TMNT 2012 vs. TMNT 2003

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TMNT 2012 is better IMO. But it's all subjective. This show just has certain specific qualities that I prefer. Like very high quality animation and providing lots of laughter.




WOLVES DON'T LOSE SLEEP OVER THE OPINION OF SHEEP!

To be fair I only watched the first season of the '03 series, (so far) and random episodes here and there, but I think I still like the 2012 series better. I like that it has the humor of the 1987 series, but still manages to have serious storylines and episodes like the 2003 series, it's kind of like the two blended together.

While I wish the 2012 series dared to go a little darker, as I think they seem afraid to dwell in the serious moments too long (or maybe the Nick execs thinks darker moments wouldn't be kid friendly? or that the kids would lose interest if there isn't a joke thrown in every five minutes or less?) I like the changes they made with making April (along with Casey and Karai) a teenager. I think it makes for an interesting dynamic which I also think works better. Plus this is the first cartoon series where I feel they finally put the "Teenage" in "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" which I like. They also feel more like real brothers, to me at least, than their previous counterparts. And I also feel like they have more well rounded personalities too, that there's more to them than the personality traits stereotypically associated with them. (Except maybe Mikey, who has been given very little character development which is a shame as he's always been my favorite for as long as I remember)

"The future is in the past! Onwards Aoshima!!"
-Mabel "Gravity Falls"

Both are great.

RIP
Ronnie James Dio
1942-2010

I like the 80's cartoon out of nostalgia and the '03 version for its novelty at the time. But honestly, I tend to tune out quite quickly after watching five episodes or so. The former is a mess and the latter just becomes boring after a while. Luckily, Turtles Forever pretty much sums up everything from both shows, though heavily biased against the 80's TMNT.

But I think this current iteration is one that I could actually watch w/o relying on nostalgia or novelty. Way better story, character development, dialogue, pacing, action, etc... than the others. While being kid-friendly, it's also not afraid to step into darker territory every now and then (it's the only adaptation I've seen where April gets mercilessly beaten up). This and the 1990 film are currently my favorites.

I prefer the 2003 series. I like that they tried to stick closer to the comic in both in tone and story. It's not without its comedy, but it has a serious note to it.

I'm okay with change as long as the original creators approve of it, but the Kraang and the show's mutants rub me the wrong way.


Firstly, the Kraang. They're a combination between the Utrom of the comics and the 2K3 series and Kraang from the original series, but something about them bothers me. It's the fact that I think they're a hive mind and controlled by Alpha Kraang, but the show has never come out and said it and that bothers me. If this were me running the show, I would have the Alpha Kraang being an Utrom broken off from his species, cloning himself, and controlling his clones via a hive mind because he knows that if he left them to their own, they'd all try and fight for control. But that's just me. I can't really tell where they're going with the Kraang other than them all thinking alike and that kind of irks me.

Secondly, the mutants. I hate the haphazard mutants. I know it happens, but we have the Turtles, Splinter, and Tiger Claw as being the only normal mutations? I wish they'd go one way or the other: either have all weird mutations (which...I would not wish upon the Turtles or Splinter) or have them all normal. The mutagen is all over the place. I do like when Dogpound became Rahzar because, even though he looks like a zombie dog, he looks more symmetrical. I don't get why they don't try that with more mutants.


Those things aside, the cartoon's humor is reminiscant of the 80s series, though as an adult, I kind of roll my eyes at a lot of it. It's a well done series, but I like the 2K3 series better. Other than being a closer adaption of the comic, it had the mythology locked down better, had a better dynamic with the characters, and New York didn't feel dead. I know the reason it does in this series is due to CGI limitations, but it still feels dead.

And also, 2k3 doesn't rely completely on Shredder (and The Kraang in 2012's instance). We have the Purple Dragons, the freak of the week, the Triceratons, etc.

Demons run when a good man goes to war.

I too prefer the 2003 series over the new incarnation. The storytelling was better, with stronger ideas and themes, and it managed to have plenty of humor for kids, without being TOO silly, which I feel this new series has strayed into. There just is not enough seriousness in the new series for me to feel very invested, or care all that much. I really did not care for the way the Turtles alienated Karai in the first season, it just felt forced, and out of character for the Turtles to take such a dishonorable course of action, especially when there was a greater threat. I additionally liked the face that the 2003 series did stick closer to the comics, and actually provided decent role models. And while Michelangelo was a fool, he was nowhere near as stupid as they made him in this series (though the 2014 film managed to make him even worse).