Rating: 
Summary: Green Heros
Review: I really enjoyed watching this. It's been so long since I've seen the original series, that I have forgotten a lot of it.
I was a little worried I wouldn't like it that much. However, was pleasantly surprised that I still found it amusing.
Really good to watch. Just wish that the DVD transfer was better.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than I thought
Review: I'd already reviewed this DVD below, but that was before it was released. I just bought it today (April 20th), watched all 5 episodes at once, and was amazed at the clarity of the picture on this! What I had heard was that Artisan was just going to simply transfer the material on the old VHS tapes to DVD and leave it at that, but no! It even says on the box "digitally mastered", hence the clearest quality I've seen on a TMNT episode set yet. I also heard Artisan wouldn't put the episodes on here as separate eps and that they would be one long episode (as in containing the FULL eps, not like that horried "The Epic Begins" set). Again, I was wrong; just as every other TV show DVD set should and does, each episode comes in its full glory with the opening title and ending credits! This in itself gives me high hopes of Artisan releasing future season sets, despite the fact that 4 of the "red sky" episodes are already on here (the 4 "bonus" episodes). That's another thing that cheered me up: the insert in the case acknowledges that the bonus episodes did indeed air in some places by listing the episode number next to their titles.Of course, this is not to mention just how fabulous the box is. Sure, the art on the front cover may not properly represent the mood in this particular season, but it's flashy! It comes with an outer textured cardboard box with a metallic luster on the outside, and the inside is a normal black DVD case with same artwork sans the texture and luster. Now, on the a (very) brief review of the 5 episodes: Turtle Tracks: A great way to start the series, with just the right balance of action and humor ("Clang? Did you say CLANG?"). 4/5 Enter The Shredder: We're introduced to the real brain of the operation (pun definitely intended), Krang, and that in itself escalates the story and makes it more interesting, along with the mutations of Rocksteady and Bebop to what they were for the rest of the series. 5/5 A Thing About Rats: Less action, at least I think so, but the best in terms of the dark and edgy mood this season gave. But the lack of action outweighs the good parts. 3/5 Hot Rodding Teenagers From Dimension X: Plenty of action, and the story almost reaches a climatic point with the realization that Shredder and Krang plan to invade Earth. 5/5 Shredder & Splintered: A great ending, the Technodrome gets blown into Dimension X with a bang...or, more accuratly, a flash. 5/5 Overall, this is and always will be my favorite season of the original toon, and the DVD itself is nice too! Thanks again, Artisan, and especially to David Wise who convinced them to release the whole season.
Rating: 
Summary: Yes on the DVD release, no on the DVD quality
Review: I'll try not to ramble on since my gripes about this DVD release of the original TMNT cartoon series have already been well-stated by another viewer. But I want to make my opinion known as well. First off the good things. The first five episodes (in fact the entire first season) of one of my favorite cartoons from growing up are finally in the now-dominant DVD format. The episodes are shown in proper order (even the videos didn't get that right) with no cut scenes or dialog. Fans now in the 18-25 range nostalgic for the shows of our youth (and many of us are) will undoubtedly be very happy with the fact that this great show will not stay on analog master tapes to decay without a trace. Unfortunately, my approval ends there. Like the other reviewer, this DVD release of TMNT Season 1 suffers from the following shameful shortcomings: 1) single stereo track, no surround sound. As a matter of fact, poor sound period.
2) no chapter breaks (this is particularly ridiculous, it would not be that difficult to encode chapter breaks on the DVD)
3) awful image transfer. It truly does look like they just ran some fresh VHS tapes through a digital capture process. It looks very homemade. A person with a Pinnacle capture card, fresh tapes and a Hi-Fi VCR could do just as well.
4) Ridiculous packaging. These Turtles are drawn on the packaging like the only people looking at should be five year olds and under. I was slightly embarassed to actually walk up to a checkout counter with such a ridiculous looking item. Forgive me all if I'm being too nitpicky, but come on wouldn't we all be willing to pay twenty bucks for TMNT first season that actually looks like some care was put into preserving it? F.H.E. visibly lowers its standards in the eyes of its customers when this is the pitiful level of care they take in producing a product of high value to the demographic who will be buying it. Okay now I'm done ranting. I have a suggestion for F.H.E. Put the first, second and maybe even third seasons all into one proper box set. Do it right. Do a good digital transfer. Make the packaging less kiddish; young adults are the ones who will be buying these DVDs. The digital video formats we use today are not about making our old analog memories die an even slower agonizaing death. The format is about restoring and preserving those memories forever. I for one would pay a fair price for a TMNT collection done right. This was not that DVD. F.H.E, please acknowledge and respect your customers and their feedback.
Rating:
Summary: A must-have for old-school Turtles fans...and the new ones!
Review: I'm absolutely obsessed with the Ninja Turtles. I first started watching the NEW, yes, the NEW show, a few months ago and became addicted to it. Soon, I wanted to catch the classic series to see where it all began...alas, I wasn't born early enough to catch it on TV when I was younger...-_- So when I received this, I was thrilled.
What I watched was a humorous, lighthearted TV show that was so popular in the '80's, for obvious reasons, and I loved every minute of it. The animation is poor, especially compared to the new show, but I don't mind it much. The episodes were enjoyable and a blast to the past for many old-school Turtle fanatics.
The only reason it gets a 4 is because of the number of episodes on the disc. Only 5 episodes?! C'mon, man. I don't count the bonus four, because they weren't very enjoyable...I actually only watched 2 of them before stopping. On the upcoming Vol. 2 DVD, they'll have 13 episodes, which is obviously a much better deal, so yeah.
Great DVD. :D
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: I've been waiting for this for about ten years now, and it is worth the wait. It seems like watching the show all over again is even better then when I was a kid. The humor is great, what can I say, it's the ninja turtles, it's a classic. Buy the DVD it is well worth it. I would by every episode if they were out right now.
Thankyou you creators of ninja turtles, you bring new joy to my life.
Rating:
Summary: The reason many of of even know of T.M.N.T.
Review: I've seen Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles through almost all of it's stages: the original B&W comics by Eastman and Laird, this late 80's cartoon, the old Archie comics and now the new Fox Kids show.
These cartoons differ from all other incarnations in many ways. "Serious" has nothing to do with this cartoon. The plot is radically differant from anything else you've seen. Splinter, instead of being the pet of Hamato Yoshi actually *is* Hamato Yoshi. Where as every other incarnation of T.M.N.T. is dark and gritty, this show refuses to take itself seriously.
While that may be seen as a bad thing to most fans of today, it should be remembered that without the late 80's cartoon show, many people today might never have heard of the Turtles. This cartoon is what brought the Turtles into the spotlight. As corny as it may be for today's standards of dark and gritty story telling, this series is no less a classic. For those with a sense of nostalgia for the shows we used to watch as kids, this DVD is a great buy.
Over all grade: Great to have the original series on DVD, minus a star for less than steller digital transfer. Still a great buy.
Rating:
Summary: Old Ninja Turtles! Wee-ha-hoo!
Review: If you were as young as I was when this show was on, you loved it. While viewing this now you may find it very much for young children, you will love it for the nostalgia, and you'll remember fondly how much you thought this show was cool. And it was, so buy the DVD and show it to your younger brother, who is a big fan of the new version on FoxBox, and then start acting like an old guy. "Back in my day, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was like this, and it had choppy animation, no digital effects, ridiculous plots and writing, and that's the way it was AND WE LIKED IT! Yippee! Go ninja go ninja go!" I apologize for that awful Dana Carvey bit, but if you agree with me that all the best kids shows from this era are sadly overlooked these days, you ought to buy this and remember.
Rating:
Summary: My life is now COMPLETE!
Review: It's about time.... i have been waiting forever for this to happen. Finally a Cartoon worth something, a Cartoon me and many others treasure. Anyone who has grown up in the late 80's to early 90's has to love or have loved this cartoon. now our lives are complete!
Rating:
Summary: Gorgeous
Review: Its about time they finally started releasing the older shows on dvd. All the shows from my childhood were like the best ones ever and u never see them anymore. I used to love the Teenage MUtant Ninja Turtles and watched it all the time. im not feelin the new show at all. they should bring out all the original episodes that started it all out on dvd.
Rating:
Summary: TMNT POWER old skool!!!
Review: Its so refreshing seeing all the great shows of my youth returning to a restored and high quality format. After Transformers, my biggest obsession has to be the TMNT. In 1987, i remember watching UPN (of course back then it was just KBHK 44) and watched the 2 hour premiere. Being in 1st grade, i didnt really comprehend the story, but the action was enough to please me. 1989 was probably their best season, since it was reruned some many times. Then in 1990, CBS bought the rights started to air an hour special every morning. New music, better coloring, and individual stories. Lol, good tymes! Anyway, I give this 4 stars for the same reason mentioned above. These so called "bonus episodes" is when the show was in a downfall, and they used a darker story and animation simailar to the movies. For the n00bs out there watching the new FOX BOX episodes, this DVD might be confussing but its still in a treasure of my past. It may sound harsh, but the new TMNT sucks in comparison to the ones i grew up with. Furthermore the storylines and characters to me seem hollow and find it difficult to distinguish their personalities. Oh well, it could be that im 22 or that i find todays cartoons uninteresting and crappy. *Hopes for more possible box sets*
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