Leonardo's Review

Alright, so let's kick off today with a look at the fearless leader of our intrepid adventurers- Leonardo.

Leo was never really my favorite in the original. Out of all the four, I remember him the least. This might be because he didn't have personality quirks that were as strong as the other's, like Raph's sarcasm, Mikey's, silliness, or Donnie's intelligence. Out of all four, he seemed the most bland to my four year old self. Of course, being four, it might just be that I don't remember him. Or a combination of the two. Who can say. And now that I'm older and I can understand him better, I've come to realize how important and interesting he really is. Any person in command has a lot on his shoulders, and Leo is no exception. The 2007 movie really brings this into focus, as in the previous live-action movies never really designated a leader with words. All we knew was that it wasn't Mikey. Out of all four of them, Leo was the calmest. At the time, it seemed like he was the most boring. Now that I'm older, it just means the most responsible and level-headed. Much more attractive. But I totally get why he wasn't the most popular when I was younger. Because when you're young, the calmest person was the nay-sayer to every fun thing that happened. But this guy I can really get behind.

Now, I have no idea who Jason Biggs is. I'm sure I've heard him in something if he's in this show, but his name rings no bells to my mind. However, his voice is an absolute delight, especially for this role. It's serious enough to work with a leader, but it's light enough that it's believable when he's in his sillier moments (i.e. heroes of justice moment). The voice makes Leo, as it should be.

As far as his personality goes, I actually like this incarnation much more than all the other ones I've seen him in. In the 1987 series, he didn't seem to be all that unique, and in the live-action movies, he was serious, but not to the point where you'd really see him as a leader. Maybe because they didn't want a "leader" role in those films. What do I know. And in the 2007 movie, he was really just a severe kind of person. He comes back after who knows how long and is instantly all business. No "How've you guys been?" nonsense for him. It made him pretty unlikable for me.But in this series, he's willing and eager to be leader, but at the same time is pretty flexible when it comes to his brothers wanting to do what they want to do. This Leo is his own person and stands apart from the others with his love of the ridiculous Space Heroes show, to his crush on the exotic and dangerous Karai, to his pretty good strategic mind.

I can't say what they'll do with him as time goes on. They've made it pretty obvious that whatever happens to him, his family will be first, but it looks increasingly (given previous episode titles and upcoming episode titles) like Karai will also play at least a fairly important role with him.

I adore the Karai/Leo edge they tossed in there. From what I know of the 2003 series, the two of them never actually got together, and apparently Karai hooked up with some guy named Bishop. Or something. Like I said, it's just what I know. In any case, these two are like the perfect Bad Girl/Good Guy combination. I really cannot wait to see what they'll have in store for them. If I had to guess, it'd be eventually Karai having to choose between her father, Shredder, and Leo, who I'm sure by that time she'll really, really like. But of course this would be a long way in the future since right now, she seems to just like irritating Leo. Also ever since (SPOILER ALERT) episode 15, where she left him and his brothers to rot with a disgusting squid/bat/snake/cat/jellyfish/whatever hybrid, he's not likely to trust her ever again. Probably she'll just be the nemesis he has a slight thing for, at least for the foreseeable future. Who knows, though.

In any case, I really like this Leo they've got going here. I dearly hope they don't plan on changing him too much as time goes on, because he's pretty perfect just like this.