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Kyatto Ninden Teyandee

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Kyatto Ninden Teyandee
Cover art for the DVD box set by Discotek Media, showing Yattaro, Pururun and Sukashii
キャッ党忍伝てやんでえ
(Kyatto Ninden Teyandē[1])
GenreComedy
Action-adventure
Created byGō Mihara
Anime television series
Directed byKunitoshi Okajima[2]
Produced byIppei Kuri (Executive)
Hirotoshi Ōkura (Assistant)
Mitsuo Shimizu
Masakatsu Kozuru
Motoki Ueda
Written byMayori Sekijima
Satoru Akahori
Music byKenji Kawai
StudioTatsunoko Production
Licensed by
Original networkTXN (TV Tokyo)
Original run February 1, 1990 – February 12, 1991
Episodes54 (List of episodes)
Video game
DeveloperTecmo
PublisherTecmo
GenreAction-platform
PlatformFamily Computer
ReleasedJuly 19, 1991

Kyatto Ninden Teyandee (キャッ党忍伝てやんでえ, Kyattō Ninden Teyandē, lit. "Cat Ninja Legend Teyandee" or "Legendary Ninja Cats" according to the Crunchyroll release) is a Japanese anime series produced by Tatsunoko Production and Sotsu Agency.[3] The series originally aired in Japan on TV Tokyo from February 1, 1990, to February 12, 1991, for a total of 54 episodes. Saban picked up the North American rights to the series in 1991, and produced an English version called Samurai Pizza Cats. The creators stated that there was going to be a spin-off series, Kyatto Keisatsu Beranmee (キャッ党警察べらんめえ, Kyattō Keisatsu Beranmē, lit. "Cat Police Beranmee"). The series is known for its cultural humor consisting of Japanese puns, pop culture, and fourth-wall breaking.

Plot

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See also: List of Samurai Pizza Cats episodes

The series is set in Edoropolis (a portmanteau of "Edo" and "metropolis"), a mechanical city that fuses feudal Japanese culture with contemporary culture populated by cybernetic anthropomorphic "animaloids" (or animal androids). The city is notionally led by shōgun Iei-Iei Tokugawa, but as he is a doddering eccentric, the actual leadership is in the hands of his neurotic daughter Tokugawa Usako and a council. The council is headed by the ambitious prime minister Kitsunezuka Koon-no-Kami, a fox who constantly plots to overthrow the Shogun with the help of his trusted advisor Karasu Gennari-sai, and Karamaru, the leader of an army of ninja crows.

Unknown to the prime minister, council member Inuyama Wanko-no-Kami, the commander of the Palace Guard, learns of his designs on leadership, but is unable to prosecute him for treason because of his plausible deniability. Instead, Inuyama enlists the services of Yattarou, Pururun and Sukashii, cat ninja who work in the city's pizzeria, with their operator Otama. Known collectively as the Nyankī (a play on the Japanese word for a cat's meow and the term "Yankee"), they are assigned to stop Koon-no-Kami and his evil henchmen's plans to take over Edoropolis.[2]

Characters

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See also: List of Samurai Pizza Cats characters

English dub

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When Saban licensed the English version, Samurai Pizza Cats, proper translations of and information about the original Japanese episodes were either of poor quality or non-existent. It was decided to write completely original dialogue for the English dub, playing the show as a wacky, Animaniacs-esque comedy in contrast to the less farcical original.[4] Every episode excluding the two clip shows was dubbed into English. Some episodes of the dubbed version were never aired on United States television due to risque humor (at the time) and depictions of homosexuality.

Merchandise

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Video game

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In 1991, Tecmo (now known as Koei Tecmo) published a video game based on the anime for the Family Computer.[5] It was officially released in Japan only but was bootlegged outside Japan as Ninja Cat. Although the game was never officially released in the West, complete English adaptation (characters and places names changed to corresponding ones from Samurai Pizza Cats) are available via a fan-made ROM patch.[6] A standalone handheld LSI game (similar to Nintendo's Game & Watch) was also made.

Players take the role of the three main cats and Otasuke members, who can be switched to at any time and have special abilities to progress through the game. The game features most of the characters in the series as well as an additional villain, a mysterious scientist named Dr. Purple (Dr. パープ) who shows up later on in the game and appears to ally with Koon-no-Kami.

The main characters were intended at one point to appear in the Wii fighting game Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars.[7] The game's producer, Ryota Niitsuma, was quoted in an interview as saying: "One of the main anime we got more requests for than any others was Samurai Pizza Cats... I wanted to see that, but we couldn't reach an agreement."[8]

Soundtrack

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Kyatto Ninden Teyandee: The Cats' First Performance
Compilation album by
Kenji Kawai
ReleasedSeptember 21, 1990[9]
Recorded1990
Genresoundtrack
LabelStarchild Records
ProducerKenji Kawai

A soundtrack CD titled Kyatto Ninden Teyandee: The Cats' First Performance (キャッ党忍伝てやんでえ 猫座第一回公演, Kyattō Ninden Teyandē: Nekoza Dai Ichi Kai Kōen, lit. "Cat Ninja Legend Teyandee: The Cats' First Performance") was released on September 21, 1990.

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."初級おEDO講座番外編" Kenyu Horiuchi1:04
2."おっとどっこい日本晴れ" (Sung by Reina Yazawa)Anju ManaEtsuko Yamakawa2:38
3."秘密忍者隊ニャンキー参上！" Kenji Kawai4:30
4."コーン守と幻ナリ斎のアホ企み" Kenji Kawai3:59
5."初級おEDO講座1　カラス長屋の夜は更けて..." Voice Actors6:52
6."腹がへってもヤッ太郎" Kenji Kawai3:58
7."YASU－けくナイ！" (Sung by Ai Orikasa and Yuki Mizutani (MIPPLE)) Kenji Kawai4:25
8."商売繁盛ピザキャット" Kenji Kawai3:14
9."ざ・らいばる（カラ丸VSニャンキー）" Kenji Kawai4:20
10."初級おEDO講座2　リアリズムへの長き道" Voice Actors2:39
11."メカEDO城危機一髪！ぱふー" Kenji Kawai2:32
12."必殺！猫目スラッシュ" Kenji Kawai3:42
13."一富士二鷹三ナスビ" Kenji Kawai2:36
14."初級おEDO講座3　正しいピザの頼み方の傾向と対策" Voice Actors9:01
15."To　be　Yourself" (Sung by Reina Yazawa)Anju ManaEtsuko Yamakawa3:24
Total length:48:56
Kyatto Ninden Teyandee: The Cats' Final Performance Day
Compilation album by
Kenji Kawai
ReleasedDecember 21, 1990[10]
Recorded1990
Genresoundtrack
Length48:56
LabelStarchild
ProducerKenji Kawai

A second soundtrack CD, Kyatto Ninden Teyandee: The Cats' Final Performance Day (キャッ党忍伝てやんでえ 猫座千秋楽公演, Kyattō Ninden Teyandē: Nekoza Senshūraku Kai Kōen, lit. "Cat Ninja Legend Teyandee: The Cats' Final Performance Day") was released on December 21, 1990.

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."おっとどっこい日本晴れ（ウサ姫Version）" (Sung by Maria Kawamura)Anju ManaEtsuko Yamakawa2:42
2."三日月コネクッション" (Sung by Ai Orikasa and Yuki Mizutani (MIPPLE)) Kenji Kawai2:38
3."てやんでえ　Special　Express" (Sung by Ami Itabashi) Kenji Kawai4:30
4."Black　Fight" (Sung by Koichi Yamadera) Kenji Kawai3:59
5."艶姿メカCat！" (Sung by Jurouta Kosugi) Kenji Kawai6:52
6."Battle　in　Flash" (Sung by Ami Itabashi) Kenji Kawai3:58
7."天下無敵のヤッ太郎" (Sung by Kappei Yamaguchi) Kenji Kawai4:25
8."To　be　Yourself（プルルン　Version）" (Sung by Ai Orikasa)Anju ManaKenji Kawai3:14
9."おっとどっこい日本晴れ（TV　サイズ）" (Sung by Reina Yazawa)Anju ManaKenji Kawai4:20
10."（音楽劇場・其の一）" Kenji Kawai2:39
11."（音楽劇場・其の二）" Kenji Kawai2:32
12."（音楽劇場・其の三）" Kenji Kawai3:42
13."（音楽劇場・其の四）" Kenji Kawai2:36
14."（音楽劇場・其の五）" Kenji Kawai9:01
15."（音楽劇場・其の六）" Kenji Kawai3:24
16."（音楽劇場・其の七）" Kenji Kawai0:56
17."（音楽劇場・其の八）" Kenji Kawai2:59
18."To　be　Yourself（TV　サイズ）" (Sung by Reina Yazawa)Anju Mana 3:11
Total length:48:56

Music

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The incidental music was composed by Kenji Kawai (Ghost in the Shell, Patlabor, Ranma ½, Fate/Stay Night, Mobile Suit Gundam 00). The opening ("A Time for Beautiful Days" (おっとどっこい日本晴れ, Ottodokkoi Nihonbare)) and ending ("To Be Yourself") songs were composed by Etsuko Yamakawa, Takeshi Ike and Anju Mana and sung by Reina Yazawa and Ai Orikasa. Ami Itabashi, the singer of the ending song of the Macross OVAs, sang the insert songs.

Home video release

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Some episodes were released on video in Japan, but a complete release of the show was held up for many years owing to poor sales. It was rumored that the lack of a DVD release was due to the original masters of some episodes being lost, but this proved not to be the case. Starchild Records released the complete series on DVD in Japan on August 8, 2012, as part of a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Tatsunoko Pro.[11] The limited edition set sold well, placing second in the national animation DVD sales charts the week of its release.[12]

In North America, Discotek Media announced on March 12, 2012, that they had licensed the home video rights to the series with plans to release both the original Japanese version with English subtitles and Saban's English dub in separate box sets for each version.[13][14] The Japanese language box set was released on April 30, 2013, while the English dubbed version was released on July 30, 2013.[15]

On May 16, 2016, anime streaming service Crunchyroll began streaming the show under license from Discotek with improved quality subtitles for at least six episodes while the rest used the DVD footage.[16] As of May 23, 2016, all 54 episodes are available for free users.[17]

Toys

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Toys and model kits were released in Japan and Europe by Bandai, the latter usually being reboxed versions of the prior. Action figures were made for the Nyanki and the Otasuke (the Japanese originals came as model kits while the European figures came pre-assembled). There were large and small (Gachapon-sized), rubber-like figures, as well as playsets for the smaller figures, including the Nyago King and the pizza parlor.

Manga

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A tie-in manga by Yoshimi Hamada was serialized in Comic Bom Bom in 1990.[18] A sequel manga that took place after the end of the television series was released in 1994. The manga was made by Tatsuya Souma.[19]

Other appearances

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  • In the 4th episode of the Tatsunoko magical girl parody anime Nurse Witch Komugi-chan R, Komugi Nakahara is at a ninja-themed festival taking a picture of her family behind a standee of the Nyankee. Komugi shouts "Himitsu Ninja Tai" and her family responds "Nyankee".

See also

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References

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  1. ^ キャッ党 忍伝 てやんでえ. Tatsunoko Productions (in Japanese). Tatsunoko Productions. Archived from the original on 2009-07-03. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
  2. ^ a b Clements, Jonathan; McCarthy, Helen (2006). The Anime Encyclopedia. California: Stone Bridge Press. ISBN 1-933330-10-4.
  3. ^ Cats Legend Teyandee Archived 2012-03-20 at the Wayback Machine (dead)
  4. ^ Chipman, Bob. "Found in Translation". Escapist Magazine. The Big Picture. Archived from the original on 24 June 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
  5. ^ "Kyatto Ninden Teyandee (NES)". Gamefaqs.com. 1991-07-19. Archived from the original on 2013-10-22. Retrieved 2013-12-20.
  6. ^ "Samurai Pizza Cats NES game translation patch". Romhacking.net. Archived from the original on 2018-01-01. Retrieved 2013-12-20.
  7. ^ "Tatsunoko vs. Capcom Producer Niitsuma Discusses Characters". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 2012-01-15. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  8. ^ "The Lost Characters of Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom". Kotaku. 22 January 2010. Archived from the original on 20 June 2011. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
  9. ^ "Kyatto Ninden Teyandee: The Cats' First Performance". VGMdb. Archived from the original on 2015-01-02. Retrieved 2015-01-02.
  10. ^ "Kyatto Ninden Teyandee: The Cats' Final Performance Day". VGMdb. Archived from the original on 2015-01-02. Retrieved 2015-01-01.
  11. ^ "キャッ党忍伝てやんでえ". StarChild. Archived from the original on 2014-06-26. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  12. ^ "Japanese Animation DVD Ranking, August 6–12". Archived from the original on 2017-02-14. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  13. ^ "Discotek Licenses Samurai Pizza Cats/Cats Toninden Teyande". Anime News Network. 2012-03-12. Archived from the original on 2012-03-15. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
  14. ^ "Samurai Pizza Cats - Discotek Media Announces DVD Plans for the Classic '91 Series!". tvshowsondvd.com. 2012-03-12. Archived from the original on 2012-03-15. Retrieved 2012-03-15.
  15. ^ "Archive for the 'Discotek News' Category". Discotek Media. Archived from the original on 2017-07-30. Retrieved 2013-01-06.
  16. ^ "Crunchyroll Adds "Kyatto Ninden Teyandee," the Original Basis for "Samurai Pizza Cats"". 16 May 2016. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  17. ^ "Samurai Pizza Cats". 16 May 2016. Archived from the original on 16 September 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  18. ^ はまだ, よしみ. キャッ党忍伝てやんでえ. ASIN 4061766015.
  19. ^ "SPC/KNT Manga | The Kyatto Ninden Teyandee manga. One of the... | Flickr". 15 November 2006.
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