Pros and cons of the original series

[Leofan26]

That's right, the show that started it all

Lets name a few things that we liked and didn't just for the heck of it.

Liked

-How Mikey was done, didn't seem stupid but was funny and some what of a good fighter. Maybe I need to re watch the series again but looked that way to me, I hate to be a broken record but I don't like how the newer series portray him

Raph / Donnie / Mikey's got a good amount of screen time.

-Donnie was cool.

Cons

-Animation, maybe I'm just used to the animation of the newer shows but it's my least favorite animated wise.

-Raph seems weird here compared to the others, I'm sure some like this version more, again my opinion. He just see just seemed a bit Mikey like and looks off in this animation.

-Due to the popularity of Don / Raph / Mikey back in those days Leo got pushed into the a ground in the later seasons and he was my favorite

Your thoughts?

[Andrew NDB]

My thoughts are that, while it did have the caveat as serving as the gateway drug into TMNT for a lot of us and opened up TMNT to the world, it was also simultaneously a deal with the Devil that projects and keeps in place a perpetual glass ceiling from it preventing TMNT from ever being able to be taken seriously in the mass media (made worse now with no Kevin or Peter in any position to veto all the ghastly, largely OT-inspired stuff that's been creeping in).

Those are my main thoughts. But there is plenty of minutia.

[ABrown]

Pros:
-The original five part mini-series (that for some reason is considered a whole season)
-The "red sky" seasons
-Tony Jay as Lord Dregg

Cons:
-Too many mad scientist episodes

[TigerClaw]

The Pros? I can say was many of the mutants that appeared on the show. The Cons? Is the continuity, Many characters appeared never to be heard from again. Mondo Gecko appeared in only two episodes, Mona Lisa only one.

[Danetello]

Oh my gosh, where do I begin?!
Being a kid and watching them, they had everything. They were true heroes to me.
As an adult, I can appreciate their worth in different ways.
The animation though sometimes flawed is actually neat. Some of the backgrounds are really well drawn, and they even used to draw in the reflections (at the beginning at least) on Shredder's metal.
They are still my heroes, too.
I can now also appreciate their comedy a lot more. Their asides and quips make me laugh now that I get them.
I think that the series was a relatively good role model for children too. They touched on things such as environmental issues and even racism to some degree.

The only cons I really have is something which you might have noticed in some recent threads drives me nuts... continuity!
I never understand how some things can be so drastically wrong or different between episodes. I mean, surely you'd think SOMEONE noticed?!
Sometimes the way in which Donatello or Krang come up with the most ridiculous inventions in any given circumstance, is a little annoying too. I KNOW it's a sci-fi cartoon, but some things really went too far LOL!

[TigerClaw]

Originally Posted by Danetello

Oh my gosh, where do I begin?!
Being a kid and watching them, they had everything. They were true heroes to me.
As an adult, I can appreciate their worth in different ways.
The animation though sometimes flawed is actually neat. Some of the backgrounds are really well drawn, and they even used to draw in the reflections (at the beginning at least) on Shredder's metal.
They are still my heroes, too.
I can now also appreciate their comedy a lot more. Their asides and quips make me laugh now that I get them.
I think that the series was a relatively good role model for children too. They touched on things such as environmental issues and even racism to some degree.

The only cons I really have is something which you might have noticed in some recent threads drives me nuts... continuity!
I never understand how some things can be so drastically wrong or different between episodes. I mean, surely you'd think SOMEONE noticed?!
Sometimes the way in which Donatello or Krang come up with the most ridiculous inventions in any given circumstance, is a little annoying too. I KNOW it's a sci-fi cartoon, but some things really went too far LOL!

Yeah, Mona Lisa only appeared in one episode and it looked as if Raphael was getting a girlfriend, Whatever happen to her? They even made an action figure.

[Danetello]

Ha, how funny! I haven't yet watched that episode in my current re-watch run, and don't recall it as a child.
I don't remember the action figure either, but it's neat to see!

EDIT: I just checked my episode list, and I'm just a few away from watching it!

[CyberCubed]

My only real gripe is the show never used most of its characters to their full potential. So many characters, even major ones like Traag and Leatherhead deserved to appear a lot more.

I also wanted to see Shredder reunite with the human Japanese Foot Clan at some point which sadly never happened.

[Danetello]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

My only real gripe is the show never used most of its characters to their full potential. So many characters, even major ones like Traag and Leatherhead deserved to appear a lot more.

I also wanted to see Shredder reunite with the human Japanese Foot Clan at some point which sadly never happened.

I completely agree. I'd love to have seen more of a fluid story arc with Traag heading an invasion. Dare I say, an all out war/invasion season? I know it's not everyones thing, but to see the Technodrome and Krang's forces utilised to the max would have been awesome.

I have often thought about what happened to the Foot. I mean, Shredder is meant to be their leader; bad guy or not.
Having a Japanese setting story arc, complete with the REAL Foot, and not droids, would have been cool!

[DonatelloNinja82]

Originally Posted by Danetello

I completely agree. I'd love to have seen more of a fluid story arc with Traag heading an invasion. Dare I say, an all out war/invasion season? I know it's not everyones thing, but to see the Technodrome and Krang's forces utilised to the max would have been awesome.

I have often thought about what happened to the Foot. I mean, Shredder is meant to be their leader; bad guy or not.
Having a Japanese setting story arc, complete with the REAL Foot, and not droids, would have been cool!

I have often wondered that myself...how did Shredder get in with Krang? What was it like when he was in Japan leading the Foot? How did he find out Yoshi was in New York? So many things that would have made excellent episodes.

[Danetello]

Originally Posted by DonatelloNinja82

how did Shredder get in with Krang?

I'd love to know this too. It's probably the biggest mystery of all TMNT history, and one that is unlikely to ever be answered, sadly.

[FlogginMcMurryZombiePizza]

Quick list

Pros
- It started the Turtle craze
- One of the most original and fun ideas, and it's still going
- Shredder is entertaining
- Light "fortune cookie" messages from Splinter that kids could actually learn from.
- The show was amazing as a kid. It's a fun guilty-pleasure as an adult.
- Lots of fun, creative things going on.
- As an adult: nostalgia
- As an adult: getting jokes and one-liners I didn't catch younger.

Cons
- The show served to sell toys (which we all bought anyway).
- Many ideas became either recycled in later seasons or were uninteresting.
- On that note: many gimmicky episodes as well.
- No continuity in episodes or stories (as a result from the above mentioned)
- VAs of certain characters (namely Don/Raph) with horrible replacements.
- Annoying characters being overused, with annoying voices. Often ends up as villains.

This is running off my Season 3 viewing and recounting from the past.

[TigerClaw]

Here's another Con, There was an action figure for a character called Ace Duck. Ace Duck had a very very brief appearance in the form of a Show that the Turtles were watching on TV. That's the only time Ace Duck showed up.

Action Figure



From the Show

[Danetello]

Originally Posted by TigerClaw

Here's another Con, There was an action figure for a character called Ace Duck. Ace Duck had a very very brief appearance in the form of a Show that the Turtles were watching on TV. That's the only time Ace Duck showed up.

From the Show

Ace Duck always reminds me of either Launchpad McQuack or Darkwing Duck from the Disney Afternoon shows. Or, a combination of both, I guess!

[CyberCubed]

I hated Ace Duck for that exact reason. He never looked like a TMNT character to me but like one of those Disney duck characters. Glad they never wasted an episode on him.

[Leo656]

Ace Duck was the greatest wrestler Stump Asteroid has ever seen. You take that back, sir.

I liked almost everything about the OT except for a few things, like how the quality took a hit for a while about midway through (around the European Vacation episodes), and how sometimes it drifted too far from being funny and clever into campy and cheesy.

Most of the problems I have with it, like the fight scenes that have too much slapstick, are related to censorship issues that were common at the time, so I can't blame the show entirely for that. That, and the humor, were a product of its time, so I can forgive a lot of it. Some of it just hasn't aged well.

[CyberCubed]

Originally Posted by Leo656

Most of the problems I have with it, like the fight scenes that have too much slapstick, are related to censorship issues that were common at the time, so I can't blame the show entirely for that. That, and the humor, were a product of its time, so I can forgive a lot of it. Some of it just hasn't aged well.

I agree with this. Given how hard the censors were on Saturday morning cartoons at the time, I'm surprised they got away with as much as they did.

Also remember most of the show came out in the pre-B:TAS days, so after B:TAS raised the bar the show became more action oriented in Seasons 6-7 during 1992/1993...before the red sky revamp in 1994-1996.

[Tazi]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

keeps in place a perpetual glass ceiling from it preventing TMNT from ever being able to be taken seriously in the mass media

Well, it's true, yet it has smaller way to go compared to Batman...


(Yes, that was a cheap example, but true.)


Anything can happen, Nick might end up having a small adult-swim like block, and might produce a TMNT cartoon for that, like it was happened with GI Joe.

Currently the best would be, if they could try to do classic/good stories in animated movies, like DC and Marvel does. A City at War movie based on Mirage would be epic, and that would totally don't interfere with running the standard nick cgi series at the same time.
But I'm afraid it's a dream scenario...

[pingclang]

Originally Posted by Tazi

Currently the best would be, if they could try to do classic/good stories in animated movies, like DC and Marvel does. A City at War movie based on Mirage would be epic, and that would totally don't interfere with running the standard nick cgi series at the same time.
But I'm afraid it's a dream scenario...

Others have mentioned a straight to DVD, Marvel/DC-esque City at War cartoon. Man that would be awesome.

[Tazi]

Ah, so it's not just me with that idea... Let's hope that one day, someone will also have this idea, who also have the money and the rights to do it!