Score: 9
"Excellent animation, pace, acting, and writing."
date: November 20, 2005
I watched all three episodes at least 5 times, and I have to say that it greatly pleases me to see a mature, coherent, and well-crafted rebirth of the Ninja Turtles.
The voice-acting is very appropriate and well done. I'm not sure if the people performing the voices have had training at all, but all I can say is that they've portrayed their respective characters very well. A lot of the voices provide somewhat of a middle-ground between the films and the cartoons, which is good because it adds some consistency to the characters across the various media in which they've been portrayed.
The music is also very appropriate, and compliments each scene extremely well. Music sets the mood in any medium, whether it's film or video game. These flash cartoons are no exception to this fact.
The animation can be a bit rough and choppy at times, but keeping in mind that this is a flash cartoon, I have to say that it's very well animated given its inherent limitations. Fight scenes are very entertaining, and watching the fights closely, one can simply sense how the Turtles have matured as individuals and as fighters. They move with skill and graceful fury when they need to, and the fights look as though they're choreographed very carefully. Well done.
All that aside, the artwork of the characters --- from the turtles, their enemies, and Shredder --- are all portrayed very well. Facial expressions were taken into account well, along with skin tones, body proportions, and overall demeanor. I particularly liked the portrayal of Slash.
As for the actual writing and storytelling... it's top notch. There was not a second that transpired during any of these cartoons that did not add to the entertainment of the viewer or the advancement of the story in some way. There are a lot of things going on at once, and the cuts to different scenes are all very well timed and paced. Also, the traces of humor that are injected into the dialogue are also well timed, particularly referring to some of Michelangelo's and Donatello's lines. Nicely done.
My only criticisms are as follows. At times when music is playing in the background of a scene, and characters (i.e. the Turtles) are talking, the music often drowns out the voice-overs. My suggestion is that next time adjustments and sound checks should be made wherever possible to ensure adequate sound quality. Also, I feel that the delivery of certain lines can be improved. In episode 3 in particular, Raph had some robotic moments when conversing with Shredder.
In addition to this, I advise the writer(s) to NOT allow loose ends and/or plot-holes to develop. The more they're ignored, the more difficult they are to tie up once a story becomes more difficult. In particular I'm referring to episode 1 where Donatello "swore" that he saw Raphael leave without his Tsai weapons. The whole reasoning can be played off in the regard that Raph is always on his guard and ready to fight, but perhaps it's best if subtleties are made more explicit. Furthermore, the tides of certain fight scenes change too quickly in certain respects. Big example is when Michelangelo is ambushed in the safe house. He's seemingly doing a fine job fending for himself in one frame, and then in the next he's bloodied-up and flying into a wall. Perhaps it was an editing sacrifice to fit the cartoon into a specific time frame, but I'm just letting you know it's noticeable.
Also, where's the pizza? Showing a few stacked boxes is not enough!
All in all, very impressive for a flash cartoon in terms of animation techniques, but extremely impressive in all other respects. For an indy work, the quality of these cartoons transcends its medium. I'm very interested to see how this story develops, and I sincerely hope the Turtles can pull together and stand unified once again.
Bravo to all involved in the production of these episodes. Keep up the great work.