vacation since she never appears.
The Cats are running the shop in their armor rather than their work uniforms. (This is probably the artist's fault actually)
Speedy already has his sword out on one page, then on the next page he's not even wearing it, then he says he has "no time" for his Ginzu and uses a golf putter to fight the giant robot.
And the art, as I said, these aren't bad artists, but they didn't know what they were drawing, made all the worse by colorists who just weren't paying attention.  Most infamous is a panel with Polly colored as Guido.
In the "Simple Simon Says" issue we find the good SPC comic, called "Extra! Extra!".  Written by Robert L. Washington III, who obviously did actually watch the show and appears to be a professional comic writer (he did some work for DC Comics).  Rusty Haller who penciled the "Too Much Golf" comic also did this one, but since the previous comic he had gotten much better at drawing SPC, plus having a new inker, Phyllis Novin, and a new colorist, Imbue Studios, probably helped too.  This comic is written very much like the Americanized TV show, and the new writer, Mr. Washington, knows his stuff.  For example, in the story, the Big Cheese reasons that if Mom Mutt and Junior aren't around to make jokes, the Pizza Parlor wouldn't be able to successfully use their cannon, since the 2 always go together.  This story is 14 pages long and involves a Big Cheese plot to give everyone ice cream headaches.  Once again, I won't go into details, but I will scan and upload this comic as well, since Saban Inc. is gone and the books are long out of print. 
While researching this I managed to locate artist Rusty Haller online and ask him about the comics.  Rusty is a professional comic artist and has worked on a wide variety of books.  He explained that although he is a fan of the show, when he was given the "Too Much Golf" story to draw, he wasn't given any reference material, and a deadline that didn't allow him much time to work.  He had to try to learn to draw the characters by pausing his SPC tapes.  This explains the crude style in the first comic.  By the time he drew "Extra! Extra!" he had more practice and more time to work, which is why the art was so much better. (To the point that I didn't realize the same artist penciled both comics until I started researching this article.)  Rusty also told me there was a third SPC comic called "Princess Pizza Cat" in which Vi forces her "help" upon the cats by joining their team.  I think Saban Powerhouse comics ended before this comic was printed, but I can't say I've looked at every issue, so there is some slim possibility it was printed and we just don't know about it.  I'm sure it would be as good or probably even better than "Extra! Extra!", so let's hope this lost comic turns up someday.
 
This Month's Pic
Otama by Pixiv artist Arruteko
 
Just one article this issue, but it was kind of big.  I'll upload the comics soon, Edoropolis FTP isn't working right now.
-Violet

FTP is working, here are the comics http://www.edoropolis.org/violet/library/sph/ (http://www.edoropolis.org/violet/library/sph/)

The mapomatic is totally rofl.

Princess Vi's walk-in closet  :D

... and Lousey Tippers.  :D  :francine:

It's stuff like this that pushes me to continue writing my story.

Excellent review Vi!! I always felt curious about these comics and I never through to actually read them... Again I debt so much to you...  ;)

I specially loved the old lady hitting Speedy's head...

so... these were made by saban studio, or at least by americans??

Correct

wow, never would've known all this if you didn't tell and showed this violet, thank alot :P
it was only a little strange to see the the emperer talking
(btw, now I also know which comics you used for those mysteric objects  :D)

You're definitely right about the second comic being a big improvement over the first one. Thanks a lot for scanning and sharing these! Very interesting that you were able to get in touch with the artist, too.

Here's a list of some of his works (Powerhouse isn't listed) http://www.comicbookdb.com/creator.php?ID=6899 (http://www.comicbookdb.com/creator.php?ID=6899)

DA Page http://rustytoons.deviantart.com/ (http://rustytoons.deviantart.com/)
FA Page http://www.furaffinity.net/user/aqb52/ (http://www.furaffinity.net/user/aqb52/)

No SPC art currently

Wow Vi, we can always count on you for something special! Thanks for sharing!

Wooow. So I'd first heard about "Too Much Golf" yeeears ago, and had completely forgotten about it since, thinking I'd never get to actually read it. I didn't even know a second one existed!

The golf comic was pretty much what I was expecting, while Extra! Extra! was outright amazing. Clearly written by someone very much in tune with SPC's style of humor, and I loved every bit of it -- Only being let down by the fact that it wasn't longer. Thanks so much for finally making these available, this newsletter totally made my week!

Mechadon: The map is quite laffo, indeed! Did you happen to catch "Speed Racer Memorial Turnpike"?  :D

The Comics. It's the only place where Emperor Fred actually says something that makes sense! Hige hige? *produces bomb, and throws it into the air* BOMBER SHOOT!! *and bomb lands on self* HIGE...! *Bomb explodes* Yep, that deserved a gratuitous self-explosion, Bomberman Style!

Hell yah. That's bad ass.

Extra Extra was great, i really enjoyed that one. all those little details were a nice touch to the comic.

Well, this was nice to see...

SPC at TV.com
TV.com is a web page about...TV.  It has information about most TV shows, and the site's users add to the data, similar to Wiki.  SPC fans have made sure that Samurai Pizza Cats was not left out.  The SPC page is at http://www.tv.com/Samurai+Pizza+Cats/show/5427/summary.html
I think this page could use a little more attention from SPC fans to make it better.  Right now when I visited, it said "Samurai Pizza Cats ranks 2,104 out of the 18,228 shows on TV.com." which is actually pretty good.  But I think if more SPC fans signed up and contributed, this could be an asset for us, and may help bring more attention to the show (which might be helpful in getting some DVDs out).
There's also a KNT page which needs even more attention at http://www.tv.com/kyattou-ninden-teyandee/show/20942/summary.html  But It's to be expected that fewer people on an English web page would know anything about the Japanese series.  I think the KNT page was only recently added by user Angus_Mac.
There's also a SPC entry at the imdb.com (Internet Movie Data Base), however, this site is mostly for movies rather than TV shows.  SPC is at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0122834/
One reviewer at imdb.com complained about how he hated SPC in part because it was "just a blatantly obvious rip-off of the TMNT" which is a common accusation with SPC haters, not helped by the fact Saban actually encouraged this by trying to compare the show to TNMT.  The fact is no one in Japan cared about TNMT and aside from the fondness for pizza and ninja weapons (Gosh, ninja weapons in a Japanese show, that's totally a rip off of TMNT!) the shows don't have much in common.  It's kind of like me saying TMNT is a rip off of X-Men.  Lets see, teenage mutants, a wise leader, fighting super villians, yep, rip off.
 
Play the KNT NES Game Online
Now you can play the Kyattou Ninden Teyandee NES (Super Famicom) game online without downloading anything or buying the game/system (which haven't been produced for years).  Just go to http://nintendo8.com/game/469/cat_ninden_teyandee/ and follow the directions.  The game is all in Japanese, but you should be able to figure out how to play even if you can't read any Japanese.  It's an early 90s game, but still a lot of fun.  Being online, I don't think you can save your game though.
By the way, if you want the real thing, you can by the original (used) Famicom game on Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/Samurai-Pizza-Cats-Nintendo-Entertainment-System/dp/B00260OO5E  I have one in my Pizza Cats collection even though I've never owned a Famicom to play it on.  These also turn up on eBay from time to time, and now days the obsolete Famicom game system can be found used fairly cheap on eBay.  There are also some new made versions for retro gamers, like this http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=210893764&listingid=41091001&dcaid=17902
 
This Month's Pic
Macho looking Yattarou by Tokyo artist Hikarikawarekka from Pixiv.
 
See you next month!
-Vi

The one thing about Nintendo8 is that it's not compatible with the Wii Internet Channel. Then again, the only way that game would EVER make it to the Virtual Console in America would be if the Samurai Pizza Cats themselves were to make it into Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars for Wii!

Am I using this as a plug for the fighting game? To sound like Chris McLean, "Yes. Yes, I am."

But plug aside, I'm a TV.com user, and I was a great submitter, back in the day. Thanks to Youtube, I'm able to submit a few quotes from "Drummin' Up Trouble With a Big Bad Beat!" I just hope the submissions get accepted.

The funny thing is that TMNT is a rip off of Daredevil...

Well, the world, and Hollywood, are all built on ripping off and plagiarism.

Then again, Graffiti Kingdom for PS2 is ALL ABOUT Plagiarism, so to speak! You can create your own characters in that PS2 Game, and play as them! I wonder if I should make the Pizza Cats, even though I'm usually not as accurate with details, as I have never really drawn the Pizza Cats in Full Battle Armor.

Edoropolis' Money
As most of you probably know, Edoroplis (Little Tokyo) is a mix of old and new.  The money seen on the show is the same.  Throughout the series, the local money is seen in the form of Edo era type coins, and more modern looking paper money, most of it bearing the portrait of the Shogun.  The paper money is pretty easy to figure out, since it's based on modern currency, but one difference between Japan and some other countries, like the USA, is the paper money there is reserved for higher denominations.  The smallest bill in Japan is a 1000 yen note (about $10 US), anything smaller than that are made as coins.  A Japanese 100 yen coin is worth about $1US, and you can buy lunch with a 500 yen coin.  Some of Edoropolis' coins are worth more though, the oval shaped gold koban coins are often seen in the show.  These are based on the gold coins of the Edo era, so they really are worth their weight in gold.  Occasionally we see smaller rectangular silver coins, isshu-gin, nishu-gin, gomomme-gin, etc, which are probably the equivalent of the modern Japanese 100 and 500 yen coins, and the round copper mon which have a square hole in them which are the small change.  (A ninja crowbot was built in the shape of one of these)  4000 mon = 1 koban.  In one episode, Yattarou is distracted from battle when he spots a modern Japanese 100 yen coin on the ground.  The coin would be out of place in Edoropolis, but every Japanese watching it would understand what it was.

Bank of Japan Currency Museum http://www.imes.boj.or.jp/cm/english_htmls/feature_gra.htm

Possible New KNT Toy
Felineki discovered a photo of a new line of SD ("Super Deformed": small size caricatures) robot figures.  One of the prototype displays has a KNT logo, but no picture yet to show what exactly the toy is yet.  Since the set of toys is based on robots, the chances are high this will be a Nyangoking toy, but technically, all the characters are mecha, so it could be something else.  One Japanese fan on the 2Chan image board stated, "If they made Pururun and Omitchan with Mipple outfit parts included, I'd pay 20,000 yen. ...No, 30,000!"

http://minipura.blog72.fc2.com/blog-entry-196.html

This Month's Pic
Otama figure photographed by Japanese blogger "Dooy"
http://dooy.cocolog-nifty.com/dooy/2008/10/index.html
-Violet

Very fitting figure for this month's pic, considering the topic of coins.  These details about currency are good to know for future fanfics.

 :francine:: ...and knowing is half the battle.

KNT was a parody of sentai, and others things, and in one smart part, it paroried TNMT, but that was all, it wasnt even a minute of animation. The "Super armors" where introducded by toymakers, so thats where the "SD Gundan look" comes from.There are a lot of cultural references most of us havent noticed in the show till years later after we first saw it, like Takeshi Castle. The "love triangle", could have been inspired in Macross, and a giant robot are common in Super sentai shows.

Edoropolis' Money

And here is yet another thing of why I say KNT/SPC fans should like Goemon, they have many things in common. Both mix "modern Era" with old Edo, both use the game giant gold coins, and Goemon is also suposed to be funny.

If you like the mix of old Edo with modern things, try Watching Saber Marionete J and Edo Rocket.
 

I never stopped to realize that one coin that temporarily distracted Yattarou was inconsistent with what we see elsewhere in the show with regards to Edoropolis' currency. Interesting observation, and a very informative article overall. Cute figure in this issue's photo!

ZOMG cute Francine! <3

Real Pizza Cat Pizza!
Felineki has made another big discovery.  It seems there is not only a real "Pizza Cat" pizza shop, but a whole chain of them.  Not in Japan, but in neighboring South Korea.  I'm not sure how no SPC fans found www.pizzacat.com until now.  Is there any relation to the Pizza Cat shop in the anime?  If there is, probably no one involved would admit to it.  The Pizza Cat chain showed up on the web around 1991, while KNT was still on the air in Japan, but maybe they were around first and helped inspire the show.  Or maybe it's just coincidence? Their logo doesn't resemble the anime, and as far as I know they don't have cannon delivery.  But they do deliver, and the Korean style pizzas seems very similar to Japanese style pizzas.  So if you ever find yourself in Korea, go have some real Pizza Cat Pizza.

Know Your Way Around Little Tokyo
Both Little Tokyo from Samurai Pizza Cats, and Edoropolis from Kyattou Ninden Teyandee are based on real places.  Of course, the city in our show is the same, just called by different names depending on which version of the show you are watching.  "Little Tokyo" is based on the Japanese district of Los Angeles, one of 3 officially recognized "Japantowns" in California. (The others are both called "Japantown", one in San Francisco and another in nearby San Jose.)  Little Tokyo would be familiar to the Saban writers who were also in Los Angeles, and it actually does somewhat resemble the Pizza Cats' version in appearance with its mix of high-rise buildings and Japanese traditional features. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Tokyo,_Los_Angeles,_California
But of course the city was never meant to be Little Tokyo originally.  In the original Japanese KNT version it's "Edoropolis" based on the original name for Tokyo, "Edo", with "-ropolis" as in "Metropolis".  The layout of Edoropolis is loosely based on Tokyo, and a lot of Edoropolis versions of Tokyo districts and landmarks appear in the show.  The palace is based on the real Japanese imperial palace at Edo Castle. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edo_Castle  The original castle tower burned down long ago, but the surrounding walls and moats are still largely intact.  O-Edo Tower is based on the Tokyo Tower which resembles the Eiffel Tower in Paris except for its orange and white paint.  The various districts, such as Neko-Harajuku are based on real Tokyo districts, in this case the trendy Harajuku area.  If you knew your way around Tokyo, you'd be able to find your way around Edoropolis.  According to a 3 part map included with some KNT model kits, the Pizza Cat would be around the Ginza district, between the palace and the harbor.

This Month's Pic
This is an ad for KNT fan artist Yukki Kosuzu's doujin at the summer 2009 Comiket in Toyko.  Comiket is a huge gathering of doujin artists, so big that it fills up a convention center for 3 days, with different artists selling each day.  The guide book is the size of a small phone book, and each artist gets a postage stamp sized ad, which is what this artwork was for.  The box in the corner would have had the table number.  Yukki is a big fan of Karamaru.  Her home page is http://kosuzu.nm.land.to/

I Need Help!
It's becoming harder and harder for me to get a new issue of the Pizza Cats Review out on a monthly basis.  Although I still love SPC, I don't have the kind of free time I used to, plus I've been doing this every month for over 10 years!  It gets to the point where it's hard to come up with ideas.  It's not that there isn't plenty left to write about, but I'm just one bunny, I need some more people to keep the ideas flowing.  Don't think you're a good writer?  That’s what I'm here for.  I can fix your mistakes and improve your articles.  Even if you just have ideas or a question about SPC, that might be enough to help me think of an article.  So pitch in and help keep the newsletter monthly.  If I don't get some help, I may not be able to keep up the monthly schedule.
-Violet

I wish I could help, if I know exacly what to write and...

I know what you mean, me too! I would love to help write stuff!

Hey thanks a lot for all that. This is exactly the kind of info I was hoping for when I posted my new thread. And if you need an idea for an article, I'd like to help. I've had something on the back burner for a whole year now.

If they did that would be too cool for words! ;)

BTW I love this month's pic, nice find

I get a lot of my ideas from reading EE and seeing what people are talking about.
And anyone is welcome to suggest ideas for an article or better yet, write an article.  Just email or PM me.

Real Pizza Cat Pizza!

Well, that was a nice surprise...

Know Your Way Around Little Tokyo

I used to be a fan of old Edo, not anymore, thanks for the info.

This Month's Pic

Is amanzing that they still use KNT to make doujins!

I Need Help!

I wish I could help -_-

PS: This is not the place to ask for acess to the ftp thing so I can upload my gatos samurai page, so I wont do it!

Russell "Rusty" Haller,
artist of the Saban Powerhouse SPC comics (as well as many many other comics) passed away on Sept. 30, 2009 at age 45.  Cause unknown at this time, but a diabetic heart attack is suspected.  Rusty was kind enough to let me interview him about the comics a few months ago.  Rusty would be the only "Official" SPC comics artist, since the Powerhouse comics were licensed by Saban (Not counting "official" KNT artists in Japan like Tenko).  Rusty was well known online for his "Ace and Queenie" online and in the comic book "Furrlough", and his art at online galleries like Deviant Art and Fur Affinity.
 
Recent KNT Fan Activity
What are our counterparts in Japan doing these days?  Although not as organized as the "western" fans, Japanese fans are very dedicated and produce amazing fan works such as doujin (fan-made books) and model kits.  KNT doujin have been published as recently as a few months ago at the summer Comiket (doujin convention in Tokyo).  Of course the big news for KNT fans in Japan right now is the new KNT toy, even though we still don't know exactly what that toy will be yet.  There's also much talk among Japanese fans of a possible DVD release next year, which will be KNT's 20th anniversary.  Some are seeing the new toy release as a sign Tatsunoko is interested in doing something with the series.  But so far there's no official word on this.  Premium KNT toys are bringing in higher prices since collectors who get them rarely sell them, making popular toys, such as the action figures of Yattarou, Pururun and Sukashii, even rarer than before.  Next year's 20th anniversary will likely inspire a few new doujin from the more dedicated (and these days, older,) KNT fans, as was the case during the 10 year anniversary.
 
French Anime Shop with SPC Toys
French SPC fans have been fortunate.  First they had DVDs released, and now they have a source for rare Pizza Cats toys!  Vitrine Du Sud (http://www.vitrinedusud.com/) has many anime collectibles, including a few Japanese KNT toys.  French SPC fan "CollectorFu" says the shop will deliver internationally, but some knowledge of the French language would probably be helpful.  The Pizza Cats items can be seen at http://www.vitrinedusud.com/gal___samurai_pizza_cats_2512.htm .  The prices seem higher than what these items would sell for in Japan, but this option might be easier for some people.
 
This Month's Pic
A tribute to KNT by Japanese artist Hamo-san
 
-Violet

I think that would be great - watch KNT in DVD quality (720x576) with original Japanese audio.

Sorry to hear about Rusty. Condolences to his friends and family. I've been doing plenty of looking for news regarding that new toy, but that one photo showing the logo at that display seems to be the only thing so far. As far as plans for a KNT DVD release: when all 54 episodes of KNT were deleted from Nicovideo back in May of last year, it was apparently due to action taken by the show's rights holders. Although we can't really know whether or not this is an indication of any plans for an official release.

2009 is killing everybody. :C


Huh? What was this?

Huh? What was this?
[/quote]

Nicovideo was basically an all Japanese version of Youtube , and as gathered had all the KNT episodes up there for watching. I really do hope the removal of them does indicate they have plans for KNT :0

Suppose that on Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, Yatter02 turns out to really be Yattaro (Speedy Cerviche), and NOT Yatterman-2? Maybe Tatsunoko might actually make that a reality, and in turn, it would create a massive explosion of joy as fans all over the world celebrate the return of the Samurai Pizza Cats!

Your optimism intrigues me. But yes, that would definitely be a pleasant surprise, though unlikely. Eh, I've been horribly wrong before...

The first sign of a revival in Japan are toys in Ufo catchers, something KNT havent had in ages...
 

Can`t wait to read the new issue of SPC Newsletter. By the way, when will it be?

Today, although I came very close to discontinuing the monthly schedule due to lack of help.

KNT Character Designer Tenko's Birthday
Pizza Cats fans from all over the world wished "Teyandee" character designer Tenko a happy birthday on his blog comments on Nov. 8th.  The Japanese language blog has been followed by fans since he usually does a drawing to go with each post, and these sometimes feature KNT characters.  Tenko was a bit surprised to find he had an international following, but he appreciated his fans' birthday comments so much that he did a special picture with Sukashii, Yattaro, Pururun and Nyangoking (And Otama if you look closely) to thank them.  Although KNT was a group project, Tenko created the characters as we know them and is highly respected by KNT fans in Japan and around the world.
http://geocities.yahoo.co.jp/gl/suzukitenko/view/20091109
 
20th Anniversary Approaching
Many Pizza Cats fans are aware that next year will be the 20th anniversary of Kyattou Ninden Teyandee's first broadcast in 1990.  What does 2010 hold in store for Pizza Cats fans?  There are rumors of course; DVDs, an unknown toy-  New doujin books are likely in Japan. Old contracts that covered the release of Samurai Pizza Cats outside of Japan will expire, which could either open or close opportunities for the show. But I think instead of asking "What will happen?" we should be asking "What can I do to commemorate this occasion?"  This is the time to get off our tails and do something special!  2010 isn't a year away anymore, it's less than 2 months away!  If you have something planned, it's not too early to get started.  If you don't have anything planned, maybe you should.
 
SPC DS Demo
by Cabbage
Anyway, was bored today so I installed devkitpro and palib. I haven't done much DS programming before, but I thought it would be fun to have a little SPC-themed demo to store on my DS flash cartridge. So, I grabbed Yattarou's walking animation from the KNT famicom game and some cool fan art from my collection, and put together a little demo.  I decided the demo needed more, and I like Yattarou's run animation, so I added run,jump (B,A buttons respectively).  It's not really even worth downloading if you don't have a flash cart (just look at the picture, you'll understand). It should work in emulators and on the real hardware.
Follow this link to download or look at the screenshot: http://squarenipple.com/cabbage/ds.php
Or if you don't want to visit my site, here's a direct link to the .rar: http://squarenipple.com/cabbage/ds/spc-ds-cabbage-v0a.rar
It was really easy to make... I hope this will inspire some people to look into making some more pizza cats software  Speedy Wink
Let me know what you think!
 
This Month's Pic
It's Sukashii by "Tery Brand", a Japanese artist who's un-Japanese sounding nickname comes from the term "Mystery Brand".  http://ip.tosp.co.jp/i.asp?I=tery_brand
 
-Violet

Heh...maybe I should draw something for the 20th anniversary. Since I have the 3 weeks surrounding New Years off, I should have plenty of time to do something big. Better start brainstorming!  =]

20th anniversary... wow. Hard to believe it's been that long.

And on Tenko's birthday, I wish I could have done something for him. He's been so nice to all us fans, I love that he does so much KNT fanart. :-*

yeah, he actually should deserve a reward for that

Its a bit sad my site, who was one of the few spanish SPC sites for ages, will STILL  be death when the 20th KNT Anniversary  comes...

-_-

But well, no one likes a site with many pop ups and adds that get stuck in the pages and ruin the site look...

Maybe I could do something lame, like an animated gif... who knows?

Gotta draw Francine... 20 years! Gotta draw Francine... 20 years! Tenko is king. So is everyone here, especially Violet... maybe not tgl and me though... gotta draw Francine... 20 years!

Swimsuit edition, pretty please?

Haha...maybe that should be my project. The entire female cast at the beach...

Er, no, I don't do swimsuits... sorry. Heck, you'll be lucky if it even looks close to the regular version.

Bad News: I'm discontinuing the monthly newsletter.  When I started it, I figured fans would write articles and I'd just edit them, put the newsletter together, do a short article of my own now and then, and send them out.  But the way it really worked is I ended up doing the whole thing myself most of the time (with a few exceptions, and I've very grateful to the few people who did help!).  After well over 10 years of this, it's hard for me to come up with articles anymore.  It's not that there's nothing left, but I just have one brain so I tend to keep thinking about the same stuff and then I remember "I wrote that already".  There is still plenty of SPC/KNT news, but the boards here have all that.  There wasn't anything like this when I started the newsletter.  It's sort of like the effect the internet has had on newspapers.  Most of the articles I've done in the last few years were based on information I got here.

Good News: I'll still do the newsletter, but I'm getting rid of the monthly deadline.  I have enough stress in my life without setting deadlines for myself.  Being a fan is supposed to be fun, not work.  When I have 3 or 4 articles ready, that's when I'll send it and post it here.  I'm by no means any less of a Pizza Cats fan, times have changed, not me.  I don't have the free time I used to, but I'd like to use more of what I do have updating my neglected web page, especially for the 2010 KNT anniversary.  I'll also have more time to spend here on EE and maybe chatting with my friends.  I have other projects too, like editing translated manga pages and maybe even doing some more translating.

Do as you think it will be right and continue working on newsletter.

About the articles:
Are there any criterias for them to be used in a newsletter? (except KNT/SPC-relation and being unique in someway)

And can you please add a link to 1-99 newsletter issues in the first post?

If it's pizza cats related somehow, then I can use it.  As editor, I'll fix any problems with it before I use it.


Um, no.  Not anytime soon anyway; most of them only exist in email form and txt/doc files on my hard drive.

It's really hard to make a monthly newsletter about a cartoon that ended almost 20 years ago... You did a really good job and you have my admiration for you dedication Vi... I must admit that I get surprised with every new issue that you write since I don't know how you find material for do it...

Isn't fair that yo be the only one doing this kind of job... I'd love to write an article but I don't have idea of what to write... I never finished my KNT fanfics due to my lack of time and I have other projects that also are in a perpetual stand by...

We are lucky for have Teyande (The user) with us, I hadn't seen so much excitement about KNT since lots of years ago...

It's not very critical that you keep an exact deadline; I'd prefer that you not worry about it, and give us some updates when there is an appropriate amount of news to report.

You should be applauded for keeping it up for as long as you have, and I don't think anyone here would dare question your devotion to SPC fandom.

Don't worry. If there's ever any hope involving Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, we might see some more news worth posting, and it might spark some more stuff.

Blackcat, since this has nothing to do with the newsletter, why don't you start your own thread for it?

:speedy: :guido: :polly:: Ii nyuusu da ne!

We have a good news to share with the KNT fans.

We now have a translations for all KNT songs!
More details here: http://www.edoropolis.org/forums/index.php?topic=1610.msg41214#msg41214