I don't know.  It's a tough call.

For my eyes, SPC as it was, was appealing enough, and as such needs no real changes in design.  I can understand needing to update the look to make it more 'fresh' and 'contemporary' to 2010's aesthetics.  Still I don't know......I mean......part of the show's charm to me was how it looked as it did when I first saw it (a week shy of) 16 years ago.  While then a 1990-91 period anime, it stil looked 'fresh' in 1996-1997.

They (Tatsunoko, or a Western studio willing to keep to the spirit of the original series) should go the "Slayers" route.  By this I mean, when the 'classic' anime, The Slayers, was renewed for a 4th and 5th season (Revolution and Evolution R, respectively) in the late 2000s, the studios for that show's first 3 seasons from the mid/late 90s, basically used new means to draw and animate the show, using its original designs as a template.....that is, digital means instead of traditional hand-colored cels.  And to be frankly honest, I couldn't tell the difference, save for the new seasons were widescreen (instead of 4:3), and the colors were a bit more 'vivid'.....that is, they didn't have that 'warmth' that usually comes with filming animation cels colored by hand.

Voice acting is a whole 'nother beast.  The VAs for the original English version are so burned into my brain, that I don't know how I could accept new VAs if they were required.  I'd certainly try to.

All this said......you just got me dreaming.  A whole new season / series for SPC.  If only.......

I haven't seen the KNT DVDs yet but I think I'm just going to pretend it's like a Suikoden translation (plenty of errors and a segment or two where the game wasn't translated at all).

You'll find a lot of 1990s-era JRPGs were translated 'poorly' (by purists' standards), but they wound up having cheesy lines that have stood the test of time.

It was what it was back then, especially during the 16-bit era, due to limitations in technology and space to place text.  Nowadays there isn't any excuse for it.

I'll admit, there's sometimes I feel we are basically 'fed' various translations of anything from Japan, and it's claimed to be the 'right one' or 'most correct' one.  From fansubs, to 'hacks' of games, to 'official' released media.  I sometimes question what is the 'correct' one?

And no, it's not always the fans who are right, contrary to popular belief, nor is it the official released version (as we have seen with KNT).  Even basic courses in Japanese that are offered at universities, or those 'learn Japanese in 10 minutes' things you can buy for 100s of bucks, don't always get it completely right.  It's mostly about the jokes, puns, and 'what we find funny' (which are mostly culture-dependent), don't translate to other cultures / languages, ditto this for Japanese-to-other cultures/languages.

KNT isn't the only victim....I'm sure they did their best, but it wasn't going to be perfect.  Another anime series, Azumanga Daioh!, was up against a lot of the same trouble.  The end result was fine by some, disliked by others in the fanbase.

======

Tigriss, I could use something to do.  Need a more dedicated member to clean up that Wiki, let me know on the SPC end.  I will throw in what I can.

I've not done too much on the Wikipedia-code side of things, but it can't be that hard.

I am almost positive I have my DVDs in my mailbox right now. I also have a missing mailbox key.
And a postal service that's 10 day behind on giving me a new mailbox key.

This is cruel and unusual punishment.

Nothing a little Cat's-Eye Slash can't handle.

Then of course, said DVD set may get destroyed in such a manner.

Oh well. 

Hope you can get that resolved soon.

Yeah, those knives were sold well up into the 1990s, so the ads are quite vivid in my mind.  They spawned TONS of look-alike products in those days. *

SPC is full of little pop-culture quirks like this.  While they are a bit dated these days, they are partly what keeps me coming back for more.

Edit: * .......and they are apparently still sold to this day.

I would be in favor of SPC coming on ThisTV, Antenna TV, or ME TV. I don't know why, because when I buy the DVDs, I'll own it and be able to watch it on my computer or a tv, but I want it to return to TV for those that don't have the DVDs.

And heck, as a fan of the series that got into it a bit late, I'd like to see it return just for that reason.

Call me a sucker for nostalgia.  It's too bad that their 'kids blocks' run too early.

This is the nice thing about the DVD sets.  I can watch RIGHT at the time I remember.    For commercials, just hit up Youtube.

It all works out.

I'm only familiar with U.S. TV networks so bear with me.  For those outside, just use your equivalents if you have any.

In my dreamy world though, If SPC goes anywhere, it should probably be on either a broadcast digital sub-channel (MeTV, ThisTV, etc), or on The Hub.

It wouldn't work on broadcast channels like CW's block anymore, or mainstream cable networks like CN or Nicktoons.  Both want flashy, newer material to run.  Yeah, Digimon (S1) Adventure is running on Nicktoons, but that's a bit more recent vintage (1999-2000), and Digimon is still fairly relevant.

Who knows though?  Personally, I think it should go on a digital broadcast sub-channel, The Hub, and on a streaming site like Hulu.  You'll reach the newbies who've been watching it via YouTube with Hulu and other streaming sites much faster than TV.

In all likelyhood, I don't think it'll return to TV anytime soon.  Would be nice to see though, if just for nostalgic reasons, and despite now owning it.  I've always thought, with the way things are in the world nowadays, I don't think some of the episodes that aired back in 1996-1997 would be fit to air these days.  The 2010s is a far different beast in terms of society and culture (we're far more PC than ever before in other words) than the mid/late 1990s.

It may fly better in other countries though.

You're welcome, Tigriss.  Good to hear you also got your replacement KNT disc.  I just got my SPC set almost 2 weeks ago, but in the meanwhile (while waiting for it), I soaked up the entire KNT set like a sponge, especially after getting my replacement for the 2nd DVD.  The show, while still being funny and full of action, it does have a different vibe to it.  I can't put my finger on it....it may be due to its more easier pace and the fact that not all scenes have some BGM playing behind it (like in SPC), which gives it an entirely different mood.

I digress.  Enjoy that art/fan book.

+1 for video evidence. 

I got mine a week ago, and the official release was yesterday.

Newbie?  No way.  I've been an SPC fan since 1996...even though it was just on its 2nd episode, and it would take me a few months (Jan' 1997) to find it again and watch its entire run.  I too, thought I was probably the biggest and only fan until I got access to the Internet.

I remember being obsessed with SPC to the point some probably would find me insane.  While I'm more tame now with being older, the inner fanboy still rages on.  I definitely felt it when finally holding that DVD set in my hands a few days ago.

I'm not sure what other things Andy has done, save for the pilot episode of COPS (which I have on DVD via that show's 20th Anniversary release, on which it was contained), but we do have him to thank for SPC.  It was all up to him after Saban pitched the project his way.

You definitely sound like a die-hard fanatic.  Nothing wrong with that at all either.  I don't have nearly as much....I just have my own self-drawn fanart, the one video of recorded eps, and now to that, the two box sets (KNT and SPC) and that KNT/SPC fanbook.  Yet my enthusiasm hasn't and probably won't die out for my (and everyone else's) favorite feline heroes.  =^_^=

No, definitely keep the stuff that took a lot of hard work to obtain, Violet.  The ads and such you have on your videotapes and files are of some historical/nostalgic value, even if we now have clean, clear English episodes to watch.

I was just aiming my little review at this DVD set in terms of those who may be a bit newer to the series.  Those of us who've been into this for years (since the late 1990s speaking for myself)...it all goes without saying.

I'm still hanging onto my video of recorded-off-TV episodes.  Drew up my own cover art for that since I had some spare clamshell cases lying around back then.

[Edit/Addition:]

Likewise...I'll get some sort of little review up here when I've had more time with it.  I just got my set in today.

This was many years in the making, that's for sure.  The pleading, the e-mails, the petitions...not sure what those did in the efforts, but it probably just came down to patience, a resurgence in the wanting of current and past generations to see '90s-era material (nostalgia is a strong selling point), and a company who listens to the fanbase of niche entertainment media (which SPC and anime in general, are in the grand scope), to get all the pieces in place for this to happen.

Let's enjoy it to the fullest.  

======

Edit/Addition:

I had a little time to poke around the first episode in whole.  Since we know the show already, I'd prefer to put the episode reviews board to use for episode-by-episode things.  This review is more for those who are tech-geek and have a somewhat decent A/V setup.

Video Quality: As Violet pointed out, this is a 1990-1991'era anime....about on par with the KNT set, if just a slight bit less-sharp.  These are obviously 1st-gen masters straight from Saban, as they carry the 'Saban International' logo at the end (When aired in the U.S. in 1996, their new-at-the-time trademark / logo was put into use).  This is a good thing that they went back to find the cleanest masters possible.*  No ad-bumpers, no previews after the first couple dozen episodes, no 'remastered / horribly upscaled/cropped for HD' hoopla....this is exactly as you remember it back in (1992 in Canada) 1996-1997.  Just without the snow or noise you would have seen like myself stuck watching it on the UHF side of the dial.

( * = I still have faith that these 'were' the best possible masters that could be found, as I have since went straight to the twelve episodes that were never aired in SPC's  U.S. airing.  Again, most of the episodes (the 40 we did get) look about on par with the KNT set, but there are at least two on which I did a little A/B comparison.....first with component / HDMI on my TV (SPC only, then SPC/KNT), and then against the KNT set using my PC's two optical drives....did this with a few episodes, aired and un-aired.  Sure enough, "Gender Bender Butterflies!" and "Gone With the Ginzu" are sourced otherwise compared to other episodes... PAL-to-NTSC digital conversion or some videotape source.  Colors are over-saturated (sometimes bleedingly so), a bit TOO warm, and the animation blurs up more.  Reminds me of how anime used to be sourced in DVD's infancy, and it was almost always from a videotape source.

HDMI only seemed to improve this marginally...if at all.  Bears repeating that they still look cleaner/clearer than what we've had for years, but I felt this had to be pointed out for those with good A/V setups.  They may look better on a CRT TV, but I have none to test on. )  While it will probably disappoint those with the highest-end setups, there's only so much that can be done with animation that's 20+ years old.

Audio: Crank up those volume knobs, and turn on the auto-volume level settings if you have them.  This is probably the only weakness, if just a very minor one.  In retrospect, I'd consider when it was recorded....basically in a time where audio wasn't compressed and you were blasted from here to Mars with ear-deafening volumes.  Saying that, it becomes really just a minor quibble.  Just take care when switching back to another source that is louder, be it the game console, satellite/cable box, etc.

Understandably it's mixed down in mono (the cover says 2.0 sound, but it's 1.0), seeing as all the sound effects (MANY holdovers from KNT in here) were mono elements originally, so Saban just put the whole thing (SFX, music, voices) to one-channel, just as KNT is.  Then again, this is a moot thing as most syndication / independent channels back in the 1990s were still in mono until they were turned over to the MY (UPN) and CW (WB) Networks.  You're hearing SPC just as you did in the 90s....sounding the same through one or two speakers.

Packaging / Overall Presentation: I'll be first to admit, when I first saw the cover art on Discotek's Facebook posts for SPC/KNT, I was indifferent, but it's since grown on me.  I like how each of the discs, ie: Disc #, Episodes: # - # and the "One Special Express Delivery....." spiel carries over the show title's font style.  Colorful and crazy, as the show is.  Menus are just like KNT, just done in the SPC setup, and that memorable theme song plays while choosing which episode to start with.

While there are no extras (a shame, but understandable), for those like me in the U.S., the 12 'skipped episodes' are a HUGE extra.  We can finally kiss those less-than-average RealVideo rips that have been floating around on YouTube and other various sites (SPC fansite and non-fansite alike) 'Sayonara'.  To have those alone, in the clear for the first time are worth the cost of the set alone.  Those episodes aside (which are going to give us U.S. fans all the more zany one-liners to turn into the latest Internet memes), for someone like me who hasn't seen SPC since its original airing in 1996-1997, the various jokes, puns, culture references (albeit showing their age by now), still coax out the chuckles.  At least for me they did with the first episode alone......and I got 51 to go yet.

Overall, this is about as solid of a presentation of SPC as I was expecting, all points considered.  While Discotek or Saban could have nudged that 'master volume' slider up a couple notches and given us long-time fans a little something to bite into in the extras department, I'm going to give them a 9/10 for this one.

Now go order your favorite pizza, have some ice cold beverage on the side, and enjoy.

(Edit 2: Had to further comment on video, having gone deeper into this set.)

I've never seen SPC in anything but grainy quality, even when it aired originally, so this is very good news to read.

I still await my copy's arrival, but that's okay, as I won't be 'not-so-busy' until early the coming week anyways when I'll have time to check it out myself.

Perhaps it is the sometimes haphazard subtitle job, but even in more recent stuff like Azumanga Daioh (which is about as rife with Japanese jokes / puns as KNT is), things just get plain lost in translation.

At least the various 'funny' bits are easier to understand than with most other anime I've watched, but that may be because I came into knowing about KNT via SPC,  If I ever were in question about certain things, that's what the Internet is for.

English (especially American) humor is more slapstick and 'gross out' for its comedy, whereas the UK is more about dry / sarcastic humor.  Japan seems to be more about visual cues and puns that only they can understand, and are basically lost on the rest of the world.

It's definitely one of the toughest genres of anime to translate from what I've seen, based on both dubs and subtitle tracks.

I got KNT as a curiosity, and as sort of a 'thanks' for them getting SPC.  I've watched all 54 episodes...at least I think so (been watching the show out of order), and while it is interesting, I too didn't quite get that feeling....the one that I had when I first discovered SPC all those years back.  KNT at times took itself too seriously.  That's Japan for ya though......even in their anime aimed more at children (such as KNT was), they like going over-the-top with seriousness.  It gets worse the older you get into the demographics.

Frankly, I'm glad Saban couldn't find the scripts, and literally ad-libbed and played along to the animation, making it all up as they went.

One more thing I realized.....Saban was actually fairly good with SPC, keeping most of KNT's animated content intact.  All they edited out were scenes that contained Japanese text that couldn't easily be inked out or explained away, and in place of the opening sequence that's the same for each episode (between the OP and the title card), they gave us the 'Fanclub Oath' that precedes the end credits.

I can't wait to see the 12 unaired (in the US, if only due to material that, at the time (1996) was deemed 'inappropriate' for kids.....this would have been little to no issue if we had the TV rating system that would get enacted a couple years after SPC left the air) episodes in the same quality that I've seen the rest of SPC, and now KNT in.

I ordered from Right Stuf (for KNT) and Discotek directly (for SPC).  I would have taken up SPC with Right Stuf, but 1: I'm anxious / excited for SPC....couldn't wait til the street date.  2: In case there's disc issues like what happened with KNT *

* = Doubt you got KNT Speedy, but just for the record....  They sold out of the first (defective) run.  The second and future printings of KNT will have the corrected 2nd DVD.  Episode 9 had a big subtitle track issue explained earlier in the thread.  This has since been corrected.

Yep, got mine this past Saturday.  Checked the episode in question, and all is well now.

It's good to see the folks 'down under' are getting SPC as well.  The more, the merrier I say.  ^^

I hear you on that, Felineki.  Even so, I'm glad we even got anything after 20+ years.  While yes, most of the line art is out there in digital form, you pointed out some of the details that didn't make the final designs that we're familiar with, either in the anime or in digitized form.

The line art section.  Those at times (as I have in other artbooks I own) can be a treasure trove of unused outfits, body design (pre-production sketches and such), and facial expressions.  Kind of like what we see with Tenko's blog entries.  Those are more in the raw / manga style, whereas and like with most other anime, the final character design is often a cleaned up and stylized look, to give it a 'shiny and fluid' look when put to animation...more appealing to the eyes so to speak.