Naruto Season 2 (2003)
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Naruto Season 2 Review
The second season of Naruto is not as good as the first season, but it’s close and it features two very strong arcs.
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“Loneliness is this world’s worst kind of pain“
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Let’s first talk about the arcs and later on I will talk in-depth about each and every character. The first story is my favorite as it involves the tournament which I adore in these anime shows the most. I liked most of the fights with some reservations (girls continue to be weak and Rock Lee lost). The action is well executed and the fights and pairings were all very entertaining.
Although I was definitely frustrated that the tournament was interrupted, I still liked that eventual developing storyline about Orochimaru, hokage and all these new powerful characters. The show is finally becoming more ambitious in story and number of characters plus it’s getting darker and more serious. I just wish that we were introduced better to Itachi and others as they are certainly cool, but rushed and abrupt in their arrival for sure.
Naruto is great and I continue to really like his character and especially his sense of humor and fun. I wanted more from him and he’s annoyingly not a protagonist of this show, at least for now. Sasuke continues to be too cool and cold, but still he got a great story. Sakura got a terrific fight with Ino and both were great there, but she continues to be a very weak female character in what is frustratingly a somewhat sexist series.
Kakashi himself continues to be cool and the other senseis are also terrific and I like them as a group quite a bit. Orochimaru continues to be intriguing and quite badass whereas Gaara personally did not appeal to me as he was too hyped up, but the eventual mythology around him was cool and his flashbacks were fine. Rock Lee is one of my favorites and I am so angry that he lost his match.
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The flashbacks continue to be overly abundant, but at least most of them are pretty well crafted. The action is the series’ standout aspect undoubtedly not only because the fights are so well executed, but also because the details are abundant and the mythology is well written.
In the end, this season of Naruto has its problems including the abundance of flashbacks and weak female characters, but both of its arcs are excellent, the fights are awesome and the characterization is strong.
Worst Episodes: Kakashi and Orochimaru: Face-to-Face and A Feeling of Yearning.
Best Episodes: Gaara vs. Rock Lee: The Power of Youth Explodes and An Unrivaled Match: Hokage Battle Royale.
