I think the turtle should had love interest
 

I am just saying. No harm done to see one of the turtle get in a romantic relationship with a mutant girl, alien or even human(yeah, you hear me, human/turtle...I don't really see what is wrong with it). People accept Robin and starfire as lovers/couple why not turtle/human. Anyway, its what the 2003 show was missing. Its one of the reason the turtle archie favorite book, it make the turtle more real in someway.

Even today I am still upset over the Leo/Karai thing, they build their relationship and even admitted that Leo/Karai had feeling for each other...than the writer do the turtles don't get romantic involved with human. And instead of giving me closure over the Leo/Karai, I get Dr. Chaplin and Karai holding hand..( which never confirm if they were couple and I don't think they were.) Thank for nothing.

They dropped the romance aspect because it serves no purpose in the show aside from being played for laughs. People don't watch TMNT for Romantic tension, they watch it for thrills and laughs. Romance detracts from what TMNT is all about. It would be cool to have Dr. Chaplin appear in the show, but it would be an absolute waste of his character just to make him a potential love interest.

Exactly what the poster above me just said, I don't watch TMNT for the romance. I can get romance pretty much anywhere. There is SO much to the turtles and all the supporting characters that I like watching and exploring them as something outside of being someone's romantic partner.

I actually liked the way 4Kids handled the subject of romance because the only relationship that was really official was April/Casey, but even then I felt like it wasn't crammed down my throat 24/7 and left room to see them as individuals outside their relationship. On top of that, they sprinkled in enough hints and tension between characters (like Leo/Karai) that gave viewers the option of pairing them together if they wanted, but didn't let that aspect overtake the series so that the action and other storylines were always at the forefront of the series. That's why I personally feel Nick really dropped the ball with the way Karai and April were introduced in their series, since I was instantly only able to see them as 'girl crush #1' and 'girl crush #2' instead of the complex, interesting characters they actually are, and it bothers me that the turtles seemed to initially view them that way as well.

If you wanna ship go buy cruise tickets.

badumtish

No, really though, go away.

I don't come to TMNT for the romance, but I don't really see why it's a bad thing if it's included either. It...is kind of a thing in life, and all that, you know.

Then again, I've been loving the Donnie/April stuff in the new show, so what do I know.:P

I don't think the intended target audience for the TMNT is/was interested in seeing romance.

Even the actual romance in the show between Casey and April is fairly boring.

Casey and April wasn't romance, the writer just put them together there was nothing else to do with them

Eh, I've never been a fan of romance in the TMNT franchise. I don't mind hints or little bits and pieces, but I'm not really interested in full blown romantic relationships. I get enough of that (and sometimes too much) in other shows. I can't fault it if it's done well, but to me TMNT is about family/brotherly love, not romantic love.

But hey, that's just my opinion. Besides, that's what fanfiction/fanart is for. ^_~

April and Casey have quite the history between them. Getting together, splitting apart and by chance meet again, raise a child together.

no romance?

In the 4Kids show they do get married and clearly they care for each other even though we the audience don't see Casey or April go lengths to woe their loved one. it wasn't the focal point of the show.


I think there is a fair amount of romance/relationships with the turtles in the various incarnations. There is no need for all four turtles to find their true one. we're talking about four mutants living in hiding from society. Four brothers against the world, protect the family, protect the clan.

Leo and Karai in 4Kids would never had worked as couple, when they barely works as allies. I didn't get a romance vibe from the two, just a deep bond of respect. That doesn't mean "OMG Kawaii kiss you two." And I preferred it that way.

If anything I'd like to see how Leonardo and Radical's relationship grew, Swan Song is way too short of a comic to deal with that(not to mention a not very good comic either). We have two seemingly random characters getting together after not seeing each other for years. She basically was just fridge stuffer to further Leo's story on how he ended up vowing never to kill again.

While it isn't something I clamor for in every series, it is something I wish would be explored more often -- preferably in a non-child-oriented version that can treat it with the proper gravitas and bizarreness.

Like Candy Kappa, I think the few Turtle-superhero/alien/mutant/whatever relationships that have popped up in the comics over the years have always been interesting, if not very well executed.

I have a lot of fun with certain human/Turtle pairings in my fanfics, but I don't mind it being a minor factor in the official canons. It's at it's heart, an action/adventure franchise, with a lot more complex developments to concern itself with that leads to a more enriching viewing expeirance.

I think the one-sided romance elements of the Nick show tries to tick a few boxes for female fans, but the women in the show are protected somewhat by not entirely reciprecating that affection and instead keeping a cool head around the characters, which itself conveys a strong message to female audiences that you don't need to fall head over heels with someone to be close to them.

I've never found Casey and April particulary interesting...I think April could either do much better for herself or, failing that, shouldnt really concern herself with romance at all...after all, 80s April stayed consistently single throughout the run of the classic show (though she referenced dating some people and even went out with Mutagen Man) and she wasn't hung up over those aspects due to her being a likeable and inspiring career woman.

I don't mind a little bit of romance. I like to see it actually goes somewhere. :)

Romance did exist in the Mirage series. However in the 1987, the target audience (young children) don't typically have romance on their minds. I remember the "boy germs/girl germs" wars when I was in second grade.

What about the Episode "Green With Jealousy" from the OT. Plenty of Romance in that one ;).

I don't mind romance in small doses if it's done well, and I think the Nick show has done a good job with it because April isn't returning Don's feelings for her, and Karai is just messing with Leo's head, which is funny to see. I also love to read romance in fan fics as long as it's well-written and explored right. I don't see anything wrong with a little bit of it as long as it doesn't become the complete focus of the show/fic.

Leo kind of already does, in the new nick show Donnie has April sort of. The others are left out though :P

But the romantic aspect was played for laughs, and Irma, who desires romance with whomever she can find, is depicted as immature and stupid.

There's also a sort-of-romance between Leonardo and Lotus Blossom, but it is never developed beyond a hint.

with the way they are treating April as Donnie's crush.....

I'm kinda hoping they don't have anymore love interests...

or if they do, it's just a character for that episode.

See that makes sense to me because they're teenagers. Hormones are likely to be raging from their human side. I can't see that going any further than a crush because Donnie would not have the confidence for that.

Karai/Leo will probably not manifest into anything serious. They won't be able to choose between each other and their families. They might get together temporarily but be forced to split. It would be quite a destructive relationship. Personally I think it just serves to show a different side to Leo instead of the Captain Ryan part of him.

Girls are probably the last thing on Mikey's mind right now.

Maybe the fact Raph isn't getting any girl action might explain the 24/7 aggression.

Didn't Mikey have a crush on Oyuki in the Archie comics?

This raises quite a good point.

What incarnation of the Turtles are we all discussing? Because their levels of maturity are different from comic to TV series to film to other TV series.

This section of the board 'general discussion' typically refers to the OT, but other times, the TMNT as a whole, if that's any help.

Well, in the OT, Mikey had two- Kala the Neutrino, and Buffy Shellhammer the human heiress. Leo had Lotus (sort of). Raph briefly fell for Irma in that Green With Jealousy episode- but then so did Leo and Mikey. I DO wish they would have had some kind of romantic prospects in the 2K3 show, but only if it was done right and just sprinkled in sparingly- like the hints of Leo/Karai were at times. There was no DEFINITIVE pairing there, but they left it open for that until she ended up with Chaplin. I could possibly see Mikey with one of the Justice Force heroines, though- maybe Chrysalis? Ananda maybe? That could be interesting.

And then there's Venus.... I know, no one likes to mention her, but it's out there, it exists- it's gotta at least be said. Not fond of that one, but at least it would have made sense. Then again, I will point out the obvious- ONE girl, FOUR guys! That would suck on SOO many levels. For the one who "got the girl", his brothers would always resent him for it, and for the others, they'd be left with nothing to hope for. And for HER, it would be a double-edged blade type of choice. How do you pick just ONE and hang the rest out to dry? That would just be horrible.

Well, Raph had Joi in The Lost Season, and I think he kind of had a thing for her.

Take turns? Leo can have her Mondays, Mike can have her Tuesdays, Raph can have her Wednesdays, Don can have her Thursdays, they can draw straws for Friday, and then let the poor girl rest on the weekeneds.

I actually LOVE that they didn't have love interests. I like the idea of Donatello liking April, but i don't want the Turtles to have relationships.

I think the way they did Donnie liking April was well done in 2k3. It was very subtle, but there enough that it was noticeable. In 2k12...with April being closer to their age, it's cute.

LOL!! Or they could have a fivesome on Fridays? Uh, maybe NOT..... (Sorry for "going there", but my mind tends to live in the sewer. It's no wonder I'm a fan- I'm right down there WITH them!!)

I just prefer to NOT think about Venus :o

I'm split about it. It better when it's subtle/well executed, or not at all. Leo and Karai seriously need to get a room in Prodigal Son.

What about mona lisa? She and raph kind of had a thing there.

Yeah, they did, but sadly she was only in one episode.

I agree, I even remember the cover of the VHS release of that ep...he was holding a boquet of flowers. And he told her she was "kind of cute". But she was only in one ep sadly...like Bubbly said.

With various issues such as Turtlecest, I never take romance between either a mutant and a non-mutant or an animal-based and a human-based mutant seriously. Venus seemed like an orphan and just seemed like LDMR's type. Sadly, most female characters in the franchise don't stick around for very long, meaning that any chance of a relationship is fleeting. That said, the franchise has had a wide range of romantic relationships ranging from well done (April & Casey in Mirage, 4kids), sweet (Raphael/Mona Lisa, Michelangelo/Kala), attrocious (April/Rocksteady), to "What were they thinking"? (Turtles/Venus).

Yah, Turtlecest is gross IMO. I think the romances from OT were the cute ones.

I think they should just revive past romances from previous continuities;

Raph/Mona Lisa (or Ninjara/Raph, take your preference)
Kala/Mikey
Leo/Lotus Blossom

add the Current Donnie romace from the Nick cartoon, and you're covered on the romance front! :D

But they HAVE Leo/Lotus in the new one- she seems to have changed her name to Karai, LOL! JK. The paralells between the two are really hard to miss, though. Lotus pretty much WAS Karai before there even was a Karai. I like that the've kept that aspect of Leo liking the "bad girl" ninja ladies consistant. He clearly has a side that he keeps under wraps and doesn't want his brothers knowing about! :twink: :toops:

Um nooooo, Karai first appeared in the mirage comics. Lotus Blossum is essentially Karai but with a different name.

Lotus is kind of similar to Karai in the beginning, but Lotus doesn't have that feeling of being devoted to Shredder like Karai does. Lotus was merely a "ninja for hire" while Karai has some type of family bond with Shredder.


Anyways, yeah... Leo has something for the "bad girls" it seems like. I think they appeal to him because they help bring out a side to his personality (more risk-taking, and feels freer from the strict expectations of being a leader/role-model) that he can't really reveal to others (his brothers and Splinter), but of course as alluring as that is... it ends up being to his detriment as those "bad girls" eventually cause some form of trouble or heartache. (It's similar to the reason as to why the "good girls" go for the "bad boys".)

It brings up the issue, of how much Leo's noble character was innately his own personality, or if it was developed from the weighted responsibility of the being the leader and the oldest sibling.