Intro.

I've never been a major anime fan. I'm a book freak and practically read the dictionary. But, since I really enjoyed reading and observing Kishimoto's impressive manga-style art in the Naruto and Shippuden book series, I decided to try the anime.

The first episodes I watched were of the original series, so I got bored with the Zabuza vs. Team Kakashi arc and skipped to Shippuden. There are many things I am very impressed by in the series and other things that make me think that it needs some remodeling.

Basics.

Storyline:
This is tricky, because are we talking about fillers here or the canon episodes?
That is something I completely dislike. I am not sure who writes the story boards for the filler episodes, but over 66 percent of them are teriffically awful. Some fillers span into parts, which makes them twice as unbearable. Others have some reasonable ideas and somewhat interesting characters, despite the other terrible ones.

I think that the ORIGINAL storyline is great.
There are sub-plots that actually keep your interest and make you want to read, and span into one larger idea. The ideas Kishimoto used are very original, and 80 percent of the time the directors make sure to convey those plots to the closest detail possible. Fillers are just a big issue for me.
(Summed Up: It's not the storyline that bothers me; it's the dreadful fillers that distract from the original plot.)

Music:
I think that compared to part 1 of Naruto, Shippuden's introduction and closing themes are hundreds of times better.
Before, I thought the music was so-so in the first part; electric guitars were overused and made the series seem too boy-ish and immature. Now, Shippuden's music is a major improvement and made me change my mind about Naruto's overall music rating including both parts.
I am glad the directors incorporated many more female singers and better themes that can relate to the plots in the anime. Some of my favorite themes include "Long Kiss Goodbye" that relates to Kurenai's relationship with Asuma; "Broken Youth" that strongly presents the feelings of Sasuke and Naruto's old friendship and the main idea of the current series; and "Hotaru no Hikari" for the beautiful animation that acompanied it for the fifth opening.
(Summed Up: The music for Shippuden is amazing compared to part 1. Just forget about the first part's music!!)

Characters:
I love the characters in Naruto.
I don't love their up-close dramatized shots and long explinations.
That's the only problem I've ever had with the majority of Kishimoto's characters in Shippuden. I've grown to admire Sakura more, as she became stronger and more pursposeful; Gaara's new attiude makes him a more appealing character; and Naruto's maturation and independence was striking in the beginning of the series.
Now, I only have one issue: for most of the start of the series, Sasuke was gone. It took forever to skip the fillers and get to the canon episodes where he is finally put back into the main picture. The vol. 34 return scene was in the mid-fifties, episode wise! It doesn't really make much sense to take away one of the most interesting characters in the series for basically 60 percent of the first part of the show, and then most of the beginning of the next part of the show.
(Summed Up: Why were directors keeping Sasuke's appearance minimal up until now?!)

Animation:
Sadly, this is where things get a little bit lousy.
In the canon episodes, things seem more sharp, clearer, more focused. The direction is more polished and there is an improvement in the overall quality.
With fillers, it's like the directors and animators threw everything out the window to draw them on a whim, or on a really strict, tight deadline. The animation for much of Shippuden looks a little blurred, almost messy. It was like that in part 1 and I was expecting better. I am not sure why the direction team did not strive to improve this issue.
(Summed Up: Animators, please stop taking long coffee breaks.)

Overall.
I was in a nice mood and gave Shippuden a 4/5.
Mainly since Sasuke is back once more!
I think the show has much more potential than part 1. It annoys me less; it keeps me focused more. That's a good thing. I think that the fillers should be cut and we should stick to the canon episodes a little more strongly.
Also, even though Shippuden is a nice anime to watch and especially to discuss, please remember that there are other amazing animes out there. Shippuden is not the best. I really dislike die-hards who down other competing animes just to make Shippuden seem the greatest out of all other animes.