Ever since the reveal of the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series last February, a lot of people have come forward, being very vocal with their disapproval of the new designs. It's mind boggling, the amount of vitriol coming from a lot of adults who feel personally insulted that a franchise they grew up is getting changed for a new audience. Here are some of the comments I've been reading. I won't be putting in names, but you'll start to see a pattern to their criticism.
TMNT has officially gotten the Teen Titans Go treatment. It was only a matter of time. Thanks for putting the final nail in the coffin of my childhood, Nickelodeon.
I've been a fan since the 80's and I have liked every version of the turtles. I even enjoyed Next Mutation to a degree, But this is just terrible.
Raph looks like he's been hitting the juice. Whys he so huge while the others look like chicks? And by coming soon, I hope you mean straight to the trash? This doesnt even belong in the sewers.
What the shell am I watching? Leo and Donnie are the worst offenders so far. Leo I admit had the least personality, but he was the clear headed leader and one of the more serious ones. Donatello was the turtle who liked using his brain and valued intelligence, biting into his own device wouldn't be something he'd do. Maybe he'd smash it or dismantle it if it was dangerous or wasn't working.
This looks terrible! Seriously the worst possible thing you could have done with a franchise.
My only question is was making everything about this sucks so bad done on purpose? Because it definitely seems intentional it's 2018 in this is what Nickelodeon is bringing to the table for the Ninja Turtles. No thanks
OMG this is even worse than I expected, I mean yeah all the hate to the design blah blah blah, making all that have been said since forever, this trailer didn't make me feel I was watching a TNMT video, and the animation didn't look that great either, I'll keep waiting maybe it will be better one day... I hope it does get better
I know everyone is entitled to their own opinions so yeah, you can hate all you want. But as someone who used to be opposed to change in franchises I once enjoyed, take my word for it, it's a heck of a lot less tiring to anticipate change, accept that it isn't for you, and have an open mind.
Thing is, when I first saw the 2012 TMNT designs, I myself almost blew a gasket - I was all WTF IS THIS THREE TOE BULLSHIT?!
I was all "WAIT, APRIL IS A TEEN NOW TOO!? WTF! I was one of those guys, too. WTF IS UP WITH THIS NEW SHREDDER?! THEY RUINED IT! And then I gave it a shot. And now, it's literally one of my most favorite TMNT shows ever. This is the incarnation of the TMNT I have on my desk as my permanent desk buddies.
Here are number of reasons to help you stop being upset at the new Rise of the TMNT series.
1. It's not even out yet.
You've seen a trailer. You haven't seen a single episode. Sure, you may think the animation is janky, but the animation is very similar to Samurai Jack and that's beloved by people all around. I know preference with animations is subjective, but give it a chance. You might end up liking it.
2. Even Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman have different views on April's ethnicity.
So what if April is black? Refering to this very extensive article by TMNT Entity, April was originally conceived by Peter Laird as an Asian woman. According to Peter, yeah, he always thought of April was a white character but Kevin Eastman would've thought that April was more mixed than anything. And throughout some of the issues, especially those published in black and white, April did appear to be of African-American descent. What this pretty much means is April's race doesn't really impact the story all that much. If you're just offended because you think it's pandering too much to SJW sensibilities, then I guess the disappointment in April's race goes a little deeper than just a cartoon character's skin color.
3. The franchise itself is constantly evolving, with dozens of incarnations.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as a franchise, has always been constantly changing. I think that's probably one of the more fun things about it. If what you're basing your judgement on is the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, then I'm sure you're aware that even that show could easily be considered a bastardization of the original concept.
They went from being hyper-violent to those lovable dweebs. I mean, that's a pretty big departure. Saying the new TMNT is bad because it's way too different from the original, means you should've also hated the 1987 series, too. The 80's cartoon saw the Shredder get into all sorts of high jinks with Krang and those two goofballs, Rocksteady and Bebop over a few years. But in the comics, Shredder literally got killed in issue #1, with Leo stabbing him...
...then literally being told to kill himself.
My favorite ever incarnation of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is the 2011 comic book run with IDW, especially the issues with Mateus Santolouco's art. That's by far my favorite design.
His artwork is also the basis of the TMNT Mutants in Manhattan video game a couple years ago.
4. This is someone else's first TMNT
Thing is, the original 80's cartoon TMNT was probably the first one you were exposed to. Most likely, you were never aware that Leo literally stabbed Shredder through his gut then was told to kys. But when you first saw the Turtles in action in front of the TV on that faithful Saturday morning, you fell in love. Later on, you probably found out that the Turtles you loved weren't the original turtles. That didn't make you hate the franchise, did it? Imagine that feeling for someone else. Imagine that feeling for a kid, seeing the turtles for the first time. They might feel the same way you did 20 years ago, or they might not. Those that do start loving the franchise, they'll remember this series as fondly as you do the 80's cartoon. This will be their original Turtles. They'll eventually find out there were other cartoons that came before it, but that won't make them hate Rise of the TMNT either, I bet.
5. We'll always have our TMNT
The existence of Rise of the TMNT will never, ever, ever, ever take away our Ninja Turtles. Whether you loved the 2007 movie ror hated the recent live action flicks, you'll always have those memories and that movie. If you loved the original games but hated the Platinum games, you'll always be able to play whatever you like. If anything, the existence of Rise of the TMNT only helps the fans because it keeps the franchise alive. I'd rather have a show I wasn't particularly interested in being on air than just leaving the franchise to die. If this bombs like some people hope it would, then that's bad news for everyone, old and new fans alike. Who knows, maybe someday, someone will produce a mature TMNT that us older fans can really sink our teeth into? But that won't happen if there's no current interest in the franchise today.