Line #26 YMMV/RockLeesSpringtimeOfYouth


1	* BrokenBase: Naruto's increased appearances in the anime are a point of contention. Some dislike it, citing that ''Lee'' is the main character of this anime and shouldn't have to be sharing the spotlight with Naruto. Others don't mind it, saying that it would be unrealistic for the namesake of the franchise not to have prominent screentime and pointing out that Naruto actually helps to add some humor to the series.
2	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
3	** Sasuke's status as this is {{Lampshade\|Hanging}}d in the popularity contest (ranking #1) and the episode title where he finally gets the spotlight ("The Shinobi You've Been Waiting For!").
4	** The whole reason for this show existing is because Lee was this in the main series.
5	** The Akatsuki so much so that fans were eagerly awaiting the day that their SD spin-off will get announced. Too bad they never showed up again.
6	* HarsherInHindsight:
7	** [[spoiler: While Neji did predicted that Naruto and Hinata will tie the knot in the future, what he didn't know was that he will not make it to the wedding as he died two years prior to the wedding]].
8	** Some of the antics in the series may be harder to enjoy, considering what happens to some of the characters after the serious turn [[Manga/{{Naruto}} the main series]] took.
9	* HeartwarmingInHindsight:
10	** After Hinata beats Hanabi in Chapter 34, Hiashi praises the both of them, and says that the Hyūga's future is bright. [[spoiler:At the end of the main series, [[OfficialCouple Hinata married Naruto]] and [[BabiesEverAfter they had two children]], continuing the Hyūga clan with their two Uzumaki children.]]
11	*** Naruto[[note]]In Lee's body[[/note]] telling Neji that he'd fix up the Hyūga once he becomes Hokage.
12	** In one of Lee's skits in Episode 35-B, he suggests that Hinata gives Naruto a handmade scarf as a gift, but Tenten dismisses the idea. [[RedStringOfFate A red scarf]] is one of the key events that actually [[spoiler:help begin their romantic relationship]] in ''Anime/TheLastNarutoTheMovie''. Even better--the red scarf was [[RealitySubtext based on the one Kishimoto's wife knitted for him once]].
13	* HilariousInHindsight: The series has so many of these moments now that ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' has ended that it's not a stretch to wonder if Kenji Taira was trying to subtly spoil it for the fanbase. The fact that he was an assistant to Kishimoto doesn't help either.
14	** In Episode 35-B, everyone gets codenames at one point. Kiba and Akamaru get Mittens and Boots, which are clearly cat-related names. When Tenten points that out to them, Kiba says "We don't discriminate in our home." At the end of the main series, [[spoiler:Kiba is in a relationship with Tamaki, the cat-obsessed girl from the Uchiha Secret Hideout]].
15	** ''Every'' instance of Neji being overprotective towards Hinata.
16	** Tenten telling Lee and Neji what she thinks girls look for in a guy, as by the end of the main series [[spoiler:she is one of the only members of the Rookie 12 (or 13 if you include Sai) who isn't romantically paired up with another character.]]
17	* HoYay:
18	** PlayedForLaughs when Sai asks whether Lee has a penis and Lee promptly answers that he does and Sai pulls Lee’s pants down to check.
19	-->'''Sai:''' ''(stunned)'' Th... This is indeed the beautiful blue beast of Konoha!"
20	** When the Narrator reveals Lee's most embarrassing secrets in Episode 33-B, he mentions that the reason why Neji is a girl in a lot of Lee's skits is because Lee finds it to be cute. Make of that what you will.
21	** Episode 25-A, when Team Guy notices that the middle character on Gaara's forehead has changed from "Love" to "Romance". Lee deduces that the person who Gaara has a crush on is... Neji, the former falling for him while he was once again DraggedIntoDrag by Lee.
22	** Episode 40-B takes it to new levels, where in order to see if he's suitable for Hinata, Neji trains Naruto [[spoiler: by making Naruto take him on a date. And then Hinata ''recognizes him as a rival in love!'']]
23	** In an early episode, Lee, Neji, and Tenten [[ItMakesSenseInContext dress up as if they were a family]]. Neji and Tenten are the children, Lee is the mother. While Guy isn't present at this point, it's implied by their conversation that he's supposed to be the father.
24	** Lee in one episode tries to kiss Gaara, and at the end of the episode says he will "Wait for Gaara forever!"
25	** Les Yay:
26	*** Tenten wins the "Mr. Leaf" contest despite being female. Even though Tsunade explains why (she protected Tsunade from the other contestants when they got a bit too HotBlooded), it's unavoidable. Tenten's HeroWorshipper tendencies regarding Tsunade don't help either.
27	*** The ''Love Bugs'' drama in Episode 42-A, where Hinata plays a schoolgirl who has a romance with a boy that saves her from gangsters... and ''Tenten'' is the one who acts as the boy.
28	*** When the girls all visit an onsen together, dialogue from off-screen suggests that Tenten admires Hinata's breasts, while Ino at some point grabs Sakura's breasts.
29	* {{Moe}}: Have you ''seen'' Lee in this? He's PRECIOUS!
30	* OlderThanTheyThink: Anyone could be forgiven for assuming this series invented Tenten's role as the DeadpanSnarker "straight man" (as she calls herself in the series). Or that this series got a shout out when she made similar snarky remarks in a scene during the Ninja War arc of the manga. ArchiveBinge the first anime and ''Shippuden'' however, and you'll find plenty of instances of Tenten making snarky remarks (when she's actually featured) at the expense of the other hammier characters around her.
31	* OneSceneWonder:
32	** Mild example. "Male Tenten" shows up briefly in the second half of Episode 3, yet has a good amount of fan art and fanfiction.
33	** Any of the scenes where the boys are depicted crossdressing also have a lot of fan-art.
34	* PlatonicWritingRomanticReading: Between [[KissingCousins Neji and Hinata]] of all the characters, as it's clearly implied quite often that Neji has more than familial affection for Hinata. Although that was quite likely being intentionally PlayedForLaughs.
35	* ReplacementScrappy: Many ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' fans are mad that it replaced the anime. Ironically ''Bleach'' was [[MisBlamed pulled both because it was dwindling in popularity and the anime had caught up to the manga.]]
36	* SpiritualSuccessor: The episode "A Full-Powered Wedding Gift" from the ''Naruto Shippuden'' anime structurally plays out like a chapter/episode of ''Rock Lee's Springtime of Youth''. Even [[spoiler:the ghost of Neji]] makes an appearance.
37	* TakeThatScrappy: Sasuke gets one in Chapter 25. [[spoiler:Him being the FinalBoss of the anime series who is defeated, without any redemption.]]
38	* TearJerker: Chapter 33. It's more like a somewhat sad moment than a full-blown TearJerker, but due to some EasyAmnesia, the only thing that Sasuke and Itachi can recall is how they used to be good brothers before everything went to hell...and they promptly act like such. While hilarity still ensues, Lee notes that Sasuke and Itachi are genuinely having fun and Neji notes that maybe if things had been a little different, perhaps they could be like this all the time. Apparently even a gag manga like ''this'' could not make light about such a tragic backstory, as there's just a shot of Tenten, Neji, and Lee quietly looking on at what could have been.
39	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: The Akatsuki Two-parter doesn't feature Sasuke showing up.
40	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Once again, the Akatsuki. They would have made for more interesting (and hilarious yet highly dangerous) recurring antagonists. An In-Universe example would have to be Captain Yamato. Poor guy rarely has any lines and is relegated to cameos in the background.

Context YMMV / RockLeesSpringtimeOfYouth