2k3 is actually so good

[Shark_Blade]

I’m currently on Season 2 Fugitoid episode, rewatching on Paramount Plus.

I found a new appreciation for this version. The overall pacing is so good compared to 2012 & Rise series (I really only rewatch Season 1 of OT which is perfect and some other eps like the Leatherhead & Punk frogs). 2k3 colors are so vibrant and popping too.

I like how the turtles look very similar, no extreme exaggeration like Donnie being too skinny or wearing glasses, Raph too giant and bulky etc. Maybe I’m too used to them being so different it’s refreshing to see them so visually similar again like proper quadruplet brothers yet still distinctly different color wise and personality wise.

I look forward to rewatch that legendary dreadfully sad episode - Same As It Never Was. S3E21

Anyone feel we had it so good before?

[FredWolfLeonardo]

2003 is definetly an awesome show, I agree.

[neatoman]

… It is the best TMNT TV show at least, yes. It's about the only one out of the five I can watch without getting irritated at a lack of consistency, feel as if it's lacking in crucial information or get sad over how sloppy it is. With exception of the rather obvious retcons in season 4 and 5, there isn't much that bothers me about the writing or general plot, it genuinely feels as if there was an actual plan in place rather than just a loose set of ideas that don't really come together…

[Monty Mole]

Chuck Patton did an amazing job making this show happen. He really cared and it showed. Wish we had more people like him involved in the franchise.

[CyberCubed]

We know. Some of its filler episodes can be dull, "Junklantis" in Season 2 is one of the worst episodes of the entire series, but the good episodes are really good.

Also go into Fast Forward with an open mind once you get there, aside from the art style change and some attempts of humor, it had a pretty good rogues gallery and got good as it went on.

[Wesley]

Best animated series I’ve ever watched. It’s got the right balance of humour, action and drama. Good mix of serialisation and standalone episodes. Even though the later seasons (5, 6 and 7) weren’t as good as the earlier ones, they’re still fun to watch imo. I can watch it no matter what mood I’m in, unlike the 1987 series.

[Sumac]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

We know. Some of its filler episodes can be dull, "Junklantis" in Season 2 is one of the worst episodes of the entire series, but the good episodes are really good.

Also go into Fast Forward with an open mind once you get there, aside from the art style change and some attempts of humor, it had a pretty good rogues gallery and got good as it went on.

IMO, it gets going by the very end and then it just ends.
Second season of Fast Forward in the same vein would have helped immensely, but as its now: it is just a weird stump which takes too long to get going.

[LeotheLateBloomer]

I love it and could not recommend it enough. No TMNT show has yet to surpass it to me and that's fine. I wish it would get more recognition as it deserves it.

[Zachatello00]

Any fellow 80s babies willing to agree out loud this is better than the toon we grew up with?

[Sumac]

Originally Posted by Zachatello00

Any fellow 80s babies willing to agree out loud this is better than the toon we grew up with?

I do.
I love FW series, for what it is, but as far as characters and story goes, 2k3 is unreachable. And given recent developments with a franchise, I am afraid it is bound to stay that way.

[LeotheLateBloomer]

Originally Posted by Zachatello00

Any fellow 80s babies willing to agree out loud this is better than the toon we grew up with?

Without a doubt! So much more enjoyable!

[Zachatello00]

I respect and have fond memories of FW for sure, but 2k3 is where it's at for this 80s/90s kid.

And, I guess I use the word "kid" loosely, since I'm now in my 40s.

[LeotheLateBloomer]

Originally Posted by Zachatello00

I respect and have fond memories of FW for sure, but 2k3 is where it's at for this 80s/90s kid.

And, I guess I use the word "kid" loosely, since I'm now in my 40s.

Kid at heart is probably more accurate.

[Wesley]

Originally Posted by Zachatello00

Any fellow 80s babies willing to agree out loud this is better than the toon we grew up with?

Yes. It took me a while to get into 2k3, but it holds up way better.

[triplexxx]

Originally Posted by Shark_Blade

I like how the turtles look very similar, no extreme exaggeration like Donnie being too skinny or wearing glasses, Raph too giant and bulky etc. Maybe I’m too used to them being so different it’s refreshing to see them so visually similar again like proper quadruplet brothers yet still distinctly different color wise and personality wise.

That was the point when the franchise started to go in the wrong direction, when they made the turtles look too different from each other. That's why 1987 and 2k3 hold up so well; 2k7 & Injustice 2 also gets good marks in that department. That's the way they should go back to doing things.

[Antoniocafe]

It really was a golden age for animation. It was around the time that this series ended, it seemed as though there was far less great cartoons than the 15-20 years prior. The 90s and 2000's had so many incredible cartoons: The Simpsons, Batman: The Animated Series, Beast Wars, Daria, Family Guy, Kim Possible, Justice League, Batman: The Brave & the Bold. The 2010's definitely had some very enjoyable cartoons: Phineas and Ferb, The Nickelodeon TMNT, Star War: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Justice League Action. Though I just feel as though the decade as a whole couldn't match the two that preceeded it.

[FrederikWolferson]

Great show. I rewatch it every 2-3 years.

[FlawedCoil82]

I found 2003 infinitely better and more entertaining than the FW series (I just bought the Complete FW Series of that to watch since I abandoned it when “X-Men” came out and completely rocked my world, so I missed a lot of episodes and…..yea…I am suddenly remembering why I gave up on the overly silly FW series in the first place). 2003 TMNT was the first time since “X-Men” ended that I felt excited about watching Saturday morning cartoons again and it came the closest to fully engaging me in the same way that “X-Men” did (or at least until they switched to “Fast Forward”….then the TMNT ship sadly started to sink from that point on). Up until then though, it was a very entertaining show. My only complaint was how they made Oroku Saki/Shredder an Utrom robot (and then a dragon demon later on….). It made no sense to me how a brain alien could create a robot that could almost effortlessly stomp the Turtles in martial arts. In fact, I thought the fight scenes with Shredder improved when Karai took over. But regardless, while I did enjoy most of the 2012 series, I felt that 2003 was superior at feeling more cohesive and engaging.

[CyberCubed]

Originally Posted by FlawedCoil82

I found 2003 infinitely better and more entertaining than the FW series (I just bought the Complete FW Series of that to watch since I abandoned it when “X-Men” came out and completely rocked my world, so I missed a lot of episodes and…..yea…I am suddenly remembering why I gave up on the overly silly FW series in the first place). 2003 TMNT was the first time since “X-Men” ended that I felt excited about watching Saturday morning cartoons again and it came the closest to fully engaging me in the same way that “X-Men” did (or at least until they switched to “Fast Forward”….then the TMNT ship sadly started to sink from that point on). Up until then though, it was a very entertaining show. My only complaint was how they made Oroku Saki/Shredder an Utrom robot (and then a dragon demon later on….). It made no sense to me how a brain alien could create a robot that could almost effortlessly stomp the Turtles in martial arts. In fact, I thought the fight scenes with Shredder improved when Karai took over. But regardless, while I did enjoy most of the 2012 series, I felt that 2003 was superior at feeling more cohesive and engaging.

Did you never watch B:TAS or the other DC cartoons? They all aired from 1992-2006 around the same time.

[FlawedCoil82]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Did you never watch B:TAS or the other DC cartoons? They all aired from 1992-2006 around the same time.

I caught certain episodes of Batman: TAS but they didn’t catch my interest near as much as X-Men or 2003 TMNT did. I guess the fact that Batman was just a normal human being fighting the villains made him less interesting to me. But I would like to give the full series a chance now after being fairly impressed by the movies that have come out since.