Official episode discussion: Rise of the Turtles, Part 1 and 2

[Luzmagica]

....I will be enjoying tomorrow the first two episodes! ....I finally found a nice link!
Anyway I had been following all the threads on Saturday morning and I can say Im absolutely glad to see almost 100% positives comments everywhere!

Def. I this new show! and its also first time for me to see/enjoy the first new wave of TMNT!

Thanks so much also for all the tips/scans/animated gift posted!!!!!!

[Roseangelo]

Originally Posted by Oculus Orbus

I'm with you, and I'm glad they did it that way, but the steets being so empty did seem kind of odd at times.

For the record, the lack of people is a budget limitation. They can create two new characters per episode, so there might slowly be more people in the background over time.

[Yep It's A Trap]

I think it's funny to say that just because TMNT is supposed to be influenced by Japanese culture that it's okay for the little anime details to be there. Anime is more like modern pop culture for Japan/China. Ancient Japan had nothing to do with anime so really it doesn't make sense to have it if you really think about it. It's just Japanese modern pop culture influencing our American based shows in this century. Again, my two cents but I don't think I'm wrong on this one.

[The Stryker]

Last I checked, TMNT is always reflective of modern culture anyway and anime is kinda everywhere.

Also who cares. They did it like 3 times.

[CyberCubed]

Originally Posted by Roseangelo

For the record, the lack of people is a budget limitation. They can create two new characters per episode, so there might slowly be more people in the background over time.

Just curious, but why only two new characters per episode?

The first two episodes, even not counting the main cast, introducing several designs like the human coverings of the Kraang, then the robot Kraang, then April's father, Snakeweed's human form and mutant form, etc.

[Chris]

2 per episode sounds about right. I think Clone Wars was something similar back in its early seasons.

Core characters, like TMNT, Splinter, April, Shredder, Kraang, etc will likely have come out of pre-production budget as they're needed for the full series. Minor characters like April's dad and Snake can then be added every week out of the normal episode budget.

For a comparrison have a look at some of the early season 1 episodes of Clone Wars compared to what they were able to do by the end of season 4 (or yesterday's season 5 pilot). I'd expect similar progression from TMNT over the seasons as the team add more models every episode and also get better/more efficient at making the models.

[CyberCubed]

The good thing is since the Foot and Kraang all look the same, they can simply "Copy/paste" their character models tons of times.

Obviously you can't do that for unique looking mutants though.

[Cure]

I'm guessing those two characters is a pre/post mutation, anyway.

[TheJ-manTurtleMan]

Has it been confirmed that this show will have continuity like 2k3? The ending with the Shredder and the kraang seemed to imply so.

[Cipher]

Originally Posted by Roseangelo

For the record, the lack of people is a budget limitation. They can create two new characters per episode, so there might slowly be more people in the background over time.

Oh, I'm aware. Models are expensive, and they'll slowly build a catalogue to pick from.

Still, there are workarounds. The current, CGI Transformers cartoon eventually solved its problem of empty Nevada by adding driving cars to the streets, and even that would have gone a long way here.

I understand the reasons, but it's still kind of distracting.

Originally Posted by TurtleTron

Has it been confirmed that this show will have continuity like 2k3? The ending with the Shredder and the kraang seemed to imply so.

This has been a given for kids' action cartoons for the past several years. No reason to expect anything different here.

Also, another unrelated bit of praise for the episode: It's interesting that, although Splinter is Hamato Yoshi here, it isn't to sanitize the death of Tang Shen as most people assumed. They made a conscious decision to give Splinter his human origin, and I'm interested in seeing how it plays out.

[CyberCubed]

Originally Posted by TurtleTron

Has it been confirmed that this show will have continuity like 2k3? The ending with the Shredder and the kraang seemed to imply so.

Of course not. Unless you mean all Turtles universes co-exist as seen in "Turtles Forever," then maybe.

But I doubt we'll ever see the Nick universe crossover with the older ones.

[TheSkeletonMan939]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Of course not. Unless you mean all Turtles universes co-exist as seen in "Turtles Forever," then maybe.

But I doubt we'll ever see the Nick universe crossover with the older ones.

He means will there be a story that takes place throughout multiple eps.

[Candy Kappa]

Me an my girlfriend watched part 1 last night, and wow, I LOVED this episode.

The jokes was really fun, I love the dynamic (or lack of ) between the characters.

The animation is amazing, some of the best I've seen in a TV production and can be compared in several moments with movie production. Especially facial animation, those eyes.

The action is really well animated as well, snappy yet fluid. A lot of great poses.

I love the designs, the turtles look great as well as they are well animated. Splinter is really cool looking and after watching the episode I am digging Lee's voice for Splinter. The Men in Black Kraang suit(s) and the Kraang(s) looks fantastic, the blank expression on that robotic suit is eerie, really creepy, even if it is just a cartoon. The Kraang is a joy to watch with its tentacles and huge mouth.

April and her father look good, but there is something about April that bugs me a bit. I think she looks maybe a bit bland in her design and her face is very roundish while she still have a slim body design. A bit unusual, I suppose.

Another nitpick is the scenes. The backgrounds are beautiful no doubt, but they feel at times "flat" often when you see two or more characters interact and there just the characters in the foreground and the city scenery in the background, not a lot of middle-ground. Its the same feeling you get when you can clearly see in a movie that they have filmed in a sound studio and not outside.

If the show keeps up the good work, this might be my favorite TMNT show of the three.

[Andrew NDB]

So I watched the first episode. It has a kind of charm to it. It's not Turtles I have much interest in seeing, but it's a quality animation.

* Back to the "touch this lifeform, you mutate into that lifeform" mutagen thing? Horrifically stupid.
* Weird anime effects to the eyes and added SFX action symbols at times? Needless and stupid.
* Donatello crushing on April? Just plain uncomfortable.

There's also too much weapon spinning. I swear there was like 50 shots of Raph, Leo, and Don spinning their weapons. Enough.

I like how they're not automatically super skilled but rather that'd be something they will work up to/into.

[Cure]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

There's also too much weapon spinning. I swear there was like 50 shots of Raph, Leo, and Don spinning their weapons. Enough.

I recall Leonardo being the only one who DIDN'T spin his joints.

[Cipher]

After 4Kids, no amount of weapon-spinning will ever be intolerable again.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Cure

I recall Leonardo being the only one who DIDN'T spin his joints.

Maybe you're right. Maybe it was just a ridiculous amount of Bo-spinning and Sai-spinning that I'm thinking of.

I mean, it makes sense for Mikey... that's kinda what you do with nunchuks. The rest?

[TheSkeletonMan939]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Maybe you're right. Maybe it was just a ridiculous amount of Bo-spinning and Sai-spinning that I'm thinking of.

I mean, it makes sense for Mikey... that's kinda what you do with nunchuks. The rest?

I can understand Raph spinning his sais around. Donatello spinning his bo around is plausible, but spinning it on his back is WAY over the top.

[The Big Bad]

Originally Posted by The Stryker

All this after TWO episodes. Jesus christ.

How about we give them a chance to do something before we get all soapbox on it? TWO EPISODES.

Funny: I would have thought getting kidnapped, discovering the existence of both teenage mutant ninja turtles and alien robots with brains, losing her father, and being forced to move in with her aunt counted as "something". Unless all that happens in every episode, it's a pretty safe bet that the events of "Rise of the Turtles" will form one of the most important parts of her story*. And yet, she is treated as a bystander--we're told almost nothing about about how she feels and thinks about these life-changing things, and the one character whom we're told is super-important to her and whose kidnapping we're supposed to feel sad about is one she barely interacts with. Even if one doesn't think it's important that fiction not be sexist, this is not good writing.

In other words, no.
----

* More so, arguably, than they are for the turtles themselves, since Mikey's "mom" comment aside, the turtles seemed oddly uninterested in the Kraang's connection to their own origin.

[marcelangelo]

Originally Posted by TheSkeletonMan939

I can understand Raph spinning his sais around. Donatello spinning his bo around is plausible, but spinning it on his back is WAY over the top.

well d'uh..they're teenagers remember?that's what we humans do too when we're that age..we like to play around with the things we do...maybe sometmes to the extent of showing off a little bit...
theres nothing wrong there for me...if at all then its called good observation!..

and 'enough weapon spinning'?whats the matter with you guys?there can never be enough of that!!!seriously, I love it when they're doing that!
one of the things I liked about 4kids right away...