Teenage Turtles
 

Something has been bugging me about the Nick series so far. I want to know what in this series makes the turtles seem more approachable, by them being teenagers? I know its a kids show, but would kids care about the teenage part so much? So far I believe the show has the turtles personalities clashing with one another, which fuels the brothers aspect. Sometimes family members do not agree and they bicker, that part feels natural.

Since the turtles have been underground and not raised in a "traditional" manner, how would they behave if the only "people" they had contact with is Splinter and each other? I only ask because some other shows I have watched have teen characters behaving slightly differently. I think The Last Air bender characters ages were around 14 and 15. Ben 10 Alien Force, Ben is 15, and he doesn't behave quite like the turtles. Peter Parker, in Spectacular Spider-Man is another teenage super hero. Robin during the first season of Young Justice, I think was also a young teen.

The turtles don't go to school, they don't have to deal with society like other young humans would have to. They also don't have any of the normal trappings of teen hero kids' shows. The part of the appeal of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, is that they are mutant Ninjas. Have the turtles lost something by trying to be closer to young teens? If anything I think it would be cool to be part of a underground fighting group with no school, papers, homework, jobs, or responsibilities that normal teenagers have to put up with. What I am trying to say is what teenage aspects are part of this nick show?

Anyway, any thoughts or comments? Did the turtles loose some of the Mutant Ninja, or they still the same turtles that everyone knows and loves?
:tsmile:

of course they are still mutant ninjas!! They are ninjas! and they are mutant!!:D
sure they are teens, but they still don't know how to act in normal society.
they are sheltered teens.

...I guess I'm kinda confused about your question a little??

so do you have a problem with them being teens?? or IDK? I'm confused. XDD

I apologize for the confusion. I guess what I am trying to say is I don't see anything in this first season that points to them behaving like teens. I see the brotherly banter, but no teen issues. If they are there, I didn't notice them.

I also want to point out that, as mentioned before, Other kids television shows, have teenagers that act differently, like Peter Parker( Spectacular Spider-Man) or Robin in the first season of Young Justice. I guess, I feel the teenage aspect is holding the Mutant Ninja aspect back slightly.

Again I apologize for the confusion, and I hope this addresses the slight issue I have with this particular interpretation.:tsmile:

ooooooh! I get it~ :3

well they watch a bunch of TV that's pretty much half of it I'm sure XD

they live in the sewer and only have limited things to entertain themselves XD do you know how much TV shows they probably watched!? XD LOL that could have influenced their teen behavior. (music also)

getting on each others nerves could get them acting like teens also. " why me" " no one understands me" blah blah blah XD

They dont act enough like teens?

Donnie crushing in April.
Leo showing off for Karai.
Mikey using all kinds of modern slang.
All 4 getting over confident after winning a few fights, showing their imaturity.

I mean, do you want them to have pimples and cry in their room? Not everyone is like that in their teenage years.

I say it's about time. The Mutant Ninja has always been more prominent than the Teenage. Like we've mentioned before this series is probably the first time the Turtles actually felt Teenaged.

There have been a lot of instances where the Turtles act like teenagers in this show. Mikey trying to befriend someone on the Internet is a big reference to how teenagers can be naive and do the same thing, imparting a lesson that not everyone on the Internet is who they seem. They also watch TV, listen to music, play arcade games, and act overconfident at times like they're ready to face everything, yet they're still learning. They definitely act younger, and that's what I like about this show.

Well to be fair, the 2k3 series had the turtles riding on their skateboards or sport equipment that one time.

"Crushing in April"

in April? BWAHAHAHAHA

These are teenagers who aren't exposed to the same things as we are, so I'm sure it's different for them. I do wish at least one of them would be upset about how they are "freaks" to people. They touched on it but not much. I just don't see them having so many issues like a kid in school, dealing with everyone around them and trying to figure out who they are when they're highly trained ninja given focus through martial arts.

Not too long ago, I had a idea of being Irma a high school teacher and in some event of fashion she needed a place thus end up living with the turtles. When after living them for some time she starts realizing that each turtle would greatly benefit from a home school education but not because they need it but they have some huge potential within them. Unsurprisingly, most turtles (except Donnie) are resisted to the idea with most of the outcry coming from Raph, but slowly each turtle becoming curious with the one of subjects that appeal to them in certain way and Raph becomes the odd man out. Being the stubborn one, Raph continues to refuse any sort of home school education until Raph admits to Irma that he is afraid of looking stupid which problem most teenagers deal with. With some encouragement from Irma, Raph final join the class.

Now the only problem making a episode like this is trying to not make look like a after school special or a public acconcement.

You are a teenager, no?

I disagree with your statement, Leo2k3. I love the fact the turtles act like teenagers in this series. They haven't "lost" anything to begin with.

i like them acting like teens, it gives them more depth, and room for development, where as 2k3 tmnt, the characters had their traits and personalities and knew who they were, and it wasnt as interesting

You are a no-nonsense guy, no?

please. are you seriously going to act like there arent adults who would say that?

These Nick Turtles are probably more teenagerish than I would expect with crime-fighters, and not always in the best way (i.e. the Turtles' lack of sympathy for Timothy in "The Pulverizer Returns" episode). But as I mentioned before in previous threads, these instances can be used to show how dramatically the Nick Turtles will mature through subsequent seasons. Also I have to consider that these Nick Turtles were sheltered from the outside world for nearly 15 years, so... **shrug**

I could tolerate and accept the OT and 2K3 Turtles as being teenagers (excluding the voices though), because I assumed that their brutal fighting experiences in the past had matured them at a much faster rate than other teenagers at that age. It's because I had a few friends who grew up in the crime-rampant inner city who were teenagers, in which their experiences forced them to mature leaps ahead than their more sheltered, secured peers residing in the middle-class/affluent suburbs.

well the Nick turtles were never allowed to leave the sewers until they were 15
.....they weren't forced to mature because they didn't have any brutal experiences yet XD they weren't fighting crime until recently.

I'm sure there are. But not me, guy.

No offense but we didn't see much of their childhoods but they were pretty sheltered, not as sheltered as 2012 turtles but still sheltered, they weren't allowed to go up until adolescence like the 2012 also what do you mean by brutal fighting, I feel like you make the turtles more tragic and brutal than they already are

LOOL :lol::lol:XD

Your idiotic post is a perfect example. Man, am I too old for this sub-forum? What has this place become?

One of these, XD? Really?

What does "LOOL" mean anyway?

:P Yeah, I kind of figured I had to consider that in my previous post:

Well, I know its only kids cartoons :P, but as for how sheltered the OT and 4Kids Turtles really were before their adolescence is always debatable. (I mean in the 4Kids series the Turtles snuck out to meet Casey Jones, what's to say they didn't sneak out again? :ohwell:)
But anyways, I'm just generally speaking and not necessarily about the Turtles in which I'm sure that whoever goes out in the dead of night and involves themselves into possible lethal street fights would immediately be struck with the harsh reality of the cruelty of the criminal underworld, and would be forced to mature quickly if they wanted to survive. Therefore, I somewhat applied it to the OT and 4Kids Turtles, that their lack of teenage behavior didn't bother me if they were constantly associating themselves in this criminal underworld.

But yeah, I know they're all cartoons for kids. :P I wasn't trying to make the Turtles characters (OT or 4Kids) unnecessarily tragic, just more or less if they are fighting with lethal street thugs/enemies constantly, you can't expect any "over-the-top" childish/teenage behavior to last too long (but it doesn't mean they have to always be grim and serious). But all I was trying to convey was that the OT and 4Kids Turtles' lack of teenage behavior, and "young adult" behavior (?) could be believable in their teenage years because of their unique experiences (compared to their human peers), but whatever... :ohwell:

Laugh out out loud. Isn't it obvious? :lol:

And don't forget Raph's frustration, he reminds me so much a old friend of high school.

That's just how Raph is though, isn't it? Not really exclusive to THIS show.

not necessarily. this show really makes seem raph seem emotional. Ex: turtle temper, leo mocks raph saying "no one understands me" or any of the times raph has shared his thoughts with spike

I don't believe that the problem in the past is that the turtles have never acted like teenagers but more so, the appropriate age for a teenager. Older teens are much different than early teens. The turtles are usually depicted as 15 whereas they usually act as if they're 18 or 19. I can definitely see the older teen vibe with the film and 03 turtles for sure. The 87 turtles act more or less like 16-19, imo. Next Mutation turtles definitely act they're own age at 18.

With the Nick cartoon, I think it's more so that they act like they're own age (15), whereas in the past they haven't quite capitalized on that.

The way I see it, I think every incarnation has the turtles act like teenagers but the problem is that they act like they're a little older than they should be. What I believe the folks behind each incarnation of TMNT should look into is what type of age they are trying to aim for within the teenage age range. I think a unique and more accurate direction they should go for in a new adaption is have the turtles within the 17 to 19 age range without having to age down April, Casey, Karai, etc.

Don't forget the other turtles teasing Donnie about it.

Laughing outrageously out loud

I think the Nick show does pretty good at capturing a wide range for an audience but it is unfortunate that they did reduce the age of the usual adult characters aside from Splinter and Shredder.

I like that lol

i like that the showcase some "authentic teenage" behavior in the NICK show. It is the first time since TMNT debuted that a full canon have that, not just as an off-shot issue or episode, but as a main part together with the ninjas and the turtles and the mutants.

The way my screenreader pronounced it made me think of Ghostbusters and wish I had a proton pack. Sorry about that reference. It just... popped in there!