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Rise of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an American 2D-animated television series based on the fictional superhero team the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It is a completely original take on the franchise, with several nods to past versions while still setting itself apart and being able to stand on its own by its own merits, that launched on July 20th, 2018. As of August 5, 2022, the series got a movie adaptation on Netflix. It is also a spin-off to the 2012 series.
Plot
Deep in the sewers of NYC, Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo are four mutant turtle brothers in their early teens who take on new adventures where they end up "tapping into mystic ninja powers they never knew existed", while 'learning' (training) to work together as a team and navigate the perils of the modern age and hidden realms to fulfill their destiny to become the world's most fearsome fighting team.
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles uses the characters and concepts from the preceding incarnations as a basis rather than copying their events and lore word-for-word. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise is no stranger to the concept of multiverses, so this is best viewed as yet another universe that is self-contained from the others.
Why It Rises Forever
- It brings some fresh new changes to the formula, such as the Turtles being different species with brand new mystic weapons, April's design taking some cues from the original Mirage Comics, and many more. While this might throw off some fans of other incarnations of the TMNT, it is always best to keep an open mind and judge things by their own merits. After all, the 2012 CGI incarnation made changes of its own, such as April and Casey being aged down.
- These changes were addressed in a fun way, in Raph's Ride-Along, but it's best not to be spoiled how.
- Aside from their species and weapons, the turtles and many other characters have had revamps in their personalities to set themselves apart from their previous iterations. They're not muscly superheroes, they're teenagers who goof off and get distracted by their interests but learn and grow to become better ninjas. They're not teammates, they're brothers, who can get on each other's nerves just as much as they love each other.
- Raphael is now the self-appointed leader, who, while still impulsive at times, is now less aggressive. He's not rude, he's tender and kind, a big softie who's not afraid to show it, and while Leonardo eventually takes his place, Raph's decisions and leadership have yielded pretty good results, and he's capable of straightening out his bros when the time calls for it.
- Leonardo is now more laid-back and initially comes across as the jokester, but he steadily grows in both skill and maturity throughout the show, before finally becoming the leader he was always meant to be.
- Michelangelo is still playful and lighthearted, but as everyone else is equally comedic, is no longer the comic relief. His eccentricities here don't frame him as immature but as the most creative and artistically passionate of the team, interested in illustration, music, and cooking. He is also the most compassionate, being the one to try and redeem Baron Draxum in Season 2, who acted as the main antagonist of Season 1.
- Donatello gets a much-needed update. He is no longer the dorky nerd, but rather a mad genius with an entire arsenal of gadgets at his disposal. His Bō-Staff is now mechanical, armed with missiles, rocket launchers, and jet boosters. Donnie now also has several mechanical battle shells for armor to compensate for his soft shell, a gigantic drill, and a mechanical butler (S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N.). His sarcastic wit and dramatic flair have made this version of the Don a fan-favorite.
- In this iteration, Splinter is a Faker-Type CMHB, which makes him both more interesting and more entertaining. Splinter also has his character arcs and developments for the series, learning and growing alongside his sons, as more of his past is revealed which gives more insight into why he is the way he is. His role as the turtles' father is emphasized more than his role as their sensei, which does a better job of making them feel like a family.
- An AWESOME theme song, which is rivaling the 2012 CGI incarnation in pure musical amazement.
- Glorious over-the-top spectacle battle sequences with beautiful fight choreography and GODLIKE anime-inspired animation to match. Outside of fight sequences, the characters are extremely expressive, which helps lend to the many great comedic moments. This is all thanks to the amazingly talented animators over at Flying Bark Productions, who are also responsible for Glitch Techs and Monkie Kid.
- As the show is called Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, it is heavily centered on growth and change. Characters grow into their roles and get better and better each episode, so it shouldn't be judged by the first episodes alone.
- Clever writing with numerous pieces of funny dialogue.
- Baron Draxum is an entertaining villain with John Cena giving a great performance.
- The Shredder makes a return in the Season 1 finale and he looks more threatening than ever.
- Great and memorable episodes with interesting plots, including (but not limited to):
- Mystic Mayhem
- Origami Tsunami
- War and Pizza
- Newsworthy
- Repo Mantis
- The Fast and the Furriest
- Shell in a Cell
- Bug Busters
- The Gumbus
- The Longest Fight
- Al Be Back
- The Purple Jacket
- Pizza Pit
- Smart Lair
- The Evil League of Mutants
- Mind Meld
- Shadow of Evil
- Sparring Partner
- How to Make Enemies and Bend People to Your Will
- Mystic Library
- The Purple Game
- Man VS. Sewer
- The Mutant Menace
- Turtle-dega Nights: The Ballad of Rat Man
- The Ancient Art of Ninja Hide and Seek
- Insane in the Mama Train
- End Game
- Many Unhappy Returns
- Goyles, Goyles, Goyles
- Flushed, but Never Forgotten
- Lair Games
- Raph's Ride-Along
- Donnie vs. Witch Town
- Hidden City’s Most Wanted
- Bad Hair Day
- Fists of Furry
- The Clothes Don't Make the Turtle
- Battle Nexus: New York
- Finale
- E- Turtle Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
- Shreddy or Not
- Anatawa Hitorijanai
- Rise
- It got a film adaptation on Netflix in 2022, where everything from this show gets even better than before. It even features Casey Jones! (voiced by Haley Joel Osment, who portrayed Cole Sear in The Sixth Sense, Mesmer from The Boys, and Teddy Craft in Tusk.)
Bad Qualities
- Season 2 felt rushed as it has 13 episodes with 23 segments. It was said to have 26 episodes, but because not enough toys were sold, the show had to end early. They should've continued the season or get another season that has more episodes than the second, but that's less fault of the show itself, and more fault of the show being canceled.
- Because of its cancellation, the Shredder was unfortunately underutilized as he only appeared in 4 episodes.
- Another unfortunate side effect of this cancellation, was Baron Draxum's Half-Baked Redemption in Season 2, which could've been done better if they were able to make more episodes to flesh out redemption more...
- Mrs. Cuddles is considered to be the weakest episode of the show.
Trivia
- Three of the actors, Ben Schwartz, Josh Brener, and Brandon Mychal Smith departed fellow Disney series Sonny with a Chance, 101 Dalmatian Street, DuckTales (2017) respectively while this series was in development in March 2017.
- Speaking of Ben Schwartz, he also played Sonic the Hedgehog in the self-titled 2020 film.
- The series was not renewed for a third season due to a film that the show would have being in development.
- Due to the mixed reviews/ratings and lack of recognition from other viewers, the show was moved to Nicktoons with the episodes being aired at time slots like 10 PM. When the last episodes aired, this is when fans started recognizing the show and it became very popular.
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