OFFICIAL SPC and KNT Boxsets to be released by Discotek Media!

[Violet]

There will probably be a Spanish version someday after the English version is done.

[cuchulain]

Violet is probably right; I know that often language tracks are held back to prevent importing into markets where a license could be sold.  If there is any interest from a Spanish company, they probably don't want to hand those tracks over to Discotek.  That's actually why some Anime DVDs and Blu-rays take so long to come out, they are afraid that with the Japanese vocal track on the U.S. release, fans will reverse import them.

[RaginRonic]

Hello.

I'm counting this as my 1st post here, and decided to compile a list of what I believe will be the episode order on the Legendary Ninja Cats and Samurai Pizza Cats DVD boxsets.

With both sets containing 8 discs a piece, I did my episodes-per-disc number listing under the following formulas.

With the LNC set, I gave the discs a 7-7-7-6-7-7-7-6 episode numbering matrix, while with the SPC set, I gave that one a 7-6-7-6-7-6-7-6 episode numbering matrix. That is assuming that Discotek Media will keep a balanced numbering scheme for both the 1st half and 2nd half for each set, which I believe they will. The episode orders for LNC and SPC are also different, depending on each set. I used the Pizza Cats episode listing page at Wikipedia as my reference page.

In the LNC list below, the SPC English dub episode title is in brackets, to allow for easier reference. The SPC listing does contain a repeat episode listing, but only for the sake of completion.

(n/a is only used in the LNC section, where it means that no English dub for that particular episode was made)

Speculated LNC Episode Order

Disc 1

1-Secret Ninja Group, Nyankii Dispatch!(Stop Dragon My Cat Around!)
2-The Town is full of Sushi! Panic!(If You Knew Sushi Like I Know Sushi)
3-Dig Dig a Hole and Dig More!?(Underground, Underwater, Undercooked)
4-Have a Worry? A Card will solve it!(The Great Golden Cluck)
5-An Idol is Born? Sweet Trap of the Entertainment World(Singing Samurai Sensation!)
6-Exploration! Amusement Park for a Tomboy Princess(Let the Cellar Beware)
7-Karamaru Becomes a Hero?(The Nuclear Potato)

Disc 2

1-Is it Dreadful? Koon no Kami's Se-cr-et(Kind of a Drag)
2-The Princess is Excited! Everyone is worried!(Double Trouble for Princess Vi)
3-Teyandee! This is Nyankii(n/a)
4-Father of the Bullied Child is a Gifted Scientist?!(Hot and Cold Kitties)
5-Unusual play, wonderful play! The Weakness of Nyankii!(Candid Kitties)
6-Nyankii Defeat? The Dark 4 Ninja Appear!(Part 1)(The Pizza Cats Are Only Human(Part 1))
7-Reversion! Nyankii Fly Through the Air(Part 2)(The Pizza Cats Are Only Human(Part 2))

Disc 3

1-Wish! Koon no Kami Wants to be Popular(Those Transformin' Felines)
2-A Lie! The Shogun is an Imposter!?(The Case of the Bogus Billionaire)
3-Where? The Professor Disappeared(Big Cheese's IQ Corral)
4-Courtship, Courtship A Baseball Challenge(Field of Screwballs)
5-Double Date It is Full of Danger(Speedy's Double Time Trick)
6-Eh!? Pururun's Debutante Declaration(Samurai Charm School)
7-Boom-boom A Tanuki Makes a Fuss!(Drummin' Up Trouble with a Big Bad Beat)

Disc 4

1-A Crow with Pizza, Limited Express Delivery?(Pizza Bird Delivers)
2-Crash! Who is the Star of the Movie?(Big Cheese Shows His Filmy Substance)
3-Strange? Koon no Kami has a Child!?(Son of Big Cheese)
4-Cute? Yattaro Turns into a Girl(Gender Bender Butterflies!)
5-A Big Adventure! Search for the Zekko Bird(Cold and Crabby in Little Tokyo)
6-Unpleasant! We are Banished to an Island?(The Terror of Prisoner Island)

Disc 5

1-Is it so? The Nyankii are Disbanded?!(Pizza Cat Performance Review)
2-Exposed!? Nyankii's True Character(Destructo Robots at Popular Prices)
3-Legendary Idol? Sukashi Dispatched(No Talent Guido)
4-Karamaru in Pain! A Ninja's Love(All You Need is Love)
5-Pururun's Flute has a Story(Polly's Magical Flute)
6-Mysterious?! A Friend from the Stars!(Close Encounters of the Pig Kind)
7-A Plan for Certain Victory! The Karakara Clan is Strong(Big Cheese's High Definition TV)

Disc 6

1-Sagase! Nekkii Disappeared at the Lake(Pizza Delivery of Doom!)
2-Youth Burn with Passion! Also, the Professor returns.(Youth Is for Exploding)
3-Really!? Yattaro Dies at Sundown(Part 1)(Bad Bird Uncaged(Part 1))
4-Defeat Karamaru! Tears, Tears of a Big Revival(Part 2)(Bad Bird Uncaged(Part 2))
5-Hello! Yattaro Flies to Another Country(A Mission in Manhattan)
6-UFO!? Nyankii vs Aliens(Unidentified Flying Oddballs)
7-Touching! Mother Returns Home(Princess Vi's Hippy-Dippy Mom)

Disc 7

1-A Big, Confusing Fight at the Spa?(A Wet and Wild Weekend!)
2-Everyone is Coming! A Contest to decide Who is #1 in the Land(Kung Fu Kitty Kontest)
3-Pinch! The Masamasa is Stolen(Gone with the Ginzu)
4-Disappointment! The Misery of Koon no Kami(A Little Bit 'O Luck)
5-Nyankii are Stuck in Time(Samurai Savings Time)
6-They Appeared! Imitation Nyankii(Phoney Baloney Cat)
7-Nyankii Santas Fly Through the Air(The Cheese Who Stole Christmas)

Disc 8

1-Tired Yattaro is Banished to an Island(Emperor Fred Does Hard Time)
2-Gennarisai's "WAHAHA" Big Plan!(Quake, Rattle, and Roll)
3-Frightening! Koon no Kami's Big Research(n/a)
4-Koon no Kami's Biggest Operation Ever!(Part 1)(The Big Comet Caper(Part 1))
5-Tomorrow will be Absolutely Beautiful!(Part 2)(The Big Comet Caper(Part 2))
6-Nyankii is Forever!(The Cats Cop Cartoon Careers)

Speculated SPC Episode Order

Disc 1

1-Stop Dragon My Cat Around!
2-If You Knew Sushi Like I Know Sushi
3-Underground, Underwater, Undercooked
4-The Great Golden Cluck
5-Let the Cellar Beware
6-Singing Samurai Sensation!
7-The Nuclear Potato

Disc 2

1-Kind of a Drag
2-Double Trouble for Princess Vi
3-Hot and Cold Kitties
4-Candid Kitties
5-The Pizza Cats Are Only Human(Part 1)
6-The Pizza Cats Are Only Human(Part 2)

Disc 3

1-Those Transformin' Felines
2-The Case of the Bogus Billionaire
3-Big Cheese's IQ Corral
4-Field of Screwballs
5-Speedy's Double Time Trick
6-Samurai Charm School
7-Drummin' Up Trouble with a Big Bad Beat

Disc 4

1-Pizza Bird Delivers
2-Big Cheese Shows His Filmy Substance
3-Son of Big Cheese
4-Gender Bender Butterflies!
5-Pizza Cat Performance Review
6-Cold and Crabby in Little Tokyo

Disc 5

1-The Terror of Prisoner Island
2-Destructo Robots at Popular Prices
3-No Talent Guido
4-All You Need is Love
5-Polly's Magical Flute
6-Close Encounters of the Pig Kind
7-Big Cheese's High Definition TV

Disc 6

1-Pizza Delivery of Doom!
2-Youth Is for Exploding
3-Bad Bird Uncaged(Part 1)
4-Bad Bird Uncaged(Part 2)
5-A Mission in Manhattan
6-Unidentified Flying Oddballs

Disc 7

1-Princess Vi's Hippy-Dippy Mom
2-A Wet and Wild Weekend
3-Kung Fu Kitty Kontest
4-Gone with the Ginzu
5-A Little Bit 'O Luck
6-Samurai Savings Time
7-Phoney Baloney Cat

Disc 8

1-The Cheese Who Stole Christmas
2-Emperor Fred Does Hard Time
3-Quake, Rattle, and Roll
4-The Big Comet Caper(Part 1)
5-The Big Comet Caper(Part 2)
6-The Cats Cop Cartoon Careers

And there you have it. =)

[PizzaCatFan]

I see you finally got access to the forums, Ronic.  Welcome aboard.  =^_^=

That's a running order I can see happening.  The Digimon Season 1 collection I picked up over the Christmas break, and I have it sitting by me right now, is also 54 episodes like KNT (or LNC, as Discotek is calling it..but I'll cite it as KNT henceforth).  The thing of it is, they didn't quite evenly spread the episode count.

Over those 8 discs, it's a 7/7/7/7/7/7/7/5 matrix, the last disc bearing a pair of image galleries as bonus material.

Series done in 4:3 at 480I like these don't require a whole ton of compression, thus still look good, yet be able to cram a ton of episodes on a single-layer DVD.  Few, if any companies, bother with dual-layer DVD these days thanks to Blu-Ray...they're prone to issues in older DVD players....they freeze for a long period or just crash the player at the layer switch.  All they're good for is data storage.  The video also tends to look like crap, worse than normal DVDs, since it has to read through more information stored on the disc.

For those who grew up with the Spanish dub (I'm guessing this version aired in Mexico and possibly Southern CA), I think that's up to a different distributor altogether, since Discotek only has rights for the Japanese version and Saban's English adaption.  Hopefully someone gets those rights and puts it out there for you folks, and soon.

[KageReneko]

I really hope that, i just love the spanish voices and some of them sound really similar to the japanese voices; Bad Bird doesn't sound like a parrot like the english one, in fact that's the same voice that we had for Shredder from 80's TMNT, Wolverine from X-Men animated Series and Otto From The Simpsons... I mean, I like the english voices although they can be too "cartoony" while the japanese voices are damn serious; the spanish dub is a mid point...

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_Jl6q7FTgg" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_Jl6q7FTgg</a>

Also, Polly has the voice of Kodachi from Ranma 1/2 and Lucille has the voice of frigging Dana Scully!!

[felineki]

The Legendary Ninja Cats set is now up for preorder at RightStuf.com... and cheap, at only $41.99!

[PizzaCatFan]

The Legendary Ninja Cats set is now up for preorder at RightStuf.com... and cheap, at only $41.99!

Discotek lets people order straight from their own site as well.

RightStuf is my go-to anime store.....has been since 1999, back when you got print catalogs the thickness of an old JCPenney or Sears catalog during their prime, so obviously I put trust in them.

Then again, if I ordered direct from Discotek themselves, maybe they get a bigger slice of the pizza in terms of profits, yet I'm not sure how secure their site is (never ordered there before).

What to do...what to do?  *flails arms*  I'll figure something out, but I'm getting my name on that pre-order list, doggone it!

Thanks for the heads-up. 

[cuchulain]

PizzaCatFan, I checked their website, and they allow you to pay via M.O.  You could always just fire off your payment in the mail, and as long as you keep your western union stub, you shouldn't have anything to worry about.  I'll probably just go with Amazon personally, because I hate paypal and they don't accept Google Checkout.

[felineki]

A description has surfaced at ADA Music's website, which gives a glimpse into some of the romanizations and translations that will be used for Legendary Ninja Cats:

Join Yattaro, Skashee, and Pururun at Pizza Cats, the most popular place in Edoropolis. On the surface, they're a trio of goofball delivery cats, but their actual identity is as a Secret Ninja Trio, the Nyankees! broadcast in 1991 and created by legendary studio Tatsunoko Productions (Gatchaman, Speed Racer), Legendary Ninja Cats would become famous around the world in its dubbed form, Samurai Pizza Cats. This boxset presents the show in its original, uncut edition for the first time outside of Japan, featuring the original Japanese audio with English subtitles on all 54 episodes.

[PizzaCatFan]

PizzaCatFan, I checked their website, and they allow you to pay via M.O.  You could always just fire off your payment in the mail, and as long as you keep your western union stub, you shouldn't have anything to worry about.  I'll probably just go with Amazon personally, because I hate paypal and they don't accept Google Checkout.

Whilst I've had no issues with PayPal itself, I definitely understand it's given people major headaches, reading all sorts of gripes about them online, ESPECIALLY when one is dealing with international sellers and just in-general ripoff artists. 

That said, I'm probably going to go through Rightstuf, or wait until Anime Central in May (one of the several vendors with deep DVD / BluRay selections should have it).  I've had 'zero' hangups with them (Rightstuf), and unlike most web-based stores, they started as a print catalog, thus still have people that can be reached by phone should any snags occur in orders, or you need to return defective products.

Thanks. 

[ANE]

Legendary Ninja Cats is now available to pre-order from Amazon.com at $48.97
Still not available yet on the main Discotek site, but it can't be long now.

[felineki]

Latest word from Discotek is that they're hoping for a July release for the SPC set.

[cuchulain]

I just pre-ordered my LNC/KNT set; that really is a great deal for the money.  I remember paying $30 + for anime DVDs in the late 90's/early 2000's.  I'm really grateful to get this series at all, let alone for such a good deal. 

[PizzaCatFan]

Yeah, I think I'm going to be throwing my name into the hat.  I was going to wait until the convention, but I'll have other anime and such I can buy at that time.  Can't really pass this up at that price.

Still aiming for a July release for the English version it sounds like.

[Tigriss]

Skashee

 

Please tell me that isn't really how they're going to romanize it. "Nyankee" I can live with, "Yattaro" is fine, and even if they don't include honorifics (most official subs never do anyway) I can learn to deal with that too. But "Skashee" is just bad. I know I shouldn't complain, I know I had a chance to try to do things my way, but if that's how they're choosing to write it, it really makes me cringe.

[felineki]

It seems like that's what they're going with, as that same description has been showing up on more websites. Tatsunoko themselves can't seem to follow a consistent romanization for his name anyway. "Sukashii", "Sukasy", "Sukacy"... all on officially-licensed products. If we're going to talk translation peeves, I'm a little disappointed that "Teyandee" was completely cut from the title. I can understand why, since it's a bit of obscure Edo-speak that doesn't translate well, but to me "Legendary Ninja Cats" by itself sort of comes off like "Mobile Suit" without "Gundam", or "Neon Genesisi" without "Evangelion"... it's not really the full title. But, since it is the actual title of the product, I suppose there might be marketing concerns and such that apply to it and not to the dialogue contained within, so I'm not going to judge anything too harshly just yet.

[felineki]

On the subject of translation, here's an unexpected development: Apparently Tatsunoko wasn't happy with the "Legendary Ninja Cats" title and had Discotek change it to the directly-romanized Japanese "Kyatto-Ninden Teyandee". With only a little over a month until release, it must have been frustrating to have to modify the cover art, and change the title of the product in catalogs and listings and such everywhere. Also it has been confirmed that the extras present on the Japanese set (textless OP and ED, commercial) will also be included.

[Violet]

"KNT" it remains.

[cuchulain]

I'm really glad they kept the original title, but I do feel bad for Discotek if they now have to change all of the stuff they had already printed.  Just so long as I get my SPC boxset nothing will bum me out at this point!

[PizzaCatFan]

I don't think they've sent the finalized materials over for replication.  This change back over to the 'KNT' title was probably the final thing they had to do.  If that's the case, good call on Tatsunoko's part to catch it 'before' money was wasted on replication, only to have a recall later on, which would only delay release.  A simple graphic/art change is cheaper than having thousands of copies of media printed out and shipped to wholesale/retail.

Clearly Discotek seems to have a good working relationship with its Japanese clients...that is to say, there's good communication there.  They, and us, the fans, win all around that way.

That's more than can be said about some other anime distributors out there, and these guys just stick to niche stuff.

Gah!  The anticipation builds.  I can't wait a day longer.  Why can't the calendar say 'April 21' instead of 'March'.  >_<  The same is gonna happen with the English version's release this summer.

I also looked at the most recent exhibitor list for Anime Central, the convention I am attending this coming May (pending no family or other emergencies occur).  Discotek will be present.  Hopefully they'll have it on hand....I'll just buy it directly from the source in person and thank them.  Probably bow down to the floor.  (Kidding on that last bit.)