TMNT Choujin Densetsu-hen - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Fan Site

After the success of the first OVA in promoting the Supermutant toy line, the Mutant Turtle: Choujin Densetsu-hen series added a second episode. In 1997, the OVA The Coming of the Guardian Beasts – The Metal Turtles Appear! was produced to market the next major TMNT toy set in Japan – the Metal Mutation Turtles.

The episode begins with the Turtles, Master Splinter, and April O’Neil arriving in Japan for vacation. Meanwhile, Krang locates a new Muta-Stone, and sends Shredder, Bebop, and Rocksteady to find it. After immediately bumping into the Turtles on a bullet train, the goons are fended off by a group of ninja who once trained under none other than Master Splinter! The ninja leader, Kinzo Hattori, summoned his mutant friends to Japan to protect a mirror inlaid with seven Muta-Stones.

The next morning, Shredder arrives at Hattori’s temple to take the mirror. In the ensuing scuffle, Hattori blows up the small temple to reveal a larger hidden temple with the mirror safely at the top. Good and evil scale the building (in total defiance of gravity and logic), with Shredder’s group arriving first. Hattori Kinzo is ready, though, and scatters the real mirror amidst some fakes. Unfortunately, Shredder finds the mirror first, and three Muta-Stones activate. Shredder, Bebop, and Rocksteady are given dark Metal Beast armor of a white tiger, a fish, and a hydra, respectively.

Of course, the Turtles retrieve the mirror shortly thereafter, and are granted armor of their own: Leonardo the Blue Dragon; Raphael the Red Phoenix; Donatello the Purple Manticore; and Michelangelo the Orange Spider-Tortoise. The Metal Mutants battle it out for the mirror and Muta-Stones, with both sides emerging victorious. Shredder escapes with three of the Muta-Stones, leaving it up to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to use their new armor to retrieve them and save the world.

As a marketing mechanism, this episode was even better than the Supermutant OVA. It not only adequately displayed a brand new toy line, but it left the story’s end open enough to allow for the battle to continue in the basements of children everywhere. However, it was also a major problem for the TMNT Universe. While the first OVA was silly, it didn’t do anything that disrupted continuity or disturbed established plot points.

The second did both of those things. It had all the markings of a great addition to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but decided to take a lot of liberties. For instance, no mention of Kinzo Hattori training with Splinter and the Turtles occurred prior, and arriving in Japan on a plane in broad daylight flies in the face of Ninja Rule #1. Additionally, there were several points established that were never explained in any way (although, some probably couldn’t be worried about in the 28 minutes allotted for the episode). The armors drew heavily on mythical creatures, including the four guardians of Chinese and Japanese legend (the dragon, phoenix, white tiger, and tortoise). So why weren’t those four given to the Turtles, with the other three landing in Shredder’s hands?

OVA episodes are supposed to be fun and throw caution to the wind with their material. This episode showcased just how popular the Ninja Turtles had become, and did its job of pushing new toys well. However, its attempt to become an established part of Turtles lore was a flop. With more episodes following this Metal Mutation storyline, it could have made for an excellent miniseries that would have worked well with the TMNT show as it had been developed over the previous decade in America. However, as a standalone episode, it left a lot to be desired. It’s probably for the best that this episode never hit the U.S., no matter how much fun the Metal Mutants would have been to play with.

In 1996 the popularity of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle franchise was worldwide, including Japan, where talking green monsters are the norm. TMNT was wildly successful, and the toy company Takara wanted to capitalize further. So two new, Japan-only Original Video Animation specials were produced for specific toy lines, giving fans Mutant Turtles: Choujin Densetsu-hen.

The first OVA was called “The Great Crisis of the Super Turtles! The Saint Appears!”, and showcased the Supermutant toy line. The back-story for the episode involves the Turtles and Splinter meeting a little fairy named Crys-Mu, who gives them the Muta-Stone. Using its power allowed everyone’s favorite (and clearly, by Japanese standards, average) teenage ninjas to change into super mutants, taking on human-like forms with enhanced fighting prowess and weapons. Shredder, Bebop, and Rocksteady had their own Dark Muta-Stone, and also became super mutants (with Shredder transforming into a dragon).

When the Turtles needed extra power, all four combined their super mutant forms and became Turtle Saint, which they used to fight off Dark-Mu – Crys-Mu’s antithesis. In the end, Turtle Saint uses all his power to seal away Dark-Mu, returning the Turtles to their average, mundane mutant forms forever. (Or, at least until the second OVA!)

OVA episodes are a lot of fun. They show up in anime series all the time as a way to see characters in out-of-their-ordinary situations. Beyond that, this particular OVA served another purpose, while still attempting to maintain a similar tone to the 1987 TV series. The episode was meant to be a new, original adventure strictly for the Japanese audience. But, like most cartoons of the 1980s, it was also another marketing ploy to sell toys. Without a doubt kids would be clamoring for Supermutant figures after seeing Raphael turn into one and use his new weapon that can whip up tornados. It was also a great way to poke a little fun at other franchises. For instance, the foot clan is on vacation when a hurricane carries them all away, prompting a Pokemon-esque moment that includes Team Rocket’s catchphrase, “blasting off again!”

There are also problems with doing this sort of additional episode. First was the animation; the animators were painstakingly matching the cartoon’s style whenever needed, especially the way the Turtles were drawn. But it wasn’t always successful, and there was likely a sigh of relief when the super mutants showed up halfway through and everything could adopt a more classic anime look. Second, the episode was almost too ludicrous. It’s hard to argue that the 1987 animated show wasn’t ridiculous 95% of the time. It couldn’t take itself too seriously, because the nature of the program. But even in the same context as that series, this particular episode was a bit much. Shredder, Krang, and even the Turtles themselves were bumbling idiots for most of it. The only competent ones were Splinter and Turtle Saint. That’s fine and well, but the characters developed over ten years didn’t have to be ditched just to sell one toy, especially when the OVA had at least 8-9 minutes more run time to flesh out the story.

Ultimately, this OVA episode showcased just how popular the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had become. Other countries wanted a piece of the pie so much that they were willing to produce unique products for specific markets just to be a part of it all. While the Supermutant line would have been a fun addition to the American series, the second group may have been even better.

ABOUT US

ARCHIVES

Follow US

More Stuff