TMNT SHRINEZ (WIP!!)

I love ninja turtles. I grew up watching TMNT 2012— I checked out the same dvd from the library each week and just watched it over and over again. Honestly I don't think I even finished the series when I was a kid. I moved on, but 3 years ago I got back into it via the release of the 2022 RISE movie, which I saw on Netflix and promptly decided that I couldn't watch the movie without watching the ROTTMNT show. I finished the show within a week. When I watched the movie, I got OBSESSED again. I watched Rise over and over, similar to how I did when I was a kid, and then finally decided to rewatch 2012, and see if it was as good as my kid brain thought. (It wasn't.) My fixation on the series waxed and waned over the years, but I still love it no metter what. I rewatched 2012 from the beginning, watching til the end. This is my tribute/love-letter to the series— my thoughts on the characters and their stories throughout the years.

spoilers for everything ahead! :-p

READ ME!

This is acting as a preface for the rest of this shrine. I do not hate Rise, and if you're going to come at me for having a certain opinion, don't do that. That's stupid, spend your time on something better. These (as stated) are OPINIONS. A lot of die-hard TMNT fans did not like the 2018 series, Rise. I can understand why, because it took the series in a really different direction. So for people who grew up with the 80s, 2003, or even the 2012 turtles, it can be really jarring to see the series take that path. HOWEVER. I enjoy Rise because it was what got me back into the series, and I will always give it that title. Being honest, the series's plot is like... a 4/10. Which is harsh. I think it could've done more if it had more time. But the animation makes UP FOR IT, and in my opinion it brings the show in its entirety up to a solid 8. It will never be my favorite, but I do not hate it because it is too "out there" or "different". I think people should try and keep an open mind when it comes to this.

I don't have a lot to say about Leo, honestly. When I was a kid I thought he was kind of stuck-up and boring, though now I can recognize the depth of his character. In evey version he's burdened by the role of leader, having to work with his brothers and keep them safe. Sometimes he's portrayed as the oldest, sometimes he's not. Either way, I really do enjoy his character, even if he can be "stuck-up" on occasion. It depends which series you watch. I especially like his character in the 2012 version, I think it tried to expand on his motives more than just 'I want to be leader' with the Space Heroes thing, how he was inspired and took that into his own life.
In a lot of fanworks, Leo is portrayed as having some mental health issues leading to psychosis, because of his visions of his late father from the later seasons.

Raph has always been my favorite. Not really, I guess. When I was a kid I liked Donnie most, because I was a big fan of the whole nerd thing. I was one of the kids who wanted braces and glasses. Thank god I had good teeth, I don't think I could handle braces. But when I got back into the series I related to Raphael on a personal level. Not the rise version, I'll get into that later. He's the turtle I see myself the most in, and he's my favorite of the turtles through majority of the series. My personal favorite scene with Raph ever is Casey's introduction scene in the original Mirage comics. It has been my favorite for YEARS, because it's just so well done. Also the art is amazing, but that's always true. I feel like in media anger issues are either really underrepresented or misrepresented. Depending on which series you watch, this misrepresentation of Raph's anger can be true still. I think the 2003 and 2012 series do it the best. (I'm biased) It can be really easy to take a character that is angry and make that their only personality trait, which the 80s show kind of does. But beyond being "the hothead", Raphael is also passionate and can be caring at times. You can't boil him down to just one trait.

I stated earlier that I didn't relate to the Rise version of Raph as much. I think making him the eldest was a fun choice and spin on their dynamic, but that's really all I can relate to. He still has 'rage problems' but he's a lot more sensitive than the other series. Don't get me wrong, he's still a badass, but he displays a lot more shows of affection to his brothers. The writers took a new spin on the character that I appreciate, but don't personally relate to. AND THATS OKAY!! LITERALLY WHO CARES. Rise gets too much hate, that's my final word.