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Joined: Nov 2010 Gender: Male Posts: 904
Ninja Turtles on Nickelodeon « Thread Started on Sept 29, 2012, 6:51pm »
I was excited about the new TMNT show on Nickelodeon, but...
Well, there's a lot I like about it. The design is refreshing, which is great. The voices are pretty good, too; Rob Paulsen as Donatello? I didn't even think about it, but now that it's happened, it seems almost perfect.
Animation is average. A lot of spinning weapons and almost no actual technique to the martial arts. The weapons just seem to spin in their hands. It's a little annoying, but it won't bother a lot of people, I'm sure. After all, I'm a huge nerd for that kinda stuff.
My main problem is that they picked up Anime influences. Which would be fine, if these influences had anything to do with animation, something I admire in a lot of Japanese cartoons. But that isn't the case. I akin the influence to that of Teen Titans; a lot of unnecessary over-exaggerated faces, the anime-eye thing, the sweat-drops, the everything-is-kept-absolutely-still-except-the-face-when-expressing-an-emotion... The keyword here is "unnecessary". There are plenty of ways to act out a character. Plenty of BETTER ways, ways that require actual... you know, animation. Facial expression is important, but it's only as good as the rest of the body. We've come a long way from Hanna-Barbara, let's own up to it.
There's a lot I don't like about it, but there was a lot MORE I hated about Teen Titan's, and I still liked that show.
And I grew up with the Ninja Turtles. I want kids to share that with me. I guess I'll have to take the bad with a grain of salt.
« Last Edit: Sept 29, 2012, 6:52pm by bananabuddy »
Joined: May 2010 Gender: Male Posts: 1,053 Location: Saga City
Re: Ninja Turtles on Nickelodeon « Reply #2 on Sept 29, 2012, 9:16pm »
I think the animation is great, aside from the Teen Titans/Anime stuff, which is going to get on my nerves fast. I don't like when *WACKY REACTION FACE~!!!* is used instead of an actual punchline.
Very solid voice cast. But Kevin Michael Richardson (a FAVORITE actor of mine) on the Shredder concerns me, because I don't think he's bringing anything unique to the role, or fitting the character's build.
I think it was a very kind gesture to Rob and longtime fans, and Don was really the best place to put him, with his naturally geeky vocal mannerisms. Maybe give him some time to see if it grows on you. If they plan to give Raphael a legit mean streak like he's had in so many of the recent TMNT incarnations, they absolutely could not have put Rob back there.
I hope to see more interesting writing for Leo, Raph and April in the very near future because they just weren't used well. They had 45 minutes to set them up as characters, and did nothing truly noteworthy.
« Last Edit: Sept 30, 2012, 6:16pm by D-Mac Double »
What? I can't hear you! I have a Banana in my ear!
Joined: Nov 2010 Gender: Male Posts: 904
Re: Ninja Turtles on Nickelodeon « Reply #3 on Sept 30, 2012, 1:54am »
I'm also worried about the character development.
Leo and Raph's strained relationship (covered BEAUTIFULLY in the last TMNT film) is a MUST in ANY Ninja Turtle's project. I just don't see that happening seriously with the way the premier episode is written.
... Also, I don't like the new Splinter. I fell in love with Mako Iwamatsu's Splinter, and I wanted to see more of that character.
Joined: Jan 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 102 Location: Chicago, IL
Re: Ninja Turtles on Nickelodeon « Reply #4 on Sept 30, 2012, 5:04pm »
I should preface this by saying I was interning at Nickelodeon during the production of the show so I will probably watch it regardless of what happens. That being said, I enjoyed the new show, but I have plenty of my own issues with it.
I think Hoon Lee is a fantastic Splinter. I really enjoyed his performance and I think he fits the character model perfectly. Sure, his back-story is pretty cliche, but I still enjoy what he's doing. Interestingly enough, I wouldn't mind Mako playing Splinter if he was still with us because that would allow Hoon Lee to play Shredder. Hearing him on Splinter, I already know he could make the change and pull off a very unique Shredder that would have been much more interesting then what they have now. That being said, I think he's perfect where he is.
Splinter and Mikey, Greg Cipes, stole the show in my opinion. Greg is Mikey. I've been fortunate to meet him in passing and he is absolutely Michelangelo. Rob Paulsen is a terrific Donatello and I am really happy to see him back. The love interest he has with April was an interesting twist that made him one of the more interesting characters. It helps that he actually had a character. He has a little bit of Barry Gordon in his performance, but really, it's just Rob being his awesome geeky self. He actually is a little bit of a tech geek too so it's perfect. I couldn't be happier for him. There is no one nicer in the industry then Mr. Paulsen.
I think Sean Astin is doing fine on Raphael. I'm not a huge fan of the way they are writing him, but I know what they're going for and Sean gets the job done. However, if they don't give Raph something more interesting then, "I mean and put everyone down all the time" he's going to get stale. The pet turtle seems like it could either be a nice touch or really dumb depending on how they use it. Interestingly enough, he's said in an interview that he has more in common with Leonardo, played by Jason Biggs. Which brings me to one of my main issues. I don't like the way Leo is written or performed.
As one of my favorite characters, Leo's always been hit or miss in shows and movies for me. I think Jason has the voice for it, but he more then anyone else shows his lack of experience behind a microphone. Leo is the most subtle turtle and I never found Jason executing the smaller moments very well. He had a couple of shouts that were absolutely terrible. He also doesn't have any kind of a character at all, nor does he have anything to do. The conflict between him and Raph is hinted at when Splinter makes Leo the leader, leading to a "No hard feelings" comment by Leonardo. Raph blows him off and thus I believe they will slowly build that up over time.
I also agree with Mac that I think Kevin is not a great fit on Shredder and I am almost willing to say he is miscast. Knowing what went on with the casting of Shredder I understand why Nick would be tempted to pick Mr. Richardson, but their safe pick might turn out to be a mistake. April I would love to say did anything, but she didn't. I also don't know how much I like Mae Whitman there at this point. The whole thing with Krang, played by Nolan North, was funny to start. However, that gag of talking weird and repeating stuff will get real old, real fast if they don't use it in moderation.
As for the animation, I'm not a fan. I've never really liked the way the models look and sometimes the CG didn't look finished. That being said, I can ignore that if the story and performances are top notch. I am also sick of this anime nonsense in the show. Turtles is an American show and while I don't mind nods to the genre, this is not the place to do it. It's really annoying and looks totally out of place, making it feel more like a crutch then a comedic device.
All that being said, I'm willing to give this show plenty of chances to hook me long term and I look forward to seeing how the next few episodes play out.
What? I can't hear you! I have a Banana in my ear!
Joined: Nov 2010 Gender: Male Posts: 904
Re: Ninja Turtles on Nickelodeon « Reply #5 on Oct 1, 2012, 4:04pm »
If anything, this show will be a guilty pleasure for me. Which is a shame, because normally, I'd SING for anything involving the Ninja Turtles. Something could be great in all aspects except one, and that one has the potential for ruining the whole thing. That's how I feel about this show.
Re: Ninja Turtles on Nickelodeon « Reply #6 on Oct 1, 2012, 8:05pm »
On a whole, I actually really really liked the first episode.
-Animation was meh, but honestly, I didn't mind....I still liked it enough to keep watching.
-I agree that the "movie stars" of Jason and Sean do kinda seems the least experienced, but that's sorta to be expected from me. Hoon and Mae are awesome, as are Greg and Rob. Those two really embody their characters, which makes sense, as they're the real "voice actors" of the (still fab) four.
-There were some lines and scenes that really made me laugh out loud, like Mikey's little "Mom..." and his brain exploding while having that first wonderful pizza. (I also loved Donnie's "That's INCREDIBLY STUPID! ...Or...brilliant! OR BOTH!" Oh and also the Kraang. Everything about them.)
-I think it's actually really cool and sort of an homage to the comics/'03 series how their pupils disappear while fighting.
Joined: Aug 2008 Gender: Male Posts: 16,777,215 Location: Non-Australia
Re: Ninja Turtles on Nickelodeon « Reply #7 on Oct 5, 2012, 8:41pm »
Animation style is interesting (that can be good and bad), the voice cast is doing well so far, especially Greg Cipes as Michelangelo. Rob fits Donatello pretty well too. But like most shows, I might have to see a couple more episodes to see if it is worth watching.
If I had something to pick out, Mac and Darkwolf already covered it
Joined: May 2010 Gender: Male Posts: 1,053 Location: Saga City
Re: Ninja Turtles on Nickelodeon « Reply #8 on Oct 7, 2012, 11:59pm »
Curious about any thoughts regarding this week's episode. I was a lot happier Raph getting a lot of focus, but a lot of writing elements are still bothering me -- some of which, I think are flat-out lazy. I don't dislike the performance, although I do wish he were changing his tone a little more to sell some of the jokes.
Things bothering me most:
- I didn't wanna see a "character learns an extremely simple life lesson" episode this early on. It's very limiting upon a character's ability to have a gradual arc.
- Kraang are about to pull off a successful scheme undetected, yet they stop to attack the Turtles. Guy with rare, valuable footage of angry armed mutants, walks around on an empty street at night, instead of cooping up inside where it's safe. The latter in particular, is so absurd that it takes me out of the show. No plan was needed to get him outside, because he's the dumbest man alive.
- And then he's evil, because it's suddenly convenient. Instantly aware of how to perfectly use all of his new found evil powers, without the slightest bit of fear and recklessness. This is lazy to me, and was handled with so much more care and intrigue in the first episode.
High hopes for the next one. It looks interesting from the preview, and I'm really hoping it actually builds to something.
What? I can't hear you! I have a Banana in my ear!
Joined: Nov 2010 Gender: Male Posts: 904
Re: Ninja Turtles on Nickelodeon « Reply #9 on Oct 8, 2012, 4:42am »
"Artistically", I don't like the format of the writing. From a producers standpoint, I guess I understand. It's easy to write a slice-of-life episode, and it does get an audience. And if my Teen Titans parallel holds up, it can be rather successful. The show, like the Teen Titans, seems to be directed towards a younger audience, and it seems like the powers that be are trying to keep it "simple". I think once they realize that they're drawing in more young-adults, they'll tackle bigger, more sophisticated issues with longer arcs.
Joined: May 2010 Gender: Male Posts: 1,053 Location: Saga City
Re: Ninja Turtles on Nickelodeon « Reply #10 on Oct 8, 2012, 6:56am »
I'll lighten up on my first point. I absolutely don't dislike slice-of-life episodes. I tend to love them, and could accept this one if it were consistently well executed. I just feel it was done in a very jarring and sporadic way. The series has already firmly established that it's not afraid to go in a darker, more mature direction. The first episode tells us of Shredder killing Splinter's wife and infant child, and the most recent episode stressed it again. They're clearly building up to a very serious Shredder confrontation, and that's great.
There's a line between writing simplistic, easily accessible plots, and writing for sheer convenience, with characters suddenly dumbed down or inexplicably irrational with their actions. It might be just me, but I feel like they crossed it too many times in this episode, and insulted kids' intelligence.
Joined: Aug 2008 Gender: Male Posts: 16,777,215 Location: Non-Australia
Re: Ninja Turtles on Nickelodeon « Reply #11 on Oct 17, 2012, 6:56am »
I dug episode 4, with a Chuck Norris like character voiced by Clancy Brown, the action was satisfying, and I did love that little subtle jab with social media (that I won't say anything about).
Speaking of Clancy Brown, I could've also bought him as Shredder, voice wise. AAAAAAAND speaking of Shredder, they're really trying to keep him in the dark.
Joined: Aug 2005 Gender: Male Posts: 609 Location: Adelaide, Australia
Re: Ninja Turtles on Nickelodeon « Reply #12 on Oct 22, 2012, 11:37pm »
I'm not sure I've ever gone from liking a character to absolutely hating them with the entirety of my being as fast as I did with Michaelangelo in episode 4. I mean, there's "fun silly" stupid that was Mikey for the first three episodes and then there's "recklessly dangerous" stupid that was the Mikey for episode four. That idiot could have gotten everyone exposed/killed with his antics and it HURTS just how dangerously stupid Mikey was written for that episode. And all the turtles for letting him get away with his antics, really.
I'm really not sure if this series is going to survive my "five episodes" litmus test at this point. It's not nearly as banal as Thundercats, but it's definitely not feeling like a show that will keep my interest after five episodes.
Joined: Nov 2005 Gender: Male Posts: 2,605 Location: Houston, Texas, USA
Re: Ninja Turtles on Nickelodeon « Reply #13 on Oct 23, 2012, 12:28pm »
I have only seen the premiere, so I can't speak for what they've done that I miss out on, but I really hate it when characters are written as unfathomably stupid for the sake of it.
Joined: May 2010 Gender: Male Posts: 1,053 Location: Saga City
Re: Ninja Turtles on Nickelodeon « Reply #14 on Nov 13, 2012, 4:33pm »
This show writing has reeeally gotten it's act together following episode 4, with it's ridiculous inclusion of April who seemed not even slightly affected by her father being kidnapped in the premiere episode.
Also. Star Trek parody show using a knockoff of the "Amok Time" theme. Love it.
The team and family dynamic is definitely starting to click, but it's still being carried to a near absurd degree by Greg Cipes, Rob Paulsen and Hoon Lee. They are making the most of absolutely every line, and I just don't feel like I'm getting the same degree of captivating work on Raph and Leo.
Hopefully they "get it" as the show progresses, but for now, there's something very off about Mikey delivering low-key, snide, witty remarks so much better than Raph. Eveeery Raph joke is predictably big and forceful to me, I'd love some variation. Meanwhile, Jason Biggs as Leo is so meek in the heat of battle, showing the least amount of projection and energy, despite being the leader.
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