Is April kind of a loser?

[DisKosh]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Well the Turtles never really acted like teens in either the original cartoon or 4kids, so it didn't feel much different. It felt like April was just interacting with other people of her age.

The Nick show really is the first series where the Turtles are written as actual teenagers.

Yeah, I think that's one thing I really like about the Nick series. Also, it's pretty good teenage writing because they don't come off as every teenage stereotype, they can be mature and adult at times, they can also be pretty childish sometimes. I like the variation.

Originally Posted by Rooish

Well at least she had human friends in the movie, such as her boss and her boss's son.

Movie Casey was... well let's put it this way. I have never seen such a rough start to a massage.

True but he's also really charming in that movie. I love his smile.

[AquaParade]

I haven't gone back and read the last few pages, I may do that later. I always found this discussion to be interesting though.

I definitely appreciate the "loner" aspect of April's life. I thought it gave her a reason to be hanging out with four mutant turtles.

It's not that I think April needs the turtles and Splinter to give her life purpose, but I do appreciate that she finds family and maybe a little meaning through them.

[ssjup81]

Originally Posted by ***First of Two Latin Kings***

What did I ever do to you?

In the 1987 series she had it pretty bad for Bugman, and at least one other guy.

I don't think anyone even bothered to mention the movie portrayals of April and Casey...

I swear in one of the Red Sky eps, April mentioned a former boyfriend owed her a favor. She was gathering information for something.

[Rooish]

Originally Posted by ssjup81

I swear in one of the Red Sky eps, April mentioned a former boyfriend owed her a favor. She was gathering information for something.

Hilarious! I think that April of the fred wolf series was a totally different person than, say, Mirage April.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by ssjup81

I swear in one of the Red Sky eps, April mentioned a former boyfriend owed her a favor. She was gathering information for something.

She did, indeed. It was in the Megavolt episode or wtv that guy's name was.

[CyberCubed]

One thing you would think people would like about April is she never went out of her way to find a man. They never wrote an April who is trying to date or get a love interest out of desperation, similar to how Irma was in the original series.

You'd think April being a self-sufficient woman who needs no man would be a positive feminist role model.

[Rooish]

Cubed, I really wasn't thinking of Fred Wolf April when I started this topic; she's a major exception. She is so different from the other versions of April, who I thought could be seen as misfits in society aka "losers". Fred Wolf April is definitely one of those self-sufficient career focused types.

Personally I don't think being feminist means you have to put all relationships on the back burner in favor of a career, but that is one way of doing things.

[CyberCubed]

What I mean is none of the other April's look out to get boyfriends either. I mean she's eventually paired with Casey in most series, but she doesn't go out of her way to make it happen...it just does.

In the Archie series she falls for the Warrior Dragon chinese guy, but even then it was kind of natural.

[plastroncafe]

Being a plot device, which is what April is more often than not, means the writers don't give her much in the way of an exterior-to-the-plot life.

It's just easier logistically.

[CyberCubed]

Which is also why April's sister Robyn, is so easily omitted in all the other series. Outside of Mirage she only appeared in like one episode of the 4kids cartoon in Season 4 and then never again.

Both IDW and Nick also have April as an only child and didn't introduce her sister.

[Rooish]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Which is also why April's sister Robyn, is so easily omitted in all the other series. Outside of Mirage she only appeared in like one episode of the 4kids cartoon in Season 4 and then never again.

Both IDW and Nick also have April as an only child and didn't introduce her sister.

What was really hilarious about the 4kids thing is that Robyn was not even in her family photo, but April's crazy uncle was.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

One thing you would think people would like about April is she never went out of her way to find a man. They never wrote an April who is trying to date or get a love interest out of desperation, similar to how Irma was in the original series.

You'd think April being a self-sufficient woman who needs no man would be a positive feminist role model.

This is why I prefer April as a 20+ year old woman. I've always liked how the TMNT franchise lacked romance in comparison to other franchises. And her being human and older than the Turtles in most versions made it like she'd never be a potential love interest for them, fortunately.

I don't like the idea of making her a teenager and having Donatello crush on her.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

I finally had time to go through and read this thread in depth (I had a hell of a weekend and Monday to recover from), and I really like the points Rooish made.

April IS an outcast and really has nothing in common with any of the Turtles (except Don) or Casey. Casey is just the only other human she can share her mutant-centric life with.

[Cryomancer]

I haven't caught up with the current show, have they "resolved" Donatello having a crush on April yet? Seems like a good opportunity to teach kids about how you might fall for the first girl you see romantically even if it's not a great idea. They could have him realize that's what's going on with him and they could have a quick discussion about it and move on properly as friends from there. I mean, he's a teenager. It happens.

[Dust]

Yeah, she's ginger

[Rooish]

Originally Posted by CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy

I finally had time to go through and read this thread in depth (I had a hell of a weekend and Monday to recover from), and I really like the points Rooish made.

April IS an outcast and really has nothing in common with any of the Turtles (except Don) or Casey. Casey is just the only other human she can share her mutant-centric life with.

Thank you I think what I wanted with this whole thread is to say that I wish we could get a bit more in April's head, especially in the versions where she is a plot device. In Mirage, her loneliness and isolation is touched on a bit (City at War) but not much.

I recognize that Casey also seems to have nothing going on outside of the Turtles. But April is usually portrayed as the "normal" one. It can't feel very normal to be her, though.

Originally Posted by Cryomancer

I haven't caught up with the current show, have they "resolved" Donatello having a crush on April yet? Seems like a good opportunity to teach kids about how you might fall for the first girl you see romantically even if it's not a great idea. They could have him realize that's what's going on with him and they could have a quick discussion about it and move on properly as friends from there. I mean, he's a teenager. It happens.

I haven't watched much in a while although I think the crush tapered off. I guess Raph said something along these lines, but I hope at some point Don realized that if someone doesn't romantically like you early on, they aren't likely to start--especially if they know you like them a lot. It's impossible to catch up with all that pressure. It wouldn't be a bad lesson for the target audience to learn.

[Coola Yagami]

Originally Posted by Rooish

Thank you I think what I wanted with this whole thread is to say that I wish we could get a bit more in April's head, especially in the versions where she is a plot device. In Mirage, her loneliness and isolation is touched on a bit (City at War) but not much.

I recognize that Casey also seems to have nothing going on outside of the Turtles. But April is usually portrayed as the "normal" one. It can't feel very normal to be her, though.



I haven't watched much in a while although I think the crush tapered off. I guess Raph said something along these lines, but I hope at some point Don realized that if someone doesn't romantically like you early on, they aren't likely to start--especially if they know you like them a lot. It's impossible to catch up with all that pressure. It wouldn't be a bad lesson for the target audience to learn.

Didn't April like him back though eventually? She even stopped him from trying to break up with her. Well, not so much break up since they weren't a couple, but give up on trying to pursue her. She put a stop to it and wasted no time in reeling him back in.

[DisKosh]

Originally Posted by Coola Yagami

Didn't April like him back though eventually? She even stopped him from trying to break up with her. Well, not so much break up since they weren't a couple, but give up on trying to pursue her. She put a stop to it and wasted no time in reeling him back in.

Yeah, she kissed him after saying he was 'my mutant'.

[Galactus]

April being a loser with nothing going on in her life outside of hanging around the turtles, Splinter and Casey is pretty much her main arc in the Mirage comics. As others have mentioned her association with them costs her a career, her home and family business, further than that Shades of Grey highlights that she feels there's little chance of ever rebuilding her life while still associated with the turtles.

City at War brings her arc full circle by showing her getting a career and social circle away from the turtles and finding it unfulfilling and embracing her life with the crazy surrogate family. If you measure whether someone is winning in life based on how content they are then I'd say the Mirage April not a loser - Vol. 4 may screw with that a little but it's best not to pass judgement until Laird (ever) finishes it.

The 4kids April doesn't strike me as a loser either. She may have a lot of the initial setbacks of the Mirage April but she gets to flex her tech knowledge with Donatello (something largely forgotten with the Mirage April after her first appearance), she rebuilds the Second Time Around store and it seems like a viable business not to mention being trained by Splinter in martial she seems more than happy to be directly involved in the turtles adventures which probably makes her life more exciting than the Mirage April who can often seem like a den mother by comparison. She also doesn't seem quite as estranged from her family, she reconnects with her uncle in the series and seems on friendly terms with Robyn. Sure, she doesn't seem to have a big circle of friends outside the mutants and aliens and so forth but frankly since this version seems to embrace adventure she seems fine with it.

Perhaps the most arguable is the Fred Wolf April. Sure, she has a career as a reporter which at times seems successful one but often is she is portrayed as not being respected by her her boss who often seems all too willing to promote her smug male colleague (Vernon) ahead of her or bust her back to doing puff pieces or fire her outright. When her personal happiness seems so tied to her career constantly having her job in jeopardy can't be very fulfilling. Maybe getting out and becoming an independant field reporter during the final two seasons was the best thing she could do.

[DestronMirage22]

Originally Posted by Cryomancer

I haven't caught up with the current show, have they "resolved" Donatello having a crush on April yet? Seems like a good opportunity to teach kids about how you might fall for the first girl you see romantically even if it's not a great idea. They could have him realize that's what's going on with him and they could have a quick discussion about it and move on properly as friends from there. I mean, he's a teenager. It happens.

Nope. From what I gather it's actually gotten worse.