Join Speedy Cerviche, Guido Anchovy, and Polly Esther at Pizza Cats, the most popular place in Little Tokyo. But the pizza take-out joint is merely a front for their true job. A crime fighting secret ninja trio! Led by Big Al Dente, the Pizza Cats are tasked with keeping the scheming Seymour The Big Cheese and his evil Crow Ninjas, Jerry Atric and Bad Bird, from taking over Little Tokyo from the dimwitted Emperor Fred.
Samurai Pizza Cats Review
"Though it aired for just a year, Kunitoshi Okajima's Kyatto-Ninden
Teyandee (AKA Legendary Ninja Cats, 1990–91) made enough of a splash in Japan
to eventually swim across the pond. Retooled as Samurai Pizza Cats for North
American audiences, the original series was re-dubbed by Saban Entertainment
after the translated scripts were found of be of lesser quality.
Kyatto's already-high screwball factor was cranked up even further, characters
were renamed, plenty of pop culture and political references were added, and
nearly a dozen episodes were banned for objectionable content…This doesn't
make one version objectively more enjoyable than the other, of course..Whether
you knew about the original, grew up with the Americanized version or are
entirely new to anime, those with a soft spot fNew Anime Releases for May
or goofy, lighthearted adventure (and cats) should find a welcome
surprise.
What both versions have in common is the basic premise: our heroes are three cute li'l kitties who work in a pizza parlor…and whenever trouble is brewing, they get a “special order” for delivery and blast off to save the day. Their episodic adventures stay above water despite falling into familiar anime territory on several occasions (even by 1990 standards). ADHD editing? Check. Goofy but likable hero with inflated self-esteem? Double check. Swords, shurikens and special moves? Check. Occasional mecha brawls? Check. Over-the-top episode names, such as “The Town is Full of Sushi! Panic!”? You better believe it. But for every recycled cliche and predictable plot resolution along the way, [it] still feels fresh and enjoyable more often than not. The sharp writing and colorful animation brings the town of Edoropolis to life, while an endless assortment of Animaloids (robotic animal creatures, which include our three heroes) are on hand to ensure that the mostly formulaic plots still shift gears on occasion.
Though the stakes are never raised very high---this is a show aimed at younger audiences, after all…there's a high level of consistency here…serves up plenty of good, clean fun and has aged more gracefully than most cartoons from its era (including many of the ones it subtly lampoons). The “anything goes” atmosphere and imaginative characters make it a safe bet for fun-loving anime fans of all ages" DVD Talk