So here's something weird: when Nickelodeon got the rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, they only got the rights to the name and the 2003 show, apparently. All this time, they haven't actually had the rights to the original 1987 cartoon show. Until now! They put up this video of the first five episodes, which are part of one of the show's only real story arcs, and it holds up sort of okay!
A bummer: they apparently still do not have the rights to the original 1987 theme song. Or, at least, not the original recording. So they recorded a cover -- same song, new singers. It's... kind of bad. Parts of it are almost kind of off key? Compare the version in the above video with this. Some of that opening chorus in the new version is missing the correct emphasis and minor key changes in how the words are said.
Also weird: it feels like there's an episode missing, because (spoilers) Episode 1 basically ends with Shredder saying off screen that he can't let the Turtles know about his Technodrome secret base, and then episode 2 opens with April hitting the Turtles up to "go back to that Technodrome-thingy." I was pretty mad, because Nickelodeon in particular is notorious for showing episodes out of order! But after checking three different episode guides, no, that's just how it always was. 80's cartoons, huh?
Anyway. I just think this is neat. I'm having that extremely weird reaction to watching this where I haven't seen these episodes in probably close to 25 years, meaning I've functionally forgotten everything about them -- yet every other line of dialog rings some ancient, long dormant bell in my brain where I know what they're going to say next. Even though I don't feel like I know. It's bizarre and inexplicable. In a dark corner of my mind, seven year old BlazeHedgehog suddenly perks his ears up again because, ohmygosh the Ninja Turtles are on???? It's a different feeling from run-of-the-mill nostalgia. More primal than that.
