In case you didn't know, TMNT started as an underground comic, so there was none of that "Cowabunga Man!" stuff, the Turtles killed people and used guns and were absolutely violent. And people loved it. I mean right off the bat, the book was started in the early 80's and the late 80's is when the much more kid friendly TV show was brought on the air. The Ninja Turtles became more like teens of the day, friendly, pizza lovin' dudes with catchy sayings and relatable attitudes. I've only watched the first two season of the classic series, but I enjoy it, I honestly can't stand a lot of the cartoons on today. I have to go to Netflix to get my classic toon fix. Krang is one of my favorite characters because he doesn't do anything, and the Shredder can take his mask off to weld a crystal onto it, but he has a holographic projector to look normal on the city street. I thought that the animation was pretty classic and the stories were pretty solid for the most part, it balanced the adventure with the gadgets and the fighting.
On to the live action movies. These original movies came out in the early 90's and they are pretty good, I'm not saying that they are perfect, I'm just saying that I really like them. The jokes and references are pretty solid. And you can't say no to the lair in the second and third movies, I always thought it was cool that they lived in a subway station that had such a cool vibe and a subway car that doubled as the rooms. The first movie's puppetry was done by Jim Henson I believe, but correct me if I'm wrong, I just know that by the second one he had passed away and the turtles looked different. I thought that the animatronics got better with each movie. The ninja skills are always an interesting thing to look at. I had never even seen a Sai until Raph whipped them out. And I always thought that the swords Leo carried around were just that, swords, but they are Katanas. I'm glad I still enjoy these characters and movies, because the older I get, the more I learn and the more I enjoy the different aspects of the fandom.
Onto something that needs really no paragraph at all, but I feel obligated to add it. The Next Mutation.... it was in 1997 that this show blessed the small screen. I never watched it in its original run, nor syndication. I caught it on Netflix once... only once. It was the Teenage Mutant Power Rangers knock off. Nothing against Power Rangers, I haven't really watched much of either series, I just watched a couple of episodes and didn't really like the version of the Turtles in the TV series. I didn't hate Venus, but she was far from what I thought a girl Ninja Turtle would be. Magic is kinda not too terribly believable. Listen to me! Saying that anthropomorphic Turtles that study Ninja is more believable than one that uses like a form of fighting that uses magic spells.
I like the new animated series on Nick, it's super anime but not in a way that makes me not like it. It is different which is good. I may be biased because I have a super mega huge crush on Greg Cipes, who is Michelangelo. But that's not only actor who lends his voice. Jason Biggs, of American Pie fame, is the fearless leader Leonardo. Sean Astin, yeah, Samwise Gamgee from LOTR, is the perfect match for the hot headed Raphael who is a sweetheart on the inside, he even has a pet turtle named Spike, and it's just adorable that he has a pet turtle when he himself is a turtle. Last, but certainly not least, Rob Paulsen! He's a veteran in the Ninja Turtle game, he was the original Raph in the classic series. It threw me off the first time I herd Raph talk.... I was like that's Donnie... As you can tell I watched the Nick series before the original. The whole Donnie having a crush on April just makes me smile because it's sweet and sweet is not something you get a lot lately in any TV show. I think that fact that Splinter isn't a geriatric rat anymore is another total plus to the series. It's better when the Sensei can come kick butt with the gang. There's going to be a new movie coming out next year which I have mixed feelings about. At first the writers were all like "LET'S MAKE THEM ALIENS!!!!" to which the fans replied, "SHUT UP RIGHT NOW YOU FOOL." So that idea got file 13ed thank goodness. Could you imagine? Makes me shudder to think about it. Any way, now that it's gotten back on track I'll probably go out and watch it, because I've seen some of the pictures that have been release and the turtles look pretty good for CGI.
That's all I have to say about that.
Keep it nerdy true believers.
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