If you were alive at any time between 1987 and now, chances are you've heard of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Even before that, the popular characters starred in their own comic book created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, an oversized black-and-white funnybook that enjoyed its own enormous level of success. Essentially, TMNT was a true kitchen table project; two independent creators simply having fun, unaware that their creations would quickly grow beyond their wildest dreams. Spawning an endless supply of merchandise, a video game series and several feature films, the TMNT was one of the most successful franchises of the late 80s-early 90s. It's still going fairly strong today.

Of course, the most well-known adaptation of the Ninja Turtles' adventures came in the form of their first animated series. Premiering in December of 1987, the first run of TMNT was quite a success: it eventually became one of the longest-running kids' shows in television history, spanning roughly 200 episodes over nearly a decade. The first few years were chock full of classic moments, but each passing season saw the show get a little more ridiculous, eventually collapsing under its own weight. Though I saw and generally enjoyed the latest CGI feature film, recent previews for Fast Forward have caused mild constipation.

Long story short: they don't make 'em like they used to.

The original animated series' road to DVD has been rocky at best. The first season was extremely solid in episode content; though it only spanned five episodes, they were probably the Turtle's finest hour overall. The DVD boasted a decent technical presentation, but only a few throwaway bonus episodes were included as extras. Subsequent volumes have crammed a dozen or more shows onto one disc, sacrificing picture quality and season continuity for cost purposes. Still, it was good enough to have these old episodes on DVD in any fashion, so most fans scooped them up quickly. To date, six of these volumes have been released; for your convenience, review links to several have been provided below.

Surprise, surprise: this seventh volume---though it's not officially labeled as such---is more of a complete collection, herding together all 40 episodes from Season 4 (according to the official website) on five discs. Unfortunately, this year marks a noted decline in overall quality, as TMNT gradually shifted from a balanced action-comedy series into a goofy sideshow attraction. Originally airing in 1990, these episodes were broadcast right around the original live action movie's premiere; unfortunately, they're not quite close to that level of entertainment. In short, Season 4 is easily the least impressive run so far, ranking near the bottom of the series' original ten-year run.

Familiar villains like Shredder and Krang have been pushed even further into the background---and for those glad to see a change after three years, you'll be begging for their return once you're re-introduced to characters like Wilbur Weazell (evil toy mastermind) and Mona Lisa (a mutated female creature who pairs off with Raphael). As for Shred-head and the talking brain, they've been more or less banished to Dimension X---so along with Bebop and Rocksteady, we don't hear from them nearly as often this time around. Still, as bad as these episodes might seem in retrospect, younger audiences and nostalgia buffs should enjoy most of what's on board.

Regardless of critical opinion, TMNT would continue its popularity streak for another few years. Season 4 marked the debut of TMNT on the CBS network, often airing back-to-back with eco-friendly "Turtle Tips" linking both together. Though these nostalgic, undoubtedly corny shorts haven't been preserved for DVD, die-hard fans of the series will certainly appreciate having all of Season 4 in one complete volume. Below is the total list of content, which includes roughly 900 minutes of cheesy goodness. Let's see what's included, shall we?

(40 full-length episodes on 5 single-sided discs)

Disc One "Plan 6 from Outer Space" "Turtles Of The Jungle" "Michaelangelo Toys Around" "Peking Turtle" "Shredder's Mom" "Four Turtles And A Baby" "Turtlemaniac" "Rondo In New York"	Disc Two "Planet Of The Turtles" "Name That Toon" "Menace, Maestro Please" "Super Hero For A Day" "Back To The Egg" "Son Of Return Of The Fly" "Raphael Knocks 'Em Dead" "Bebop and Rocksteady Conquer The Universe"
Disc Three "Raphael Meets His Match" "Slash - The Evil Turtle From Dimension X" "Leonardo Lightens Up" "Were-Rats from Channel 6" "Funny, They Shrunk Michaelangelo" "The Big Zipp Attack" "Donatello Makes Time" "Farewell, Lotus Blossom"	Disc Four "Rebel Without A Fin" "Rhino-Man" "Michaelangelo Meets Bugman" "Poor Little Rich Turtle" "What's Michaelangelo Good For?" "The Dimension X Story" "Donatello's Degree" "The Bug Cufflink Caper"
Disc Five "Leonardo Versus Tempestra" "Splinter Vanishes" "Raphael Drives 'Em Wild" "Beyond The Donatello Nebula" "Big Bug Blunder" "The Foot Soldiers Are Revolting" "Unidentified Flying Leonardo" "Turtles And The Hare" Includes Additional Bonus Features (see below for details)

Presented in their original 1.33:1 aspect ratios, these episodes look fairly decent for their age. Colors are generally strong and black levels are usually solid, but a mild amount of digital combing can be seen during certain action sequences. Overall, it's a step up from some of the earlier volumes, if only because these episodes are given a bit more room to breathe. Still, fans won't exactly be blown away.

The audio is roughly on par with the visuals, presented in what appears to be a 2.0 split mono mix. Dialogue is generally clean and clear, though some of the music and sound effects can't help but feel a bit thin. Optional subtitles are not included, but all 40 episodes include Closed Captioning support.

It's hard to ignore that Season 4 of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a much different beast than earlier years; for the most part, the cornball plots and increasingly laughable characters will only be masked by the strongest nostalgia. With that said, it's good to see that Lionsgate is apparently back on track to season-length collections, as this five-disc set is literally packed with vintage episodes...and still weak on extras. The technical presentation isn't anything to write home about, but as least these episodes get more room to breathe. Overall, it's tough to recommend this set to anyone but die-hard TMNT fans---so unless you already know and enjoy Season 4 from back to front, you're better off with a quick fix. Rent It.