Old TMNT/Usagi

[cynlee]

I kind of got in a friendly debate about the old Turtles show-- the guy I'm chatting with thought that Usagi was well done in those few (two) episodes. Yet I prefer the current appearances.

So I was wondering: Of those of you who saw/remember the old episodes, and have seen the new, do you think Usagi was treated well "back in the day"?

[ziritrion]

I didn't like him at all. I didn't like the new appearances either. But that's because I'm an elitist prick . I do agree that the new appearances are much better than the old ones, and the animation is very well done. But I can't stop thinking that the storylines and the characters are just silly and stereotyped (Tomoe is too lady-like, Gen is a moronic brute, and Noriyuki is an obnoxious brat, IMO). But I may be taking the TMNT show way too seriously, so don't pay any attention to me and keep enjoying it . Probably the appearances were just fine for most of the UY fans, and that's what matters.

As for the old appearances: 2 or 3 months ago I saw a rerun of the old TMNT in a local TV channel, and it happened that same day they were broadcasting the first UY episode. I couldn't watch it for more than 2 minutes. So that's how I feel about it . But I remember enjoying the show thoroughly when I was a kid (even though I didn't remember UY), so I guess most kids would like those episodes.

[Todd Shogun]

I'd vote, but my response is not listed as an option! I would say "Sort of". I liked the fact that I got to see Usagi in animated form, but it seemed they cartoonized the character too much. This was expected though, since the TMNT themselves were a cartoonized version of what they were pre-cartoon days, of which I have fond memories. I do remember being pretty excited about it though. I was a junior in High School when those episodes aired...I can remember setting up my old-school VCR to tape them. Now we have TiVo...man things have changed...

Being a pre-cartoon fan of the original TMNT comics (since 1985), it was actually pretty traumatizing watching them go "down the sewer" like they did when Playmates released the toys and the cartoons started airing. I actually felt pretty betrayed by Eastman and Laird, but didn't stop reading the Mirage series until about issue 18 or so (didn't even buy the "Return to New York" arc). But I have since recovered, and Usagi's enduring purity all of these years more than filled that niche.

I overlooked the cartoon appearances as free advertising for the Ronin Rabbit, even though they were kinda fun. The last appearance in the latest TMNT series was surprisingly well done for kids' TV. I now consider myself a "purist" TMNT fan. Vol. 1 # 1-11 for me!!! You can imagine how pleased I was when the statues came out, designed off the TMNT from #1...outstanding!!!

Okay time to get back to work....!!

[Steve Hubbell]

I have yet to see the original TMNT appearences.

I enjoyed the Battle Nexus stories and the second half of The Real World, but it was the first half of The Real World which I thought was great. I still have not seen the Christmas special in which Usagi and Gen make an appearence.

I loved seeing Usagi and his supporting characters done in animation with as much care and consistancy to Stan's designs as they were in this episode. I'm sure if a series was ever done, the character's personalities would be fine-tuned to more closely match Stan's portrayal.

My only complaint is that the first half of The Real World was too too short, that it could easily have been made into two or more episodes by itself.

Abayo...

[Leonardo-san]

I don't much care for the old cartoon series at all. I am not going to say it's bad, it's just not something that interested me at all. In fact, after seeing a couple episodes of the cartoon, I had to be dragged under extreme protest to the see the first TMNT movie--which I then actually enjoyed enough to start reading the Mirage comics my friends loaned me...and so into Usagi, too, from there.
So I am an "old school" fan of the Mirage comics. (And I have to say Return to NY was excellent stuff!) I liked that Usagi made appearances in the old cartoon, but I was sad about how the character was presented overall. I wished for better.

The fact the new cartoon does manage to get as close to the feel of the old Mirage series as it does, even with being Saturday morning so "all ages/kiddies", even with having to be partly junked up with "possible action figure byproducts", is an awesome piece of work. (I still can't believe they actually got away with Leo beheading the Shredder, even if he is an Utrom!)
And I love Usagi's appearances so much I can forgive some of the things that annoy me about how it was done. Like "Jen" insteand of "Gen" for pronounciation, etc.
It does make me wish for a UY cartoon series, too....

[ajm210]

the new appearances of usagi (battle nexus and real world) were far better than the old, but you have to admit, it was kinda cool to see usagi in the old series. i mean come on, its usagi!!!! sure the voice was bad and the story was ok, but its USAGI whipping up on my favorite comic/cartoon characters of all time!!! i wouldn't totally write off the old appearance, but all in all, the new are better.

[hazlov2004]

i like the old and the new usagi heh it dont matter to me