“COWABUNGA!” Every generation knows this simple saying that is said by one of the most popular franchises in history: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This famous series most likely has been seen by every child since it first came out in the 1980s or read in the comics from 1984 to 2010 thanks to the creators Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman, published by the amazing Mirage Comics. What began as a simple dream became a worldwide phenomenon in such a short amount of time as it spawned numerous toys, movies, television series, video games, clothing and a whole lot more.
So, what exactly brought on this sudden urge to get into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? A simple moment of logging into my email and getting a message from Nickelodeon talking about the season finale of the new series. Say what? That can’t be! It felt like it started just yesterday, but now it’s already on the season three finale. The season finale premiered on September 27th as an hour-long special.
Seems hard to believe, but the Nickelodeon version of the series is actually likable. And that’s saying a lot coming from an old-schooler like me. Sure my love and passion for the old days are still there, however a new generation can sometimes be a bit better. Of course it can get boring when there are repeats within the same franchise, just like the storylines in the TMNT series, but it will honestly never get old. How could it with how popular its become?
Of course there are actually many out there who have their own personal preferences of what’s hot and what’s not on everything from clothes and books to television and movies. It even includes what you would prefer over another in the same category. For me, I definitely have my own preferences in the TMNT franchise with my favorites ranging from “It shouldn’t have been created” to “Whoa, it’s on fire!”.
Go ahead and say “Older is better” for TMNT cause it wouldn’t be where it is today without that first comic book. Unfortunately, it’s not the comics that pulled me into loving those four ninja turtles – Raphael, Donatello, Michelangelo and Leonardo. In fact, it was the 80s series and first live action movie in 1990 that did the trick. Sadly I never even knew there were comics out for the series while I was younger. But even knowing about the comics (which were totally popular back then), given the chance, it just didn’t have that great appeal to me. Don’t get me wrong, comics are one of the things I enjoy reading (well actually I’m more into manga, a type of Japanese comic), but it never had that certain aura that could bring someone in.
However, it’s not only the comics I can’t bring myself to finish. No matter how much I enjoy watching animation in action, there’s a series or two like Fast Forward, perhaps a movie (cough, the third one, cough), that can be given two thumbs down, I’d give more if I had extra thumbs. Sorry, creators, but your efforts to make me happy and want more was in vain. I didn’t like the future timeline cause it produced a lot of spoilers about the future of themselves and everybody else. Never did like spoilers. Also, not only was jumping forward in time crazy, but a blast to the past made it even worse. In the third live action TMNT film premiering in 1993, all four turtles including their reporter friend April O’Neil was sent back in time to ancient Japan thanks to a time machine. Though the film had a few good points – humorous dialogue, historical points, awesome fight scenes, etc. -, the storyline was a bit too easy to follow and went by rather quickly. I like a plot that thickens with subtle traces of how things will go. Gotta get that noggin working somehow, right? Plus, they had pretty much everybody speaking English with only a bit of Japanese in there. “Hey, look at those English people! Let’s start speaking English instead of our native language.” Yep, that’s what they were saying (no, not really). Of course, the movie was enjoyable to a certain point, but not one I’d continue watching over and over again.
Chances are I’m probably getting thumbs down now from some people just because there are certain things I’m not happy with in the franchise. But, hey, come on. I still got the love for the other parts. Just scroll down and check out what I believe are the top five BEST within the TMNT franchise – collectibles, series and movies alike!
– “The Next Mutation” (1997-98) – Not many gave much credit for this awesome series. I loved the fact they created an all-new storyline that didn’t really exist in other series, which was a good break. Plus, it was great they introduced Venus di Milo, a new female mutant turtle. Also, it was live-action! I’m a sucker for live-action!
– “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” NES Game (1989) – One of my first video game favorites. This game was played via my Nintendo a lot as a kid and popular enough that it was also created for other consoles like Atari and running on a Windows-based computer.
– “TMNT: The 2k3 Series”,”The Lost Episodes” & Toyline (2003-09) – Even with the same old storyline getting back into play, I loved the fresh look given to the turtles, the spin on April being a scientist rather than a reporter and the awesome “Lost Episodes” mini spin-off. In case you didn’t know, the Lost Episodes were talking about how they were chosen by the Ninja Tribunal to fight the original Shredder. Cool, right? And have you seen the awesome toyline for the 2k3 series? Love it!
– “TMNT Series” & Toyline (1987-1996) – The original is always going to be the best no matter what. This was the series that was created shortly after the comic books were premiered. It pretty much followed what was in the comic book with the turtles having to take down the Shredder who worked for Kraang, an evil pink alien. In this one, the turtles were a bit more calmer than their newer counterparts from later series and films which brought on some great humor! The toyline was the first ever created in association with the series, so yeah, lots of people loved it and might actually still have the figures today! (Wow, that was almost 30 years ago!)
– “Ninja Turtles” (2014) Who would have thought a new live-action film would appear? It’s been more than 20 years since I’ve seen one and the second I knew it was out, my mind was blown. Nickelodeon’s got good taste in directors (Thank you, Michael Bay) who helped create this modern twist on their origin story with a direct link to April O’Neil (Megan Fox). The characters seemed more lively to me with a realistic turn on their attitudes, Master Splinter and their origin.
So, how about that? TMNT makes me, an adult, giddy at the mere mention of it. With a childhood love that has lasted for almost 30 years (wow, that’s a lot of years), it’s safe to say I won’t be nun-chucking them out just yet.
How about you? What’s your favorite series? How about least? Tell us, tell us! We’d love to know! Oh, by the way, make sure you check out the season four premiere of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in October on Nickelodeon!