How do you feel about Casey/April being depicted younger and younger?

[CyberCubed]

In the Mirage comics both April and Casey debuted as adults and this continued into the original cartoon and movies. April was 28 years old in the original cartoon and Casey was probably in his 30's.

The 4kids series was the first to give us a somewhat younger April/Casey. April was only 23 years old in 4kids and was the youngest April of that time. Casey Jones was probably around the same age.

Then IDW went further and made April/Casey into College kids. April lived in a College dorm and Casey still with his Dad. And now the Nick cartoon has them both as teenagers.

How do you feel about April/Casey getting younger?

[Klunk1234]

A pair of grown adults don't hung out with minors. Now, by being closer in age like the boys it doesn't seem bad.

[Powder]

I'm fine with it. There's never been all that much to her, so there's plenty of room to play around & see what works best. Nick's April has become my favorite, & I'm sure that's due in part to her age allowing for her to be a bit more spunky & fun. But of course whether or not she's suited to be a teen, adult, or in between, will depend on the version & how the turtles & their environment are. A young April would not work in Mirage, & an older one would be odd in the new series, I think.

[Leo656]

Wasn't April 26 or 27 in the OT? I swear I remember her once saying she was 26, but then, it's been a long time.

I don't have a problem with them being more in their early-20s, because it gives the characters room to "grow" along with the Turtles over a period of in-story years, without getting "too old" (the dreaded "Age 30" that comic book/comics characters are no longer allowed to approach without becoming "unrelatable" to the viewers/readers :roll:).

That's pretty much all it's about; people who create cartoons and comics feel that anyone older than 25 is someone that the "target audience" of kids/teens can't relate to or appreciate. It's no surprise that in the Nick show, the most "kiddy" of all the TMNT cartoons so far, April and Casey are portrayed as teenagers. Anyone more than "a handful" of years older than the target audience "can't" be a main character. It's nonsense logic, but it's where they're coming from.

I personally feel early-mid 20s is just fine; I'm not at all a fan of them being teenagers. It makes it feel like there's too many "kids" running around, and it takes the focus off of the Turtles. The good news is, they probably won't be able to "de-age" them any further than they already have. And I don't really think the Nick version will become the new standard; I think most media will continue to portray April and Casey closer to the more "familiar" age range.

[ProactiveMan]

I like the dynamic of a woman in her mid to late 20s putting up with a bunch of teenage shenanigans, but the younger Nick April is good too.

They probably shouldn't go any younger unless they spin off a Turtle Babies show.

[Slade]

Really, I don't care one way or the other. I don't need April or Casey really.

[Huzzah]

I'm pretty much over April, no one seems to have anything interesting to do with her. I can't stand her in the Nick cartoon, probably my least favorite version. Though that's mostly due to them just trying to force her into every episode. She honestly should just be busted down to about half the episodes a season.

Honestly though, I have no issues with her being younger. I like the IDW age bracket, and honestly if they had made her interesting in the Nick show, I'm perfectly fine with her being around the age of the Turtles.

As far as Casey goes, first off I'm not a Casey/April fan in any iteration, but I honestly prefer him as a young adult. I don't like teen or college Casey. I find him more interesting as an older character, allowing a cool dynamic between him and Raphael, I mean there is nothing wrong with having a friendship between generations. Plus I think it would be great to see him as a single parent, raising a child (Shadow, who kind of thinks of the Turtles as that cool relative, who is an uncle but still young enough to be a friend), who can't win for losing.

[neatoman]

Well it keeps April from being potrayed as a reporter, so I'm all for it.:P

All kidding aside, I understand the logic that it's weird for adults to hang out with teenagers and I don't think it takes away much from them as characters. Maybe we won't see stuff like Shadow make it into narrative but let's face it, Shadow ain't showing up in anything other than the Mirage stories.

[PurpleMusic]

I think April's best as being mid-20s. Kids can still kind of relate, and it makes her more independent and mobile as a character. Casey can go anywhere from around 30 and up for me and still work. I hate shows with too many young characters, especially these days. Teen culture is pretty much at its lowest point in history right now.

[Bossa Nova]

In my mind, IDW Casey and April are very similar in age to 4Kids' Casey and April, in that early 20's bracket. People can still be in college at that age and many certainly do still live with their parents. In 4Kids they were a bit more independent, but it still felt about the same. Personally, that's the perfect age group for them to me. I definitely like them being older than the turtles because I never saw their relationship as "Omg best friends forever!!" but more of them filling a much needed mother and cool uncle sort of role. They're young enough to hang out and confide in, but still old enough to have their own lives (though I think it's weird that people seem to feel that adults and teens can't have friendships. I'm 25 and a lot of my fellow students who go to my studio are in their teens, 15-18. They're super easy to hang out with, don't make me feel awkward and the only time I really feel that difference is when they start talking about college and first jobs and I want to give them some advice). Making April and Casey the turtle's true peers strips them of an important element to me. They're lacking in a degree of maturity and experience that I feel they very much need in order to fulfill their roles.

[Prowler]

I prefer them to be in their early-mid 20s. Casey and especially April are supposed to be like older "relatives" to the Turtles. I kinda view April as some kind of voice of reason. Also, the Turtles being kids already, you're gonna make Casey and April kids as well? I mean sure, with the turtles being younger in the Nick version it makes sense for them to have kids of their age, and I guess it's best to simply make Casey and April younger than creating a completely new character or two as a friend for the Turtles. But on the other hand, Splinter will remain the only adult in the Turtles' lives, which seems kinda unrealistic.

[ABrown]

I think having April and Casey younger in the Nickelodeon series really works for what they're doing in that show. Portraying the characters as a little younger is one of the few things that I really like about the show.

[DevilSpooky]

April works best as a kind of Mother figure for the boys, I love the comic where Raph cries on her lap because he never knew his real mother and realized she was their surrogate mother.

Casey is more realistic as an adult, in order to be able to handle ninjas, mutants and aliens without proper training he needs to at least be experienced, I don't see a kid doing anything other then being killed in those conditions.

That being said IDW April is probably my favorite version of her, Nick being the least favorite. Casey I only really liked the Mirage one, every other one is meh at best, can't stand the Nick one though, especially his stupid face...

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

I prefer April and Casey as big sister and big brother, not peers. And I can't stand Donny/April over on Nick.

IDW has hit it out of the park with their April, but before that, my favorite was 2003's portrayal.

[Huzzah]

My biggest issue with Nick's Casey Jones is that he often quotes Elias Koteas as Casey Jones, and he teenage Casey Jones lacks the gravitas to deliver them properly.

Honestly the Elias Koteas as Casey is the definitive version of Casey. No other version has even come close, and I think one of the best reasons for that is that he is the appropriate age to play a convincing Casey Jones. He's an age that makes it far more believable that he could be a vigilante. High school and college versions don't cut it though.

[PangolinFeets]

I never thought much of April and Casey outside of some of the Mirage issues, but I love their portrayal in IDW. I feel like they've done a good job of establishing April and have plenty of room to let her grow and get more interesting. And I prefer the less-homicidal IDW Jones (although I could stand to see him step it up and kicking a bit more ass).

I'm not as big of a fan of their Nick versions. Not because they are young, but because I'm just not a fan of how they're written.

I can't wait for the IDW Casey/April spin off. I feel like wonderful things are going to happen in it.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

I can't wait for the IDW Casey/April spin off. I feel like wonderful things are going to happen in it.

I second that!

[Sage Ninja]

I really do not care for it. I think it dumbs down the property a bit too much. Why is it many cartoons from the 80's and 90's and even early 2000's had protagonists that were depicted as adults and kids were fine with it, and now it seems like shows have to have a protagonist tat is a kid like them? Jem and the Holograms, The Real Ghostbusters, Conan the Adventurer, Pirates of Dark Water, Batman the animated series, X-Men, ect, ect, all had adult protagonists. I always hated when they had shows and they had to add in a child character for some reason so kids could identify with them. Hated most of those brats...

[Luckyday]

In my opinion, you could have an adult surrounding by teenager if you have a clear understanding of what the relationship is.

With Casey, you can write him off as a childhood friend. He was around thirteen when he met them and they (the turtles) were eight or maybe eleven years old. Now flash forward to present day. Turtles are teenagers and Casey is in his early twenties. His years with the turtles had made him into the lovable eccentric crazy vigilante that he is today which essentially stuck in arrested development.

That would actually explain his character so much.

With April, it would be a reluctant team up. "Why do I keep seeing you four assholes?". Playing the role as the straight man and commenting ridiculous nature of their adventure with a heavy note of sarcasm and lamp shading along the way.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

I really do not care for it. I think it dumbs down the property a bit too much. Why is it many cartoons from the 80's and 90's and even early 2000's had protagonists that were depicted as adults and kids were fine with it, and now it seems like shows have to have a protagonist tat is a kid like them? Jem and the Holograms, The Real Ghostbusters, Conan the Adventurer, Pirates of Dark Water, Batman the animated series, X-Men, ect, ect, all had adult protagonists. I always hated when they had shows and they had to add in a child character for some reason so kids could identify with them. Hated most of those brats...

You and me both, Sage...

[Cipher]

I don't really care, but it presents some logistical problems previous versions haven't had to deal with: mainly, what their daily lives have to look like in terms of school and family.

Both Nick and IDW have dealt with those angles ... somewhat gracefully, at best.

Mirage also managed to mine the older versions for emotionally resonant situations a lot of the time, but there's no age monopoly on those kinds of stories and just as often it was an excuse to not fully flesh out their lives.

So ... what're ya gonna do, except fully commit to the kinds of character choices you make.

[neatoman]

It isn't really a problem, although if they ever become younger than the Turtles themselves, that would be a problem.

Nobody wants Casey to fit the same archetype as Zack.

[Blackeyedsonic]

I think it strips them of part of their purpes in the story or the world Casey was the tough vigalanty and now he's what a skate punk? April was the main conection to normal life now she's a mutant like them? For me it's not just the age it's what the age change has done to the characters

[oldmanwinters]

After seeing this piece of fan art, I'm actually curious to see a version of TMNT in which April would serve the role of the "little sister" to the TMNT:
http://img07.deviantart.net/77ab/i/2015/062/3/1/don_t_mess_with_our_little_sister_by_inked_alpha-d8kbp4r.jpg (http://inked-alpha.deviantart.com/art/Don-t-mess-with-our-little-sister-517867515)
Don't mess with our little sister (http://inked-alpha.deviantart.com/art/Don-t-mess-with-our-little-sister-517867515) by ~Inked-Alpha (http://inked-alpha.deviantart.com/) on deviantART (http://deviantart.com)

[BubblyShell22]

I was very leery about April being younger, and the only issue I have with her are how her powers have gotten too out of hand. But now that the Kraang are gone for the time being, we won't have to worry about that. As for Casey, I love him in the Nick show. He's that arrogant jock who thinks he can do what he wants despite his limitations. I agree that having them older works as well though because they aren't bogged down by family stuff as they are in the Nick version.

[Shark_Blade]

After seeing this piece of fan art, I'm actually curious to see a version of TMNT in which April would serve the role of the "little sister" to the TMNT:
http://img07.deviantart.net/77ab/i/2015/062/3/1/don_t_mess_with_our_little_sister_by_inked_alpha-d8kbp4r.jpg (http://inked-alpha.deviantart.com/art/Don-t-mess-with-our-little-sister-517867515)
Don't mess with our little sister (http://inked-alpha.deviantart.com/art/Don-t-mess-with-our-little-sister-517867515) by ~Inked-Alpha (http://inked-alpha.deviantart.com/) on deviantART (http://deviantart.com)

Funny cause it reminds me of this..

http://i.imgur.com/L7ipqty.jpg

thweatted.deviantart.com/art/TMNT-where-when-whichever-10755320

[neatoman]

After seeing this piece of fan art, I'm actually curious to see a version of TMNT in which April would serve the role of the "little sister" to the TMNT:
http://img07.deviantart.net/77ab/i/2015/062/3/1/don_t_mess_with_our_little_sister_by_inked_alpha-d8kbp4r.jpg (http://inked-alpha.deviantart.com/art/Don-t-mess-with-our-little-sister-517867515)
Don't mess with our little sister (http://inked-alpha.deviantart.com/art/Don-t-mess-with-our-little-sister-517867515) by ~Inked-Alpha (http://inked-alpha.deviantart.com/) on deviantART (http://deviantart.com)

Real cute.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Funny cause it reminds me of this..

http://i.imgur.com/L7ipqty.jpg

thweatted.deviantart.com/art/TMNT-where-when-whichever-10755320

....Aaaaaaaaaand we're off to THAT corner of the TMNT fandom. :teek::tlol:

[Leo656]

I suspect they occupy at least three corners and most people are just quiet about it. :lol:

But yeah that pic is rather rape-y.

[TheSkeletonMan939]

I'd be interested in a younger Casey/April if they grew up with the turtles, rather than eternally remain 16 or 17 for the whole show's run.

The great thing about a TV show is that the writers have more ability to allow audiences to witness the growth and development of the characters they love.

It'd be a really rewarding thing to see if in season 1 we met Casey and April when they were teenagers or a little older, and by season 7 or so we could meet their kid. There'd probably have to be time gaps between seasons with that idea though.

And about the idea of April being a little kid - why not have it be Shadow, in like season 9 or something, when April and Casey are all grown up and their kid is growing older as well?

[oldmanwinters]

Funny cause it reminds me of this..

http://i.imgur.com/L7ipqty.jpg

thweatted.deviantart.com/art/TMNT-where-when-whichever-10755320

Gah! Just when I had finally purged that image from my mind, you had to bring it back!

I suppose the layouts of both that and the pic I posted do have certain similarities.

[Warhorse]

I really don't mind either way. With each incarnation, the ages worked with what was required. But, I do think stepping back a bit and looking at it from a distance, a bunch of teenagers hanging out with adults or vice versa is a bit off setting. Perhaps the next incarnation will have April and Casey all grown up and they have a kid that becomes friends with the Turtles, or they could be in their college years/ early to mid 20's, old enough to be surrogates for the Turtles, but they have younger siblings that are the Turtle's age for a reason for them to hang out.

[Lisardo]

April's age was inconsistent in the OT. In one ep she claims she's 28, but on her action figure card, it says she's "A young 25". But she always seemed a bit younger with the way she looked and acted; like early 20s (same age as 2k3 April I'd say). Casey in OT and 2k3 was probably around the same age, maybe late 20s. I don't mind them being depicted a bit younger, because it's interesting to see them act as peers to the TMNT. Tho even the turtles' age was always weird. In the OT they look and act more like collage students or early-twenty-somethings, same for 2k3. If they have to be teenagers I'd put them more at 17 - 19 years old (not a mere 15 - 16).

[senpai]

I'm fine with the age so long as it fits the story. Having April in her late-20's early 30's in the 80's version was fitting since she was a news reporter. And in the IDW comics she's a college student and had an internship at Stockman's lab. I think the writers insert April to whatever age seems appropriate for the plot. I don't particularly care that she is getting 'younger and younger'. Shows tend to throw in characters that have similar ages to their target audience--same might be said for comics but I feel comics are more broad. Anyway, of course we like characters to be close to our age so we can identify with them, so I think everyone's gonna have a different opinions about this. I'm sort of whatever.