Pizza Cats Review Newsletter

[sjonnoh]

wow, never would've known all this if you didn't tell and showed this violet, thank alot
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  )

[felineki]

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.

[Violet]

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

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

No SPC art currently

[blind2d]

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

[D-Mac]

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"? 

[YoshiAngemon]

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!

[Mechadon]

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

Hell yah. That's bad ass.

[sans soul]

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

[Blackcat]

Well, this was nice to see...

[Methid Man]

Rusty Haller drew the comics?! I sorta know that guy... He's a friend of a friend...

-- Sam the Methid Man

[Violet]

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

[YoshiAngemon]

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.

[KageReneko]

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

[YoshiAngemon]

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

[AlienCat]

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

"Plagiarize,
Let no one else's work evade your eyes,
Remember why the good Lord made your eyes,
So don't shade your eyes,
But plagiarize, plagiarize, plagiarize -
Only be sure always to call it please 'research'."

[YoshiAngemon]

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.

[Violet]

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

[Mechadon]

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

 : ...and knowing is half the battle.

[Blackcat]

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.
 

[felineki]

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!