Funny how 4Kids, of all the animated companies in the world, somehow ended being involved in the best adaptation of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (And ironically enough, it is also the lowest rated of the 3 animated series that had been done so far)
This version of the franchise was sadly misunderstood by the fans of the 1987 cartoon, and even to this day it still gets some flak for its darker tone and characters designs. I personally think this series did a great job adapting the plot of some of the most iconic moments from the Mirage comics into a more family-friendly format. While the series had a couple of flaws (Especially in later seasons, which had nothing to do with the source material) the overall result still was a decent watch, doing a good balance of comedy and seriousness, with a solid characterization, and several awesome moments.
It´s such a shame that this series it still quite underrated to this day, having to live in the shadow of the 1987 version (In the mind of the older fans) or in the shadow of the 2012 version (in the mind of the younger fans.) And even some fans of the Mirage comics seem to be disappointed with this series, for not being an entirely faithful adaptation.
Oh well. I still would recommend this series to any casual watcher who never watched any TMNT material before. I personally consider it the best way to be introduced to this franchise, with some excellent episodes such as "Insane in the Membrane", "Return to New York" and "Same As It Never Was".
8.5/10
This version of the franchise was sadly misunderstood by the fans of the 1987 cartoon, and even to this day it still gets some flak for its darker tone and characters designs. I personally think this series did a great job adapting the plot of some of the most iconic moments from the Mirage comics into a more family-friendly format. While the series had a couple of flaws (Especially in later seasons, which had nothing to do with the source material) the overall result still was a decent watch, doing a good balance of comedy and seriousness, with a solid characterization, and several awesome moments.
It´s such a shame that this series it still quite underrated to this day, having to live in the shadow of the 1987 version (In the mind of the older fans) or in the shadow of the 2012 version (in the mind of the younger fans.) And even some fans of the Mirage comics seem to be disappointed with this series, for not being an entirely faithful adaptation.
Oh well. I still would recommend this series to any casual watcher who never watched any TMNT material before. I personally consider it the best way to be introduced to this franchise, with some excellent episodes such as "Insane in the Membrane", "Return to New York" and "Same As It Never Was".
8.5/10