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 recently I've been getting back into it. I rewatched 2012 from the beginning, watching til the end. This is my tribute to the series— my thoughts on the characters and their stories throughout the years.
Okay. 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 people who grew up with the 80s or 2003 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. 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".
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.
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 Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.