Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "City at War, Part 2"

[Batman's Biggest Fan]

After last week's cliffhanger. Will the Turtles escape their fate? Find out today!

[KuwabaraTheMan]

Pretty good episode. Even better than last week I thought. the Purple Dragons joined the mix, and then we have Karai show up, and get a really cool fight. So nice to see the Turtles fighting some really good ninjas after an episode of Foot. Can't wait for the conclusion(which will probably leave a fealing of being rushed, but hey, this isn't the comics, and I doubt a 13 part arc would be feasable)

[Deadly Messiah]

It was pretty cool. I never knew Han was originally a purple dragon though. I just thought he was there because they worked for Shredder.

Kurai is really cool too. Is that how she looked in the original comics?

Also, I remember reading that CaW was a 13 issue comic series, so how many issues have they gone through in 2 episodes?

[Fone Bone]

I thought this was only going to be two parts. Or is it and they just left us in a cliffhanger for the next arc like "Search For Splinter" and "Turtles in Space"? Either way it was good. Everything is getting messed up nice and proper. This show has outdone the original cartoon by sticking with the comic books but not being slaves to them. I'm impressed. The tension between Leo and Raph doesn't seem too forced. It is believable. I thought Hun was cooler here than in any of his other appearances thus far. He's really takeing charge and we haven't seen that before. Baxter rocked as usual. Too bad we didn't see more of him. (Opposite of my complaint from last week!). I liked Casey and Mike strongarming April into borrowing her car. "Goongala! Goongala!". Good episode: ****1/2

[Simpler Simon]

Eh...and the whole point of that was....what, exactly? Yeah, we got some great Leo and Raph tension, Casey gets some action, and the Purple Dragons finally join the fray...but did the whole episode really need to be one long fight sequence (focusing on the same brawl as part 1, no less). That just felt like a huge waste to me, especially when they could've pulled back and shown us multiple turf wars all across the city and broaden the scope of this gang war. Karai really should've made her offer at the end of this episode, not drag it out till the start of part three.

And this has been bugging me ever since Turtles in Space, but what's up with these two-minute recap sequences? They eat away what little screentime the show already gets, and it just feels rather pointless. If you've been keeping up, good. If not...tough. How many times have we seen Shredder get crushed by that water tower already?

Except for Return to New York, the multi-parters longer than 2 episodes have felt really badly paced. Here's hoping part three will be good.

3 stars.

OT: So they're giving away large cash prizes again on this March Mega-Moolah contest. Where does the money for these prizes come from? It's not out of the money pool given to the cartoons, is it?

[BCVM22]

OT: So they're giving away large cash prizes again on this March Mega-Moolah contest. Where does the money for these prizes come from? It's not out of the money pool given to the cartoons, is it?
Of course not. Most likely it comes out of 4Kids' marketing budget or is contributed by advertisers.

[Ian]

Eh...and the whole point of that was....what, exactly? Yeah, we got some great Leo and Raph tension, Casey gets some action, and the Purple Dragons finally join the fray...but did the whole episode really need to be one long fight sequence (focusing on the same brawl as part 1, no less). That just felt like a huge waste to me, especially when they could've pulled back and shown us multiple turf wars all across the city and broaden the scope of this gang war. Karai really should've made her offer at the end of this episode, not drag it out till the start of part three.

And this has been bugging me ever since Turtles in Space, but what's up with these two-minute recap sequences? They eat away what little screentime the show already gets, and it just feels rather pointless. If you've been keeping up, good. If not...tough. How many times have we seen Shredder get crushed by that water tower already?

While I see your point, Simon, I disagree. First of all, remember that the war’s been going on for a while now, and that the turtles stumbled upon it during the end game. This battle is VERY important, since according to the mob boss it’s their final strike, as well as The Foot’s last stand. This final battle is decisive, if a bit anticlimactic. Then again, there’s still one episode left.



As for the teaser recaps, I like them. They’re informative to the newbies, they only take away from redundant animation, and they give us the turtle’s thoughts on recent events without it sounding overexpositiony (or at least sounding that way on purpose).

[SirLemming]

...but did the whole episode really need to be one long fight sequenceYes.

This ain't Batman. I think all that's necessary for good TMNT is cool action sequences and enough story revolving around them for it all to make sense. Anyone who pretends there was more depth to the old series is kidding themself, and I don't think the new show needs much more than that. It's different and more deep, yes. ...but not really.

[Simpler Simon]

While I see your point, Simon, I disagree. First of all, remember that the war’s been going on for a while now, and that the turtles stumbled upon it during the end game. This battle is VERY important, since according to the mob boss it’s their final strike, as well as The Foot’s last stand. This final battle is decisive, if a bit anticlimactic. Then again, there’s still one episode left.
Was it the final strike? I guess I missed that bit then. I always thought the references in previous episodes meant gang war tensions were "rising", not that the war had actually already started. And like I said in a previous thread, I was kinda expecting a "Batman: No Man's Land" approach, where the whole city was literally devastated and rubble. Plus there's the fact that "City at War" has been hyped up, both in the series and by fans here since the episode descriptions were released. I guess I expected a bit too much...

And this season for me has been very poorly structured ever since Turtles in Space. I'm liking all the plot points, but some episodes drag and others go by way too fast.


As for the teaser recaps, I like them. They’re informative to the newbies, they only take away from redundant animation, and they give us the turtle’s thoughts on recent events without it sounding overexpositiony (or at least sounding that way on purpose).
Well here's my gripe. TMNT runs rougly 21:30min. I believe 1:30 of that is titles and credits. The recaps for turtles in space, secret origins, and now city at war either push or pass the 2 minute mark. So we're basically getting 18 minutes of new animation, not counting the stock battle footage they gave us in city at war part 1. It's really not a lot for the writers to work with. And while I do find the turtle's thoughts on recent events amusing, it'd be more efficient to simply do a "previously on Ninja Turtles" with a short montage clip.


Of course not. Most likely it comes out of 4Kids' marketing budget or is contributed by advertisers.
The reason I asked is because I read a post awhile ago that said networks budget all their shows from the same money pool. So if the Friends actors got huge paychecks or if "Millionarie" kept giving huge prizes, other shows would suffer.

And what, they've given off at least $15,000 cash each week for the last three/four weeks? Even with sponsors and an advertising chest, thats insane...I remember when I was younger it was Power Rangers toy prize packs worth like $500.

[Batman's Biggest Fan]

So far this arc hasn't surpassed the "Return to New York" arc, like you people said it would.

[Space Cadet]

So far this arc hasn't surpassed the "Return to New York" arc, like you people said it would.
It probably would if it was longer than three episodes.

[ClockStomper]

was a 13 issue comic series, so how many issues have they gone through in 2 episodes?One....half. They've basicly extended the 5 page robot fight to an episode and a half, then thrown in the meeting with Karai. The original had a lot of smaller battles, PLUS Casey, Splinter, and April each had their own storylines (Casey and splinter had really good ones, too.)


So far this arc hasn't surpassed the "Return to New York" arc, like you people said it would.That's what happens when the first 2 episodes are based on the worst 5 pages of the original story. They also have seen fit to eliminate all of the key characterization from the original.

Raph and Leo's argument has gone in circles about "our fight"/"not our fight". The issue was a lot different when Hamato Yoshi was a Foot (and therefore the Turtle and Splinter were too, by being his indirect pupils). But the continuity changes are starting to take their toll.



Kurai is really cool too. Is that how she looked in the original comics?
Basicly, only the artist drew the comic can't draw faces very well. She's a thousand times prettier here. Seems they've eliminated ANOTHER bit of characterization, this time involving Karai. I'll tell you next week just in case they bring it up at the 11th hour on the show.

[RAINMAN]

This sega could have ben longer if they didn`t drag out the turtle in space sega,waste a ep on nano and most of all that useless recap ep. By the way, does anyone remeber that female ninja from the old show that leo had a crush on? Was she karai?

[Ian]

Was it the final strike? I guess I missed that bit then. I always thought the references in previous episodes meant gang war tensions were "rising", not that the war had actually already started. And like I said in a previous thread, I was kinda expecting a "Batman: No Man's Land" approach, where the whole city was literally devastated and rubble. Plus there's the fact that "City at War" has been hyped up, both in the series and by fans here since the episode descriptions were released. I guess I expected a bit too much...Probably, but yeah, it's the final strike, for the mob ("After tonight, the City is Ours" or something like that), at least. According to them, they'd been losing badly to The Foot, and would have continued losing, if not for Baxter and the NYC Foot, according to them (the mob, I mean, so don't expect total credibility) were all in that building last episode (an indication itself that the War had been going on for quite a while).

Ah, hype. An opinion's worst friend. If the current story has been guilty of anything is not living up to the hype. But whos fault is that?



And this season for me has been very poorly structured ever since Turtles in Space. I'm liking all the plot points, but some episodes drag and others go by way too fast. I agree somewhat. It's been worse than in season one, but still not that bad, IMO.


Well here's my gripe. TMNT runs rougly 21:30min. I believe 1:30 of that is titles and credits. The recaps for turtles in space, secret origins, and now city at war either push or pass the 2 minute mark. So we're basically getting 18 minutes of new animation, not counting the stock battle footage they gave us in city at war part 1. It's really not a lot for the writers to work with. And while I do find the turtle's thoughts on recent events amusing, it'd be more efficient to simply do a "previously on Ninja Turtles" with a short montage clip.Point.

Personally, I think “City at War 2k4” is great, for what it is. I haven’t read the original, I didn’t expect it to be much like the comic book, since the situation is vastly different, and I didn’t expect to see the April, Casey, and Splinter stories, so I have the benefit of vastly lower expectations. Sure, it could be better, but as it’s going now, it’s good enough, and still miles above any other American animated series not made by people named Paul Dini and/or Bruce Timm.

[Animelee]

A really great episode! The action was fluid and interesting, and I'm so happy they didn't re-use frames like other shows do.

One nitpick I have is the way they pronounce "Kurai". First, I thought her name was "Kirai", then "Karai", then "Kurai". I had to check the official site to be sure. I mean, they pronounce "bushido" properly, and they actually say "nunchaku", and when they were in Mortu's memory of Japan, 4Kids actually said "someone-san", yet they can't say "KU - RA - I"? I just hope they fix it in the future. :)

All-in-all, a really great episode, and the action actually kept me interested, unlike action in shows like Justice League, which puts me to sleep. Great job, so far!

[Space Lion]

...another decent episode for me. I did like the one-shot scenes during the final battle between Leo and Karai (or whatever her name is). But I'm getting a bit tired of seeing Leo get all of the action. I know he's the leader (and favorite), but still...

[Mysteryinfoman]

It was an okay episode, I really like the fight between Leo and Ralph and Karai, very fluid. I'm thinking they should've made this a 4-parter if possible and made the season-opener a bit smaller because I've the heard alot more takes place in the comic and i don't know how they will put that much stuff in part 3.

[Sharklady]

> By the way, does anyone remeber that female ninja from the old show that leo had a crush on? Was she karai? <

You're thinking of Lotus. Though they were both excellent swordswomen, Lotus was a mercenary for hire, while Kurai is a devoted Foot Clan leader.

[Anarky]

i never read the original comic story, so i have the "advamtage" of not comparing that to this. but i can make a comparison. remember the disappointment of bat-fans when "Bane" debuted on BTAS. A serious letdown following the epic "Knightfall" arc from the comics. i suppose they're both on the same scale.

anyway, i've enjoyed the first 2 parts.i have a theory abour Karai. Perhaps she's part of the original Foot Clan, a clan of honor. The Shredder adopted the Foot identity and corrupted it.

reasons for my theory:
1. she's come to restore order to the Foot, perhaps to steer it back to respectability.
2. she could've bombed the Turtles all the way to East Rutherford...however, I feel she was only trying to get their attention w/ that "little" explosion.
3. she and her ninjas fought defensively, they weren't out for blood.

it seems she wants to form an alliance w/ them.

it's just a theory. we won't know til next wkd.
still looking forward to Usagi Yojimbo, the "Justice League", and the season finale The Big Brawl (4 or 5 parts I believe)

hopefully, we'll see Slash in Season Three. But not the idiot bizarro version, I want a Venom/Carnage type character.

[Slade_Wilson]

Just a quick question.if anybody remembers turtles tournament fighters for snes, then I would like to know if that is the same girl that is the boss at the end of that game?

[ClockStomper]

hopefully, we'll see Slash in Season Three. But not the idiot bizarro version, I want a Venom/Carnage type character.
I'd rather they do a spliced clone: Turtle DNA plus Shredder DNA.

[Shredder565]

Hey all,

don't forget that Wayne Grayson(Michelangelo) and Sam Regal(Donatello) have signed up on our new message boards and are taking questions from fans :). Although the former has stated he has much more online time than the others...

www.ninjaturtlesnetwork.com (http://www.ninjaturtlesnetwork.com) is the link :).

As for this weeks episode, I'd wonder if they'd ever dare to do a 9 part storyline. City at War ceartinly deserves it. And I agree with other posters, compared to the original show wich had 21-23 minutes of animation(Depending on wether it was syndicated or CBS) they either need to cut out the intros at the begining, or cut back on one commercial break to give us more flow or story. Hopefully that can be done for Season3.

[Ian]

Raph and Leo's argument has gone in circles about "our fight"/"not our fight".
I disagree. While it's still a big part of it, it's evolved into a fight over Leo's leadership, which might make for an interesting turn (sees Raph step up as leader).

The Good:

The initial Purple Dragon scene. One of the better Hun moments.

The Casey/April/Mike scene. Very natural. And nice touch, having April being the one breaking her stuff for once.

The TMNT/Casey vs. Karai/Foot fight. Very fluid.


More to come...

[ClockStomper]

Thus far, I think this is the worst adaption they've done. It stands alone okay, but singling out the robot fight, which was 5 pages out of 13 issues of comic, just sucked. I do think Raph and Leo's fight is lame and the others just stand around without opinions. Why isn't Donnie in on this? And they basicly shot themselves in the foot (Hee) with the Saki-trom revelation, since it screws up Karai's and the Turtles's respective memberships in the foot.

[Ian]

My opinion on the episode (cont.)

Random stuff.

Hmm, I wonder how Hun knew to attack there. Perhaps he still has his connections? And why did he (aparently) abandon the Foot?

Looks like quite a bit of time has passed since "Modern Love", if April has managed to get the building reconstructed. Would the city take care of that?

Speaking of, how much time has it been since "Things Change"? Seems like a year.

While I kind of agree with Simon that the whole thing lacks epicness, I'm not sure seeing a No Man's Landish war would be more realistic than what we're getting. As it stands, thought, they need to establish the stakes a little more.

[Samhaine]

And this has been bugging me ever since Turtles in Space, but what's up with these two-minute recap sequences? They eat away what little screentime the show already gets, and it just feels rather pointless. If you've been keeping up, good. If not...tough. How many times have we seen Shredder get crushed by that water tower already?They're nothing compared to the recaps we got in front of Angel last year. I swear, they wrote dialogue in there just because they knew they wanted to put it in the recap.

Anywho...

I have to agree that this storyline is feeling kind of 'blah'. I'm not a big fan of robot battles, so I was waiting for something to actually happen throughout. The Karai battle was a nicer change of pace, but it still was a little too long. Even with only having 3 episodes for a 13-part comic, I think this whole thing could have been paced better, and much of the storyline could have been included in some way. Unfortunately, it was really dragging.

And I now officially want Stockman dead. He's showing up far too often, and is highly annoying to boot.

[RAINMAN]

Leo&Raph clash is classic hero vs anit-hero thinking. Leo now thaks as himself as a hero he would help the city the minute something bad happends while raph thanks as a anit-H to help whenever he fells like it or it involes him.


But for the record, baxter the fly> baxter the cyborg.

[Shredder565]

Oh come on, I can't be the only Baxter fan here, can I? Although you do feel more sorry for him in the original series, since he's a bumbling good guy turned semi bad. All he wants to be is human :)..

[Samhaine]

Oh come on, I can't be the only Baxter fan here, can I? Although you do feel more sorry for him in the original series, since he's a bumbling good guy turned semi bad. All he wants to be is human :)..I'd probably like him more in this series if he hadn't been so overused, especially in this season. I realize it is in an attempt to make continuity, but it's just too much. Plus, the dialogue they give him is quite bad, and the voice actor never really pulls it above average when it comes to delivery.

[Sharklady]

> Plus, the dialogue they give him is quite bad, and the voice actor never really pulls it above average when it comes to delivery. <

I can think of one exception:

"So that's how you look when you're pleased! I've always wondered."