Welcome to the boards. There are plenty of fans in your age bracket on & off the site, no worries!
Anyway, all that you say of the 2012 series is true, it's definitely a standout iteration among the many that exist. Hopefully you enjoy the rest of it as much as you have what you've watched so far. Given what you grew up on, I should think you'll especially dig season 4's space arc. You probably get a kick out of the Star Trek parody series Leonardo watches, eh?
To call this series' toyline a mixed bag is an understatement, there are probably more misses than hits, unfortunately. On the bright side, a set of adult collector aimed figures that are 100% screen accurate, fully articulated, & accompanied by a bevy of accessories were made. Look up "Revoltech TMNT". Living in Japan you should have a decent chance of getting a set as they were produced there & were recently re-released.
As a fellow big-time Mirage fan I am shocked that you don't like the first Henson film. Aside from April being a reporter & The Foot a path for wayward youth, it adapts aspects of early issues quite faithfully. The cinematography & visual ambiance are stellar, characterization's spot on, it's easily the best TMNT movie.
As for as other shows comparing to this one, I don't know of any.