Customer Reviews

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Original Series - Volume Two

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Yes! The complete second season of the classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon is one of my favorites, with 13 classic episodes from the show. However, the violence was turned down a bit from the 1st season. The Turtles do not use their weapons that much, whereas they often fought with them during season 1. Also, the humor has been upped quite a bit, with some real tongue-in-cheek moments(although the original comic did notably have a few as well). But then again, not to say that was a bad thing, as that was one of the things that made this series memorable. The season starts off with Shredder's return, aided by inept inventor Baxter Stockman once more. The next 4 episodes feature a subplot of 3 alien crystals known as the "eye of Sarnath." The Turtles and Shredder race to collect them each, but the 3 crystals wind up causing all sorts of mayhem, from bringing machines to life to creating insane killer plant monsters, and the Turtles must deal with the havoc. "Case of the Killer Pizzas" is the classic episode with those monster meatballs monsters, and boy are they ugly. The Turtles have to reluctantly team up with Shredder when the creatures get too out of hand. Bebop and Rocksteady return in "Enter: The Fly," when Shredder poisons April, in an attempt to take the Turtles out when they try to retrieve the antidote. Things go from bad to worse when Baxter is merged with a fly and attempts to take both groups out. "Splinter No More," sees Splinter become Hamato Yoshi again! The Turtles wind up chasing Shredder again, but he leaves a little trap that ends up turning them against each other! The Neutrinos come back in "Teenagers from Dimension X," and those frogs make their first appearance in "Invasion of the Punk Frogs." "New York's Shiniest" is a hilarious episode in which the Turtles meet a cybernetic cop, REX-1. April gets her genes merged with a cat, "The Fly" style, in "Catwoman From Channel Six." In that episode, Irma also meets the Turtles for the first time. The final episode is "Return of the Technodrome," a great episode in which the Technodrome returns to Earth! These are some excellent episodes, some I haven't seen in a long time! April 26th is going to be a great day!

13 episodes on one DVD equals over 3 hours of uninterrupted fun. The quality is fine and all that blah blah blah. No extras yes but who cares!? I want the vintage episodes (which is exactly what is here!!) and not a bunch of cheesy extras taking up space that may have cost us a few precious chapters. If you are a fan and have been waiting for this release - just buy it!! You'll love it!!

And bring on Season 3!

Well here it is nostalgianatics: the complete 13-episode second season of the Fred Wolf Films produced TMNT animated series on DVD. This season is marked by a notable downgrade in both stories, art and in voice-acting, though the animation remains much the same. Unlike the previous season, which had a wonderful five-part storyline where each part was a complete story unto itself and yet all were integral to the evolution of the saga (as any good serial should be), this season is very episodic, featuring one isolated wacky adventure after another (much like the comic book was becoming at the time). The one exception is the "Eye of Sarnath" four-part tale.

The thin evolving story of the season's cycle simply concerns the Shredder trying to convince Krang to bring the Technodrome back to Earth to destroy Hamato and co. Instead he gets stuck with whatever crumbs (alien eggs, Bebop and Rocksteady) Krang will throw him and uses his own cunning and resoursefulness to fill in the gaps. Several episodes are appearing for the first time on video (in the US anyway).

The four-part storyline is something of an homage to classic Science Fiction themes: shrinking people (in this case mutant turtles), nature coming to violent life, artificial intelligence adopting Social Darwinism as its credo, and the finale is of the classic I-think-it-therefore-it-is genre (which always has the tendency to be like Aladdin in some ways). This yarn is clearly the standout of the disc as it is well-paced, peppered with the right jokes at the right time and the result is not too far below the first season in quality. The gimmick that ties them all together allowing for a multi-part story exploiting every Sci-Fi cliche is the basic scavenger hunt. This results in some very conscious humor poking fun at this story-telling structure.

An alien crashes to Earth interrupting a TMNT training session and tells them to find the three pieces to the Eye of Sarnath before they fall into the wrong hands. Conviently for story telling's sake, the owner of said "wrong hands" happens to be in the bushes eavesdropping and was apparantly observing the boys in green all the while. That's the true weakness of these supervillians, their ego is way too big to allow them to destroy the heroes in a simple efficient manner. They need to put on some huge fireworks display and trumpet their arrival and supposed imminent victory to all or thier egocentricity cannot be satisfied. Apparantly he is not a subscriber to the lesson of the French-Indian War either.

Of course that is the fun of these characters (carictures?) and another example of the show's dissent into utter silliness and eventual self-parody that really picks up with season three and grows with each successive season thereafter (until the make over). The humor here is goofy, sometimes absurd though not irreverant like the next season. The action is more playful yet still more creatively storyboarded than the more choppy sequencing and less imaginative perspectives that await in season three. Inconsistency in the art is more prevalent this time and the characters are less detailed and defined than in season one.

The first episode on the disc finds Shredder returning to Earth and training a band of ill-costumed turtle crooks to frame the TMNT. It is easily the weakest episode on the volume suffering from an inane plot, lame and obvious humor and an irritating exploitation of stereotype bit characters that usually works in the show's favor. This episode is the quintessence of the post-pilot seasons' qualitative decline.

The Warrior Frogs of "Invasion of the Punk Rock Frogs" (who have nothing to do with the music, attitude or fashion sense or lack-there-of of the culture) are the Shredder's antithesis to the TMNT. They are somthing of ironic character composties being hapless innocents who are manipulated and duped by the Shredder and yet named after men who were history's quintessential villainous masterminds.

"Splinter No More" is my favorite single episode on here. It answers the big "what if...?" not answered in the first season: what if the TMNT had been successful in acquiring the cure for Splinter? We do the story no justice by dwelling on the large plot hole which begs the question: if they had the remainder of the original mutagen all along, why did Donatello not do this before? Well, maybe he just hadn't though of it yet? Or maybe the writers just wanted to revert him to human-state earlier in the episode so they could dedicate the story to the ethics of human conduct instead of hunting for the cure for 22 minutes like in "Shredder & Splintered"? Anyhow, I find it notable for displaying Splinter as genuinely sad in the beginning, indeed despondent. It is one of the few times in this entire series (maybe the only time?) that real heart-felt emotion seems to come through the voice-acting and even the art that accompanies those short scenes at the latter part of the introduction (the beginning of which is one of the more hilarious opening bits they have done). Kudos to Peter Renaday and the artists at MWS! The episode exercises the "be careful what you wish for..." and "people always fear what they do not understand" dictums quite poetically (Splinter even speaks the latter for anyone who is too dull to get the point.) More subtle is the implication that when something about you changes (personality traits, social status, whatever) people, often loved ones, will not accept you any longer, sometimes out of fear that they themselves are somehow being rejected. This anxiety is expressed by the TMNT, Raphael in particular, after seeing Splinter's miraculous spiritual change, which coresponded with his physical change, and his jubulaint departure topside. There is a nice little parallel to that point in the subway scene when a mind control device of Krang's causes the green team to ditch brotherhood for every-turtle-for-himself antagonism on the spot.

The Neutrinos return in "Teenagers From Dimension X" and once again violate the scientific principle of their namesake. Michaelangelo and Kala gush over one another throughout and although Mike saddens again when she leaves, he of course perks up when Raphael reminds him that he will always have pizza *sigh*.

"New York's Shiniest" features a mock Robocop-esque character and has a climax inspired by the film Westworld. "Catwoman From Channel Six" finds April's molecules accidentally swapped with a cat ala The Fly. So the TMNT, just like Helene Delambre, search frantically for a stray cat with April's personality.

In "Enter: The Fly" (another, more obvious though less ingeniuos, nod to the classic story) Baxter Stockman is punished by Krang for his incompetance by means of disintegration. A fly buzzes into the chamber after him and causes them to transmutate rather than simply be disintegrated along with him for reasons Krang (or the screenwriters) did not bother to explain.

The finale "Return of the Technodrome" finds the Technodrome Earthbound and gives fans the big battle Splinter has forewarned about all season. It is action packed but not as clever or funny as other episodes on this volume.

Again there are no extras, no menu music or animation. The episodes are divided into scenes this time which is nice (last time each show was one long title). Although the artwork is an improvement in tone, the bland coloring and dull background are just as lame as the sugar-coated tone of the previous volume is irritating. It is more representative of the cartoons themselves however (especially the TMNT's countenence). Hopefully we get some extras next time.

- No extras, laskluster menus and artwork.
+ All 13 episodes of season two on one disc for a low price. Good transfer.

This DVD contains all 13 episodes from the second season of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series from the 80s. And if you grew up on these shows, like I did, then you will be pleasantly surprised to see them here "again for the first time."

Obviously the cartoon is geared towards kids, that's why we watched it two decades ago when we were kids. For the reviewers complaining about the poor drawings and lack of action, what did you expect? Were you a brilliant cartoon critic when you were [...]? No, but I bet you appreciated the ninja turtles for what they are.

For a little under $9.00 on Amazon, you can get all 13 episodes from the second season. I can't think of a better deal than that. Unlike other shows from the 80s that have lost most of their appeal today, the stories are still interesting and the jokes, while lame, are lame enough to still be funny. The opening sequence with the theme song is just as exciting today as it was when the episodes were originally aired.

These episodes contain some great stuff. Shredder comes back from Dimension X to destroy the turtles by Krang's demands. Baxter Stockman is freed from prison, and eventually becomes the mutant fly we know him as. Bebop and Rocksteady show up again. April O'Neill gets mutated into a catwoman, Splinter gets a brief stint as a human again, Napoleon Bonafrog (and three other mutated frogs are created), the Neutrinos appear for an episode, and Shredder launches all kinds of bumbled attempts to attack the turtles, before Krang ultimately comes back from Dimension X in the Technodrome.

Children of the 80s, don't miss this DVD!

Finally, the release of the complete second season of the classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, with 13 classic episodes from the show. No more garage sale searches for me! It was fun to see these old shows again, but they are "the oranges" to the current series' "apples." While the new series more closely ties to the original comic series, the first animated series, created in part to add to action figure marketing, is a much lighter (especially the 2nd season) and condensed version. The history of the characters is geared for a younger audience, for example in "Splinter No More," sees Splinter become Hamato Yoshi again. In the 90's series Splinter is Master Yoshi mutated, rather than a pet. Also includes some classic video rental store staples: "The Return of the Shredder," "The Incredible Shrinking Turtles," "It came from Beneath the Sewers." "Teenagers from Dimension X," has teenagers from Dimension X, in it. "Invasion of the Punk Frogs," features the introduction of more mutants. "Enter: The Fly," with Dr. Stockman of the 90's, vaguely spoofs the Vincent Price fly movies. Other episodes are "New York's Shiniest" a Robocop spoof. The final episode of the season is "Return of the Technodrome," an episode in which, you guessed it, the Technodrome and Krang return to Earth.

The current generation of turtle fans will still appreciate this alternate selection of episodes, it will also give them an opportunity to get many of the inside-jokes in the current series (like Krang's cameo, April's news reporter disquise).
One major flaw of the DVD is the lack of special features and extras, even the games have more extras than this DVD. There is plenty of time to improve considering the large number of episodes from the 90's TMNT (over 130), still look forward to the next volume or dare I say it: Boxed set..."Life is like a box of pizza" or "Radical is as radical does."

This is a great DVD. I still enjoy this classic series and even find it more entertaining then a lot of todays animated shows.
Like season one's DVD the packaging is a let down. This DVD has no extras or special features, But! it makes up for it by giving you the complete 13 episodes of season 2 on a single DVD at a very reasonable price. that's awesome!
I seriously hope the rest of these classics will be bought to DVD in the near future. I'll be keeping an eye out for them!

A must have for any fan of the original TMNT series.

the original tmnt is still my favorite cartoon to this day, i was so stoked when i found out that the first 2 seasons were released on dvd, and i can only hope that they continue this trend and release the rest of the originals (there were so MANY!!!) if you're an 80's kid pick this up, you won't regret it

I bought this DVD the day it came out and I love it. Seeing all of these episodes brings back a lot of memories and I highly recommend it to those who loved the old series. I also encourage people who like the new series to check this DVD out and maybe you'll enjoy it. I can't wait until a volume 3 of this show comes out. Turtle Power!

13 golden episodes that make up the second season. No extras, just turtles. I love this DVD.

Anyone considering buying this deserves to know that, like Season 1, Season 2 also suffers from rather poor video quality, but luckily not nearly as bad as the Season 1 DVD. Season 2 doesn't have anywhere near the amount of dirt and smudges as Season 1, which leads me to believe that perhaps those appeared on the original prints of the episodes. So although this DVD isn't the greatest in video sharpness, it's entirely possible that high-def copies of the shows don't even exist and Lions Gate/FHE did the best they could. And there's evidence of this, as this DVD has chapter breaks, episode screen shots in the menus, and more serious cover art - all of which were lacking in the original release - it seems that they really are listening to fan's critiques! The quality fluctuates, and some episodes are better than others - at times the shows look great. Viewed on an old CRT TV, the episodes will probably appear just fine, but anyone with an LCD, Flat-screen, or HDTV screen will definitely notice the video quality issues. When I first popped in the DVD, the title sequence was horribly poor quality and I feared that this DVD would be just as bad as the last one. Luckily, the episodes themselves are quite watchable, especially considering there are 13 episodes crammed into this disc [an amazing runtime of 4 hours 49 minutes!]. I doubt that a higher-quality version of the opening titles is hard to find, and I hope that they will address this in possible future releases.

Before, I would not have recommend these DVDs due to the poor transfers, but now I think the video is good enough to warrant a purchase, especially if high-res versions don't even exist - the production companies have long since closed, and after the first season this show was mass-produced, leaving quality as an afterthought. I'm still holding out that High-Def Masters of the episodes are still out there somewhere and eventually my beloved Turtles will get the Deluxe treatment. In the meantime, I hope Lions Gate and FHE will continue releasing this fabulous series on DVD and in the future consider adding animated menus, interviews (how about interviewing Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird?), music from the series, deleted clips and episode commentaries [a documentary on the Turtles craze would be endlessly fascinating to guys my age.]. This may be asking too much, but not considering that the next logical step in releasing future episodes is in Box Sets. Otherwise, it would take about 15 DVDs to release all 193 episodes at the current rate of 13 episodes a disc. In order to encourage them to do this, I hope everyone will buy a copy of this great show, and with the price this low, it's a really great deal. And considering that, I can't help but admit that I probably shouldn't be complaining so much. But a part of me still wants them to perhaps try peeking into the vaults of Fred Wolf films and Mirage studios to see if they have any high-res copies lying around.