#the shredder is so comically incompetent.

[katanashipping]

@love-killed-the-superstar Following our recent discussions, I just need to point out again that Shredder burned down April's whole ass shop in the first season of 2k3, and after she rebuilt it identically, brick by brick, he is STILL like Hm. I wonder where I may be able to find my enemies now. Such a mystery. Alas.

Meanwhile, Karai is like "I need to deliver a threat to Leonardo. I'll just leave it with April" and breezes into the shop pretty as you please.

[yellowhollyhock]

plots in archie so far are drawn from 1987 but the comic format has drawn my attention to parallels I never noticed in the show.....

the incompetent co-workers

and the impossible to please boss

brings more attention to April and Shredder as each other's foils; the turtles' only friend and their greatest enemy

[indieyuugure]

As I watch through the TMNT 2012 show, I can’t help but compare it to Rise. The Kraang in 2012 are so much less serious or dangerous than in the Rise Movie. Even when the Kraang take over New York in season 3, the reason they have to leave isn’t ‘cause of the Kraang, but because of Shredder and Leo. The Kraang are so comically incompetent in 2012 it’s hilarious to compare them to the Rise Krang that are like the end of the world!

The mug is back!

[ghitathepanda]

If the Rise TMNT gets a crossover with turtles from a previous series, I think 1987 would probably be considered overdone, unless folks are hoping for a "third times the charm" sort of situation because Turtles Forever made the 87 turtles OOC and while the 2012 crossover fixed that, I also heard that there was this whole thing where the 87 turtles were somehow treated as incompetent fighters that people complained about that even Turtles Forever at least didn't do for some reason.

I only watched Turtles Forever, and while I lack nostalgia for the original cartoon, that lack of nostalgia does allow me to appreciate the moments where the 80s turtles and stuff were put in a more positive spotlight (80s Raph's jokes, 80s Don's attitude with his tech saving their asses and also Bepop and Rocksteady accidentally killing Utrom Shredder with their comic relief shenanigans). It's not as mean spirited to the 80s version as people's probable nostalgia goggles would led em to believe, even if there is still some merit to it.

Anyways, back to the original topic of ROTMNT, if I were to decide which other series should get the "previous team" representative for a crossover, I'd put the 2003 version in there. There's still likely going to be that "this one is more serious vs the other" but this time the "sillier side" are going to be more in the MC spotlight this time around and I think the version that's close to comic accurate contrasting the ones very much different from the source is still a nice dynamic to explore. Sure, Turtles Forever's dynamic is technically like that too but the Rise bois are just so much more different than any other version. Also because the 2003 Turtles are close to the comics, I also think it'll be nice for some of the stuff from Volume 4 of the Mirage Comics to be adapted here in a form of a timeskip. Age up the 03 Turtles to be adults and finally bring Shadow Jones into an animated adaptation already dangit because turtles being cute uncles to Shadow Jones is the best thing from the comics that unfortunately has yet really be brought outside the original comics officially.

[theromanticscrooge]

General Thoughts on Rise of the TMNT

Usually, TMNT is the story of four mutant anthropomorphic teenage turtles that learn and diligently practice ninjutsu under the guidance of their loving master, father, and anthropomorphic rat man Splinter. They come from a humble background by salvaging to survive and setting up home in the most secret but manageable locations they can find. They’re a tight-knit, honor-bound family that are eventually called to use their ninja skills and other various talents to protect New York from the Shredder and other various threats.

It’s the story of fairly idealized young heroes, usually with specific highlights on Leonardo as the leader, and what kinds of difficult decisions they’ll have to make, trauma they may have to work through, and the hallmarks of maturing/entering adulthood unique to them. The 2003 animated series is paced like a comic book, moving from one big arc or adventure to the next. The 2012 Turtles focuses more on individual character growth and moments where it can, adding in more one-on-one talks between Splinter and Leo, some romantic drama, and placing stronger emphasis on the fact the lead characters are teenagers with just as many teenage hang-ups as save-the-world dilemmas. While the 2003 and 2012 series have lighthearted scenes, both series are trying to tell dramatic action/adventure stories with elements of fantasy and sci-fi.

Rise of the TMNT keeps the teenage turtles and older rat man living in the New York City sewers framework, but everything else has been dramatically reimagined or reworked. Splinter is a ninjutsu master, but that role takes a back seat to being a forcibly retired movie star and unexpected adoptive father of four. He’s become lazy, complacent, jaded, and he cares about his kids, but he’s terrible at parenting and expressing affection.

The turtles know a few basic moves and wield weapons, but they’re far more interested and invested in recreational activities than practicing ninjutsu. They’re not humble or resourceful. They pretty much have everything they could want from an indoor skate ramp to their own personal arcade. They even have schemes to catch Splinter at an especially vulnerable moment to request big-ticket items. But, they’ll also do anything for dear old Dad’s praise and a simple hug. As freshly mutated villains, the Foot, and Lord Draxum start popping up, the turtles are the only available heroes to protect New York. And they’re ready to step up, even if it means buckling down and becoming more disciplined.

Overall, they’re a dysfunctional family and the turtles calling themselves ‘ninjas’ is more dubious than in any other series. But they’re slowly working their way towards becoming competent warriors that kinda sorta use ninjutsu techniques while Splinter learns and works on becoming a better dad.

Rise is simultaneously a parody of and love letter to TMNT. The set-up for the characters is already a subversion in regards to starring much more flawed, incompetent leads. The tone is much goofier, lighthearted, and energetic than other series so far. Episodes are 11-minute vignettes with a loose continuity and a few story-focused tent-pole episodes set-up similar to Regular Show, O.K. K.O., or Wander Over Yonder.

Personally, I’ve been pretty disappointed since O.K. K.O. ended back in August. In some ways, Rise fills the hole that O.K. K.O. left behind for me: It’s a cartoon made by passionate nerds. Most of the fight scenes and otherwise have a similar energy and deliberate choreography that a Studio Trigger anime does. There’s references to Ghibli movies like My Neighbor Totoro and background hat-tips to previous turtles series such as an Ice Cream Kitty statuette on display at a museum. There’s a host of new, colorful bad guys and side characters that pop up or even steal the spotlight in various episodes in ways viewers wouldn’t expect. In short, Rise is a very refreshed, very fun take on the TMNT.

[chubbycaucasianchristiancloseted]

We have to ruin Bebop and Rocksteady? Why does everything have to be sexual?

We have to ruin Bebop and Rocksteady? Why does everything have to be sexual? The world has taken this beautiful gift that God gave us smashed it, altered it, perverted it and is now trying to give it back to us saying “see, now its better”.

These two bad guys where part of the comic relief in the Teenage Ninja Turtles cartoon. They were so clumsy, oblivious and incompetent at their assigned tasks that it not only magnified the abilities of the Turtles but also showed the mostly child audience that bad guys are dumb.

This article also does something really scary. It normalizes this idea that everyone is indulging in sexual acts. The author can’t even comprehend the act of abstinence and feels the need to pervert a child’s cartoon by ruling out everyone on the Techodrome that they could have been intimate with.

One of the writes of the newer version of the cartoon even admits that he is all for people interpreting it as a gay relationship.

Direct Quotes

but as for their mutant henchmen Bebop and Rocksteady, all they had was each other, and thebeautiful friendship (and possibly more?) that they shared.

Despite their mutations, Bebop and Rocksteady continued to fail the Shredder at every turn. Their clumsiness and dimwittedness no doubt contributed to their setbacks

Bebop and Rocksteady may also have suffered from a lack of motivation. Career advancement was clearly not an option; still, they didn’t seem too interested in their employers’ plans for global domination either. Sure, they liked busting heads and stealing magical crystals — that made for some cheap thrills — but in their leisure time, all Bebop and Rocksteady wanted to do was chill in their room, play video games and read comic books. Given all that, it makes one think that instead of being evil arch-villains, Bebop and Rocksteady were just two best buds with lousy jobs.

Bebop and Rocksteady were oddly supportive to one another, and their companionship was downright beautiful.

Whether or not their friendship extended into the romantic is just a matter of idle speculation, of course, but there’s noreason it shouldn’t be true. Despite occasional references to “past girlfriends” in various incarnations of the characters, following their mutations, Bebop and Rocksteady are monstrously stronger and larger than regular humans, so practically speaking, there wouldn’t be many options besides each other. Also, with all their time stranded in the Technodrome, they certainly weren’t getting busy with the abusive Shredder or the gelatinous Krang (whose only body opening is filled with jagged teeth). I mean, maybe a robotic Foot Soldier could have operated as a sex robot, but neither Rocksteady nor Bebopwould have the technical know-how to reprogram them for such purposes.

Peter Di Cicco, one of the writers on the 2012 cartoon, including this story arc, says, “It’s great how the fans have interpreted their friendship. On one hand, some see it as two guys with a great friendship, and others really want it to be a gay relationship, which I’m all for.”

[grub-dot-website]

Let's get some started actually this is exactly the brainrot Tumblr was made for

First off official ranking of shows

TMNT 1987: 6/10, definitely a 10 season long toy commercial, but really charming and easily the best theme song of the bunch. The voice cast is iconic and it was the only show with good tie-in video games! Also we don't talk about seasons 8-10 okay?

TMNT 2003 7/10, an incredibly strong first 4 seasons with some of the best accuracy to the mirage comics, then things just went too far off the rails! Season 5 felt unfinished (because it was), season 6 is some of the worst animated tv I've ever seen, and season 7 was just all over the place. However 2003 Casey has my whole heart which makes it all worth it.

TMNT 2012: 9/10, so close to perfection! I'm not usually a fan of 3d animated tv but the character designs and stylization totally makes up for it. I'm an unashamed apritello shipper so obviously I love them the most, but it's got some of the best dynamics between the brothers and the supporting characters are just great, also my favorite versions of Shredder and Splinter, easily. A lot of people hate on season 5 but it's probably my favorite of the bunch.

Rise: 8.5/10, absolutely breathtaking animation and story, ruined by Nickelodeon's terrible marketing and general incompetence! The cast is phenomenal, the dynamics between characters is great, and I love that the turtles don't feel overpowered! They have to learn and grow throughout the show! I just wish it didn't get cancelled before it could really unfold and get going. The movie is great but it definitely feels shackled by having to work around the way the show got rushed in season 2.

Tune in next time for opinions on the movies and other random TMNT shit my brain comes up with!

I have so many thoughts and opinions about the teenage mutant ninja turtles you wouldn't even believe it

[roninkairi]

A Look Back At "Turtles Forever" and "Transdimensional Turtles"

As many of you know, the current season of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on Nickelodeon is also known as the final one before a new series, with a new animation format, is premiered later. Now while I have enjoyed a lot of this 2012 incarnation, I would be doing it a huge disservice by not mentioning that it owes a lot of it’s success to it’s ties, both spiritual and literal, to the original 1987 series. No doubt you may have noticed that many of the characters that inhabit this show have in some way or another been derived from the first cartoon, some of them with very radical changes (points at Robot Irma)

But my focus for this little piece will actually be on another issue. That being the 25th Anniversary movie “Turtles Forever” and the Season 4 episode “Trans-Dimensional Turtles”. Why you may ask? Well, sit down and let me explain.

First a little backstory: To celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the TMNT, 4kids, the company responsible for so many anime fans’ outrage (a discussion for another time) made a TV movie featuring not only the current TMNT (known here as TMNT2K3) but the original 1987 cartoon TMNT…well, SORTA. The original voice actors from the cartoon could not take part in this special (because apparently 4Kids had this rule concerning union workers) so alternate voices had to be cast. The movie even threw in the original comic book TMNT just for the fans. And while the movie did get many favorable reviews, it was not without some controversy. And that controversy: the 1987 TMNT. Or, at the least how they were portrayed.

TMNT2K3 was, in essence, much closer to the original Mirage Comic series than it’s predecessor.  There were some darker stories, bigger story arcs, episodes that were directly lifted or borrowed from the Eastman and Laird run, even characters that only appeared in the comics (Such as Renett and Karai) were put in this series. And there were a lot of action as well, along with starling revelations and adaptions/changes to TMNT lore. (Such as the reveal that the Shredder in fact was Che’rell, an Utron war criminal…and despite whatever he may have claimed he was NOT the One True Shredder, as it was a title he stole from the Demon Shredder. Yeah, there was more than one Shredder in this one, don’t try to make sense of it.) In contrast, the 1987 TMNT was a beast of a different nature. There was a good deal of action, yes, but there was a more comedic approach to the portrayal of the team, and the series was tailored for a young audience. But it was well beloved enough to spawn at least 3 movies, several video games and God Knows What Else. So, the meeting of the characters from these 2 universes would be cool right?

Well…that depends.

No doubt, if you are a 1987 TMNT fan, when you look at the way that the first team are portrayed compared to the TMNT2K3, you note that if anything, their comedic aspects are a LOT more prominent. Moreover, their methods of fighting seem to be more ineffectual unless they work in tandem with the TMNT2k3 Turtles. I think though for me, what made me feel more than a little, well, shell shocked, was one point in the move’s climax, where the 1987 Team was sent crying into the arms of TMNT2K3’s Raphael.

Like little children.

…No, I am not making this up. Go on, go find a copy of this movie or look on Youtube. I’ll wait..

…

Oh you’re back. Yes, that happened. And to be honest, certain aspects of the cartoon are met with some derision, like Karai’s comments on the Foot Soldier tech. (Based on tech that, I should add, brought Che’Rell to them in the first place.) and Raph’s joke about the Turtle Blimp and Turtle Van. Even  1987 Shredder and Krang were not immune from some character decay; while no doubt Che’rell as the Shredder is a far bigger menace to the universe as a whole, The Shredder and Krang were not incompetent villians as this movie seems to have them pegged. The 1987 Shredder was no slouch in the hand to hand-ruthless tactics department (who, believe it or not, got even more ruthless in the later seasons) and the only other person who could actually stand toe to toe with him was Master Splinter. (Who was actually treated with much more respect in this movie). Krang, while overbearing, was also somewhat of a viable threat as well. He was exiled from Dimension X for a VERY GOOD REASON.

But against the Mirage TMNT? Yeah, both teams have good reason to be afraid of them…

Now, lets fast forward to the episode “Transdimensional Turtles” . I consider it a better more compact version of Turtles Forever myself and it’s honestly more of an homage to the show than anything. For starters, the original voice actors are back. (Minus James Avery, the voice of the Shredder, who sadly passed away a few years ago) And unfortunately we don’t have Rocksteady and Bebop here. But we also got back the original voice of Krang. This episode manages to easily shift between both the 3D and 2D styles well and, to many, keeps the personalities of the original 1987 TMNT intact. There are some jokes about the original show (like Leo’s awkward kicking at Krang) but they do not seem mean spirited and it goes along with some jokes about the current show (like Rob Paulsen voicing both Raph and Donnie) and the francise as a whole. Plus the 1987 TMNT fight WAY more effectively than how they were shown in Turtles Forever. And even the Mirage TMNT show up. (Rather briefly, and with no lines). The overall plot even seems to be a shout out to the plot of “Turtles Forever” (bad guy tries to destroy all of the TMNT) but subverted (The Kraang of the TMNT2012 universe points out that destroying all of the universe just to get rid of one is incredibly stupid.)

So where was I going with this? Uh yeah, good question…I guess what I wanted to say is that we all enjoy different versions of this franchise for different reasons. And while the 1987 series may not be as dark as brooding as some of the later incarnations. (And believe me, TMNT012 got away with a LOT of dark themes when you look back at it later) it does not mean it’s no less enjoyable than the others. So yes, Turtles Forever is good but I enjoyed Transdimensional Turtles a bit more.

That’s just me though.

[sushi-rat]

Fourth and fifth on the list, Mikey and Leo! They are the youngest of all the turtles at age 14, and they both are Diamondback Terrapins; they're twins and even come from the same hatchling batch! As well as the youngest, they are the shortest at 4' 10". They have light grey skin with black markings, (signature for the species), with Leo's markings being more spot like and Mikey's markings being elongated and stripe-like; their markings have earned them special nicknames, Leo's being Spot and Mikey's being Stripes. Leo has black thigh-high and upper arm length wrappings, a black belt with a blue bag, a brown scarf, grey metal knee pads and forearm guards with blue straps, and his signature blue mask. Mikey has similar gear with the black thigh-high and upper arm length wrappings except the arm wrappings start at the wrist instead at the hands, a black belt with an orange bag, grey metal knuckles with orange straps, orange strap accents on the legs and his upper left arm, a brown chest compression vest that ties to the sides of his belt, and his signature orange mask (I didn't put it in the drawing, but I like the idea of Mikey decorating his vest with stickers). In their bags, they like to carry around fidget/stim toys; Leo likes carrying his orange tangle and blue rotating rings fidget, and Mikey likes carrying his orange fidget spinner and blue marble mesh fidget. They both have brown eyes with Leo's being a lighter brown and Mikey's being dark brown.

Mikey and Leo are both ADHD (combined) and autistic, which is why Mikey has a compression vest for comfort. Leo has special interests in space and Japanese culture/history, and Mikey has special interests in superheroes and mythology, while both share a sci-fi interest. They are curious about anything and everything, though, and like to ask questions/analyze. They are the type of people that you either really like watching movies with because of all the fascinating discussions, or hate watching movies with because they are almost always interrupting and having asides to themselves. They love horror, Leo a bit more than Mikey, and love spending hours or even days binging horror movies/series, and playing or watching video games. They are the closest out of everyone in the family, which no one is surprised by considering they have always been with each other since birth. They are so close, in fact, that most everyone believes they have a "twin-psychic link" as they are able to finish each other's sentences, know where the other one is if they focus, and just seem to be on the same "wavelength" all the time.

Their behaviour is often seen as childish by people who don't know them well, but they know when to be serious; they just like to have fun, learn, and live a little. Everyone's at least a little bit childish! They are far from incompetent or simple-minded children. Leo enjoys focusing on his training and getting stronger, and Mikey takes up a serious hobby as a writer and posts his works online (he started as a fanfiction author for a superhero comic he loved). They both like practicing meditation to hone in on their psychic ability so that they can always find each other and understand one another in case of bad times. They both are also seemingly so empathic that they can tell when someone is distressed and always seem to be able to make the person feel better, which is greatly appreciated by their family and friends. It's to the point that their older siblings joke that it's their 'superpower'; no one rejects a hug from Mikey and Leo. They are like the little Healers in the family!

(The looks were very heavily based on the Foot Leo design on the IDW comics. I gave them both attributes from that outfit so that they wouldn't look so different from each other, nor would it look like they were associated with Shredder)

So, I'm deciding to do my own turtle designs because I can and my life is overrun by teenage terrapins. I'm gonna reblog this post whenever I post a character design (not in any specific order, just what character ideas come to me first).

First, Raph! Except they also go by Elisabetta and Rei. They are genderfluid and use sweatband bracelets to indicate if it's a fem, masc, or neutral day. Fem/pink bracelet = Elisabetta (Liz, Lizzy, Betty), Masc/blue bracelet = Raphael (Raph, Raphie), Neutral/yellow bracelet = Rei. They chose Elisabetta themselves and Rei is a name given to them by their brother, Mikey. They have a shawl that has the Hamato crest on it that also ties up on the sides with a ribbon. The crest is in yellow while the rest of the shawl is muted pink. Sometimes they wear this on days when dysphoria hits a little harder; they like wearing the cloth in general, however, and sometimes just wear it to wear it. There are some days when they'll tie their bandana up into a bow in the back as just a touch of femininity, but they don't always do this on every fem day.

They are the second oldest out of their siblings at age 15. They're the tallest at 6' 9" because they are a Leatherback Turtle (I'm not sure if they'll be the only saltwater turtle out of the family yet); due to their species, their skin is a lot more turquoise then it is green. The back of their shell also has ridges due to their species, but the ridges are not spikes. Their eye color is yellow, and they still wear the signature red mask. They wear black knee and elbow pads with a turtle shell design painted in red on the pads. Their wrappings on the hands and feet are black while the belt around their waist is a dark brown.

Rei is the strongest swimmer and, aside from drawing/painting, swimming is their favorite past time; they often sneak off to the docks to swim, though their mutation makes it so that freshwater is a lot more tolerable than it would be for a normal sea animal, so they are okay swimming in the sewers with their brothers. Rei has less of a temper, but is rather just a passionate and bombastic person which makes them come across as aggressive. They are a bit of an introvert in the family and like to be alone, but they will often hang out with their brothers for a couple hours a day, generally watching TV, playing video games, or doing some light and fun extra training.

[nixariel]

#the foot mystics were apparently under Shredder's control for literal CENTURIES#he just never did anything with them except guard his private elevator i guess#meanwhile Karai is in charge of their amulet for all of three episodes before she is like yo.#How about you psychically flush out the turtles and also tell me where they live.#AND THEY DO.#This isn't even me going into Shredder sending STOCKMAN IN A WHEELCHAIR to check out the burnt down shop like#there was POLICE OUTSIDE when it blew up. If they had found seven burnt corpses in the wreckage don't you think it'd have made the paper.#but noooo. send your henchman in a wheelchair accompanied by ILLEGAL BANK ROBBERY ROBOTS to check out the rubble instead.#the shredder is so comically incompetent.#my wife and I often joke how freaking efficient the foot in Japan must be in comparison.#Foot Clan Japan: A legion of hyper skilled warriors operating in the shadows led by a mega competent operative with larger picture thinking#Foot Clan New York: We put our symbol on a skyscraper. Also if you're good enough at stealing car radios we will promote you to ninja.#Still 99% convinced the reason Karai doesn't get anything impressive done until the Shredder is gone is because she is too busy#cleaning up all his PR nightmares while he's still alive via katanashipping

@love-killed-the-superstar Following our recent discussions, I just need to point out again that Shredder burned down April's whole ass shop in the first season of 2k3, and after she rebuilt it identically, brick by brick, he is STILL like Hm. I wonder where I may be able to find my enemies now. Such a mystery. Alas.

Meanwhile, Karai is like "I need to deliver a threat to Leonardo. I'll just leave it with April" and breezes into the shop pretty as you please.