Marathon watching- I've just watched all 193 episodes of the OT in just 12 days
 

I have been OT'd out these past couple weeks! These were from my "homemade" collection, with 6 (sometimes 5) episodes on a DVD, and includes many special features that the "official" ones lack, such as extra voice actor interviews, a David Wise interview, some Kevin Eastman interviews, commercials related to TMNT from Playmates to FHE to Burger King, and even scans of the first 11 issues of the Mirage comics. At around 145 minutes a disc and with 33 discs in all, it has a total runtime of 4785 minutes (that's 100 times the "47 minutes" I was so used to on those FHE tapes growing up!) Almost 80 hours of mostly OT-related footage, and given I worked on 7 of these 12 days, I had spent 80 out of 105 "free hours possible" (16 on off days and 5 on work days) demoted to just the OT! Basically for every hour I was "off work and home" and "awake", 45 minutes was spent just to Fred Wolf & Co. A true "marathon" that made me cry at the end when I saw the voice actor promo recordings from Ninja Turtles Network for a suitable farewell.
It shows the sheer length of the OT, but if you have the guts to spend a couple weeks continously, it's like finishing an extra large novel or comic book compilation; it really can enrich the experience.

Anyone else have done such marathons? For instance, anyone just watch every OT, every NT, and movie pretty much non-stop like I did?

I've done it.

I watched an old toon marathon twice. The first time, it took me 6 months, the second it took me almost 2 months.

I watched a new toon marathon once and that took me 7 months but that was before Back To The Sewers aired so they're not included.

Cool. Usually when I marathon I only watch about 3-4 eps a day. I prefer stretching things out a little.

Even though the show does have 193 eps, each ep only comes out to 22 minutes without commercials...so you can watch 4 eps in only 1 hour and a half.

I don't remember how long my marathon ran, but I tended to have it on in the background as I did things...

Is that the same as watching the show? Doing the wash or being on the computer as the show is airing in the background?

What do you guys count as marathons? :P

"I once had a marathon of the OT where I had it playing on a TV in a room I'm never in. It took me eight years." - almost every post in this thread

Personally, I've never had a TMNT-marathon.

I agree, if it takes you 6 months or longer than it is not a marathon, it is just you watching it... The OP sounds like he did have a marathon though... 12 days is a good amount of time...

-ms

I did it within a month. That's fair, no? Did the same for 2k3 at one point, excluding BTTS 'cause I don't own it on DVD.

I would say a month is fair, 193 eps divided by 30 days is about 6.4 episodes a day which I can consider a good daily marathon run... But when you space it out to 4,5,6,7 months that I would not consider a marathon... That's just my lonely opinion...

-ms

I did one in something less than two months. Once you get through Season 3, it's all downhill from there.

What's this about special features? O_o

I watched through 2k3 in about 3-4 months, an average of 3-4 episodes per day. To me while watching through a show 3-5 seems to be the perfect number of episodes per day, any more and you can get tired of the show quickly or you really aren't enjoying it. Of course it depends on the show, for example the OT has a ton of filler and watching more than 5 filler episodes in a row can really get you to stop enjoying it and feel more like a chore instead of actually enjoying it. Of course if there is an ongoing story arc or you just saw an amazing episode its easier to watch more than 5 episodes. During my 2k3 run I was easily able to watch 3 episodes per day and wanted more but then when I would reach a point of basically three fillers in a row I was happy I didn't plan on watching any more. Same with the OT for the 2007 movie I was watching 5 episodes and for Seasons 1 and 2 it was fine but halfway through S3 it was really taking its toll and it felt like a chore. I don't usually marathon shows though, I usually watch 1 episode per day, I enjoy them more and the experience of enjoying it lasts longer. I don't do that with shows with huger episode counts like TMNT though, you'd never finish.

There is no such thing as filler in the original cartoon. Every episode was just another adventure whether it was against Shredder/Krang or any other villain.

How in the world does someone find enough free time to watch nearly 200 episodes in less than two weeks?

I have no idea. I started at about the end of June trying to watch a couple episodes a day, but I'm just now a few episodes from finishing Season 3.

By my calculations, that would be about 7 hours a day. So, it's very possible. I'm just astonished he could stand that much poorly masked repetition of plots. :P

I've never done that. The last time I watched all of the available episodes I had on DVD was a few years back. Now that I have Season 9, I was thinking about doing it all over again up to season 9. Unfortunately I'm busier now than ever so doing that would take a long time unless I was able to devote two or three weeks to only ninja turtles, which is doable but then I'd have to cut off outside contact for that time and cancel my relationship for a few weeks which is easier said than done. :P

Every now and then I like to watch an episode or two, but I don't think I could sit through the entire series from start to finish.

When a new DVD comes out I'll watch every episode on it. But whenever I'm just going through the series, I only watch episodes I like or don't remember well.

I couldn't imagine not skipping The Turtle Terminator, Funny They Shrunk Michaelangelo, and Adventures in Turtle-sitting (as well as many others).

I never skip episodes on DVD unless I am only watching a select few eps.

Skipping episodes is pointless. Even the worst episodes of the OT have some entertainment value.