I've watched a lot of TMNT growing up, from 2003 to 2012 and somewhere in the back of my mind I know I've also watched some 1987. And I've loved every single one of them for what they had to offer.
Rise is amazing, I love this show a LOT. This review might be a bit biased and will probably turn into an essay about everything that I love about it, but I have also watched this whole show start to finish, something I think a lot of negative reviewers haven't.
Rise of the TMNT is by far the most interesting take on the TMNT franchise, for one because it dared to be different, but also because after thirty years of the same story being told this franchise needed something different. And if that's what you wanted then Rise has got you covered. The characters are, for the first time, not only different ages but also different species and the writers for the show actually took aspects of the different turtle species to play into Rise's characters and them being different ages playes really well into their older / younger brother dynamics.
A lot of people don't like this version of Splinter, but Slinter's character takes time to get to know. Over the course of the show we get to see something we never got to see from previous Splinters. He actually gets character developement, he is an actual DAD in this itteration. The boys only call him sensei in the two finale episodes of season one, but mostly call him dad, pops, papa, dadi-oh, father and many more. And in return he has endearing nicknames for his sons as well. And in this itteration he is their biological father as well, because the turtles were mutated using his DNA back when he was still a human. Splinter's disgusted with himself, he has body dysphoria, so he's let himself go, the turning point for his character actually rotates around him coming to terms with who he is now. And it's touching and heartwarming to watch him do this.
The writing in this show is TOP NOTCH, the boys actually feel like teenagers in this itteration. They're dumb, they're silly, they do stupid things, they're naïve and they're young. Yes they will dab and do fortnite dances, and it's GLORIOUS. If you think they aren't serious enough just remember, they are 13, 14, 14 and 15. They're KIDS. And the show is called RISE of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, we are looking at a different stage of their lives here, and throughout the course of the show you do get to see them grow, learn from previous mistakes, grow into their skills and into the people they'll be for the rest of their lives. Raph being the eldest and the biggest needs to learn to keep his overprotective nature in check and trust his brothers more. Donnie becomes more humble, Mikey learns to be more brave and Leo actually grows into a leader role, even if he isn't saying that he wants to be the leader or is actively aspiring to be the leader. We get to see them all grow and the writers are very good at making you want to root for them.
And as the turtles become more responsible, Splinter in turn dares to reach out to them emotionally and teach them more directly as well. They become extremely close and it's just endearing to watch.
The animation is consistent, high quality, energetic and expressive. They went with a style that is a beautiful combination of eastern and western animation, it's the best of both worlds. They went with limited animation which is a method used to show just enough concrete images so you know what's happening but your brain fills in the gaps of what happens between these moments. (pause an episode at any given time and you're rewarded with either a funny face, a beautiful smear which is also a funny face or a drop dead gorgeous frame that could live on the background of your PC for years to come and you would probably not get bored of it.)
A lot of people will tell you that you need to keep watching because it will get better. And I think most misinterpret this as, it's alright at the start and it will get better later on. But it's a great show start to finish and it only gets better and better and BETTER. New fans to the franchise will almost immediately take to this, older fans will discover that everything they loved about the previous turtles will come back to Rise as the story progresses, and the destination is most definetely worth the journey there. It just needs a chance, so PLEASE give it a proper watch if you can, the show will most definetely win you over!
Rise of the TMNT is by far the most interesting take on the TMNT franchise, for one because it dared to be different, but also because after thirty years of the same story being told this franchise needed something different. And if that's what you wanted then Rise has got you covered. The characters are, for the first time, not only different ages but also different species and the writers for the show actually took aspects of the different turtle species to play into Rise's characters and them being different ages playes really well into their older / younger brother dynamics.
A lot of people don't like this version of Splinter, but Slinter's character takes time to get to know. Over the course of the show we get to see something we never got to see from previous Splinters. He actually gets character developement, he is an actual DAD in this itteration. The boys only call him sensei in the two finale episodes of season one, but mostly call him dad, pops, papa, dadi-oh, father and many more. And in return he has endearing nicknames for his sons as well. And in this itteration he is their biological father as well, because the turtles were mutated using his DNA back when he was still a human. Splinter's disgusted with himself, he has body dysphoria, so he's let himself go, the turning point for his character actually rotates around him coming to terms with who he is now. And it's touching and heartwarming to watch him do this.
The writing in this show is TOP NOTCH, the boys actually feel like teenagers in this itteration. They're dumb, they're silly, they do stupid things, they're naïve and they're young. Yes they will dab and do fortnite dances, and it's GLORIOUS. If you think they aren't serious enough just remember, they are 13, 14, 14 and 15. They're KIDS. And the show is called RISE of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, we are looking at a different stage of their lives here, and throughout the course of the show you do get to see them grow, learn from previous mistakes, grow into their skills and into the people they'll be for the rest of their lives. Raph being the eldest and the biggest needs to learn to keep his overprotective nature in check and trust his brothers more. Donnie becomes more humble, Mikey learns to be more brave and Leo actually grows into a leader role, even if he isn't saying that he wants to be the leader or is actively aspiring to be the leader. We get to see them all grow and the writers are very good at making you want to root for them.
And as the turtles become more responsible, Splinter in turn dares to reach out to them emotionally and teach them more directly as well. They become extremely close and it's just endearing to watch.
The animation is consistent, high quality, energetic and expressive. They went with a style that is a beautiful combination of eastern and western animation, it's the best of both worlds. They went with limited animation which is a method used to show just enough concrete images so you know what's happening but your brain fills in the gaps of what happens between these moments. (pause an episode at any given time and you're rewarded with either a funny face, a beautiful smear which is also a funny face or a drop dead gorgeous frame that could live on the background of your PC for years to come and you would probably not get bored of it.)
A lot of people will tell you that you need to keep watching because it will get better. And I think most misinterpret this as, it's alright at the start and it will get better later on. But it's a great show start to finish and it only gets better and better and BETTER. New fans to the franchise will almost immediately take to this, older fans will discover that everything they loved about the previous turtles will come back to Rise as the story progresses, and the destination is most definetely worth the journey there. It just needs a chance, so PLEASE give it a proper watch if you can, the show will most definetely win you over!