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“RISE OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES” REVIEW – SEASON 1 EPISODE 13 – Smart Lair / Hot Soup: The Game

by Kyle Tobey
written by Kyle Tobey

After the events of the last meeting, I wondered if Baron Draxum or Big Mama would reappear.

I wondered where we’d stand on Splinter being Lou Jitsu. Or where any of the previously met villains were. So much happened with the League of Evil Mutants, I wondered if they would continue the momentum leading to the season finale. Unfortunately, we got a couple episodes that were fun, but failed to give us any story advancement for the season.

“Smart Lair” starts with the brothers wanting to head to the roof to watch a movie. Splinter steps in and forces the turtles to clean the lair. Donnie comes up with his next invention, Shelldon. Shelldon is the lair’s artificial intelligence. While the brothers and Splinter were skeptical at first, Shelldon quickly sells them on his value in the best way; with snacks.

The relationship changes quickly when the other turtles realize Donatello programmed Shelldon to prefer him over the brothers. The other 3 reprogram Shelldon, who then tries to murder Donnie.

The episode lacked any real stakes. We knew the brothers would save Donnie. I kept looking for signs of things to come. Maybe Shelldon would turn to Metalhead? Maybe Stockboy would return? No. The turtles save the day. The end.

Next, Mikey is due for his first solo mission!

It seems like an easy one. He buys an old video game “Hot Sauce: The Game” in an online auction. The seller is in the city, so he’s going to pick up the game. Sounds easy enough.

Turns out, the Foot Clan’s newest recruit also needs to get the game. This new recruit is hyper intense. Her name was never spoken, so I wonder if this is an alternate Karai? The two newbies collide in a museum battle, using items for their advantage. We even get an Ice Cream Kitty shout out! Each trainee wins, only to have their efforts ruined by their own teams intrusion.

It was fun to see a Mikey solo mission! The action was great and the battle was intense. But, again, I feel like the season’s story isn’t advanced at all. Maybe they’re saving it for the season finale, but I was hoping for much more development with what we’re already invested in.

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ReviewsTV/Cartoon Series

“RISE OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES” REVIEW – SEASON 1 EPISODE 12 – The League of Evil Mutants

by Kyle Tobey
written by Kyle Tobey

We open with the turtles in a familiar situation, getting their butts kicked by new mutants.

This round features a couple of old-timey strongmen mutated in to crabs. The turtles still haven’t figured out their weapons, and their frustration shows. They luck out (again) when the enemies get sucked in to a portal. They aren’t alone.

The turtles finally come to terms with the fact that they need training. They turn to Master Splinter. He surprisingly agrees, but not how the turtles hope. Splinter offers to train by watching old ninja movies featuring actor Lou Jitsu. The turtles lose faith in Splinter and go to their rooms after Splinter grounds them and takes their weapons.

Draxum summoned all the mutants to his lair. This gives us a look at every villain so far in the series. Even the most terrifying villain of all, Todd. (eep.)

The villains lure the turtles to New Jersey. Of course what they watched in the old Lou Jitsu movies comes to play and they fight in a ladder factory, just like the movie. Draxum is astonished they know about Lou Jitsu. This is where he reveals the big news, LOU JITSU IS THEIR BIOLOGICAL FATHER.

While this is a big reveal, it’s not the biggest. It’s not outright stated, but it looks like Master Splinter is mutated from Lou Jitsu. If that turns out to be true, for the first time in Ninja Turtles history, Master Splinter is the biological father of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

This was a fantastic longer episode. It started on familiar ground, but addressed it quickly. We got to see every villain we’ve met so far, as well as showcasing that the turtles are learning. They don’t need the weapons and they are willing to train. I thought it was a great catalyst to the season so far.

Let us know what you think of this episode in the comments below!

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ReviewsTV/Cartoon Series

“RISE OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES” REVIEW – SEASON 1 EPISODE 9 – Bug Busters

by Kyle Tobey
written by Kyle Tobey

The first “special” for “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Nina Turtles” starts fast and hard.

It drops the viewer right in the middle of the story (with Donnie there to catch us up) as the turtles head to stop Draxum’s Oozesquitos. They ride the moon buggy to a nearby hotel,  for a scene reminiscent of the Ghostbusters. A bellhop is stung and ironically transformed into a bull, charging through the hotel. We meet the head of the hotel, Big Mama, voiced by Lena Headey (Game of Thrones). She fits the more elegant tone of Big Mama well, while hinting at something more sinister underneath.

Big Mama is full of surprises. First, the hotel she runs is mutant friendly. All the workers are mutants, and they don’t need to hide from humans. Second, Big Mama is a giant scary spider. None of the turtles seem to mind, aside from Leo, thinking they found a new ally. She gives them a webbing to help catch the mutating bugs.

The turtles head out to hunt down the Oozesquitos before they can mutate any more people. They rampage through the city, grabbing all they find before returning to Big Mama. Soon, though, they find she has a different motivation for capturing the Oozesquitos. She wants to use them to transform more mutants to help run her fighting ring. Leo is able to escape, leaving the others to deal with Big Mama and her minions. Here they meet Gus, a goofy mutated hound dog.

Leonardo works his way through the vents, finding a safe and his brothers. He makes a portal and rescues them, only to keep encountering Gus. He does a bad job at eating the turtles at the sight of a tennis ball. Leo comes clean about Big Mama’s safe, despite his wanting to leave and go home. They crack the safe (using the very easy code), but get trapped by Gus and Big Mama. Big Mama is wins this round, until Baron Draxum breaks in! He’s back for his Oozesquitos, and he’ll fight for them.

Here we got a really fun Easter egg. While Draxum was talking about his vision for a future, he imagines a cast of mutated characters including Bebop, Rocksteady, Leatherhead, Armaggon, Halfcourt, and Sandstorm! This might be Sandstorm and Halfcourt’s TV debut! From here, we get some great battles, with the turtles splitting in to duos to take on the villains. Having 2 villains is a lot more fun than 1.

This episode did a ton of great things. I love the cameos, but I mostly love how it didn’t give us a slow lead in. It dropped the viewer right in the middle of the story. The writers had confidence we could figure it out and it worked. I love the growing cast of villains, and I love how they can easily explain why so many mutants now exist.

This continued the overall story so far, but didn’t end any chapters. It made the turtles and the villains seem stronger than they started, which remaining a lot of fun. This was one of the best episodes of the new series to date. It’s filled with humor, action, personalities and story. We also get a huge reveal at the end, which adds more layers to the relationship between Draxum and the turtles. I hope the series continues along this route.

 

 

 

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NewsTV/Cartoon News

SDCC Premieres new “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” Trailer, Sneak Peek, and Premiere Date

by Kyle Tobey
written by Kyle Tobey

San Diego Comic-Con is upon us!

Nickelodeon is pulling out all the stops to promote their new series, “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” In their booth are exclusive toys and pins, and an entire VR experience.

Yesterday, they debuted a new trailer and Sneak Peek during their panel. Lucky for us, they posted it online for anyone not in attendance! Check it out below.

We get our first taste of John Cena as Baron Draxum as well as some of the new mutant abilities, weapons, and personalities of the turtles.

We get a TON of new information from this, including a date! “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” premieres Monday, September 17 on Nickelodeon!

What could you find in the trailer and sneak peek? Are you going to check out the new series? Let us know in the comments!

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Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Opening credit takeaways

by Kyle Tobey
written by Kyle Tobey

Yesterday, Nickelodeon showed off their opening title sequence for Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out here!

So far, we have seen character designs and some of the art style. There are interviews out there with the creators and people behind the cartoon. But this is the first time we’ve been able to see the turtles in full action! So lets break it down…

The Music

The song they chose sounds familiar, but I’d never heard the song before. It sounds very close to the theme for the 2012 animated series (at least the before they remixed it for later seasons). The chanting of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” is in the same beat as the song for that show. If anything, it almost sounds like a newer, pop-punk band covered the 2012 song. Describing each turtle takes place in the same part, but slightly changes the description to match their personality in this version. The song makes me wonder more if this is a prequel to the 2012 animated series. It would be an interesting take, as it’s a version we’ve never seen before. Check it out here to see for yourself.

The Animation

I love animation. While I see a lot of value in 3D computer animation, traditional 2D is where my heart lies. It looks like the animation itself is in great hands. It’s fast and frantic, but your focus easily switches between characters. The city and vehicles look like 3D models still, but I don’t mind. Anything modeled in 3D on a computer usually appears to be more solid than traditional animation, so it adds a bit of fluidity to the characters movement. The neon highlights throughout are a really nice touch. Even if none of the characters are on screen, it’s obvious which version of the Turtles we’re watching.

The Turtles

We’ve been able to see their new look, but seeing them in action is where it matters. Individual designs are great, but seeing how they move and behave is how we really learn about their personality.

“Raph is ready for a fight Leo’s making a scene…”

This is our first real glimpse of their new roles. Raph’s character stays true to the hothead we all know and love. Toward the end, he fist bumps himself to channel an extra energy. It looks like the turtles will have more powers than just Ninja skills!

Leo also gained a possible magic sword. at about 22 seconds, we see him swing at an enemy, miss, but open a magic portal! He falls in to it as the next turtle shines, but this and Raphael’s new abilities seem like they could add a new element to keep the turtles exciting.

However, this seems like Leo’s first venture in to a more comedic role. With Ben Schwartz as the voice, it makes a lot of sense. He’s a comedic treasure who’s been slowly infiltrating our lives for years. As the obnoxiously lovable Jean Ralphio on Parks and Rec and getting his feet wet as an established improviser at UCB Theatre, it’s sure to be different from the Leonardo we all know. This opening highlights that. Our first real glimpse of Leonardo is him falling upside down on his face on the hood of the car. This immediately shows us the new dynamic.

“Mikey’s got mad skills Donnie does machines…”

To be fair, I have no idea what comes between “Donnie” and “Machines”. Fights? Rides? I’ve listened to the line 40 times and have no idea. But this gives us a great idea for how those machines come in to play.  Donnie rides off in a jetpack after a battle on the new turtle van (we’ll talk about that in a minute). April only has a few moments in the opening. She’s next to Donnie in the new Turtle Van, and she rides on the back of Donnie’s shell as he rides off.  Mikey seems to be the same character we all love. He rides his skateboard and seems to be less of a silly counterpart, but more a cool turtle with more style than in the past.

The turtles show much more of an individual personality this time around. The show seems to want to showcase how the characteristics of each character can change the story. Donatello has some great strengths, but maybe a few weakness’ that could be countered by Raph. Leo being a bit of a klutz is a good counter to Mikey’s stylish pro-Skater charisma.

The Turtle Van

The new Turtle Van looks really cool! The outside seems more toned down than the shell patterned version from the 80’s. The coolest part of the new van is that it looks like it breaks apart to become 2 motorcycles. It’s a very cool touch that could change a lot of stories on the show.

Supporting Characters

As I said before, April is here but she isn’t a focus. She looks to be paired with Donnie in much of the trailer. Knowing their relationship in past incarnations, I wonder if this is the direction they’ll stick with in the show.

The minions are still dressed in all purple, so my hunch is these are early versions of future Foot Soldiers.

We get a good look at the big bad in this series. Baron Draxom, voiced by John Cena, is huge and dwarfs the turtles. We get some good looks at Meat Sweat as well. I particularly like this character. He feels like he has the right amount of grossness to fit in with some of the TMNT toys of the 80’s and 90’s.

Oddly though, I didn’t see any glimpses of Splinter this time around. I wonder how large his role will play.

End Shot

The last image shown in the trailer is a great full image of Baron Draxom towering over the other characters. The most interesting this here though, is the character’s placement. It looks great, but Raph and Leonardo seem to be fighting for center stage. Not literally, but it seems like this could lead to a story. Some (including myself) have wondered if this version of the Turtles is a story of them before they become the TMNT we all know. This, along with April’s age, seems like it could be a prequel to the turtles we know in every other version. This could be a story of Leo’s uprising to become the leader. He and Raph are right in the middle, with neither character taking the lead. I think this cartoon will be a story of Leo getting his stuff together and becoming leader. Raph is still a hothead and quick to act, which aren’t great qualities for a leader. I think eventually, we’ll see these turtles morph in to the turtles we know.

 

I love what they showcase here.

It’s a lot to take in, and it’s VERY different. But this intro gives me a good feeling about the show. I think it’s a good mix. There is a LOT of new information here. It looks like magic and superpowers come to play, which is an interesting new take. But the turtles themselves seem interesting. And the animation style is faster and more frantic than usual, but this seems like a great way to keep kids interested as well as not draw comparisons to other versions. I think they are doing it right. They’re making an exciting version for new, young fans to get in to. Our versions individual versions of the turtles will still be there, but this is a great way to keep the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles alive and interesting.

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