Your Favorite Thing About TMNT - Page 2

SassyGal · 11-08-2007, 10:35 PM

I'm not sure what drew me to them in the first place when I was twelve, I think it just happened to be on one day.

Nowadays, it's part nostalgia and partly due to the family aspect. Plus I am with Jester...Rob Paulsen is flippin' awesome

JetsAndHeels · 11-08-2007, 10:49 PM

When the original cartoon came on I began watching just out of interest. From there it grew into other things..toy collecting, the movies, the cards, video games, anything TMNT related.
In all honesty I went a few years where the TMNT were not as interesting to me. When the 2k3 cartoon started up so did my enthusiasm for them again. From then until now with the cartoon series, the cgi film, toys, and comics I have have been able to successfully rekindle that passion for the franchise.
So what do I like about the TMNT? Basically like I said it goes back to my childhood, plus seeing them all together as a family is refreshing..especially nowadays because family means more to me since I am older and understand the concept better.
Plus it is just a fun story to follow..the characters, the ninja action, the silliness...its just a great way to enjoy time when you need a distraction from the outside world and all its stresses.

Ramboraph4life aka Matt · 11-09-2007, 02:04 PM

I too do not know what drew me to them in the first place.

But as to why I'm drawn to them now? I have to be honest and saw it's mainly the Raphael character. I love Mikey, and I mean Don and Leo aren't bad characters. But...

Ever since the first movie (1990) I was just always hooked to that type of character Raphael was....maybe it was a mixture of my kids instinct (turtles + martial arts = cool) and the slight beginning of my teenage likes (one man against the world heroes/anti-heroes like Rambo, all the 80's action flicks I grew up with)...and both of them were put together. (If that makes any sense lol).

I just thought they were always interesting in the fact that they're heroes and yet the ultimate outsiders. No super powers, and the don't get the money and high-tech mansion of say the X-Men and such. I mean they live in the damn sewers. I guess that's another reason...they're the underdogs in the quote "superhero" canon. They can't really find love in as much as you read comics or watch stuff like Spidey, X-Men (the whole Jean Grey/Cyclops/Wolverine love triangle thing), even Fantastic 4 (Ben Grimm got that blind woman for a girlfriend) love comes kinda easily for those guys. But not the turtles.

And I get why Raph would be pissed. I know this isn't a "what's your fave turtle and why" thread or whatever. But that is my favorite part of the canon, his character. Sometimes I picture/try to write stories as if he was Rambo...a warrior born to fight and never finding peace...that type of stuff. Plus his physical traits make him an even more outcast than other heroes. Kind of like the ultimate underdog, so to speak. Maybe that's just me. Besides, what teenage wouldn't be pissed if they could never get laid lol.

*triplexxx* · 11-09-2007, 03:04 PM

Ever since I was introduced to TV when I was a baby and came across TMNT, I suppose it was simply instinct. It touched me like nothing else on TV ever did. Like many kids I guess, I got into the super hero genre at a pretty early age, but things like Batman and Superman just never succeeded in peaking my interest. The action in the first cartoon was always fun to watch and never bored me. The turtles were always the perfect combination of cool, cute, kick-ass, and funny. They got me hooked on pizza. The old toon had a start and a finish, making it a ten-season epic which is fun to follow. After the old toon's airing period and just before getting introduced to the new toon, I got into the live-action flicks, and again found the stories fun and entertaining...slightly different from what I rememeber in the old toon, but still appealing, had good humor, and made for a nice three-volume epic. The new toon came along, and like with the old toon, the turtles remained the perfect combination of cool, cute, kick-ass, and funny...in the old toon, I always thought about the turtles for how similar they were, when I got into the new toon, then I started pondering on their differences and figured out in which way I relate to each of them, but still loved them most for their similarities. The new toon also makes for a fun-to-follow epic, six seasons running. The new movie, unlike the previous mentioned universes, I got a good deal of info on it before actually seeing it...nevertheless, the movie remained unpredictable and managed to tell a fun story and entertain me well.
Every one of these universes have entertaining adventures/stories which contain enjoyable amounts of sci-fi, comedy, fantasy, thrill, and always a happy ending.
Finally, since the main characters are very much human (aside from the obvious and the kind of things they reap from their spirituality every now and then) without superpowers and whatnot, they are lovable, understandable, and by all means relatable.

Wanda · 11-11-2007, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OrokuSaki123

Was your other parent of non-caucasian ethnicity

?

Yep. My dad is from Tanzania.

twigs232 · 11-11-2007, 08:20 PM

You won't even believe what made me first like TMNT. The fact is my mother gave me Christmas gifts in Ninja Turtles gift boxes and I thought they were cute and I knew that I wanted to check them out! They were my favorite cartoon to watch back in the 80's.

HeavyMetalCarebear · 11-13-2007, 10:23 AM

Shredder and Donatello. I love villains and smart characters.

Ninjafromanotherseries · 11-22-2007, 10:30 AM

So why I like TMNT.

When I was little I just liked any action cartoon and the best one was Biker mice from Mars, I still watch it, 90´s episodes because Finnish dubs for them are so funny. They talk about dirty things in Finland.

But back to the TMNT. When 2k3 started here I almost right away loved it. TMNT just has it all what I like: Ninjas, robots, magic,adventures in space but also in fantasy places and all kind of different dimensions, very vast and interesting cast of characters, good storylines, fighting and other things that don´t come into my mind now.

Marvel-superheroes has all these things too but they are too drama and characters dying means nothing, everybody gets revived ( happened in TMNT too though) but TMNT are better in many ways but one major thing is that they aren´t exactly heroes. While superheroes never kill even their greatest foes TMNT are ready to kill their foes.

METALHEAD · 11-22-2007, 07:06 PM

i cant recall what came first, the toy or the toon. how i got into it i have no idea..... i'll tell you this, TMNT was everywhere EVERYWHERE! you cant reist the TMNT craze man.

they ruled the toy ailes. maaaaan. Ninja turtles were just the big hit maaaan. i still remmeber getting that ninja turrle....i think it was don.....or leo....

*VaughnMichael* · 11-22-2007, 07:13 PM

I enjoyed how creative they used to be, how even till this day they can keep coming up for new stories for the characters and yet they never get old.
The endless amount of crazy characters from mirgae, archie, the old shows, the toy lines, and the new show.
The chemistry the characters have together has never been matched by any other group for me.
This is why I like the turtles so much.

Time Mistress · 11-22-2007, 07:50 PM

To put it as simply as possible, the family bond and the martial arts.

*Warhorse* · 11-22-2007, 11:35 PM

My perception on what I like about the Turtles and what got me into them is similar to raphroehler2003 reasons. I liked Raph, mainly because I like red. But, before the Turtles came on, my other big favorite thing when I was a kid was (dont hate me or blast me please) Rainbow Brite. I really wanted that horse, and that was the cartoon that got me into horses. But that was also the cartoon that kind of used various characters and colors to paint their personalities. Well, Rainbow Brite went away, and the Turtles popped up on the tv, and the color orienting to personalities caught my eye.

So my favorite things, their personalities, and how their bandana colors seem to amplify those personalities right on target. I know it's a stupid reason, but it's what comes to mind.

Ra · 11-23-2007, 03:56 PM

Okay, I think I'll have to dive into the past a little bit for this...

My first faint memory of TMNT was from "The Next Mutation". When I was watching it, I just watched it for the fights. For Raphael, mainly. Heck, I made myself a bandanna that looked just like his. I would NEVER watch it without it on. Fresh off my Power Rangers phase of life, I loved the show for it's similarity to Power Rangers...but no giant robot fighting scenes. Didn't matter. They had a motorcycle. That made up for that.

When I saw the 2k3 season again in 2003, I was brought into it for a completely different reason. Not just for the fights, but for the relationships and family bonds between the brothers and their father. Never had I seen a family so close before, even though this family was fictional. My family, despite it's size, does not show this amount of compassion. I guess I was yearning for something that I didn't have. It's what brought me in...to the fandom. To this website. Also, the fact that I was going through a very difficult time in my young life at the time helped a lot. They were seen as freaks...I was seen as a freak. I could relate a lot.

What keeps me firmly in the fandom is the theme of family, and fighting for each other. I stayed for the 2k3 season as well, for levels of animation, character growth and intelligent storytelling. Something that cartoons such as "My Gym Partner's A Monkey" fail to provide. But...yeah, in short, the family theme.

MoreCowbell5263 · 11-23-2007, 07:39 PM

I first got into it by watching VHS's of the OT that Burger King used to give out with their version of Happy Meals, the kids' meals or whatever they were called. (I think they're called Mighty Kids Meals now, but I'm not sure.) My brothers were into the show and I got into it through them. I guess at that young an age (like 3 or 4), it was probably just the bright colors and action that these weird looking ninjas brought to the TV screen. I saw the movies (Secret of the Ooze was the first movie I ever saw in a theater, for I wasn't born when the first one came out), and again, I was young, and the bright colors and funny-looking characters got to me. As I got older, for some reason, I didn't really want to let go. I think it was the idea that these characters that I loved when I was so young had deeper personalities and more complex issues in the movies than in the OT.

I later got into the newer animated series and I just always loved the idea that they all have relatable personalities and family-related issues that most people can understand. They're an easy-to-relate-to group of characters and the idea of them being turtles who mutated and trained as ninjas just makes people go "I gotta see that!" and then become fascinated with the deeper meanings and whatnot behind the Turtles.

P.S. I just got a vintage-looking Ninja Turtles (Retro) shirt I ordered from allposters.com a few days ago, along with a vintage Batman shirt and Venom (from Spider-Man) shirt.

*Kendamu* · 11-27-2007, 07:51 PM

In many ways, TMNT represent true counterculture to me. They live outside of society while coming up with clever ways to interact with it on occasion. Their practices and values are far outside the norm. Their looks are completely outside the norm. They've got some really odd friends. However, like most untrue countercultures (which merely get picked up by fashion designers and turned into consumer culture) they actually do things that are for the good of society and mankind in general. Plus, like many people who look into becoming part of a counterculture, they're unable to be part of mainstream culture.

Sure, it's not a perfect fit, but counterculture isn't really supposed to fit any perfect molds.

If you wanna be really basic about it, though, I got into the OT because it was the most exciting thing I saw in all 4 years of my life at the time. That, and the toys were cool and came on some unusual packaging that hit me in a way that made them seem special in an "underground" sort of way. Ironically enough, those were the things that made TMNT mainstream for several years.

Good thing I discovered the old comics when I was 12.

11-08-2007, 10:49 PM	#22
JetsAndHeels Stone Warrior Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: NC Posts: 596	When the original cartoon came on I began watching just out of interest. From there it grew into other things..toy collecting, the movies, the cards, video games, anything TMNT related. In all honesty I went a few years where the TMNT were not as interesting to me. When the 2k3 cartoon started up so did my enthusiasm for them again. From then until now with the cartoon series, the cgi film, toys, and comics I have have been able to successfully rekindle that passion for the franchise. So what do I like about the TMNT? Basically like I said it goes back to my childhood, plus seeing them all together as a family is refreshing..especially nowadays because family means more to me since I am older and understand the concept better. Plus it is just a fun story to follow..the characters, the ninja action, the silliness...its just a great way to enjoy time when you need a distraction from the outside world and all its stresses. __________________

11-09-2007, 03:04 PM	#24
triplexxx Mad Scientist Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 1,816	Ever since I was introduced to TV when I was a baby and came across TMNT, I suppose it was simply instinct. It touched me like nothing else on TV ever did. Like many kids I guess, I got into the super hero genre at a pretty early age, but things like Batman and Superman just never succeeded in peaking my interest. The action in the first cartoon was always fun to watch and never bored me. The turtles were always the perfect combination of cool, cute, kick-ass, and funny. They got me hooked on pizza. The old toon had a start and a finish, making it a ten-season epic which is fun to follow. After the old toon's airing period and just before getting introduced to the new toon, I got into the live-action flicks, and again found the stories fun and entertaining...slightly different from what I rememeber in the old toon, but still appealing, had good humor, and made for a nice three-volume epic. The new toon came along, and like with the old toon, the turtles remained the perfect combination of cool, cute, kick-ass, and funny...in the old toon, I always thought about the turtles for how similar they were, when I got into the new toon, then I started pondering on their differences and figured out in which way I relate to each of them, but still loved them most for their similarities. The new toon also makes for a fun-to-follow epic, six seasons running. The new movie, unlike the previous mentioned universes, I got a good deal of info on it before actually seeing it...nevertheless, the movie remained unpredictable and managed to tell a fun story and entertain me well. Every one of these universes have entertaining adventures/stories which contain enjoyable amounts of sci-fi, comedy, fantasy, thrill, and always a happy ending. Finally, since the main characters are very much human (aside from the obvious and the kind of things they reap from their spirituality every now and then) without superpowers and whatnot, they are lovable, understandable, and by all means relatable. __________________ Please don't shoot me Mr. Big Mike. I'm too young and good-looking to die, well too young. I got a father, I got a mother, I got a grandmother, I got a little sister...and a little brother this high (raises hand), and a little brother this high (lowers hand), and little brother this high (lowers hand), and a little brother this high (lowers hand), and a little brother this high (lowers hand) and then I got a great big brother this high (slaps gun and runs). "Fright Night" - Three Stooges

11-13-2007, 10:23 AM	#27
HeavyMetalCarebear Foot Soldier Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Hugh Jackman's Pants Posts: 144	Shredder and Donatello. I love villains and smart characters. __________________ "He's sleeping with the ultimate failure." ~ Chris Redfield CM Punk > You

11-22-2007, 07:50 PM	#31
Time Mistress Stone Warrior Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Pennshellvania, or the 79th level of Null-Time Posts: 710	To put it as simply as possible, the family bond and the martial arts. __________________ AKA the Edwardian Adventuress and Fairlady_Z "You just made your last mistake, Bugeyes -- 'cuz nobody beats up my best buddy and gets away with it -- Nobody! Got that?!" Raphael about Michaelangelo, TMNT Volume 1

11-23-2007, 03:56 PM	#33
Ra It's my desire? Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: In your pants. Posts: 4,441	Okay, I think I'll have to dive into the past a little bit for this... My first faint memory of TMNT was from "The Next Mutation". When I was watching it, I just watched it for the fights. For Raphael, mainly. Heck, I made myself a bandanna that looked just like his. I would NEVER watch it without it on. Fresh off my Power Rangers phase of life, I loved the show for it's similarity to Power Rangers...but no giant robot fighting scenes. Didn't matter. They had a motorcycle. That made up for that. When I saw the 2k3 season again in 2003, I was brought into it for a completely different reason. Not just for the fights, but for the relationships and family bonds between the brothers and their father. Never had I seen a family so close before, even though this family was fictional. My family, despite it's size, does not show this amount of compassion. I guess I was yearning for something that I didn't have. It's what brought me in...to the fandom. To this website. Also, the fact that I was going through a very difficult time in my young life at the time helped a lot. They were seen as freaks...I was seen as a freak. I could relate a lot. What keeps me firmly in the fandom is the theme of family, and fighting for each other. I stayed for the 2k3 season as well, for levels of animation, character growth and intelligent storytelling. Something that cartoons such as "My Gym Partner's A Monkey" fail to provide. But...yeah, in short, the family theme. __________________ "So. The whole lot of you against little old me? How retarded."

11-08-2007, 10:35 PM	#21
SassyGal Mad Scientist Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: London, Canada Posts: 1,349	I'm not sure what drew me to them in the first place when I was twelve, I think it just happened to be on one day. Nowadays, it's part nostalgia and partly due to the family aspect. Plus I am with Jester...Rob Paulsen is flippin' awesome

11-09-2007, 02:04 PM	#23
Ramboraph4life aka Matt Mad Scientist Join Date: May 2004 Location: North Liberty, Iowa Posts: 1,234	I too do not know what drew me to them in the first place. But as to why I'm drawn to them now? I have to be honest and saw it's mainly the Raphael character. I love Mikey, and I mean Don and Leo aren't bad characters. But... Ever since the first movie (1990) I was just always hooked to that type of character Raphael was....maybe it was a mixture of my kids instinct (turtles + martial arts = cool) and the slight beginning of my teenage likes (one man against the world heroes/anti-heroes like Rambo, all the 80's action flicks I grew up with)...and both of them were put together. (If that makes any sense lol). I just thought they were always interesting in the fact that they're heroes and yet the ultimate outsiders. No super powers, and the don't get the money and high-tech mansion of say the X-Men and such. I mean they live in the damn sewers. I guess that's another reason...they're the underdogs in the quote "superhero" canon. They can't really find love in as much as you read comics or watch stuff like Spidey, X-Men (the whole Jean Grey/Cyclops/Wolverine love triangle thing), even Fantastic 4 (Ben Grimm got that blind woman for a girlfriend) love comes kinda easily for those guys. But not the turtles. And I get why Raph would be pissed. I know this isn't a "what's your fave turtle and why" thread or whatever. But that is my favorite part of the canon, his character. Sometimes I picture/try to write stories as if he was Rambo...a warrior born to fight and never finding peace...that type of stuff. Plus his physical traits make him an even more outcast than other heroes. Kind of like the ultimate underdog, so to speak. Maybe that's just me. Besides, what teenage wouldn't be pissed if they could never get laid lol.

11-11-2007, 08:20 PM	#26
twigs232 Random Punk Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 38	You won't even believe what made me first like TMNT. The fact is my mother gave me Christmas gifts in Ninja Turtles gift boxes and I thought they were cute and I knew that I wanted to check them out! They were my favorite cartoon to watch back in the 80's.

11-22-2007, 10:30 AM	#28
Ninjafromanotherseries Thug Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 80	So why I like TMNT. When I was little I just liked any action cartoon and the best one was Biker mice from Mars, I still watch it, 90´s episodes because Finnish dubs for them are so funny. They talk about dirty things in Finland. But back to the TMNT. When 2k3 started here I almost right away loved it. TMNT just has it all what I like: Ninjas, robots, magic,adventures in space but also in fantasy places and all kind of different dimensions, very vast and interesting cast of characters, good storylines, fighting and other things that don´t come into my mind now. Marvel-superheroes has all these things too but they are too drama and characters dying means nothing, everybody gets revived ( happened in TMNT too though) but TMNT are better in many ways but one major thing is that they aren´t exactly heroes. While superheroes never kill even their greatest foes TMNT are ready to kill their foes.

11-22-2007, 07:06 PM	#29
METALHEAD Stone Warrior Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: san benito texas Posts: 734	i cant recall what came first, the toy or the toon. how i got into it i have no idea..... i'll tell you this, TMNT was everywhere EVERYWHERE! you cant reist the TMNT craze man. they ruled the toy ailes. maaaaan. Ninja turtles were just the big hit maaaan. i still remmeber getting that ninja turrle....i think it was don.....or leo....

11-22-2007, 07:13 PM	#30
VaughnMichael I'm Baaaaaaccck! Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 11,833	I enjoyed how creative they used to be, how even till this day they can keep coming up for new stories for the characters and yet they never get old. The endless amount of crazy characters from mirgae, archie, the old shows, the toy lines, and the new show. The chemistry the characters have together has never been matched by any other group for me. This is why I like the turtles so much.

11-22-2007, 11:35 PM	#32
Warhorse Emperor Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Florida Posts: 5,544	My perception on what I like about the Turtles and what got me into them is similar to raphroehler2003 reasons. I liked Raph, mainly because I like red. But, before the Turtles came on, my other big favorite thing when I was a kid was (dont hate me or blast me please) Rainbow Brite. I really wanted that horse, and that was the cartoon that got me into horses. But that was also the cartoon that kind of used various characters and colors to paint their personalities. Well, Rainbow Brite went away, and the Turtles popped up on the tv, and the color orienting to personalities caught my eye. So my favorite things, their personalities, and how their bandana colors seem to amplify those personalities right on target. I know it's a stupid reason, but it's what comes to mind.

11-23-2007, 07:39 PM	#34
MoreCowbell5263 Hench Mutant Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Georgia Posts: 300	I first got into it by watching VHS's of the OT that Burger King used to give out with their version of Happy Meals, the kids' meals or whatever they were called. (I think they're called Mighty Kids Meals now, but I'm not sure.) My brothers were into the show and I got into it through them. I guess at that young an age (like 3 or 4), it was probably just the bright colors and action that these weird looking ninjas brought to the TV screen. I saw the movies (Secret of the Ooze was the first movie I ever saw in a theater, for I wasn't born when the first one came out), and again, I was young, and the bright colors and funny-looking characters got to me. As I got older, for some reason, I didn't really want to let go. I think it was the idea that these characters that I loved when I was so young had deeper personalities and more complex issues in the movies than in the OT. I later got into the newer animated series and I just always loved the idea that they all have relatable personalities and family-related issues that most people can understand. They're an easy-to-relate-to group of characters and the idea of them being turtles who mutated and trained as ninjas just makes people go "I gotta see that!" and then become fascinated with the deeper meanings and whatnot behind the Turtles. P.S. I just got a vintage-looking Ninja Turtles (Retro) shirt I ordered from allposters.com a few days ago, along with a vintage Batman shirt and Venom (from Spider-Man) shirt. __________________ Hope these guys aren't lumberjacks! No joke...the only thing safe in the woods...would be the trees!

11-27-2007, 07:51 PM	#35
Kendamu Sewerhead Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 2,890	In many ways, TMNT represent true counterculture to me. They live outside of society while coming up with clever ways to interact with it on occasion. Their practices and values are far outside the norm. Their looks are completely outside the norm. They've got some really odd friends. However, like most untrue countercultures (which merely get picked up by fashion designers and turned into consumer culture) they actually do things that are for the good of society and mankind in general. Plus, like many people who look into becoming part of a counterculture, they're unable to be part of mainstream culture. Sure, it's not a perfect fit, but counterculture isn't really supposed to fit any perfect molds. If you wanna be really basic about it, though, I got into the OT because it was the most exciting thing I saw in all 4 years of my life at the time. That, and the toys were cool and came on some unusual packaging that hit me in a way that made them seem special in an "underground" sort of way. Ironically enough, those were the things that made TMNT mainstream for several years. Good thing I discovered the old comics when I was 12.