[Discussion] Rise of the TMNT: Episode #1

[Papenbrook]

Post all thoughts here.🌹

[Leonardo2003]

http://www.nick.com/rise-of-the-teen...-full-episode/

Well... before you can discuss, go watch!

[TheBlueTurtle1]

Can't view it from UK, been uploaded else where?

[Shark_Blade]

Originally Posted by TheBlueTurtle1

Can't view it from UK, been uploaded else where?

Use VPN my dude. You know the drill.

[TheBlueTurtle1]

I am not going to use VPN, Can someone upload the episode please?

[Powder]

It's dope. Laugh out loud funny, super flashy & stylized, bursting at the seams with Suriano flavor, & very new/different. I love it.

Interesting how they're starting it, in that we're left with all sorts of questions about their origin & how it may be tied to their nemesis. A bold move going into things without any backstory. I like that, though. Seems like they're setting it up to reveal that Baron Draxum created the turtles. For those who were worried there would be little to no mind paid to arcs, continuity, etc, I'd say this makes it clear there will be a lot of ground to cover & plots to keep up with. The "rise" concept makes sense, we're definitely seeing their beginnings. They don't quite know the ropes of combat yet, & we, the viewers, are out of the loop altogether. It should be a fun journey as we learn along with them what their world is all about.

The visuals are just wild. Super saturated colors, high contrast, forced perspectives, its a real treat for the eye. You can tell this is an animation team that absolutely love their jobs, 'cause its freakin' gorgeous. Andy's flair is everywhere, but its other influences come through strongly. It evokes the thought of Gorillaz, Trigger-produced anime, Samurai Jack, 90's Nicktoons, & if you look closely, you can see comic homages such as the classic "Kirby Crackle". Everything is turned up to 11, from their over the top expressions, to how incredibly dynamic the battle sequences are, & most notably, the humor. Normally I don't want my TMNT to be too funny/goofy, but with all other qualities of the series being played to extremes, it doesn't exactly stand out to me as being "too much". This show is very much built on "too much", in an endearing way that will make for a very entertaining cartoon, I think.

As far as the characterizations go, I'm fairly keen. Each of the turtles is bringing something new to the table, but feels like its adding to what came before, rather than distancing itself from it. I appreciate that Raph is more a brash but lovable oaf as opposed to just outright angry. Leo's go-to is now cracking-wise, however his eternal confidence, that leadership quality, is still shining through. Mike reminds me of a more reigned-in version of 2012's, which is cool, & Donnie feels like Platinum Dunes'. I'd be a lot happier had he not been conceptualized with that whole mega-nerd shtick as its very Big Bang Theory (which I hate) but his sense of humor won me over. Splinter I can't say too much about so far, but from what I have seen & heard, I'm down. I like the trope they seem to be going with, so I'm biased in his favor a little, but I will definitely understand why some folks will dislike how he is portrayed, wanting someone a bit warmer & zen-like. The only character I really take issue with is April. That's not April, like, at all. The boys, while changed in a variety of ways, are still true to their former selves. But this April is 100% in the action, super sassy, unrealistically agile for some random teen (putting aside the cartoon physics), and seemingly better on her feet than the trained ninjas. Not a fan of the direction they're going with her. Much prefer she be the mother hen on the sidelines that she always was before Viacom decided she had to be the 5th turtle. I suspect that direction is more to do with The Powers That Be than Ant/Andy.

[neatoman]

Wow, that's a lot to unpack... Let's just try to keep to a point by point basis.

First off, yes, I can see why Nickelodeon's first statement about this was about the comedy. The first episode of the previous show wasn't exactly serious either but it was a lot slower and some moments weren't meant to be comedic. This on the other hand, is quite possibly the most hectic episode of a TMNT cartoon I've ever seen, you're not meant to take anything that happens seriously, like at all.

The comedy, I'll say, is actually quite funny. I'm not a fan of turning TMNT into a straight up comedy, because it's too obvious and has never really worked before. The comedy in Fred Wolf, The 90's movies, Next Mutation, the last show and the PD movies ranged from dry garbage to pure cringe. However, Rise's comedy actually works for me, it's situation/character based and is really helping shape the show's identity. The characters aren't just being childish or sarcastic for a joke, it actually feels natural. I wouldn't say all the jokes hit but enough of them do. And the fact that there isn't a single joke about pizza is a nice bonus.

The action is really good too, helps offset the general goofiness, shows that the show doesn't just rely on comedy. I was a bit worried that the show was going to look very choppy based on the trailers but they really put the budget where it was needed. It's a decent balance. The colors go together well, there's lots of energy and I like how there's always something new, never really feels tedious.

What I find odd is that this show doesn't seem to bother re-establishing old elements. There's a vague hint that Baron Draxum might be the creator of the Turtles but it's really unclear. April is already the Turtles' friend and they don't really talk about anything that happened previously. Unless they explain any of this in a future episode, this show really expects you to already know these characters already. I wouldn't mind it so much if it wasn't for the fact that previous TMNT adaptations aren't generally consistant, so "Kids already know TMNT" isn't an excuse here. Did the turtles rescue April from MOUSERs, common thugs, Utroms or Ninjas? Is Splinter a mutated rat, a mutated man or a man reincarnated into a mutated rat? Are Turtles an accident or a deliberate experiment? We really don't know from this episode. Keep in mind, even if you or I might have a general idea, this is still some kid's first TMNT cartoon and this might seem confusing to them.

What's arguably more important is that the brand new elements are established and thankfully they are. The mutating insects, the hidden city, etc. It all gets something of an explaination, or at least set-up for one. It's kind of strange that they start off by dumping all the old weirdness in our lap like we're meant to know about it, but introducing new weirdness like the old stuff was by any means normal. It's a little jarring for a new series. It is however refreshing, I can't really point to any other version of TMNT and compare, it's pretty unique.

As for character, let's deal with the elephant in the room, April. Ever since the Fred Wolf cartoon, cartoon writers have treated her like a cipher to do whatever with, this is no exception. She has nothing to do with any previous iteration of the character, she the Turtles' buddy and that's where the connection ends. She's not really a bad character, it's just that I'm tired of April being treated like a blank slate. The Turtles are kind of what I expected, Don and Leo are less awkward than before, Raph is more. Mikey doesn't seem to be quite as dumb as cartoon writers like to depict him, which was nice, I don't think he'll remain like that but whatever. Splinter kind of reminds me of Mark Martin's Splinter, ancient eastern wisdom amount to a lazy slob in front of the TV. Draxum is OK, I would have liked it better if was comically serious all the time, giving him goofy moments seemed a little unwanted.

TL;DR I don't like the idea of straight up comedy TMNT and the set-up is a bit lacking, but I can't honestly say it's bad or that I dislike it, because I don't. It's genuinely funny and the action is decent.

[CyberCubed]

I'll post more thoughts later, but the animation and action is pretty good. Some jokes didn't work for me, but well, it's a kids show, so it's not aimed at me. The Turtles characterisations are all pretty decent. Leo shows signs of being a leader, Mikey is laid back, Don is an egg-head, and Raph feels loveable if overenthusiastic. April...well, lol. As for Splinter, I dunno, too lazy in this ep, maybe a future ep will change my opinion.

The underground city and mutagen was established and the new weapons, I just hope the Turtles get new classic weapons to use, I need Raph's sai's at least. Hopefully a future ep also gives us a flashback of how the Turtles first meet April.

[Leonardo2003]

Possibly wrong thread, but the next 4 episodes are all available on nick right now as well..... someone dropped the ball.

[Papenbrook]

Originally Posted by Leonardo2003

Possibly wrong thread, but the next 4 episodes are all available on nick right now as well..... someone dropped the ball.

Um ....... wha .....? o_O

[plastroncafe]

I am of two minds regarding this cartoon.

On the one, the voice acting is awesome, and it sounds like the actors involved are having a good time. That goes a long way for me, as a voice actor. For the most part I think the characterization is top notch. The jokes landed for me, and a lot of them actually made me laugh out loud.
I really love the way the brothers interact with each other, and with Splinter.

On the other, it's very frenetic and entirely different to the point of being distracting. I'm not entirely sold on either April or Splinter just yet. Those seem to be the harder characters for any incarnation to peg down well, so I'm willing to wait and see how this pans out.

And as much as I'm entertained by watching the characters be comically awful at what they're doing, it does ping me as some heavy-handed Worfing.

All in all I think it's worth the price of admission, and I'll be looking forward to seeing where this goes. Especially given some of the voice talent that they've managed to score for the rest of the season.

[bjaxx87]

If someone here managed to watch those episodes using a free VPN service, I'd love to know which one. I tried my usual VPN and was able to browse nick.com but the streams wouldn't even start due to poor connection.

[Zombilly]

Originally Posted by Leonardo2003

Possibly wrong thread, but the next 4 episodes are all available on nick right now as well..... someone dropped the ball.

Definitely was surprised to see even the first episode on there already. I figured it’d air tonight and be on the app tomorrow. Only to see all of these on there! For sure finishing them all up before they get pulled.

So far, I’m enjoying it. It covers a few things that I’ve seen people be questionable about. Weapons, leadership, etc...

I’m pretty easy going so I’m not seeing anything that just straight up makes me mad about the portrayals. It’s offering enough of what TMNT has always had, just in a new presentation.

[Autbot_Benz]

Not bad but OMG Splinter what have they done to you.

[neatoman]

Alright I have now watched all four episodes. I'll get into more detail in case other threads pop up.

Wow, this show really doesn't take anything slow, does it? The mutation mosquitos got out in the first episode and by the fourth we already have four mutants and an implied subculture of mutants. This wouldn't be so weird if it wasn't for the fact that episodes two and three have nothing to do with mutants, they're instead setting up the Foot Clan and April being bad at her job. The fourth episode even has a flashback to the Turtles fighting a giant robot, implying they've have off-screen adventures. And no, none of these episodes establish how April met the Turtles, or how they and Splinter came to be. The Turtles don't recognise the Foot Clan, so I'm not sure if theres a connection between them. There's also a running gag of April being out of job, or at least that's how it comes across with the episode order. I suspect the episodes got flipped, because she loses her job in the Albearto episode and looks for a job in the Foot Clan one. If she lost her job, then went looking for one, that would make sense. If she looks for a job, then has a job and gets fired, then the only justification I can come up with is that it's a running gag.

Not that you're really meant to take this show seriously, it's odd how they chose to structure the episodes.

[Papenbrook]

I just saw the first episode.

Wow. Just ... wow. I ... I don't know if I'll eventually adapt to the humor. It just ... seems so random to me.

That's all I have to say for now.

[Utrommaniac]

Something feels very serendipitous about remembering Leroy Jenkins yesterday and having a reference to it just now .

The first episode is a lot of fun so far, though. I like the energy and the character dynamics.


Splinter, I'm not sure about, but the rest is pretty great so far.

But what are the little imp things? Since they're not the Oozequitos like I thought.

[Vicky82]

Seen all 4 episodes,

Wow, I really enjoyed it, loved the animation, love the comedy. the turtles are awesome, Mikey is definitely my fave turtle. I love the turtles interactions, especially with April, they seem very protective of her.

It looks like Leo will definitely become leader at some point.

April is great and she's crazy, she loves jumping into battle first.

I'm not liking Splinter that much, he's just lazy, hopefully he will change in future episodes.

Baron Draxon is a badass, I can't believe that's John Cena's voice, he's really good.

I was a little disappointed that there was no origin story and how they met April but i'm hoping there will be flashbacks in future episodes.

I will be definitely watching this show.

[Xiewin]

I saw all 4 episodes and it was nice! It was what I expected.
Loved the animation, some of the jokes were genuinely funny, and I found all the characters enduring. Well except April for the reason already posted above.

Though my speculation about Raph being too idiot was correct. Bummer. They really didn't have to make him a complete buffoon in this. Probably only thing keeping me from fully enjoying this show. I really hope they change him throughout the series.

[Danetello]

Ok, so first of all, the comic that came out Wednesday now makes a whole lot more sense! I gather now it takes place after this episode. Lol.
I love the music, I love the art style, and I don't mind at all the character models, or any of the mystic stuff.
They could have a few less jokes, and the pace is kind of frenetic at times, but I can deal with those. The one thing I hate, though, is the portrayal of Splinter as an uncouth slob.