Got around to binge-watching a solid ten or so episodes (or pairs of episodes, as it were) with my brother, and it was a blast.
The comic timing and delivery in this is GREAT, and the jokes never really feel old. The pace, whether for jokes or action, is fast but enjoyable.
Really, the sooner you leave ANY expectations for classic Turtles stuff at the door, the happier you'll be with this show, because so far it isn't trying to be anything like that. The aesthetic takes getting used to, but it really makes the best of the individualization in design introduced by the recent live-action movies, with beefy Raph and tech-gear-toting Don and such. Splinter is even more of a non-factor than I thought, but I find I'm okay with that.
It's right-feeling but wholly different -- the kind of vibe you want to get from a new series, albeit more broad-strokes than people were probably expecting. Really, the only thing remaining from anything before it is "they live in a sewer with Splinter" and "they are friends with one human who knows they exist," and some characterization (mostly Donatello). The villains are new, the origin is new (or so they've hinted), and the dynamics are refreshed. I think my interest in the Raph/Leo angst peaked with the 2007 theatrical film, which handled it REALLY well, and the occasional nods to it in the previous Nickelodeon series were good. More than ready for other stories to be told with these two.
My first reaction to the initial releases were "Wolverine and the X-Men, but with TMNT", but I haven't really felt any familiar "leader" reliance on Raph aside from occasional "fearless leader" quips. Part of that is because Raph is clearly also figuring this stuff out, and part of that is that the four really have a good balance of screen time and dialogue among them so no one's really driving.
I wasn't paying attention during the 2003 show, and as such other than the Obvious Childhood Fondness I have for the 80s show the 2012 one has been my favorite. But this is definitely up there. Worthwhile as a part of the whole tapestry, if one of the more-insular shows (and really, I kind of had my fill of "alternate universe" cameos with the previous show, no hurry to go back to that well). I think much of this is that the 2012 series hit most of the buttons I wanted, the way I wanted -- a reasonably faithful and solid adaptation -- and so now that I've had my fill, I'm ready for something new.
The toys look great, too -- lots of character (although I wish Raph had a more show-accurate head sculpt), and articulation seems to be solid for the four. I'll wait for a Battle Shell set, which as of Toy Fair is upcoming.
