Did the 2012 series live up to the hype/hatred?

[The Turtle Terminator]

Whenever the show was originally announced around 2009, everyone was sceptical about how good/terrible it would be. Now, a few years on, I was just wondering if the show lived up to your expectations of how good/bad it would be

[CyberCubed]

Considering back in 2009 people had no idea what the show would be, and then the CG or initial designs had mixed views, I'd say it lived up to the hype and surpassed it. Now obviously not every ep was good and they went too far with horror episodes, but overall it was a good series.

[newfan]

I don't know what the views were when this show was announced but since discovering it I've noticed plenty of views on both sides.

It's what brought me in to the franchise and will very likely remain my favourite version of the shows but it would be easier to like something coming in as new to it, there's not the expectations from prior knowledge/experience there. (course I was familiar with TMNT but hadn't gotten into it)

[sdp]

It didn't live up to my expectations at all, it's a good series with plenty of awesome moments, cool characters and interpretations but it's nowhere near what was promised or was hyped by others to be.

Before release they sweet talked us and told us how it would be Mirage inspired with OT mixed in. To me it seemed like the perfect series I had waited all my life for. The fan preview where a few selected members go to to enjoy a sneak peak only confirmed all of this was true. The designs were solid and all the mainstream geek culture blogs shilled for the show for the first two seasons and how it was the greatest interpretation of the turtles. They were not a lone as plenty of youtubers joined in with the same response.

I saw instead a boring show that didn't have the right interactions, some horrible original characters, too much mutation, too many horror episodes, bringing back characters in name only as they were totally different that you questioned why even bother, lack of motivation for many characters, out of character moments for many, bad decisions in general. I wanted to love the show but at the end it was just another interpretation instead of me actually loving this new take on them.

It's not a bad show, I like it, but the ranking would still go like this easily: 2k3>OT>2012

[plastroncafe]

When it was good, on top of its game, it exceeded the hype. No question.
But even when it was mediocre, it never deserved the hate it got.

It was a cute show that had so much unrealized potential.
Oh well, that's what fic is for.

[sdp]

I don't think this show got too much hate, it was praised by a large majority of fans and casual fans joined in as well. This praise kinda died down around season 4 I think but I never saw anything too negative, 2k3 got far more hate by OT fans when it started and later during FF by most people but overall I think 2012 didn't have it bad at all when it came to reactions. Hell, it's the reason Rise is going to have a problem since so many people view the 2012 favorably they won't even give a chance to Rise for trying something different, they already have the grudge that the "great" show was cancelled because of Rise.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Originally Posted by sdp

2k3 got far more hate by OT fans when it started

Back in February 2003, there were mostly just TMNT fans (many of them not even aware of Mirage). The divide into various fangroups came later, as the 4 Kids series progressed.

[Metalwolf]

It was very good when it was good, however it didn't do enough to forge it's own path. It started off original, and some of the OT homages were fine, but they soon grew kind of excessive and eventually segued into full blown visits to the OT dimension, and the addition of Bebop and Rocksteady that quickly overshadowed the original mutant pair that debuted.

So in a way it didn't live up to expectations, because it stopped being what was advertised and started trying to be the OT too much, only 'returning to form' of it's old originality after too much time had passed.

[Xiewin]

My expectations were low when I first watched it, so I was surprised at how "good" it was.

But when I re-watched it a few times, it's not as good as I remember. It's decent, but the overall quality is meh. But it does have it's moments.

[neatoman]

I can't speak for anyone else, I don't remember what other people thought. What I can say is that I felt season 1 was promising, a promise the other seasons didn't live up to in my opinion.

At the time season 1 was airing, I thought it was going to continue focusing on the story like with the 2003 show and that this time there could be less focus on merchandising, given that a more respected studio was making it. This didn't really pan out. What we got was kind of cheap looking CGI that didn't improve, too many characters clearly created to sell toys, too many random plots that didn't go anywhere, increasingly dumb humor and attempts at drama that were just duds. For example, Splinter's final death might have worked better If:

1. He didn't "die" multiple times before (in pretty much the same way).
2. If the show didn't seem like a comedy as often as it did, including the episodes centered around it.
3. He didn't come back, almost right away, as a semi-coporeal ghost.

It's not a bad show, even at it's worst you can still watch it (even if it makes you scratch your head). It's just that it seems like it could have been way better, given that it's the studio that produced the Avatar shows, but the one made the most infamous anime licensee of all time still made the better adaptation. And that's sad.

[Papenbrook]

Originally Posted by neatoman

I can't speak for anyone else, I don't remember what other people thought. What I can say is that I felt season 1 was promising, a promise the other seasons didn't live up to in my opinion.

At the time season 1 was airing, I thought it was going to continue focusing on the story like with the 2003 show and that this time there could be less focus on merchandising, given that a more respected studio was making it. This didn't really pan out. What we got was kind of cheap looking CGI that didn't improve, too many characters clearly created to sell toys, too many random plots that didn't go anywhere, increasingly dumb humor and attempts at drama that were just duds. For example, Splinter's final death might have worked better If:

1. He didn't "die" multiple times before (in pretty much the same way).
2. If the show didn't seem like a comedy as often as it did, including the episodes centered around it.
3. He didn't come back, almost right away, as a semi-coporeal ghost.

It's not a bad show, even at it's worst you can still watch it (even if it makes you scratch your head). It's just that it seems like it could have been way better, given that it's the studio that produced the Avatar shows, but the one made the most infamous anime licensee of all time still made the better adaptation. And that's sad.

This man. So much this.

I felt that season one was the best. After that, just ... nah.

It didn't live up to my expectations.

[Andrew NDB]

First couple of seasons were pretty solid for what they were. I suspect as ratings began to slide, Ciro was allowed to steer the ship creatively less and less.

[neatoman]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

First couple of seasons were pretty solid for what they were. I suspect as ratings began to slide, Ciro was allowed to steer the ship creatively less and less.

I always doubted he had that much creative freedom to begin with. Judging from interviews and such, it seems like his pitch was chosen less because they liked his vision, but more because it was the easiest to modify into what they wanted. At it's core, the status quo pretty basic TMNT. There are of course deviations but few radical ones, nothing you wouldn't see in most cartoon reboots, the formula is fairly intact for a TMNT cartoon.

I'll agree that season 1 had a decent illusion of being creator driven, given the general lack of filler and advertisement, it's just pretty clear after the subsequent seasons that it wasn't really. It still had those elements, it just wasn't as obvious at the time.

[PApagreg]

Went downhill in season 1 not helping that they were too mutant/horror heavy for my liking.

[CyberCubed]

Originally Posted by PApagreg

Went downhill in season 1 not helping that they were too mutant/horror heavy for my liking.

Went downhill in Season 1? What?

[Dejablue]

I basically missed this entire show's original air. I'm a big fan of OT and 2k3 turtles but I was too busy to stop and watch 2k12 when it came out. But now with Rise of the TMNT on the horizon I'm finally going to settle down and watch this show. I didn't go in with any expectations since I didn't read or look at any promo material before hand.

So far I'm midway through season 2 and I'm liking what I'm seeing so far. The characters are cute and funny, though I think Mikey is almost too stupid for my liking. Internally I'm feeling pretty positive about this show though externally I'm already feeling some issues that I want to vent about. Lol Some of which were already spoiled to me.

One of my most serious issues are : All of the human secondary protagonists being children.

I guess it isn't a big issue with Karai, but I'm really not a fan of kid April. To me, April is a big sister to the turtles at the very least, and a cool mother figure at the most. You can go crazy with everything else and you can argue against me on this, but April being the "team mom" has been my default ideal about her for a long time.

On top of that, the circumstances put forward by her dad's mutation causes narrative problems that I suppose the writers don't expect the audience to care about. Since April is a minor, and I don't know how long it will be before the turtles find a cure for Kirby O'Neil, how is April surviving on her own? Sure I guess she can buy her own food, and I can even imagine her father had some off screen and never mentioned 'emergency savings' that April can live off of and pay the rent with, but still, so far the show hasn't mentioned this so I'm guessing the audience isn't supposed to 'think' about it too much. I've been told that in another season or so she gains super powers. Huh.

Some friends think Casey is a foster kid. That might explain why they don't care about him and Casey doesn't care about...anything. But the show does a poor job at giving us this helpful information so I have to waste time theorizing like an asshole. Also to me it just makes Shredder's defeat seem all the more silly. Vying for world domination, getting your ass kicked by a tribe of misfit children. I know it works in anime but I expect better from the Shredder.

Also Splinter. This may be the youngest incarnation of this character EVER. I wish he would leave the lair more often. Especially in this current debacle with Karai, he should be more proactive in finding his own daughter instead of leaving it all up to the turtles.

So yeah so far these are my biggest complaints.

I agree with CyberCubed. I remember people gnashing their teeth when the character designs were revealed. But honestly I think this is an above average show. It has its flaws, like everything does but it isn't enough to detract from my experience.

At this point I'd rate all of the Turtle shows in this order. 2003> 2012>OT

And NMT is somewhere either orbiting the sun or near the earth's crust.

[Vegita-San]

I was hopeful at the start.

I was on board with the CGI animation idea. I didn't like the fact that april and casey and karai where all teens, but open to the idea to see how it affected the dynamic. the designs took a little getting used to... but apart from casey's and some of karai's look, I was pretty on board with them.

The show in it's first season was pretty amazing. it did feel like a mix between mirage and OT adventure elements.

Then it took a MAJOR downward turn in quality, IMHO. all the mutant stuff started happening full blown. characters started getting forgotten in a show that tried to have continuity. it twisted from straight out sponge bob comedy, to straight out horror , to straight out seriousness and NONE of the balances evened each other out at all....giving a very stilted mess.

I enjoyed season 1 the most. I will rewatch it now and then. Season 2 and 3 are my least favorites and I never have the need to watch some of those episodes again (like attack of the mega shredder). and that is a FIRST for any TMNT series apart from NT:TNM. Season 4 was the only one, to me, that felt like a REAL Ninja Turtles series. it felt like it got the story together a little more, and it was a little more co hesive as a whole.

Season 5 felt like it wasn't needed. and was basically a bunch of left over 'cool' ideas the animation staff had and wanted to do before the next version came along.


All in all, I felt like the show would have been MUCH better if they had totally left shredder and karai out of the series. as well as the foot. Focus on the Kraang and the weird sci fi adventures they seemed to want to do more. I feel like it would have worked that much better.

Shredder and his henchmen always felt like an after thought to me.

All in all, a series with MUCH potential. The animation was top notch. the music was great. the voices where great. but it didn't live up to it at all, and I almost stopped watching in season 3.

I think after the pilot, I'll just skip this new version all together, as I can already tell it's not made for me. and I say this as someone who can enjoy something goofy like teen titans go.

[Leofan26]

It had its pros and cons over all, it was definatly a lot lighter than 2003 series, I mean I liked Leo's evolution evolving into a leader and head of the family by the end of the series. Just wish episodes didn't regress that, having the gang mock Leo's leadership skills every now and than after proving time and time again he's competent to handle got annoying fast, glad that stopped at one point but still.

[Xiewin]

Originally Posted by Leofan26

It had its pros and cons over all, it was definatly a lot lighter than 2003 series, I mean I liked Leo's evolution evolving into a leader and head of the family by the end of the series. Just wish episodes didn't regress that, having the gang mock Leo's leadership skills every now and than after proving time and time again he's competent to handle got annoying fast, glad that stopped at one point but still.

I'm pretty sure all the characters regressed as a whole.
Those writers sure loved screwing up characters, especially the tmnt, for no reason whatsoever.

[ABrown]

Meh, it was what it was. It had moments that I found it very entertaining, mostly the second half of season four through the end of the series. And there were times that I found it absolutely unbearable, mainly the Northampton arc and the outer space arc.