Is this series worth tracking down?
 

I regret that I didn't watch this series as it aired. In fact, it was the idea that they had no pupils that turned me off. Now I'm regretting the fact that I didn't see it. I've seen FF, but that's it.

So, is this series worth the work to find and watch the episodes? I tried to watch them on Nick.com, but it wouldn't work on my computer.

I've seen all the sets that people on here own and that looks like a lot to buy. It's going to be a long term expensive process I think. I also see the new sets they are releasing and I'm bummed that I can't just buy the seasons complete.

Anyway, without spoiling too much, what are some good things about the show that make it worth the time and effort to see them?

Do you like the Mirage comics? Because 4Kids is a Ninja Turtles cartoon that completely shunned the Fred Wolf cartoon and anything that came from it. All Mirage, all the time.

That'll either turn you on or make you run away screaming. :twink:

Its one of the best cartoons ever made, not just best TMNT cartoon, but one of the best cartoons of the 2000's.

I don't recommend tracking down the DVDs though, they're rare and expensive and most of them only have 3-4 episodes per disc. You can find the entire series online to watch rather easily if you look in the right places.

One thing I love about this show is the tone. The show has a darker and more serious tone to it but still with a lot of humor. It is never as silly as especially the original toon sometimes was, and does not seem childish. It is the closets we will ever get to an animated version of the mirage comics (at least season one to four), which makes the storyline so appealing to me. It is clear how much love was put into the show since this was Peter Lairds chance to show the world what the old comics were all about, and that TMNT is more than just a simple kids show, and what his and Kevin's intentions with the turtles were back in the days. To me this is the best version of the turtles so far, and I doubt we will ever have another animated show that resembles the tone and storyline of the old comics like this one does. It is funny, action packed, touching, and sometimes a bit scary. Do yourself a favor and check out the first seasons (fast forward had a more light tone to it and was in many ways different from the episodes in season one to five).

I am way more into the Mirage comics than the Fred Wolf show. I like them dark and dramatic with some moments of humor and fun too. I look forward to finding them now.

It was my introduction to the Turtles, so I might be biased. It's a great show stand alone and the best one if compared to the other versions. I agree with Donny, the tone is what made me fall in love with it. It's heavily based on the comics and took the best elements from them. The art design took me a little time to get use to, but I later appreciated the stylized look.

The only thing that I may have a problem with it is sometimes a couple of episodes suffer kidification. It got worse especally the last two seasons.

I highly recommend getting or, at the very least, watch it.

I was just like you at one point, I watched the first episode and got turned off right away. Didn't like their eyes, didn't like their voices. But then everyone and their mother kept telling me it was a good show.
Honestly the first few episodes are slow, but it really picks up and it's one of my favorite shows all time. I rewatch random episodes of this show more than any other show, and it never get's old. There are so many amazing episodes. While I do adore the nick version, this easily beats it no contest. Watch all of season one and you will be hooked

I like how Karai is handled in this series
April and Casey don't have a huge part, but they are in enough episodes and story lines.
There's no real romance aspect to the show, except April and Casey.
Also I felt master splinter wasn't just sitting at home all the time, he has a big part in this show. You seem him fighting alongside the turtles and saving them numerous times.

please just watch it lol I can talk about it for hours :lol:

it's amazing man
 

well worth it. very well written great designs. Just the best. You owe it to yourself to watch it

I wouldn't say it shunned the Fred Wolf cartoon. The episode that had Usagi coming to earth, His friend Gennosuke, at one point was looking like Rocksteady, Which was a reference to Fred Wolf.

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/...20091121154338

http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/...20131122204404

^As well as one Utrom being named Kraang and April dressing up as a news reporter complete with yellow jumpsuit during Secret Origins.

Why do people keep complaining about the voices of the 4kids Turtles? They all had great voices for that series.

I agree. Excellent voice cast in general!

You can easily find them on youtube, the only challenge is to find the uploader with the highest quality videos.

I liked Leo and Donnie's voices, it's just that I guess I wasn't expecting Raph to have a think gruff brooklyn(?) accent, considering it was so different in the past cartoon.

and Mikey's voice was just...annoying, grating to the ears at first.

but i got used to it, and don't even think that anymore :D

hey now
 

Don't forget Bebop in the flying car in Fast Forward!!

It's really good, but collecting it physically is a real drag at this point. I was lucky, I bought each disc the day it came out and usually never saw them in stores again, and the online prices nowadays are blasphemous. I paid almost a hundred bucks for Ninja Tribunal. Like whaaaat.

What sucks about the DVDs is that even if you do track them down, the episodes are in some stupid order. Past the very earliest episodes, you practically have to sit with a chart telling you which episodes to watch in what order, sometimes having to switch discs back and forth. And that's annoying.

It's a great show, though.

Worth watching? You bet!!

Worth tracking down? No. This may very well be one of the hardest cartoons to collect, due to the rarity and sheer volume of discs.

I agree with both of these. To me, these are my definitive voices for the turtles.

Pretty good. Raph needs to lay off the smokes.

As others have said it is hands down one of the best cartoons in recent years. :lol: debut in 03 lol.
But it is extremely Mirage based as others have said.
But the easiest way to watch this series is on online. I rewetted the first five season on youtube, but I think the channel got taken down by Nick.

It seems that the seasons are not complete on youtube. I'd hate to get so far and then have no way to see them all. I'll keep searching. Maybe I can find a local person who will lend them to me, yeah right. :)

I loved that Raph sounded like a stereotypical New Yorker.

Aliena, if you want to track them down, try visiting your local library. I've seen them floating around.

As for my opinion, I didn't get into it. It's not even that it was dark and more serious--all that stuff is fine! I just...um...thought the voice actors sucked and made it kinda...erm...I don't know the word--"goober-y"? I watched half of season 1 and stopped.

Aliena, it's definitely worth watching. It would be an expensive, near-impossible nightmare to try to track it down on dvd at this point, however you can find other ways to watch it. Can't go into detail here but yeah. :tshifty:

I wouldn't say it is, but that's me.

I hunted around for it online last summer and watched it from start to finish. Liked it a lot more than I was expecting.

I had already seen the Turtles Forever 'movie' prior to the series and that kind of set up me up expecting they were going to be kinda jerky in the series, but they weren't. Kinda agree with the white eye thing, but got used to it. They added visible eyes in the tail end of the series, but the way they did it then looked off...

I would strongly suggest viewing/rent the 4Kids episodes before purchasing them, since the series is difficult to obtain, and it's a tone you have to sample to see if it's enjoyable for you.

As for the series itself? Most people would agree that the first four seasons were great, but the last 3 seasons is mixed, with Back To The Sewers (Season 7) being the least favorable. The storywriting is outstanding, but the melodrama (i.e. humorous moments that inadvertently break the serious tone) and the characterization of some characters can be grating (i.e. Raph's rageahoilc demeanor, Mikey's stupidity/comedy, Leo getting some preferential treatment compared to the other Turtles, who Shredder turns out to actually be) can be detracting enough for some.

Last time I checked there were at least two youtubers with every season uploaded, in various qualities.

You can also find the show easily outside of youtube. Seriously, have any of you ever used the internet before?

I helped guide aliena to where he could see the episodes.

Yeah, people always seem to think "if it isn't on YouTube it isn't anywhere!" when it comes to TV shows and I can't understand that mentality.

Is this show worth watching? Absolutely. The 4Kids TMNT series is one of my favorite cartoons of all time. Is it worth paying the money necessary for all of the out of print dvds? I suppose if you have hundreds of dollars to throw away. When I purchase shows on dvd, I don't like paying more than a dollar per episode. Right now you'd have to pay a shell of a lot more than that.

Its almost as if some people here don't know that practically any well known TV show ever is uploaded on the internet *somewhere*

Seriously, I can watch almost any episode of any show I want within less than a minute of searching on the internet.

Some of us have lost several computers to various malware and spyware and virus issues and aren't in a hurry to go through it again. Just puttin' that out there.

Word. That is all.

Two words: Anti virus

They don't catch everything, slim. Just sayin'.

It's definitely worth watching it, but collecting it on DVD? Nah for all the reasons stated.

Lots of people download tv shows, anime and movies and don't get viruses. Just gotta know where to look at. I mean, it's turtles, not a porn video. The odds of it having a virus are fairly low compared to the latter.

And yes, anti-virus don't catch everything. In fact, many people nowadays would rather get those free ones such as Avast, Avira, etc. instead of paying 5 bucks for Norton or Kaspersky.

Maaaaan I don't trust nothin' no more. :lol:

Isn't it against forum rules to suggest people go to illegal places to find things?

Having said that, I've got several DVDs of the 2k3 toon that could use a good home. Bought the whole thing shortly after the sale to Nick, and ended up with a handful of dupes.

You're truly doing God's work. :tgrin: