80's Cartoon Nonfans
 

I was introduced to TMNT through the 4Kids cartoon, probably the least prolific Turtles show and since then, I've been the biggest Ninja Turtles fan I know, (outside of this forum, of course). I enjoy the IDW comics, the Mirage comics, the Nick show, the 4Kids show, the first movie, etc. That being said, the most prolific version of Ninja Turtles, the 80's cartoon, is not one in which I'm interested. I've seen a couple of episodes, but it isn't really my cup of tea. I know this forum was originally based on the 80's Turtles, but I was wondering if there were any other 80's show nonfans out there.

I grew up with these cartoons, I understand why you will not like it since you grew up with the 4kids one. I'm not saying that I liked the OT more than the 4kids incarnation, but Based on my childhood experience the original toon was the reason why I got hooked with TMNT. But to agree with you, I don't think I have the patience to rewatch the old 80's show all over again.. maybe a few episodes. hehehehe.:D

I really like the 1987 show just as much as all the other shows. (Okay, The Next Mutation is worse). But it's just an opinion thing I guess.

Still greatly prefer the OT over Next Mutation and Nick...which is odd because the original 'toon is much cornier than the Nick show, but it's fuelled by a childhood attachment, plus the characters are just more endearing, relatable and arent annoying.

The OT's strength comes from an enjoyable main cast and villains with wacky sci-fi plots and some funny dialogue that comes out of nowhere.

It's understandable that if you grew up with the 4kids series that you would find it hard to get into the original show. But if you can I suggest you give it a chance. The episodes are what cartoons were like in the 80's and early 90's and the cheesiness actually makes it fun.

This is one of those shows where actual stupid things happening isn't bothersome and the show has some very fun episodes done on a one and done format.

I grew up during the height of Turtlemania, but I never really liked the cartoon. Part of that was the awful, edited-to-hell version we got over here (having watched the uncut versions of the original episodes, they are much better), but part of it was the goofyness. I discovered the Mirage & Archie comics (not to mention the toys) before I was able to watch the cartoon, and was disappointed at how different it was from the original comics.

It does probably have the greatest theme tune of any cartoon, ever, though...

I like the theme song, first few seasons. But after a while, It kinda lost me during the later ones when the animation started to get sloppy and the comedy became too obnoxious. Then, later when the show started getting better, it took itself way too seriously.

If you became a TMNT fan during the 4Kids series, try watching the "red sky" episodes of the original cartoon. The last three seasons, seasons 8-10, were a little closer to the 4Kids series. I loved the red sky episodes. I think that they had better animation than seasons 1-7, and the story lines were much better as well.

He didn't ask, "Does anyone here only barely like TMNT at all except for one very specific, very niche interpretation of it." :lol:

Juuuuuust kiddin'. 8)

Even if you didn't grow up with it I find the OT to be a fun series that you can just relax and enjoy and not have to worry about story arcs or plot twists.

It's a stress release show.

Some people just can't accept silly or stupid or camp or whatever unless it was an active part of their childhood.

He-Man is another perfect example. People who didn't grow up watching it - or who did, but somehow grew up into cynical, jaded bastards anyway - just harp on all the recycled stock animation and how like four people did all the voices in the entire show, and how corny it was at times. But nobody watching it then gave a sh*t, they/we were well aware of those things even at a young age and accepted it as part of the show's charm.

Kids who grew up watching it still swear it holds up, and anyone who didn't watch it then looks at it now and declares, "How could anyone have watched this?" Same exact thing with the TMNT.

Yeah, sometimes it sucks being a TMNT fan over here.

There are differences between fans that
are not familiar with the 80's and
"I'm not fond of it". Which ones would you like to respond?
The second ones? Well, could you yourself bring your viewpoint on what was your problem with it?

I don't like that much of the OT either. I prefer much more the comics and the 2003 and 2012 series. But the OT certainly had its importance

I do respect the 80s series. I even really liked Season 1 and 2, but after that, i just lost interest.

I suppose the reason is I prefer to watch an animated series that has story archs, as it will actually lead somewhere. I'm not really keen on Animated series that have a lot of episodes that don't lead anywhere.

This is not me bashing the 80s series. This is just me explaining why I'm not really keen on it.

Saying that, the voice acting is really good. It has very good humour in it and the animation was good for it's time. And also, the theme, you can't resist the theme. The theme is awesome.

Early seasons are nice, red sky sucks.

Love/Hate it. Loved absolutely everything about it as a kid. Now, I can watch it and love SOME of it, and some of it I can't stand, but can sit through for nostalgia.

I like it, but I'll grant a critic absolutely everything that's wrong with it, especially the dregs in the middle seasons.

And why were there TWO Don Turtelli's? We ever find that one out?

I've only seen a couple of episodes, and I might watch more in the future, but, honestly, it was too silly for me, and I really do not enjoy episodic TV shows in general.

Just curious, but how old are you? I totally agree, some episodes of that show are total groaners. But as others have said, in the 1980s, that was pretty much how cartoons were done across the board, with very, very few exceptions. It's very much a product of its time, for better and for worse.

That's why I said earlier that people who didn't grow up with some of that stuff have a harder time dealing with it now.

What's your definitive of silly? If you mean light hearted plots with cartoony supervillainy than that's not entirely silly.

There are some ridiculous episodes in the OT, but most of it is fairly standard action cartoon stuff.

I think the strengths of the OT was its corniness not being too corny, if you know what I mean. And with episodic episodes, it really acts for some really fun, really creative episodes! However, I can understand that some episodes were a little "miss". Here's my opinion by season:
Season 1 was good all the way through, each episode was masterpieceful. This season wasn't episodic, either!
Season 2 was episodic, but it was still good. More humor was introduced in this season, which was a little... okay-ish.
Season 3 is my favorite. They had really creative stories while still staying as dark as an 80's children's cartoon can get.
Season 4 was when the humor just started to take over. At least it was still smart and wasn't obnoxious!
Season 5 was when the show went WAAAY downhill. I despise this season to be completely honest. The humor was the same joke over and over, and this season really felt like it was just there to sell toys.
Season 6 was Season 5-ish. But at least the stories were still creative and the humor was still good.
Season 7 was when the show started to get a little bit darker. The actual humor, however, got way better again. It just wasn't as often. And, of course, the stories were creative.
Seasons 8, 9, and 10 are very much the same. They were dark, weren't episodic, had great stories (and the great Tony Jay! :D), and if you started off with the 2003 show, these are the seasons to see.

But that's just my opinion.

The original series came out at a time when people watched cartoons for FUN. Just to kick back and relax.

This is before the days of complex story arcs, plot twists, character changes, people killing each other, etc.

In the 80's and early 90's people just watched cartoons to have fun. You sat back for 22 minutes and enjoyed an adventure. You didn't have to worry about watching the show out of order or if you missed an episode.

If you watch the OT looking for stories/arcs/battles you won't get it. It's an adventure series based on old-style comedy with a little action.

I adore the OT with the exceptions of the European Vacation episodes (replacement voice actors) and the Red Sky seasons. I don't know, I just really like campy, funny, not to plot heavy stuff. I can see how other people wouldn't like it though.

You don't like OT? OMG ur not a true fan!!!111 :o

:P

Yes. I'm one of them though I wasn't always a non-fan. When the show first came out, I was all over it. I loved it but that was before I found out about the Mirage stuff. Now, I can't sit through a single episode in it's entirety because honestly, it hasn't aged well.

This is kinda how I feel. Whenever I re-watch the original series, I stop at the end of Season 3. Season 4 just felt like a major drop in quality, Michelangelo stopped using his nunchucks, the Technodrome was never again fully charged for battle...etc. There were still good episodes after season 3, "Where is September O'Neil?!?", but for me the quality just dropped too much.

Maybe I just need to re-watch Seasons 4-10 again, I haven't done so in five years...

I'm not a non-fan by any stretch of the imagination (being that, like most fans, I was introduced to the property via the OT) but I have definitely come to resent it immensely over the years. As I got more involved in the brand and became a Mirage enthusiast, I saw the wasted potential, the bastardization, the toy-shilling, etc... Also I'm pissed that thanks to the shallow nostalgia of 90's kids, in the worlds eye, the casuals who know nothing of the series short of bits and pieces they vaguely remember, going around hating on every non-Fred Wolf version that exists are the "fans" of TMNT... Eugh. I love the original cartoon, just not the stain it left- the fact that it pretty much guaranteed we'd never have a more adult oriented series, and that it has pretty much eternally pigeon-holed the turtles' personalities.

^ Season 4-6 still have a number of great episodes even if there are several lackluster episodes. Season 7-10 are almost consistently good.

"Aged well" compared to what, an action cartoon? The show was never trying to be anything it wasn't. You don't watch the original cartoon for story arcs, plotlines or plot twists. It's just a fun adventure series.

So you're grown resentment because of the casuals praising it? The same casuals who have never come back to the franchise since 1993? I don't see why you'd let them bother you.

As for all the OT stuff showing up in Nick and IDW, they're doing it in such a different way that I don't see the big deal. If either series was a 100% rehash of the original cartoon I can see why it would be bothersome, but the characters and stories they alter fit into their series just fine.

Warning: Expression of Unpopular Opinion
 

I didn't make this thread so people could tell me I should "give it a try" or ask me to justify my opinion. I made this thread I, and others with similar opinions, could vent about an overrated version of an underrated franchise, unfortunately being the most popular version. I respect that some people enjoy the original cartoon for nostalgic reasons, but I don't, and there are plenty of other versions of TMNT that I enjoy very much. I also appreciate the importance of the original cartoon, and respect contributions to the franchise such as Shredder being a main villain and the Turtles having different colored bandanas. I don't like my Ninja Turtles goofy, I like 'em serious, not necessarily dark and brooding, just not silly. I know this may be unpopular opinion, but isn't that what forums are for, expressing opinions?

Edit:
I totally agree with what you're saying about the negative impact of the original cartoon.

Truth be told, the Turtles personalities in the actual cartoon aren't really goofy. It mainly comes from Bebop/Rocksteady's slapsick and Shredder being treated as a goofball at times.

I never looked at the actual Turtles and said, "They seem goofy" while watching the OT. Oddly enough the original series also has the most laid-back version of Michaelangelo.

Certainly, let's face it, even Batman fans are divided between the 60s Batman show and Batman the Animated series. Both are great shows, just with different tones and character interpretations. All because you like one doesn’t mean you have to like the other.

Though, I personally like them both.

Well said. You, my friend, have hit the nail on the head.

Well, look, passing comments, general negativity, I brush that off. But here's the problem- Those people are the ones who affect how things go. The same guys who call a new series a "gay spinoff" are the ones complaining about the lack of Bebop & Rocksteady, despite never giving the show a fair chance and not watching it once they're included anyway. Ciro is only putting those two into the Nick series because of the loud minority hating on Facebook posts & stuff like that. Same goes for the IDW book, they cater to the people who aren't supporting the book fully anyway, leaving dedicated fans to struggle through Neutrino arcs & the like. :tgrumble:

What about that breakdancing scene in the second episode when they meet April at Channel 6?

To be honest I mainly put this to Mirage having a poor rogues gallery than anything else. Other than Savanti Romero, Mirage didn't have any other good regular villains that aren't already mainstream (like Karai, Baxter, Rat King and Leatherhead), so taking inspiration from OT characters isn't surprising.

It does kind of bug me that 4kids characters are pushed aside, although I like how Hun appeared in IDW. Still pulling for either Hun or Bishop in the Nick cartoon.

They were in disguise and in public. Don't really see how that's any more goofy than anything any other set of turtles would have done.

It's fair to say that, absolutely. But it's not that I have a problem with OT/playmates villains, I love most of them. It's just that B&R have that nostalgia push, they're the only mutants any of these nobodies remember. Their involvement represents the casual voice to me.

I gotta agree with a lot of what Powder said. I still run into an unfortunate number of people close to my age, many of them watched the OT as much as I did, but they truly have no idea ANY TMNT existed outside the OT, movies, toys, and NES games. And since stuff like 2K3 and the 2007 movie and the Nick show DO exist, and were pushed semi-heavily, you know what it tells me? That these "fans" are willfully ignorant of anything TMNT that isn't from their precious childhood. They don't know about Mirage, Nick, etc., because they don't WANT to know. They don't WANT to broaden their horizons, they want to keep things in the little box in their minds they've kept it in since they were 6.

And there's a LOT of them. I remember when 2K3 had just come out, like, a month in, a few guys at work, guys I'd gone to school with, were just randomly talking about cartoons when we were on break, gushing about how the TMNT OT was "the best thing ever!" I was like, "Hey, what a coincidence, because they just started doing a new show like, a couple weeks ago. It's totally different, but really good!" They were like, "They did a new show? Nah, it'll probably suck, it can't be as good. I bet they f*cked it up. Do they have Bebop and Rocksteady and all that?" And I'd be like, "No, it's more based on the comic, so it's different, but it's also a little more serious, so it's pretty cool." And then they start with, "Why would they make it more serious? That's stupid, it's not supposed to be serious, it's f*cking Ninja Turtles, it should be stupid as f*ck on purpose, like, for stoners and sh*t. That's the whole point!" I didn't even try to explain why that's not, in fact, the whole point. Anyway, so the one guy's like, "Ok, maybe I'll check it out, when's it on?" I said Saturday morning's, so he goes, "Never mind, I'm hung over on Saturday mornings, I'm not getting up before 5 for a cartoon show." I suggested he tape it, as I was doing since I worked most weekends, so he goes "Nah, that's a lot of work. It's cool. I don't need to see that anyway." :roll:

That's MY problem, that so many of these people don't WANT to acknowledge anything but OT exists. I surmise part of it is because they think it will somehow "taint" their precious childhood memories if they don't like a different version. More likely, though, they're worried another version would actually be - gasp - better. And studies have conclusively shown, the human brain actively rejects and ignores any and all information it does not WANT to know. If someone has decided, "The TMNT OT is a flawless masterpiece, and no other TMNT will surpass it," they'll go out of their way to either ignore or find fault with any and every other version. We see a lot of that on this very board, but with the OT and every other version, from time to time.

That's part of why I love this place, despite all the BS that pops up. I look at this board as a gigantic sociology experiment, and it's fascinating. :lol: