What can I expect?
 

ok, since there is so many 80's toon fans on here I've decided to give the series a try and see what every one is raving about, and broaden my turtle horizens.

But before I spend money on this I would just like to know from those on here who have seen both the 80's cartoon and the current cartoon of what exactly I can expect from the older version of the turtles? Specifically what is diffrent about the 80's toon from the current one? I hear it is not as heavy as the current one, but what about the story lines and characters? Are the characters anything like they are in the 4Kids cartoon or will I be seeing something tottally alien from the current series?

If some of you can give me some of your opinions I would really appreciate it. :)

It's a typical 80's cartoon. Lighthearted, simple and generally easy to watch. The series is not exactly a masterpiece but it's what got me into the franchise. If you open yourself up to it, there's a good chance you'll enjoy it a lot.

It's much less epic than the 2003 series. There are very few multi-part eps. Baxter is a honky... until his transformation. Mutagen is responsible for everything. Utroms don't exist, but , resembling an Utrom, the disembodied brain of a Dimension X warlord named Krang is a main villain. Shredder is human. Splinter is the mutated Hamato Yoshi.

Just lower your expectations all the way to ground level, and you'll be fine. ^_^

Wow your telling someone to lower then expectations to nothing to enjoy the old toon? It's not that bad. Some episodes are utterly horrendous but a series that runs almost 300 episodes tends to have a few bad ones.

I'd suggest getting volume 1 for sure. You'll enjoy that. The series was still a comedy show but it was a lot more serious in the first season and it has some Red Sky episodes on it from when the series started to get serious again. Red SKy had some jokes but it was mostly an action cartoon and every season was pretty much a season long story arc with every episode connected. I'm still waiting for when those hit DVD.

Anyways after that get the second season DVD, it'll prepare you for the change. The series still had story arcs but the animation was different and it started to get more light hearted. Then volume 3 will dive you right into how the show stays until season 7 pretty much.

Season 7 the shows starts to become more how Red Sky was and season 8 was when the animation style completely switched and the format change was complete.

Right now up to Season 6 is on DVD. Maybe it's a series best enjoyed by someone who liked it as a kid I'm not sure but the DVDs are only 10 bucks a pop so I don't think you'll end up wasting to much money in the end if you end up not liking it.

Did you ever watch the show as a kid? If so you'll probably like it.

The first time I watched the first season, I was blown away. Season two is good, with one or two bad episodes. Season three is generally great, but has some god awful ones. Season 4 was worse than 3 but still decent, then 5 was mediocre with some stand outs.

Overall it's a light hearted cartoon that will make you smile and laugh, and never have to think too much.

Whoops! That really did come across less jovial than intended. :embarass: Is stating the obvious the same as sarcasm? Because what I was getting at was to say, "if you expect nothing of the show, you'll get AT LEAST that much from any randomly selected episode". :P

I agree with everyone that Season 1 was great. It's the only one I never had mixed feelings about. But, compared to 2K3, it's still a step down. :ohwell: That's all I'm trying to prepare JB for.

how old are you? 11? How is it possible for someone to never have seen the original toon. That just makes me feel real old:lol:

I disagree with the current replies mostly.


The old toon is not a dumbed down version of the 2k3 like the posts make it seem to be. Its just an entirely different take on the franchise. Instead of action/comedy like the new show its more of a comedy/action show. And unlike the new show the comedy will actually make you laugh out loud on more than a few occasions. Unlike most people here I am not really nostalgic of the show since I rarely got to see it as a kid. So while I've been getting the DVDs 95% of the time I haven't watched the episodes so they hold no nostalgia value clouding my vision. And I think it holds up great, its not better than the 2k3 show and the 2k3 show is not better either since they are so different its like apple and oranges.

You'll definitely enjoy season 1 so get that. Season two is also quite enjoyable with only a few episodes that might bore you. Season 3 is where it starts getting tricky its a huge season so there are plenty of "filler" episodes, if you don't "get" the humor/style of the show you won't like most of the season though there are still plenty of gems that you would enjoy like the season finale. Seasons after that are kind of similar to S3. Seasons 7 and later from what I've seen are great and you should enjoy them even if you didn't like the in between seasons. So yeah definitely check it out and tell us what you think.

I'm seventeen and sorry I just wasn't very interested in the turtles back then. Did you watch every cartoon that came on during the 80's and 90's?

Basically what I'm getting so far from you guys is for me to foget the current cartoon even exists and go in there with no expectations if I'm going to enjoy it. :|

Did the series format fluctuate alot in the show? You are saying the show was diffrent in the beginning, then changed in season two than changed again in season four and then changed again in season seven then changed completely after that? :-?

Exactly. But if you REALLY want to enjoy season 1, I suggest saving it for last. It'll be that much better. Trust me.

If you are really curious about the older show, just rent some episodes from Blockbuster or Netflix. Personally, the older toon was alot more fun than the new one, and I mean that in a good way.

And there were some things in it that I rather liked. I always like April as a reporter more than her comic roots as a scientist. The original theme song was kick ass, and I liked Raph's original voice over more in the old toon than the new one.

Personally, I think you'll enjoy it.:)

Expect lots of cheesy humor and corny jokes.

It's not as intense or serious, but it's lighthearted, it'll make you smile (even if you're smiling because of how corny it is!) and it's a fun series to watch.

It has some great ideas and great moments though, so don't think it's all cornball humor. The first 5 episodes are by far the best (IMO) and probably the most serious too. The second season had it's moments though. It started getting really silly in the third.

Just try to have fun with the series, don't expect the character development, the epic plots or the story arches from the 2k3 series, just try to have fun with it.

You could always check out a few episodes of the old show on youtube to get a general feeling for the show.

Well here's my opinion...

Season one is pure gold. Great show they had going there. A ton of wasted potential(although I still appreciate the whole show in general)

I also enjoy season two...but other then nostalgia, I haven't been able to get into much after season two. I havent picked up any of the dvd's in a while, and people are saying good things about six, so I might see how those held up. I'll definitely see whatsup with Red Sky if they release it. I remember catching like three or four episodes of it as a kid, and never knowing when it was on, but knowing is as the ever mysterious and darker tmnt show(compared to just the ot of course) It was a fun little mystery for a while finding out what was up with that.

No, I wouldn't say that. As most people in the thread are saying, the original cartoon is simply a different, less serious take on the same characters. As long as you expect to see more of a focus on humor than action, approach the series with an open mind, and don't take the Turtles gravely seriously like some people do, you'll definitely enjoy the series.

In my opinion, the only major change was between seasons 7 and 8 when the animation, music, cast, and character designs were overhauled. Other than that, I don't think the changes between seasons are as drastic as some people are making them out to be. In seasons 1 and 7, the tone was somewhat more serious and the enemies were more threatening, but it didn't feel like an entirely different show or anything.

What are the character dynamics like in the 80's show? Like how did the turtles act toward each other; what was the relationship like with the turtles? Is it very diffrent to how they act with each other in the current toon? Are their any relationships or interaction with the turtles? What where they like as individuals, was there any kind of depth to their characters? One thing that I really enjoy about the current cartoon is that they are very complex individuals and their relationship and how they feel toward each turtle is explored. Like "who gets along with who", "who is most likley to be in this ones company" and such. You can really relate to them and feel for them. Is there any of that complexity with the turtles in this series, despite the emphasis on humour?

Also is there any parallels of the events that happen in the 80's cartoon and the current one? I noticed in another thread about season six an episode called "Adventures in turtle Sitting" which is the same title of an episode in the season four of the current toon. Is it a remaking ofv this episode or are the story lines comepletely sepret from each other in both cartoons?

No, the original Adventures in Turtle-Sitting has nothing to do with the 2k3 episode of the same name. The original is about Raph, Don and Leo turning into toddlers because Mikey accidentally zapped them with one of Don's machines. The episode Back to the Egg had a similar plot, except it was Leo and Mikey that got de-aged.

As other have said the OT is much more light-hearted than the 2k3 series. Everything is nice and kid-friendly, dark parts are very rare, the Red Sky seasons become a little darker. Most episodes end with the status quo that Shredder is beaten but manages to escape back to the Technodrome. As for the interaction, there really is not much depth to it, except maybe that Raph makes fun of Mikey a lot. Raph, btw, is also very different, rarely angry and more of a sarcastic smartass than a hothead.

Nah, I don't think it fluctuated that much. Season 1 was serious, but the seasons got progressively sillier and cornier as the series went on. Then around season 7 things started to take a darker tone, but there was still an obvious sense of silliness to it ("Mobster from Dimension X" comes to mind).

The two shows are similar in a lot of ways except the 80's ones are a little more careful with the violence and tone. I would say the old show was directed at ages 6-12, and the new more for ages 13-18. I grew up watching the original and when the new series started I tuned into that right away. At first I was disappointed because it was so serious compared to the old series. Now that I have been able to watch the old show on DVD, I gave the new one another chance and enjoy watching that too, but for different reasons. My advice is to not try to compare the old to the new but watch them as if you're watching two different TV shows. Then you should enjoy the old series as well as the new.

The show is far superior to the modern series, and I'm not basing that on memory either. It's up there with Futurama at times.

April is a career-aholic, only caring about her news stories at times, though she does care for the Turtles. Her friend Irma salivates over men, Turtles, anyone, so long as she gets a date (her best friend for the most part is Don). Raph and Mickey usually break the fourth wall more than Leo and Don do etc. Shredder and Krang are written like a gay couple though.

Hell no. It's a comedy/adventure series