Rise fan watched and finished 2012 TMNT

Comparing the first episode to the last is like night and day to me.

2012 did not know who it wanted to be in the beginning but over the course of 5 seasons, it slowly found its footing and its identity. It is an incredibly flawed show both in writing and animation, but it's also really fun. And anytime jj Conway is boarding you KNOW it's going to slap. It does some god awful story choices (why do the characters hate each other at the beginning? why are we pushing karai/Leo? Why are the characters undereating/overreacting to this situation? Why is shredder the most boring villain?) but also does some REALLY COOL THINGS. So many insane plotlines occur and there are some great character moments.

Most people that follow this blog are rise fans, and I'm actually very curious to know how many of you have seen this show. It was initially a very jarring experience for me going from a fast paced, colorful show that KNEW WHO IT WAS AND KNEW WHAT IT WANTED TO BE to the slower paced show that fought wanting to grow and change its story and characters but also tried to hold onto a status quo.

While I enjoyed 2012, I would not recommend this show to anyone who's not a TMNT fan. Like imo, it does not hold a candle to shows like atla, Steve universe, gravity falls, owl house, etc. And also I refuse to be like "oh it gets better after you watch the first two seasons" like naaah. No one's got time for that. This show is one that I'll rip into mercilessly in terms of the writing but I'll also be the first to defend it. I have a lot of thoughts specifically on April. 2012 April defender but not for the reasons you think. The real villain was the writers. Anyway.

This show is honestly a testimony to how I am willing to critique something negatively but also still enjoy it for what it does have to offer. Maybe also a little of what it could have been.

I will say I am very disappointed that people got so mad this show ended that they slept on rise. Maybe its bc we now live in an era where shows get one season but are split in three and pretend to be multiple seasons, or really good shows that have so much story to tell get cancelled too early. But y'all ended on a solid note with season 5. I feel sad I finished 2012, but damn I thought 2012 was going to end on a cliffhanger or something with the way people were so upset that rise was replacing it. This was not a teen titans situation.

Anyways, 2012 is simultaneously the worst and the best. If anyone wants to talk 2012 TMNT, my asks are open. I have so much to say about this iteration of the turtles.

Shout-out to my bestie @cottoncandywoof for sticking with me on our weekly watching of this show. In Gavin Hignight we trust 😌✊