Out of all the franchises I'm still head over heels for in adulthood, none have the same hold over me as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Made by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman, a comic parodying the gritty superhero contemporaries at the time has now evolved into a near forty-year phenomenon that many have failed to replicate.
Between the over decade-long and still going strong IDW comics, The Last Ronin comics' recent conclusion, the new arcade beat-em-up Shredder's Revenge along with the Cowabunga Collection coming out, and the latest Seth Rogen movie set to release in 2023; you got to love to be a turtle.
And not even mentioning all the fantastic animated media we got before, like the forever iconic 80's series, Mirage Comics inspired 2003 series, Image studios Tmnt Movie, and Nickledoen's generation-defining 2012 series. All of them have added to the lore while taking their spin on the franchise. However, I'm not here to talk about any of those products.
Instead, I wanted to shine a light on what seems like a black sheep in the franchise.
Nine months after the 2012 show, we got a drastic take in the form of 2018's Rise of the Tmnt. While I personally neutrally ignored it, fan backlash instantly came in droves on initial viewings. Before I knew it, though, years passed, and I saw more positive reactions to Rise and the Netflix movie coming a week after I typed this, piquing my interest.
So across the summer of 2022, I devoted myself to finally binging through Rise while hearing more about the production and videos from other fans. Now armed with a new perspective and a few more other movies, I'm ready to talk about this unique animated outing.
I hope this blog serves as a fresh recommendation to old fans, a better look for older audiences, and an overall love letter to a favorite franchise. With all that out of the way, let's begin this review on Andy Surano and Ant Ward's Rise of The TMNT.
Note
I'm taking an overview of Rise, intent on showing what it does differently from the rest of the franchise, but explaining how it mainly works for this shows original strengths. I've been a fan of the franchise since I was 5, with the 2003 series, the IDW comics, the 2012 series, the first 90's movie, the 2007 picture, and only bits of the 80's show on my belt, so I've more than earned my green card.
Though it shouldn't matter (more on that soon), note that everything said here will be in my own opinion, so take everything with a grain of salt—finally, slight spoilers ahead for Rise of TMNT for those who want to watch blind.
Summary
Under the hustle and bustle of New York City, one would barely notice anything between getting to work or getting a hot dog. However, looking deeper, you'll see a strangeness below our feet. And I don't mean the adolescent human-sized reptiles walking around either; they've always been here.
For the past 13 years, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael have been partying around NYC as the strangest things in it. However, when they accidentally stumble upon a hidden world of mysticism and mutants, along with villains who plan on summoning great monsters "afoot," it becomes clear they have to "rise" to the occasion.
Luckily for them, though, with their fancy new mystical weapons and guidance from April and their dad Splinter, the boys will be more capable of fighting back if they can pull their heads out of their shells. Either way, evildoers best beware because they're about to witness the birth of the Young Irritated Assassin Terrapins!
Cast
With the story done, let's jump into one of Rise's most significant controversies from the gate: the characters. First we have the leader Raph. As the big brother, Raph takes his role as leader very seriously, even if he's not very good at it due to his focus on brawn over brains.
Still he keeps the position primarily due to his overly sensitive nature leading him to be a kind, protective and gentle character. However, his temperamental attitude makes him energetic, excessively protective, squeamish, and quick to freak out. His protective nature best gets shown with his magic tonfa, which grows forcefields/auras many times larger than
himself.
This time, Leo is a cheerful, arrogant, and lazy individual who dashes responsibility through lies and tricks to make himself look good. Beneath this lies a man with massive potential. The series demonstrates that he has an intellectual understanding of his nemesis and allies. Making him the one to cheer and make plans when the team fails. His carefree attitude gets noted with an odachi that can easily create portals anywhere he wants.
As the team's heart, Mikey is more of an empath than an immature little brother. He's naturally gifted in the arts and cooking while having a big focus on emotional vulnerability to help others through their issues. Though he can be rather wrathful when angered or timid if scared. His most significant emphasis on emotional connection is best expressed in his kursari fundo, which not only lights on fire but is capable of physically latching onto opponents.
Finally, we have Donnie, an eccentric control freak who relies on technology. He is incredibly selfish and petty as he will do everything he can to prove correct. However, there is rather dramatic energy that does leave him to have several other ticks. All these traits hide Donnie's many insecurities, particularly his overreliance on machines, hence why he has no mystic
weapon.
Aiding the turtles is my favorite version of April O Neil. She's an adventurous go-getter who always manages to thrive no matter where she is and takes shit from no one. I love how she feels the most like a member of the Turtles without actually needing to prove herself, and I love it for that.
Moving on, we have, in my opinion, the most interesting Splinter to date (2012 still has my hear thought). In a complete flipped script. Splinter begins as a lazy absent father. However, upon revealing his backstory, we see his deeper psyche. Due to the duties of the Hamato Clan putting strain on his family, Hamato Yoshi never got the love he desired, compensating with fans' love through his Bruce Lee-esque persona Loujustu.'
When he eventually mutates into Splinter, he becomes incredibly nostalgic for his days and later lazy. When he starts getting put into the main story, though, Splinter becomes far more proactive and protective in his role of father and sensei. So nevertheless, underneath all that flab lies a father who must accept his new role while coming to peace with his past—creating a flawed but likable character.
Outside of that, we get a largely captivating original cast of villains. We got a Gordon Ramsey pig mutant Meat Sweats, powerful hippo hypnotist Hypnopotamus, rowdy rouser Reop Mantis, and Warren Stone the worm. Peppering the list out, though, is a couple more fun mutant friends and revisions of past characters like Casey Jones, the Purple Dragons, and Baxter Stockboy—taking the spotlight, though, has to be Rise's big 3 of antagonists.
First is Baron Draxum, a dangerous alchemist who wishes to take back humanity for the Yokai. Not only does he serve as an imposing threat but also a humorously overdramatic fiend who goes through a bit of a redemption arc later on. He's arguably the most character in the show for both creating the Turtles and reviving their biggest antagonist.
Also, here is Big Mom, a powerful mystical spider mob boss who recruits people to fight in her coliseum, the Battle Nexus. She's the perfect balance of polite, charming, and scrumptious villainy, as her near infinite resources make her a threat. Finally, we have the latest incarnation of the Tmnt's most iconic foe: The Shredder.
Now a wretched soul, trapped in demonic armor, this is the most intimidating the Shredder has ever been physically. Voiced beautifully by Hun Lee, this version is more of a living force of nature with a backstory that leaves him the closest to the Turtles he's ever been.
Presentation
If there's one thing that got most people to accept/turn away from Rise, it was how it looked and moved. And while I know they jarred many people, I honestly think these are the best designs for the turtles. From a franchise where the characters have gotten lambasted for looking the same, we've just been steadily seeing the Turtles differentiate themselves with every new animated appearance, like different shades of green (2003) or body types (2012).
Rise is just a natural evolution of that.
Having the Turtles be different species lets them reflect their personalities. Like Raph being a big brother from his alligator snapping turtle roots or Donnie covering his soft box turtle shell with his tech makes them more unique while fitting with the show's themes. Mikey is now a oriental box turtle and Leo is a red eared slider. I also genuinely think focusing on magic (something the other TMNTs barely touched on) allows for more exciting dynamics we've never seen.
Adding to that, Rise has a super stylized, bold-lined, and more angular art style all moving a mile a minute. Which gives us a wide variety of backgrounds that look amazing. These details lead to Rise's bread and butter: the fight scenes. Someone needs to tell me what mushrooms got baked on the pizza these animators eat because Rise is fantastic. The high comedic energy and anime-like expressions translate perfectly into fights.
With their supernatural abilities at play and sheer variety of locations, every fight in this show is a treat of the eyes, dripping with style, incredible choreography, and creative uses of the environment. Crazy still, I can see every detail well. The excellent animation extends to simpler things like character acting for emotional scenes or hidden visual gags and easter eggs.
It's frankly awe-inspiring that the quality somehow managed to increase even with the heavy budgeting they received later. Though I shouldn't be surprised given the animation studio are also working on Monke Kid, another masterpiece. Either way, Rise in my book consistently boasts some of the best 2d animation from any show I've consumed.
Finally special shoutout for the voice cast of Rise. There are lot of pretty stacked voice actors in here with many returns from the 2012 series like Eric Bauza and Hun Lee. Ben Scharwtz, Kat Graham, Roger Craig Smith, Omar Benson Miller, Josh Brener and Brandon Mychel Smith also have amazing chemistry off each other.
Overview
Taking a significant departure from its predecessors, Rise structurally focuses on two 11-minute episodic stories of comedic natures, usually saving the big two-parters for drama. That doesn't mean the show doesn't have continuity, though. From running gags, hidden references, subtle shifts, and borderline story details, Rise has a plot that naturally develops its characters. You have to pay attention to find them.
While I understand why these changes wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea, I think one should look at what new avenues this unlocked. The lighter tone and mystical creatures allows Rise to be almost a slice of life. Stuff like Splinter helping April sell brownies or having Donnie accompany Mikey to get a junkyard vehicle are ordinary adventures we would've never got in other shows.
It reminds me of why I like the IDW TMNT Reborn comics, giving us a chance for the turtles to feel less like superheroes and more like an average family. Underneath the fun is some genius lines, great moments, and unique interactions we've never had, making the turtles feel livelier. The changes make it so when things get more serious, the tension becomes earned.
Thus when you break it all down, Rise does have a connected narrative ties every character together to the broader story. Looking through Draxum and Splinter's backstories shows that off with the new movie seemingly adding more. However, that doesn't make the show entirely perfect. While this can be rectified in future episodes, I wish Rise spent at least a few minutes explaining some of the things that go on.
Plotlines like how April met the Turtles, how the yokai get driven into a hidden city, why the prophecy that prompts Draxum's plans exists, and a few other details needed some clarification. I also think the show takes a minute to get used to after the building blocks get put down. My complaints end there though.
Epilogue
Look, I didn't write over 2k words to mindlessly praise this show. I'm not telling you to like Rise of the TMNT. Watch it to form your own opinion. It's just that I see people hate the show for superficial reasons without viewing it, while saying Rise ruined their childhood icons. I also see numerous takes in general effectively purposing a series bible of what the Turtles should always be. So I have to ask, what the hell did you want?
Tmnt is turning 40 years old soon; it's only natural for brands to evolve and reintroduce themselves. It's been a part of the franchise since the '80s show threw the Mirage comic rulebook out the window. Resulting in an adaptation that provided us with the iconography we have today. And even then, the franchise got built primarily on trying to be actively humorous. I feel like that can naturally come with the territory of Teenage Mutant Ninja, Goddamn Turtles.
And with those two primary sources being adapted repeatedly and improved to the best they can be (2003, 2012) it was only natural for the creators to go all or nothing in a new direction. The creators stated such, wanting to make Rise a show not easily defined and trapped in its predecessors' box.
Combine that with the negative first impressions; Nick killed this show by having it air only at select times and limited streaming services at the time. In contrast, the fans only had less than a year to grapple with the long-running 2012 show ending, and Rise didn't even have a chance to stand on its own during the initial run. Even now, it barely does, with the 2012 show still taking a lot of its spotlight when it comes to Nick promoting Tmnt.
In a world where each of its previous entries was capable of living over five years with a hundred episodes, I think it's more than fair to let the show shine. Especially when there is still so much concurrent media going on? And if this is someone's first introduction to the series, do you really want to ruin it for them? Specifically, in a franchise that has had every deviation add something unique?
Regardless of my tangent, I think Rise is an excellent show with lots of potential to be the best series we've gotten. I hope the new movie can boost the hype for at least one more season. It's such a thrillingly imaginative reboot that holds familiar elements while putting a new inviting spin on things—a beautiful coming-of-age tale that encourages one to stay true to themselves no matter what. A reinvention of the Turtles becoming the team we know they are.
Most of all, though, Rise, more than any other show, focuses on a theme that ties every incarnation together. The Turtles aren't just your heroes in the half shell; they're a family. Whether biological, adopted, or found, they always have each other's back. In contrast, they had plenty of room for more if need be. An aspect I appreciate more with how trying these past few months have been for me.
Nevertheless, I only hope one day I can say I've created something that feels true to me. A story that many people latch onto like Rise. But until then, I guess I'll keep writing one day at a time. I sincerely hope you can too.