Which TMNT cartoon do you enjoy more TODAY, the 1987 or 2003?

I love the original 1987 cartoon to death but it really doesn't stand the test of time.

TMNT 2003 on the other hand is one of the best cartoons ever made in my opinion. Certainly one of the best action cartoons. It's more true to the comics, it has some fantastic action sequences, it has an engrossing plot, it has consistant animation (at least until Fast Forward) and it's overall a great cartoon.

The original cartoon is funny and I enjoy watching the characters but it's quality is incredibly inconsistant in every regard except for maybe acting which was the only real part of the series that's memorable to me at this point despite having all the DVDs on hand.
 
The 2003 version is easily going to take this home.

But whatever because the original series is MY TMNT. I never got into the newer version. I was far too old to care when it started.
 
I'm just the opposite of the OP. The 1987 series is the one that bores me. I can't get through an entire episode anymore without rolling my eyes at the complete, utter nonsense that fills each episode front-to-back.

2003 TMNT is where its at. I could watch it anytime. I don't even care about the continuity being based on the comics because I never read the comics. But the show had superior writing and storytelling (which shows how good those comics were even though I never read them,) plus superior animation, coloring and voice acting.
 
I love them both, but I think I prefer the 2003 version. I mean, the 1987 series was great, but the episodic nature meant it could got old. Sure, there were story arcs, but they were nowhere near as well done as the new series. I guess I just like a darker tone better too.
 
If you prefer silly comedy and stand-alone episodes, then you'll prefer the 1987 TMNT. If you prefer kick-butt action, story arcs and a somewhat darker tone, then you'll prefer the 2003 TMNT.

I was already past childhood when both series first came out, so there's not one show that I glom onto over another. I can get enjoyment out of both shows, but the 2 are completely different beasts.
 
To be frank, I'd imagine the only people who could possibly like the old show better than the new are those who grew up with it. I watched it for the first time when the first DVD came out, and I thought it was pretty bad. If I grew up with it I'm sure I'd have loved it.

2K3, on the other hand, may very well be one of my favorite cartoons of all time. It had sci-fi, magic, super heroes, just about something for fans of all types of tv shows. And everything blended together so perfectly without coming across as outlandish or silly. It takes a darn good show to do that.
 
Nope. I grew up with the old show (syndicated of course) but I still like the 2003 series better. Better looking, better action, better comedy. I try not to think that Flash Forward exists.
 
That's not true, Sketch. (You are Sketch, right?)

The original cartoon was more FUN. It has the same light-hearted repetitiveness that the first season of Pokemon had. The old toon is just mindless fun where you can watch a couple eps just for the absurdness of it.

The 2k3 series is of course better written, better fight seasons, continuity and all that, but its not as "fun," so to speak.

Either way both are great cartoons and TMNT revolutionized action cartoons before B:TAS and Gargoyles.
 
I enjoyed the original series, but lost interest sometime in the early 90's when it became too silly for it's own good. The first two seasons, or so had a much better balance of action, and comedy in retrospect. I also enjoy the 2003 series, but never bother to watch 'Fast Forward' due to my suspicions of it being 'gimmick based'. (Turtles in the future, and what not.)
 
Hmmmm, being a TMNT purist, I thought this would be an easy choice: the one that's closer to the original comics. But, to my surprise, it was not a sure thing for me. I guess I've grown to appreciate the '87 series more as being, if you will, the "Adam West's Batman", version of the Turtles. And besides, the '87 series had Bebop and Rocksteady! Bumbling henchmen are always cool. :anime:

But in the end, I could not turn my back on the 2003 series. The first two seasons in particular have the place of honor on my shelf. That's when they were closest to the original comics, sometimes almost verbatim!

So, it's 2003 TMNT for me.... unless the Nickelodeon series turns out to be even better! Stay tuned.....
 
I have to say I enjoy both equally. The former for it's humor and corny writing, and the other for it's storylines and characterization.

But then, I'm the kind of person who can enjoy Dark Knight Batman and Caped Crusader Batman (Adam West for clarification).

Now incidently I wonder if the original cartoon can really be lumped into the same category as most 80s programming. I mean the problem with G.I. Joe persay is that the show tried to be serious, but depicted their terrorist character as a loser (Unless you're going for comedy, a terrorist shouldn't easily be apprehended by a dog of all things). TMNT 1987 on the other hand doesn't try to deny it's goofiness.
 
I personally prefer the 2003 TMNT cartoon over the 1980s version. I find the 2003 version to have more action and it's better written in my opinion. I really didn't like the 1980s version much but at least the theme song is awesome!
 
03 TMNT isn't exactly Sin City, guys. It's still a basically silly cartoon about giant, talking, pizza-loving turtles. I'd say that the first one is more of a farce (ala Adam West's Batman series) while the latter is more concerned with camp and animesque "impossible action" scenes, but I don't where the notion that it's so hard-hitting came from.

That said, I'd say I enjoy the latter more for the reasons Sketch brought up in his first post. The 80's show is inconsistent - which is really, really bad for a show that lasted as long as it did. For every episode that really works, there'll be three that will either annoy or bore me.

(Wow, my opinion on these shows have radically changed since I first joined...)
 
I tend to prefer the 2003 series, as I think that it has better writing and action scenes.

I find the 1987 series to be too goofy for my tastes, though I do think that seasons 7 and 8 are entertaining.
 
love the 80s version.
loved the 00s version as well.

love hate kinda thing.
what irks me the most about the 00s tmnt, is that
they don't eat pizza.
yeah. i said it.
 
Though the '03 series has its good points, '87's series gets my vote.

I loved the '87 series as a kid, and nostalgia is definitely a factor in my continued enjoyment of that version. It feels like the 'real' TMNT to me, you know? I also think that its utter lack of seriousness feels like a better fit for the ludicrous concept (Ninja. Turtles.) than the more serious fare of the '03 show or the comics. I prefer '87's villains, too. '03 Shredder was the definition of awesome until we found out that he was actually a tiny alien that looked like a freaking Pac-Man ghost. Inept though he may have been, old-school Shredder was at least human. And it just isn't TMNT without Beebop and Rocksteady.

And the '87 theme song is superior to the new one in every concievable way.
 
The 2003 show is a great cartoon and there is a lot to like about it, but once in a while I tend to be blinded by nostalgia and I am faithful to the original classic TMNT, it has left me with some pretty amazing memories and I still visit it through my DVD's every once in a while.

Things I prefer about the original over the 2003 series
1. The theme song.
2. The lighthearted comedy.
3. The character designs.

Things I prefer about the 2003 series over the original
1. Better animation.
2. A little more series in it's storylines.
3. Interesting new characters.
 
Maybe from that time Leo TRIED TO DECAPITATE THE SHREDDER!

Sure it wasn't going to work but Leo didn't know that. He went at it with the clear intention to KILL the guy.

Or how about Insane in the Membrane?
 
Y'know, you're not the first one to compare the 80's TMNT to the Adam West Batman show. In fact, I seem to compare Batman and the Ninja Turtles a lot.

Anyways I'd have to go with the '03 one but I still miss some aspects of the 80's cartoon that I wish were carried over into the '03 show. (Krang for example....)
 
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