Why do long-time fans still have mixed reactions to Nick's TMNT?

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

LOL, what? Everywhere I go where people follow the Nick cartoon they don't have a problem at all.

... I mean as in you actually leaving the house...

[Bossa Nova]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

LOL, what? Everywhere I go where people follow the Nick cartoon they don't have a problem at all.

I follow this show. I consider myself a pretty dedicated fan to the franchise. I have a problem with April being turned into a teenager and all around her entire character portrayal in this show. There. Happy now?

For those of you who think these forums are the end all of the most dedicated fanbase, how about you check out Deviantart and read some discussions going on there? I can assure you there are MANY fans who don't appreciate April's development or certain aspects of the new show that are still just as 'hardcore' as anyone here. Big surprise that a lot of fans don't like coming here seeing as the attitude of many members are so callous.

[Powder]

Dear OP, go away forever.

[Leo656]

Yeah, I'll go in and say I'm still not big on April being a teenager either. Don't hate it but don't love it and kind of still think it was pointless.

So there's a few of us who don't like it. I mean, I'm over it, but if by the end the main point of doing it was the whole Donnie "thing", then no, then it was dumb. But eh I'm not the one writing it.

[CyberCubed]

Originally Posted by Leo656

Yeah, I'll go in and say I'm still not big on April being a teenager either. Don't hate it but don't love it and kind of still think it was pointless.

So there's a few of us who don't like it. I mean, I'm over it, but if by the end the main point of doing it was the whole Donnie "thing", then no, then it was dumb. But eh I'm not the one writing it.

How was it pointless though? What would an adult April be doing in this type of show?

Nick's TMNT are younger, April growing up with them makes sense.

[Jester]

True...but most past Aprils were more a mother figure, in parallel to Splinter's masculine influence. That's what she'd bring to it. It's all a matter of preference and some prefer things how they were.

[Leo656]

It doesn't *not* make sense, yeah, but again... I don't know. I don't think it *had* to be done, is all. I mean, neither does anything, really. I just find it a rather arbitrary change that I'm pretty sure was done *just* to make April and Donnie a convenient "not-couple" so they could build stories about that, and I don't really like the way they did those stories.

Basically, I've been hoping there was a reason beyond that for the change, but since there doesn't seem to be, I'm not sold on it. Doesn't mean it's terrible, just isn't how I'd prefer it done. I've always been fine with April being older than them, having it be different this time doesn't hurt anything but it doesn't "fix" anything, either.

Teen April is kind of like Utrom Shredder. I think either works for their own version, but not as "The" version of either character. In each case they're okay for the show they're in, but in neither case was it at all necessary to change the character the way they did.

I guess it all comes down to where a person stands on "different for different's sake". I generally like a little more reasoning for stuff changing, but it doesn't ruin things if there isn't one.

[CyberCubed]

The difference is this is a show with very little human contact and the Turtles being portrayed as younger than ever before.

Seeing an adult April interacting with Nick's TMNT would seem out of place...she's essentially just be a second Splinter or something like that.

And April seems exactly like April we've always known, only younger.

[Leo656]

Seeing April interact with them is odd no matter how old she is, because she's a mostly-normal person and they're a bunch of nuclear abominations, and anything past that is just splitting hairs.

[Bossa Nova]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

And April seems exactly like April we've always known, only younger.

This April acts far different than past versions of her. Don't kid yourself.

[CyberCubed]

Originally Posted by Bossa Nova

This April acts far different than past versions of her. Don't kid yourself.

She has a bit more angst because she's a kid, but she's not much different than the others.

[Venom]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Where is the proof? Show me the proof.

Okay, I'll bite.

I'm not too keen on "high-school punk" Casey, and still not fully use to the idea of April being 16. Personally, I feel it detracts from their characters because the inevitable connection they form will most likely be nothing more than a teenage girls fascination with the bad boy trope.

Personally, I would have much preferred if they be college age - like in IDW - around 21-22, then their connection would feel much more substantial since by that age, most of us have some sense of self and begin looking for more deeper connections from life.

In every medium where April and Casey become an item, they have always been represented, basically, as somewhat normal people who found themselves thrown into a wild ass situation and forming a bond that eventually evolves into love.

So there, while I do love Ciro's vision of the Turtles, it's not without it's flaws and doesn't put me off from wanting to watch the show.

[bwrosas]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

She has a bit more angst because she's a kid, but she's not much different than the others.

And that's just it. True in other mediums, she'll get mad or fustrated witht the Turtles, but not to the point that she competlely avoids them or shuts them off from her.

And in IMO, that's what fans like myself just don't like about the idea of her being a teen. Because it's not the way April would really act in anger towards them.

[Jester]

Again, none of the other Aprils had much reason the get mad at the Turtles. Through their actions her dad is now a mutant...and might be forever. That's a big deal and a legitimate reason for her to write off the Turtles at this point.

[bwrosas]

Originally Posted by Jester

Again, none of the other Aprils had much reason the get mad at the Turtles. Through their actions her dad is now a mutant...and might be forever. That's a big deal and a legitimate reason for her to write off the Turtles at this point.

Again I can understand that. But if they mixed/balanced out this April's personaility with the pervious ones, then maybe (imo), fans like myself and others outside of this forum wouldn't be so unkeen to her being protrayed as teenager.

[Bossa Nova]

Originally Posted by Jester

Again, none of the other Aprils had much reason the get mad at the Turtles. Through their actions her dad is now a mutant...and might be forever. That's a big deal and a legitimate reason for her to write off the Turtles at this point.

1990 film April lost her home, dad's shop and her job all in the span of 24 hours while discovering her life was in danger by a clan of ninja chasing down a bunch of mutants she was suddenly fraternizing with (and not really by her initial choice either). I don't know about you, but that's a lot to take in all at once. She could have easily dumped them all off the side of the road, did as the Foot said and kept her nose out their business and attempt to piece her normal life back together. But she didn't blame the turtles. They saved her life. She cares about them and she's going to help them in return for what they've done for her.

How much have the Nick turtles given their April, how many times have they saved her? And her dad? And the world? She doesn't have to sit back and be hunky dory with what has happened to her dad, she's allowed to be upset, angry and hurt and possibly need some time to herself to digest everything that's happened, pretty much anyone would, but dismissing everything the turtles have done for her and going so far as to not even caring if they might possibly die right in front of her (which very could have happened with Mutagen Man), is just too much for me to find her the least bit likeable anymore. Hell, if she was a character who had only met the turtles a couple of times before (like Timothy) and then this suddenly happened to her dad, I could totally understand why she'd want to see the turtles not only out of her life but possibly even dead, and she'd probably make a pretty awesome villain I could sympathize with. But as April? A girl I'm supposed to find relatable and root for? Not even close.

[Jester]

True...there and Mirage both she practically lost it all (Can't believe I forgot all of that.) but that April was also an adult, and more able to deal with the losses That and she was on the Foot's radar before the Turtles in the movie anyway. Without them, there's the distinct possibility everything would have gone up in smoke (pun totally intended) anyway.

I can understand you deciding that it might be over blown, and that it can effect your liking the character, but it's not an wholly unreasonable reaction to getting her dad back to lose him again so quickly.

And "wanting them dead" when it comes to Mutagen Man is a bit harsh. She was trying to keep Casey from finding out about them...which to me any way shows she still cares. And she knew the Turtles could take care of themselves.

[Konchadunga]

Originally Posted by Coola Yagami

How do you know? Have you gone out and ask people on the street? Do your friends and family like it too? Have you seen outside of this forum out in the real world also be 'fine with it'. What if we were the minority and the youtube naysayers were the majority?

This is a TMNT forum, of course everyone here would be fine with it (even though some of us were so fine with it that they ended up chasing Ciro himself out of this place). Stop thinking of a 13% of the world and look at the big picture.

Come on; you know that's rubbish. There are so many different incarnations of the turtles that fandom rivalries are inevitable; it's guaranteed around this forum that someone's not going to be thrilled with any given new incarnation.

I am going to agree that making April a teenager, if indeed they did it so she could interact more with the turtles, was a pointless move; given that she still doesn't interact with them that much. Did they forget that people go to school before they get jobs? Because the way I see it, being a traveling reporter or quite a few other jobs could easily afford more time to visit friends than full-time schooling does.

[Technogeek29]

Personally not a fan of Teen April either, She get's information sure but she was better at that as an adult who wouldn't be question twice about being there. Even a College April (IDW) can sneak into places abeilt limited as well but she could still do it. I get she wants to have a normal life, Mirage April did to. Even 2k3 and eventually (and surprisingly) OT April wanted to get away from all the craziness and have some sense of normality in their life. But those versions have not full out just left the Turtles hung and dry.

Kid Casey might grow on me but it's too soon to form an opinion on him.

[Electric]

Originally Posted by Leo656

It doesn't *not* make sense, yeah, but again... I don't know. I don't think it *had* to be done, is all. I mean, neither does anything, really. I just find it a rather arbitrary change that I'm pretty sure was done *just* to make April and Donnie a convenient "not-couple" so they could build stories about that, and I don't really like the way they did those stories.

Basically, I've been hoping there was a reason beyond that for the change, but since there doesn't seem to be, I'm not sold on it. Doesn't mean it's terrible, just isn't how I'd prefer it done. I've always been fine with April being older than them, having it be different this time doesn't hurt anything but it doesn't "fix" anything, either.

Teen April is kind of like Utrom Shredder. I think either works for their own version, but not as "The" version of either character. In each case they're okay for the show they're in, but in neither case was it at all necessary to change the character the way they did.

I guess it all comes down to where a person stands on "different for different's sake". I generally like a little more reasoning for stuff changing, but it doesn't ruin things if there isn't one.

But it does have a reason beyond that. If you listen to ciros podcast, he states that April, in his original plan, was a mother like figure. When things started to change, he de aged her so she could develop along with the turtles, and make some mistakes, like they do. She's not fully mature, so yes while past April wouldn't be mad at the turtles, this April has just lost her father, and doesn't know how to deal with it so she mistakenly takes it out on the people she could blame. Also don't think losing your apartment and job is anything close to losing your dad. The crush on her from Donnie wasn't the reason she was de aged. The crush was to add something to a character ciro thought needed it, to give him someone to impress, but that was decided after they de aged her. He also didn't want April to have a 9-5 job, which makes more sense if she's only 16. So there really is reasoning behind it.

I'm not saying you have to like this version of her, but saying it was just for the Donnie crush isn't right. They de aged her to make her fit within this series, and have reasons as to why.