I think "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" is, as of this post's date, the best action-animated series to have hit the air. While I'm obviously not talking about the 1980's version, let me get even more specific. "Fast Forward" was crap. "Back to the Sewers" stank. These two stand as a cautionary tale of what happens when merchandising sets the pace. However, Mirage Studio's 2003—2006 series took the bar set by Batman TAS and raised it.
The character designs nailed it. The turtles looked like anthromorphic turtles. They were squat, stocky in build and their shells gave them a major hump. So when up against any of their adversaries or standing among any of their allies, they always managed to stick out. I also liked how Leo, Mikey, Don and Raph were all different hues of green, enabling them to each appear distinct even when out of mask. Not trying to sound offensive, but Splinter's design really helped the soul of a sage, Japanese man, of great skill, shine through the rodent exterior. April O'Neil looked like an actual woman, contrary to her previous incarnation. Casey Jones looked like a regular guy, albeit with a huge chip on his shoulder, instead of Jason Voorhees with Wolverine hair. The Foot Soldiers looked like ninja foot soldiers instead of robots. Hun looked like a criminal powerhouse. Baxter Stockman seemed more like an actual scientist than a caricature of one (at least until he started failing Saki). And as for the Shredder, he looked like the ninja equivalent of the Terminator or Predator—a good look for the main bad guy. As Oroku Saki, out of the armor (so to speak), he may have been smaller in size, but appeared nonetheless dangerous. From Draco the Ultimate Ninja to Nobody, all of the various guest characters were also visually distinctive enough to not just hold their own against the regulars, but nearly warrant their own spin off series.
The action scenes left the ones of Batman TAS in the dust. Even though Leo and Raph wield edged weaponry, no one was ever maimed or killed. The really impressive thing is it never once seemed cheesy. Basically, the turtles with blades used them to parry attacks, and used kicks to fight back—not bad. When blows were landed, they appeared to have a realistic weight to them. Last, but not least, each of the combatants featured was highly skilled, so the choreography was intense, complex and satisfying. Watching Leonardo desperately fight off a small contingent of Foot Ninja and Hun, while running ragged across the rooftops, was hardcore stuff. When the turtles staged an assault on the Foot's H.Q., I was on the edge of my seat more than I've ever been with anything put out by the W.B.
The animation was very well done. It was always smooth and fluid. Everything was deceptively detailed and shaded to perfection. Nor was there ever any recycled imagery used. Due to this, the scenes centered on character development were never less visually arresting than the above mentioned action scenes.
The voice acting was tops. Since TMNT has so many fleshed out characters, I'll just deal with the five leads. Leonardo (Michael Sinterniklaas) sounded balanced and highly focused at all times. Michelangelo (Wayne Grayson) remained the unmistakable comic relief. Donatello (Sam Riegel) came off as being peaceful and cerebral. Raphael (Gregory Abbey) always ranged between surly and sarcastic. Splinter's (Darren Dunstan) voice rang true as that of an old warrior who'd found inner peace, but was not above, on occasion, being somewhat angered by his adoptive children.
And then there's the writing. Every episode led into the next. Every storyline flowed into the next one. So this was basically a 116 installment serial, which rocks out. Every single main character and most of the recurring ones were explored as much as they could be without things getting redundant. The turtles went from being strangers to the world, to being urban heroes and, finally, to global champions. Casey Jones and April O'Neil went from being combative around each other, to being a confused about how they felt and then becoming a real item that had nothing to hide. As for the recurring characters, there's Nano. He popped up five times throughout the 116 episode run. Each appearance saw him gradually shift from being a villain, with the mindset of a child, to a hero who'd finally come of age. None of these changes ever felt rushed. They all felt natural, like gravity.
But there were a few thorns to be had. A handful of the Agent Bishop episodes (with the turtles hunting down the carriers of an alien virus) strayed to far from the show's central concept. The true series finale, which saw the turtles morph into dragons to fight the true, demonic Shredder, was a head shaking misstep. I can't help but think them using enchanted weaponry would've made more sense. Perhaps the biggest problem is that TMNT has never seen a proper, season by season DVD release and probably never will. This being the largest mistake made by Mirage Studios says a lot about their series' overall quality.
In summary, the character design is 100/100. The action is 100/100. The animation is 100/100. The acting is 100/100. The writing is 105/100. Add to this an uncommonly high episode count of 116 (the original, 1992-1995 run of Batman TAS concluded at 85), and I do believe "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" is the one to beat. It's the exact kind of show other production teams dream of creating, but have yet to pull off. Although, I have to say, it would sure be nice were it released on DVD in a more affordable and convenient manner for us fans who're old enough to have read the original black and whites and the TPB's put out by First.
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