Your honest opinion of the 1987 cartoon - Then and Now

[Garfield]

I like it mostly for the same reasons but I understand why much more now than I was when I kid. There are some standards that I have that the 87 cartoon doesn't live up to, but it doesn't matter that much and i'll explain why.

What I like then and what I like now are the charming colourful, quirky, lovable and funny characters. The only difference now is that I understand what makes them this way because I understand those concepts beyond face value. Its gone from. "I Like Raphael because he makes me laugh" to. "I like Raphael's sarcasm...his out look on the situation through witty humor and how his humorous quips and expressions represent an outward look about how ridiculous the story of there lives are."

I understand how Mike is the heart of the team, How Splinter is a caring father figure, and how Don is just the most charming guy ever.(okay maybe Don isn't REALLY charming, but I think he is.

There are some things that I didn't realize than that I do now. Like I never realized how campy the show was. I didn't understand the satire and the parody. And that's just because, when you're a very small child, things like camp, parody and satire don't stand out to you. I didn't realize the show didn't take it self seriously because I sure did.

There are things like the inconsistent writing, plot holes and continuity errors as well as animation and voice over mistakes that I'm aware of that lower the quality to some degree, But it doesn't really matter that much to me because I just don't take it that seriously and I got into Ninja Turtles at a time in my life when things like that meant little or nothing to, and honestly for this cartoon it still doesn't because the nostalgia is so strong with this one that I just don't care about those flaws.

Now when speaking of 87 Ninja Turtles objectively, I will take all of those flaws into consideration, and when talking objectively I tell people that its full of lots of flaws, but when in a subjective context it becomes less about the structure and technicality of the product and more about the warm and happy memories and how it makes me feel.

[dragonside]

Honestly, the way i viewed the original series has changed so much throughout time.

Childhood (late 90s)

• Only caught the tail end of the red sky episodes on TV. I had VHS tapes, like Donatello's Degree, Eye of Sarnoth, Easter Special, Once upon a time machine, Big Rip off. and of course the First TMNT Movie.
• I really didn't have much of an appreciation a lot of the jokes. However, some of them i still thought were pretty funny. I never got the weird pizza jokes. But I liked how Mikey was so chill.
• Some episodes like the Once upon a time machine, and Easter special, I liked alot. The other episodes I was pretty bored of, after multiple rewatches (since hey! kept missing the television broadcast).

The First Complete Viewing (2009-2012)

• I just started getting back into the series. I was really into the 2003 series actually....and really wanted to know what happened in the original series.
• I could appreciate the the action scenes in the original cartoon were much less...... less. Compared to the first five episodes. But I started seeing it for what it was. A comedy. Watching it like a slice of life cartoon.
• The music held up well. Tunes were catchy and when the fighting.. slapstick began, it definitely took the cake.
• The animation errors, i noticed, and they were... almost hilarious most of the time. But nowadays that's hard to forgive.
• After watching he whole series, i enjoyed some of the red sky episodes (GET SHREDDER), season 7, season 1.
• And really, built the mythos of the TMNT knowledge that I wanted. Making comparisons to the 2003 series. That's what made it fun.

The Subsequent rewatches 2013-2014
With the turtles being revived. Nick cartoon, IDW Comic, Mirage Comic Re-release. I finally had an opportunity to know the mirage stories. And I could see a lot of the creative choices they made with the cartoon.

Seeing so much fancy animation really dates the original cartoon. But I do prefer old school style. Its just the aesthetics and the ridiculousness soemtimes. - Turtles forever original cartoon dimension. man. Ninja Pizza, Ninja Dry Cleaners. I never thought it was more funny until now.

Its not the best, but still lovable. The Nick cartoon is just too good. And 2003 remains my favorite.

[THGhost]

I thoroughly enjoy the first 4 seasons. Most episodes after that are a little too cheesy for me, but still fun to watch.

[CyberCubed]

Originally Posted by THGhost

I thoroughly enjoy the first 4 seasons. Most episodes after that are a little too cheesy for me, but still fun to watch.

I find this an ironic statement, as the show moves more toward action toward the end of its run.

[THGhost]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

I find this an ironic statement, as the show moves more toward action toward the end of its run.

Not in seasons 5 and 6 it doesn't

[CyberCubed]

Originally Posted by THGhost

Not in seasons 5 and 6 it doesn't

Depends which episodes you're talking about. Many of Season 5-6 episodes have just as much action as Season 7. The ones about mad scientists or human gangsters usually don't though.

[TMNT8813]

Originally Posted by Garfield

I like it mostly for the same reasons but I understand why much more now than I was when I kid. There are some standards that I have that the 87 cartoon doesn't live up to, but it doesn't matter that much and i'll explain why.

What I like then and what I like now are the charming colourful, quirky, lovable and funny characters. The only difference now is that I understand what makes them this way because I understand those concepts beyond face value. Its gone from. "I Like Raphael because he makes me laugh" to. "I like Raphael's sarcasm...his out look on the situation through witty humor and how his humorous quips and expressions represent an outward look about how ridiculous the story of there lives are."

I understand how Mike is the heart of the team, How Splinter is a caring father figure, and how Don is just the most charming guy ever.(okay maybe Don isn't REALLY charming, but I think he is.

There are some things that I didn't realize than that I do now. Like I never realized how campy the show was. I didn't understand the satire and the parody. And that's just because, when you're a very small child, things like camp, parody and satire don't stand out to you. I didn't realize the show didn't take it self seriously because I sure did.

There are things like the inconsistent writing, plot holes and continuity errors as well as animation and voice over mistakes that I'm aware of that lower the quality to some degree, But it doesn't really matter that much to me because I just don't take it that seriously and I got into Ninja Turtles at a time in my life when things like that meant little or nothing to, and honestly for this cartoon it still doesn't because the nostalgia is so strong with this one that I just don't care about those flaws.

Now when speaking of 87 Ninja Turtles objectively, I will take all of those flaws into consideration, and when talking objectively I tell people that its full of lots of flaws, but when in a subjective context it becomes less about the structure and technicality of the product and more about the warm and happy memories and how it makes me feel.

Quoted for turtle truth.

All of this x 100.

[jenna]

Honestly... I fell in love with the turtles at the age of 9 when the OT first hit our TV screens, in the same way that any child gets fixated on a TV series. Before that it was Transformers and before that it was My Little Pony, Care Bears and before that it was Thomas the Tank Engine. And perhaps if I had been a tad younger when the TMNT obsession began, I'm sure I would have moved onto something else before long.

But....

The OT's main value to me though was as a gateway to the turtles universe, which appeals to me as an adult in a way that the OT never will. If I hadn't been crazy about the OT I never would have watched Steve Barron's film, which I was just old enough to appreciate on a deeper level. The characters were rawer and the plot was earthy and poignant.

It's the aspects featured in the film that appeal to me. The family relationship, the tortured souls, the personal journeys, the defiance of the underdog and the will to fight. And martial arts. Always martial arts. So it was actually the film which grew my love of the TMNT and turned me into a 'fan' of everything TMNT, including, on the recommendation of people on this forum, the comic books.

Today I have the OT on DVD and watch it a lot, because it is a key piece of TMNT lore and I am fascinated by the entire universe. The OT will never have the depth or the intellect, or the grit of the pieces which came before it and after it, but I will always treasure it nonetheless.

Plus, it has some real moments: Where else would there be dialogue as brilliant as this:

Baxter Stockman: I'll never talk!
Raphael: You'd better. Or else I'm gonna get.... sarcastic.

[THGhost]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Depends which episodes you're talking about. Many of Season 5-6 episodes have just as much action as Season 7. The ones about mad scientists or human gangsters usually don't though.

Oh, Cubed. You do amuse.

[Cryomancer]

Was nuts for it as a kid sure, but I don't have many specific memories at this point of my reactions to particular episodes or anything. I think I liked it as an adventure show at the time, mostly.

I did a full watch a couple years ago maybe? and it's...hit or miss to be sure. Some stuff is just terrible tedious bland crap. Sometimes it's a pretty funny comedy. I think to enjoy it as an adult you need to watch it primarily as a character relations comedy. Mostly Krang, really. The way he bosses everyone around can be funny, he's super evil or whatever but still does silly stuff constantly. Bebop and Rocksteady are smart enough to realize their job sucks but not smart enough to stop doing it. Raphael is a sarcastic dick. Shredder is pretty much a parody of 80s cartoon villains while also being one himself, and sometimes throws out a comedy moment of his own. The show works ok to well as a comedy depending on the episode/scene in question. Leonardo and Michelangelo are boring and repetitive most of the time.

Some of the adventure elements are good too, like the weird technology and locations encountered. Too many plots rely on Donatello fixing everything but sometimes it's done well. The first season is of course rad as hell and I wish we would have gotten 200 episodes on that level but that was probably never a remote possibility.

It's effect on the franchise as a whole is overall negative, I think. Thankfully we now have the Nick show and IDW which can take elements from it and occasionally do something better with them. It would be nice if Mirage was more influential to newer material though, of course. Or even 2k3 or Archie. The pop culture awareness mostly beginning and ending with "lol pizza" definitely has and still prevents us from getting more varied TMNT media.

[Leo656]

My hatred burns with the fire of a thousand suns, at the fact that the entirety of TMNT's importance to the world is "pizza" and "Cowabunga". Having one of the better 80s cartoon theme songs helps... but not much.

[Shark_Blade]

That's the fun factor in tmnt, and if the world gets that, it's more than enough imo. They know pizza, turtles, rat and woman in yellow is April, then it's okay.

If you want to delve in deeper into the origins and other things, by all means.

[Leo656]

Huh. And here I am thinking that surfer-slang that was already outdated in 1987 and an unhealthy pseudo-sexual obsession with the world's greasiest non-Tempura-based snack food merely make the property look juvenile and dated.

Seriously, of all the things that matter to TMNT, that sh*t doesn't. It's absolutely the least-important stuff and it's infuriating that it's all people ever mention about TMNT.

[Cryomancer]

The theme song sucks by the way, I'll say it, I don't even care.

[Leo656]

Really? Even that opening guitar chord? I mean, yeah, it's kinda downhill from there... but the first 2.5 seconds of it are pretty radical.

[Cryomancer]

As a tune it's fine but the lyrics ruin it I think. It's like the Power Rangers theme, works better as an instrumental, and even then if anyone else hears it while you are playing a videogame or whatever with it they'll end up singing or mock singing the lame lyrics like a Pavlovian response.

Also the oversimplification of the character's personalities, blah blah.

[Leo656]

Yeah, I get that. My Mom thought the song was hilarious and used to make me sing it at family gatherings for her amusement. It was awful.

You know what? F*ck that, I f***ing hate it too. F*** you, Mom.

[Walkabout]

They show a couple of episodes back to back once a week at like 2 AM here, Bebop and Rocksteady are hilarious.

I LOVED the show as a kid, but I don't think I watched it past 91.
Not using their weapons always bugged me, especially since my favourite was Mikey with his chuks.

[ssjup81]

Oh man, I will forever love the theme song. It's so catchy.

[Konchadunga]

As much as the show isn't the quintessential TMNT to me, the theme song really is. The lyrics may be an oversimplification of the turtles' personalities, but they're base enough that they could apply to every incarnation. Not so much the bit about Shredder being the Big Bad, but that's pretty subtle. At the time I was into the 2003 show, the old theme song was the one thing I truly missed from 1987. There's more now, but of the things in that show valued by the masses, that song is probably the least detrimental.