Best/Worst Portrayals

*Powder* · 10-16-2017, 07:18 PM

Which turtle & secondary character* do you think was best/worst in their overall portrayal? Taking everything into account. Arcs, development, design, voice, the full monty.

*When I say secondary character I don't mean a one-off like The Neutrinos (who most people took issue with). I mean mainstays who had a sizable number of appearances, so choose from this list:

-Splinter
-April
-Casey
-Shredder
-Karai
-Bebop/Rocksteady
-Baxter Stockman

As for the turtles, it's really tough. It's pretty much a tie between Leo & Donnie, but gun to my head, I might have to go with Donnie.

Leo's my favorite turtle, period, & I was very pleased with how he was handled in this series. They hit every single beat that one could want. His depth, bravado, courage, vulnerability, the Splinter relationship, etc. & they added new elements like his greater appreciation of Japanese culture, & a geeky side (of course someone like him would need an escape!) that felt both fresh & fitting. The only thing that let me down was they didn't have a significant bonding with Usagi scene, but it's all gravy. I regret that he had to go through 3 voice changes, as well. I really liked Biggs, wish he'd have been kept on the whole series. Green took a bit of getting used to at first but he grew on me. You could tell he really loved doing it & gave it his all. Donnie has always been my second favorite turtle, so naturally I would have a bias toward him too, but man, he's just thoroughly entertaining in this show. First of all I LOVE his design. The head shape, the gap, his belt buckle, magenta eyes, it's a really cool look. Ciro's aesthetics come across the most on him, I'd say. Rob Paulsen is the man, but I was wary at first of him doing another turtle, figured I wouldn't be able to get past hearing '87 Raph, but no, he killed it. Very charming. I like how they made him quick to anger, & the whole April fixation thing was hilarious/endearing to me. The fact his bo was modified into a naginata was dope, & his fighting style got me hype. He's always been cool in my book, but here I was genuinely excited when he got focus.

As for who was worst, Mikey, hands down. I really liked him at first, but of course, as time went on, they made him dumber/clumsier/etc. He always degrades, ugh. Too much comedy relief, hyperactivity, no self-awareness. They tried to redeem him a few times (& those bits were killer) but they'd always go right back to the idiocy. Cipes did a great job though. I certainly don't dislike Michelangelo, he's just the weaker link for me. This is a problem with almost every non-Mirage interpretation of the character (for anyone not in the know, there, he is just warm-hearted, in touch with everyone's feelings, he likes to care for his cat, babysit Shadow, write love stories, he's a peaceful little soul). I know some people give Raph flack for getting less attention or being hung up on his fears, but I liked this Raphael more than most of his predecessors. Way less of a one-note character. & Astin was just SO good.

Best secondary character? Splinter, without a moments hesitation. Wow. Hoon Lee is god-tier in the booth. Easily the best performances of the entire cast. Just so powerful. Splinter here is more athletic, rat-like, & fatherly than ever before. Nailed it. I'd gush more but I'm growing tired of writing this post.

Worst secondary character? Not sure, really. None of them stick out as being the #1 worst, because I really enjoy them all, & several of them are equally flawed. Casey doesn't take things seriously enough & is selectively stupid, April's a bit of a mary-sue with magic powers, & Karai has the Shredder's daughter dynamic/unnecessary mutation. Their personalities/designs/voices were otherwise great, I don't really have much in the way of complaints beyond those key issues.

What say you?

10-16-2017, 07:18 PM	#1
Powder 40 Years of TMNT Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Shell-Ri-La Posts: 26,956	Best/Worst Portrayals Which turtle & secondary character* do you think was best/worst in their overall portrayal? Taking everything into account. Arcs, development, design, voice, the full monty. *When I say secondary character I don't mean a one-off like The Neutrinos (who most people took issue with). I mean mainstays who had a sizable number of appearances, so choose from this list: -Splinter -April -Casey -Shredder -Karai -Bebop/Rocksteady -Baxter Stockman As for the turtles, it's really tough. It's pretty much a tie between Leo & Donnie, but gun to my head, I might have to go with Donnie. Leo's my favorite turtle, period, & I was very pleased with how he was handled in this series. They hit every single beat that one could want. His depth, bravado, courage, vulnerability, the Splinter relationship, etc. & they added new elements like his greater appreciation of Japanese culture, & a geeky side (of course someone like him would need an escape!) that felt both fresh & fitting. The only thing that let me down was they didn't have a significant bonding with Usagi scene, but it's all gravy. I regret that he had to go through 3 voice changes, as well. I really liked Biggs, wish he'd have been kept on the whole series. Green took a bit of getting used to at first but he grew on me. You could tell he really loved doing it & gave it his all. Donnie has always been my second favorite turtle, so naturally I would have a bias toward him too, but man, he's just thoroughly entertaining in this show. First of all I LOVE his design. The head shape, the gap, his belt buckle, magenta eyes, it's a really cool look. Ciro's aesthetics come across the most on him, I'd say. Rob Paulsen is the man, but I was wary at first of him doing another turtle, figured I wouldn't be able to get past hearing '87 Raph, but no, he killed it. Very charming. I like how they made him quick to anger, & the whole April fixation thing was hilarious/endearing to me. The fact his bo was modified into a naginata was dope, & his fighting style got me hype. He's always been cool in my book, but here I was genuinely excited when he got focus. As for who was worst, Mikey, hands down. I really liked him at first, but of course, as time went on, they made him dumber/clumsier/etc. He always degrades, ugh. Too much comedy relief, hyperactivity, no self-awareness. They tried to redeem him a few times (& those bits were killer) but they'd always go right back to the idiocy. Cipes did a great job though. I certainly don't dislike Michelangelo, he's just the weaker link for me. This is a problem with almost every non-Mirage interpretation of the character (for anyone not in the know, there, he is just warm-hearted, in touch with everyone's feelings, he likes to care for his cat, babysit Shadow, write love stories, he's a peaceful little soul). I know some people give Raph flack for getting less attention or being hung up on his fears, but I liked this Raphael more than most of his predecessors. Way less of a one-note character. & Astin was just SO good. Best secondary character? Splinter, without a moments hesitation. Wow. Hoon Lee is god-tier in the booth. Easily the best performances of the entire cast. Just so powerful. Splinter here is more athletic, rat-like, & fatherly than ever before. Nailed it. I'd gush more but I'm growing tired of writing this post. Worst secondary character? Not sure, really. None of them stick out as being the #1 worst, because I really enjoy them all, & several of them are equally flawed. Casey doesn't take things seriously enough & is selectively stupid, April's a bit of a mary-sue with magic powers, & Karai has the Shredder's daughter dynamic/unnecessary mutation. Their personalities/designs/voices were otherwise great, I don't really have much in the way of complaints beyond those key issues. What say you?