Correction
The Game Cartridge page mentioned in the last issue was down or moved after I had already wrote the article. I've uploaded the picture at http://www.edoropolis.org/violet/teyan.jpg

Pizza Cats: The Movie
Many of you may know that Saban released a video of the Pizza Cats in 1991, long before it was shown on TV in most places. It was called "Samurai Pizza Cats: the Movie", but it's actually just the first episode (Stop Dragon My Cat Around), and the last episode (The Great Comet Caper, parts 1 & 2) put together to make one long show. The tape is something a collectable for SPC fans, and like all other Pizza Cats items, is hard to find. It sometimes brings a high price when offered for sale.
However, if you think about it, it just shows how poor Saban's marketing of the show is.
The tape was being sold before the show was on TV.
Would you understand "The Great Comet Caper" if you had only seen "Stop Dragon My Cat Around" before it?
Without the other episodes, how would you know about the time Bad Bird worked at Pizza Cat's, who Guru Lou is, where did the Great Catatonic come from? All of those things come up in GCC, but if you hadn't seen at least some of the other episodes before, you wouldn't know any of that, and GCC wouldn't make much sense. Saban was so hung up on Power Rangers that they didn't even try to do a good job, then probably blamed the show rather than admit that they did a bad job.
The movie does have a few minor things cut from it to make the episodes fit together a bit better, nothing big that you're likely to even notice. I didn't notice anything that was added that you'd miss if you had only seen the TV series.

WinAmp "Skins"

Princess Violet
Japanese name: Usako Tokugawa (Usa=Bunny, short for Usagi=Rabbit +ko, common female name ending. Tokugawa=the family name of the shoguns of Japan during the Edo era), more commonly referred to as "Usa Hime" (Hime=Princess)
English name: Violet, commonly called Princess Vi (A pun on "Princess Di")
Height: 3' 11" not counting ears
Weight: 73lbs
Age: 18 (Vi is the only character who's age is ever mentioned in SPC, she's probably supposed to be younger than that in Cat Ninden Teyande, but her's, nor any other character's ages are ever mentioned.)
Family: Emperor Fred (Father), Empress Fredia (Mother).
Weapons and abilities: Vi doesn't normally fight, but she sometimes uses a Nanginita, a long pole with a blade like a short sword on the end. She's also known to throw tables. It's not for this that many people fear her anger, but her power to have people exiled (or worse).
Vi takes advantage of being in a cartoon by not only listening in on the narrator, but also sometimes on the other character's thinking to themselves!
The princess can also fly, the fancy bows of her kimono contain a small jet pack, which is only ever used in one episode (Princess Vi's Hippy Dippy Mom)
Likes: Carrots, gifts, being the center of attention, baseball star "Fernando Curtainzuela" (even though she's clueless about sports), Bad Bird, adventure
Dislikes: Not having her own show, anyone "Messing with her munchies", sugar in her tea, not getting her way, school work.
Some people wonder if Fred is really Vi's dad, since she's not half panda, but that's just the way it works in most cartoons with animal characters. If two characters of different species or breeds have kids, the girls all look like the mom, and the boys all look like the dad. You can see examples of this in "Lady and the Tramp", "Goof Troop", and other cartoons.
Vi's mother, Fredia, spends most of her time away, spending Fred's money and seeing the world. Fred is, of course, insane. This leave's Violet pretty much in charge, but most affairs of state are left to the council. Vi usually gets her way, but Al Dente does have some control over her as Emp. Fred's advisor and "right-hand-dog". He makes sure she does her schoolwork, and usually keeps her from leaving the palace.
The princess is probably best known for exiling people who displease her. No one is immune from this threat, not even the emperor. Most of these exiles are fortunate enough to be sent to "Prisoner Island", which, unknown to Vi or the citizens of Little Tokyo, is actually a tropic paradise. Those less fortunate may find themselves sent to the small patch of sand known as "Extra's Island" (named for the actors called "extras" who play minor roles, many of which Vi exiled there in "Field of Screwballs"). Or just put on a boat and sent away, such as Fred and Speedy were when Vi sent them on the "slow boat to China". Big Al mentions times Vi has gone into her "Alice in Wonderland" routine ordering "Off with their heads!", so you can see why most people will try to give Vi her way.
The young bunny's romantic attentions usually cause about as much fear as her temper tantrums. Speedy gets very nervous when takes notice of him, and Bad Bird fears Vi's attention even more than Lucille's missiles or Speedy's Ginzu Sword.
Vi's whims can set big things into motion and several episodes involve her activities, such as making a movie, sponsoring a fighting tournament, or even sneaking out disguised with a pair of glasses to see the town.

Pizza Cats "Resin kits" and sculptures
Some fans draw pictures, some write stories, and a few even make small sculptures of their favorite characters.
A resin kit is a type of (usually fan made) model kit. A mold is made from an original sculpture, then a cast is made from a type of resin that hardens like plastic.
You can see some of these kits at this Japanese web page at:
http://www.tokyo-bay.ne.jp/~kou1/sonota_figuer.htm
Resin kits are usually made in small numbers, and are rather expensive even when they are still being made. The best place to find them is at anime conventions.
The actual sculptures are one of a kind. You can see one of Pururun in her swimsuit at:
http://www.geocities.co.jp/Playtown-Dice/6245/gazou/pururun.htm (Thanks, Pzario)
There's also a sculpture of Francine made by Ted Sheppard at the Pizza Cats Fat Art page at:
http://www.pacificnet.net/~iburry/fanart.html

This Month's Picture
Bunny play time!

Bye!
That's it for the April issue. Thanks Tigriss Tsimsiean for helping!
The bunny princess wishes you a happy Easter!
-Violet