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Jan. 3, 2003
Ninja Turtles: radical return from reruns
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were the epitome of cool back in preschool and kindergarten. I remember at my particular school we’d play Ninja Turtles during recess and everyone wanted to be Raphael, the “cool but rude" turtle with the red bandana. Sadly, I wasn’t deemed cool or rude enough by my peers to be Raphael, but I always got to partake in beating up the imaginary bad guys who had apparently invaded the jungle gym.
I’m bringing up these crime fighting freaks of nature from childhood because I recently discovered that they’re coming back in a new TV series on FoxBox. The moment I found out I sprinted down to the basement, grabbed my Ninja Turtle action figures, and spent hours re-enacting
scenes from the movies with my four inch friends.
Ok, so maybe I wasn’t quite that enthusiastic, but I was definitely excited. I did go dig up some of my old toys though and tried to remember the names of all the characters. There were the four obvious ones: Donatello, Michaelangelo, Leonardo, and Raphael. These are of course the heroes of the show. Leonardo led the gang, Raphael was the resident jerk, and Michaelangelo, according to the theme song, was a “party dude." You couldn’t help but feel bad for Donatello. Not only was he relegated to the task of being the company dweeb, but he got stuck with the lamest excuse for a weapon ever handed to a superhero. Oh sure, they called it a “bo," but everyone knew that was just a fancy word for “big, wooden stick that will snap when I bop someone over the head with it."
The turtles also had their friends: April (the reporter who, for some reason, the turtles found attractive despite the obvious difference in species) and Splinter (a giant rat who taught the turtles the ways of the ninja and assumedly coached them through adolescence). And who can forget the show’s omni-present metal-plated meany, Shredder, and his host of henchmen. To my dismay, I found two additional characters in my box of action figures that I have no memory of whatsoever. One is apparently a mutant bull with computer implants all over his body.
I can only imagine how that went over with PETA.
These figurines would no doubt be worth hundreds of dollars now except that, a) several of them appear to be missing essential items (weapons, belts, legs, etc.), and b) no one really wants them. However, this resurgence in turtle power may spark new interest in a cartoon that seemed to have died many years ago. Ok, so it never really died. The cartoon kind of struggled on past its prime, much like Michael Jordan with the Wizards or the Taco Bell Chihuahua towards the end of the ad campaign, and spawned several truly stupid spin-offs none of which anyone ever watched.
For instance, I discovered that in Japan there was an anime adaptation of the show. Anime is that horrendous animation you see on stations like Cartoon Network. This style of cartooning features choppy movement and characters who have eyes rivaling Marlon Brando’s stomach in diameter. I can’t for the life of me understand why people enjoy watching anime. What is the appeal of a show that appears to be missing at least a dozen frames each second and has characters that, when talking, look like they’re simply opening and closing their mouths in a manner reminiscent of Jim Henson’s Muppets except on speed or old-people on a sugar-high without their dentures?
But back to the point I was making: the Ninja Turtles are definitely back this time.
I checked out the official Ninja Turtles website and learned that in the new series the terrapins will be 15-years-old. Apparently turtles age in a slightly different manner than humans because I distinctly remember them being 16 in the old cartoon, though admittedly my memories from when I was six are a little bit fuzzy.
The one thing I found out about the show that really upset me is that they’re getting rid of Bebop and Rocksteady, Shredder’s bumbling mutant henchmen. Sure the corny 80s-style names may not instill a sense nostalgia in the kindergarten audience the makers are targeting, but it’s not like the names had much meaning for our generation either when we were five. However, if the producers feel its absolutely necessary, why not keep the characters and just bring their names up to speed with current popular trends? For instance, why not call them Hiphop and Redman?
At any rate, anyone who was a kid during the turtle craze knows why I’m eagerly anticipating the show’s comeback. I for one am tired of the intrusive Pikachu/Poke-and-prod-amon phenomenon. It’s time to get back to quality children’s television programs. So grab your old Ninja Turtle bandana, pull on a tight, ratty old “heroes in a half-shell" t-shirt, and join me in shouting the show’s original catchphrase: “Cowabunga!" Ok, now that that’s out of your system, turn off the TV, take a good look at yourself in the mirror, and ask yourself what in the world you think you’re doing. You forgot your action figures.
I’m bringing up these crime fighting freaks of nature from childhood because I recently discovered that they’re coming back in a new TV series on FoxBox. The moment I found out I sprinted down to the basement, grabbed my Ninja Turtle action figures, and spent hours re-enacting
Ok, so maybe I wasn’t quite that enthusiastic, but I was definitely excited. I did go dig up some of my old toys though and tried to remember the names of all the characters. There were the four obvious ones: Donatello, Michaelangelo, Leonardo, and Raphael. These are of course the heroes of the show. Leonardo led the gang, Raphael was the resident jerk, and Michaelangelo, according to the theme song, was a “party dude." You couldn’t help but feel bad for Donatello. Not only was he relegated to the task of being the company dweeb, but he got stuck with the lamest excuse for a weapon ever handed to a superhero. Oh sure, they called it a “bo," but everyone knew that was just a fancy word for “big, wooden stick that will snap when I bop someone over the head with it."
The turtles also had their friends: April (the reporter who, for some reason, the turtles found attractive despite the obvious difference in species) and Splinter (a giant rat who taught the turtles the ways of the ninja and assumedly coached them through adolescence). And who can forget the show’s omni-present metal-plated meany, Shredder, and his host of henchmen. To my dismay, I found two additional characters in my box of action figures that I have no memory of whatsoever. One is apparently a mutant bull with computer implants all over his body.
These figurines would no doubt be worth hundreds of dollars now except that, a) several of them appear to be missing essential items (weapons, belts, legs, etc.), and b) no one really wants them. However, this resurgence in turtle power may spark new interest in a cartoon that seemed to have died many years ago. Ok, so it never really died. The cartoon kind of struggled on past its prime, much like Michael Jordan with the Wizards or the Taco Bell Chihuahua towards the end of the ad campaign, and spawned several truly stupid spin-offs none of which anyone ever watched.
For instance, I discovered that in Japan there was an anime adaptation of the show. Anime is that horrendous animation you see on stations like Cartoon Network. This style of cartooning features choppy movement and characters who have eyes rivaling Marlon Brando’s stomach in diameter. I can’t for the life of me understand why people enjoy watching anime. What is the appeal of a show that appears to be missing at least a dozen frames each second and has characters that, when talking, look like they’re simply opening and closing their mouths in a manner reminiscent of Jim Henson’s Muppets except on speed or old-people on a sugar-high without their dentures?
But back to the point I was making: the Ninja Turtles are definitely back this time.
I checked out the official Ninja Turtles website and learned that in the new series the terrapins will be 15-years-old. Apparently turtles age in a slightly different manner than humans because I distinctly remember them being 16 in the old cartoon, though admittedly my memories from when I was six are a little bit fuzzy.
The one thing I found out about the show that really upset me is that they’re getting rid of Bebop and Rocksteady, Shredder’s bumbling mutant henchmen. Sure the corny 80s-style names may not instill a sense nostalgia in the kindergarten audience the makers are targeting, but it’s not like the names had much meaning for our generation either when we were five. However, if the producers feel its absolutely necessary, why not keep the characters and just bring their names up to speed with current popular trends? For instance, why not call them Hiphop and Redman?
At any rate, anyone who was a kid during the turtle craze knows why I’m eagerly anticipating the show’s comeback. I for one am tired of the intrusive Pikachu/Poke-and-prod-amon phenomenon. It’s time to get back to quality children’s television programs. So grab your old Ninja Turtle bandana, pull on a tight, ratty old “heroes in a half-shell" t-shirt, and join me in shouting the show’s original catchphrase: “Cowabunga!" Ok, now that that’s out of your system, turn off the TV, take a good look at yourself in the mirror, and ask yourself what in the world you think you’re doing. You forgot your action figures.
Discuss this Article
Just personally I think the big diffrence is the amount of time the animators put into the cartoons. Back then I think they put in way more time into drawing the charters and comeing up with a story. Now I belive that half the work is done with a computer and they are just slaping out whatever they can think of. Oh well.
They were always turtles. What happened was when they were little the got into some radioactive goo and became _Mutant_ and got older (say, into their teens?). They became ninjaized when shredder taught them how to be ninjas. Hence their name Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
As for the pizza thing... it is yummy after all.
Chris - wasn't it Splinter, their rat-mentor who taught them?
I can't believe theyre getting rid of Beebop and Rocksteady! Those were the two greatest characters ever! I was talking to my brother recently, and he said that they were also formed from radioactive goo, but I don't remember that at all.
The guy in the picture is Beebop, weirdly colored.
Cowabunga!
Not all anime is bad; some have quite good frame rates and action scenes, even if they are the exception, and it's only entertainment, after all...
And most people watch for the storyline rather than mindless eye candy. It's a matter of personal taste, but I agree with Philip on this one... it's a genre (or even a medium?), not so simplistic to be dismissed without a thought...
tmnt, x-men, spiderman and power rangers (yes, i admit to that one...seems so cheesy now...hahaha)...i grew up on those.
i remember dressing up for halloween as donatello...that was cool...although i personally preferred leonardo the best...blue's the best color...and frankly, he had swords...swords are fun.
oh, we at sco should seriously have a tmnt action figure day...hahaha, i know exactly where all my action figures (not dolls...ACTION FIGURES!!!) are too.
oh, and i must have spent hours playing tmnt 2 arcade version on my nintendo as a kid...and then turtles in time on snes...hahaha, i even played that with my friends about a month ago...great times, great times
so now, hopefully they don't screw it up by bringing back a classic...because their first attempt...with the "live version" was disgustingly horrible.
A heads up on the new show: it's going back to the original style of the underground hit comic. the turtles are abit more stylistic rather than the traditional cruddy american animation from the 80's. Shredder looks WAY cooler but I must admit, the purple cape of the old days was quite tasteful ^_^*.
As for more interesting side characters and random appearances: April O'neil's assitant was Irma, she had a brown pony tail and HUGE glasses.
Baxter was the mad wussy scientist (whom April worked for in the original comic)
Miyamoto Usagi was the samurai rabbit that occasionally popped up. he's also in a number of really rawking graphic novels.
And yes, the reason Anime lookslike it's missing a few dozen frames is because it IS. When the Japanese were first making animation they didn't have enough funds to keep up the number of frames that disney had set for the genre. So they simplified everything and thus needed fewer frames. Anime is also adapted from Manga which is the Japanese comic. The bold lines, simple faces and quick and complexe storylines (of the good ones) come from both the comic heritage and lack of funds. Think and research before you rag on an entire genre, you might learn something.
Fast forward to the 21st century. Anime garbage about kids who apparently don't go to school with mentally challenged pets named Pikachu(Come on, all he says is "Pika", have taken over Saturday Mornings. What is that? The Mighty Morphin Power Ranger, the most succesful childrens action show of all time has deteriorated far from the phenomenon it was during its inception in 1993(Remember when you would get shot outside ToysRus by a distraught parent looking for the Dragonzord around Christmas time?) But then I was informed of the gospel according to Haim Saban. It was August of 2001 when I read that the Ninja Turtles would be making a triumphant return. After a failed attempt at a live action show(And I men they tried. They had a 5th female turtle with turtle breasts and they even teamed up with the Power Rangers in Space!), Cowabunga would be the good word once more, and pizza would once again give boys and girls across the country and the world Turtle Power. I was excited, but was discouraged quickly when I read that it would be about two years before I would see the leadership of Leonardo, the intelligence of Donatello, the lack of anger managment in Raphael, and the constant case of the munchies in Michaelangelo.
My brothers and sisters the time has come. Those heroes in a half shell are back, and yes, they are still lean, green, fighting machines. Cowabunga dudes. Amen.
Also, i resent your reference to MJ "struggling" past his prime. Though it may be technically true, it does not do justice to His Airness.
By the way, the new show rocks...I can't get enough of the dark side of the turtles that it shows...but it could get a lot worse. I'd actually look forward to that, but then it wouldn't be a kids show, just as the original comic books wouldn't be meant for kids. You'd be surprised to know the dark past of these turtles. You should check it out sometime. Later.
But I am worried about the new show too. Have any of you noticed how the TMNT no longer have eyes? Just white slits...maybe they are trying to make them seem more vicious or something. I dunno, seems a bit sketchy.
The turtles have always been rad, although I agree that the show was struggling in its later years.
But honestly, what was that entire speech about anime? It's obvious that the author has never actually watched more than 5 minutes of it because he shows a considerable lack of knowledge on the subject. Before condemning it, why doesn't he take a step back and examine the current and past state of American animation. With the exception of some great adult comedy cartoons (Simpsons, Futurama, Family Guy, Critic) American animation has mostly consisted of lame, low-quality affairs that are either poor in animation/style or poorly imitate anime. American shows as far back as the 80's have been trying to adopt anime techniques, in some cases shows are even completly animated by Japanese artists.
Its no wonder why so much anime is seen on American TV. There isn't enough good American animation to counteract the far superior Japanese shows. Now don't get me wrong, I still like many American cartoons. However, most *good* native shows are comedy (such as Dexters Lab and similar shows); frankly, if any good action shows were being produced, we wouldn't have to turn to importing Japanese ones.
Also, the lame "mouth" speech was very uninformed. First, that is a specific style found in only certain animes. The author obviously is under an impression that all anime is like that. It's about as intelligent as a Japanese person watching 1 episode of Star Trek and saying that American TV is bad because they are all Science Fiction. A statement that would obviously be false. My point here is that the author took a traditional style that is generally used in lower quality (and older) anime and tried to apply it to each one. It wouldn't surprise me if the only exposure the author actually had to anime was simply Pokemon and Speed Racer.
Did I mention that the comments the author makes about anime also are usually found in only children's anime? It's equivalent to watching an episode of Barney and claiming all Live-action shows are childish.
Perhaps if the author had actually watched some good anime such as Cowboy Bebop or Princess Mononoke he would have a different opinion. Anime is a fabulous form of art that some people just can't seem to accept.
Well, that's my argument.
P.S. Beebop and Rocksteady were the best. They made the Ninja Turtles cool.
cateater, you know ur stuff. hail!
YOURS TRULY MR METH AKA TICAL2099....PEACE..
Oh, and BTW, people are defending anime to death because a lot of it is excellent, but most people refuse to believe this without even knowing anything about it beyond Pokemon. Like some other people said, try watching some good anime like Cowboy Bebop or Princess Mononoke and then get back to me. You'll find that the animation can be quite detailed, the stories can be good, the characters can be well developed and believable, and that there can even be some intelligent social commentary and complex themes if you pay enough attention.
Dipest regrets layla
i too do not like anime. all your opinions on anime are mine as well, the asian facial expressions (small white eyes or just black lines when the eyes close), choppy
movement and characters who when talking do not properly opena dn close their mouths!
i loved the teenage mutant ninja turtles. i have watched the one on Foxbox. i do not really like it, but if i do wake up at 9am and 10am, i do watch...
thx for the memory!
-that was a really good article.
True there is no BEbop and Rocksteady but its a small sacrifice to get the turtles back.
were the hell are my TMNT toys they've gotta be somewhere, but were
oh yeah and anime sucks!!!!!!!!
especially dragon ball z
they are awsome and they will always be cool in my book.but i hate the new one they suck compared to the old then nothing cccan compare to my old green frienddds!!!!