Nickelodeon Series April O'Neil

[Michaelangelo]

Hey everyone,

We all know about April's new age being 16 in the Nickelodeon TV series.  The big question here is "What are your thoughts about it"?  

Personally I don't think age matters as much as personality.  For me, as a kid growing up watching the original cartoon series, April was the type of girl I did not want to be.  I was glad she wasn't all into romance, but I hated that she never learned to defend herself.  She'd rather rely on others to save her when ever she got into trouble.  So even as a kid she did not come out as a favorite character.

In the movies, we see that each movie was done rather close to the one before it.  TMNT 2 seem to take place not long at all after TMNT 1, TMNT 3 didn't give a time limit.  Though the April in the movie did try to be of help.  She knocked out foot soldiers from the pipes above in the sewer with the first movie.  And just seem to have more of a fighting spunk to her.  Archie did the best job with April, having her pick up a sword and start training under Splinter.

When the Turtles did their come back in 2003 both the movie and the 4Kids series showed that April learned to fight.  I thought that was cool, since her life was in danger being around the Turtles.  Gave me a bit more respect for her.  Though still, I was watching for the Turtles. Not for April, in fact I could not stand the April in the TMNT 2007 movie.

So now we have a new April, and we learn that she does train to fight and become a kunoichi.  That's cool, though they turn around and say she's going to be 16... that's the weird part.  April has always been an adult.  Though the people at Nick found it odd for an adult to be hanging out with teenagers.  If this is their only reason to change her age, than that is not cool.

When I was in 6th grade at school my best friends were the 1st, 2nd and 3rd grader.  Some of the adults in the school did not like it that I was hanging out with little kids.  But there was no harm in it, we liked the same TV show, we liked the same games, and we got a long.  So I was very angry at the adults who were against this, who tried to give me dentition for hanging out with my friends.  The fights I would get in for my rights to be able to hang out with who I wanted, got me to swear at an adult for the first time in my life. This goes both ways for me.  When I was a teenager I would go across the street to talk with a neighbor, she was 80 years old.  I enjoyed hearing her stories of growing up.   Age should not be the barrier of friendships.  It's an illusion of time.  

If you have something in command with someone younger or older than you should still be allowed to remain friends with them.  By a TV show saying adults can not be friends with people younger than them, they're siding with the illusion of it making a difference.  Through out most of my life I usually get along with people who are much older than me or much younger. So I stand by my saying, if they're only changing her age because of the weird factor of her original age than I do not like this change.

BUT!

If they're changing her age because they came up with a great story for her that would not work if she's an adult.  And find this story something worth giving to the series.  Than I can agree with it.  Right now we have one of the suits of Nickelodeon telling us that it's the age difference that made them change it, but I would really like to hear an interview with one of the creative team members from the series before I judge.  I feel there could be more to this than we know right now and I'll like to ride it out and see where they're going.

So for me with the poll I choose "Don't care about her age, her personality is what counts."  I can't wait to see what they do next.

[cynlee]

Well you've already heard my views on this in person.  But they might as well change her name to Mary Sue O'Neil.  She'll be 16, she'll be searching for her kidnapped father, she'll be the ACCEPTABLE companion-age of the Turtles, and she'll be Don's Crush-- OH, and she'll be training to become a "Kin-noach". 

And yet she'll still have an apt. and an antique shop. 

I hope someone from Nick wades in on this.  Personally, if Kevin Eastman hadn't been standing in front of me with his darling son in my line of fire, I'd have thrown pizza at that dude. 

*waves at everyone*

[Phoenix]

The age doesn't really matter provided they can make the story make sense. 

[BubblyShell22]

I hate the idea because like Cyn says, it sounds as though they're going to make her into a Mary Sue, and I don't like that idea. I think she'd be better as an adult because she wouldn't be dependent on her parents and wouldn't have restrictions like school and things like that. She'd be able to hang out with the Turtles with no worries about her parents finding out. With this she'd have to account to them for how she knows the guys, and it would just be too awkward. I'll still check it out, but I don't like the idea at all.

[Hero]

This new Pumpkin-headed April I am yet to engage with until I watch the show. But, I can certainly say she's much different to the others obviously because of the age thing.

All previous adult Aprils in my mind have been Lara Croft-like.

New and young kid 2012 version will most likely have less independence and boundaries to overcome. She's a kid after all and it would be good to see how she sneaks out of curfew and detention etc to hang with the bros for example. .

[BubblyShell22]

Yeah, and whether her parents will ever find out about the Turtles. But I'm still not keen on the idea.