I don't personally think the characters being older is hurting the anime. Personally i think it has given the show a more mature vibe, which i like. The problem as i see it is this: At the beginning of the original "Naruto" he was pretty much just useless and annoying, but we got to watch him grow as a ninja and by the end he had become a fitting rival for Sasuke. Now Shippuuden has started, and it's like we're going to have to watch him go from loud suckbag to kick ass all over again. It's just kind of rediculous and it puts me off quite a bit. Sakura spends 3 years training with Sunade and comes out vastly improved and a much cooler character, but Naruto spends all that time with Jiraiya and thus far it seems he has almost nothing to show for it. Well except for a bigger version of his Rasengan. Whats killing Shippuuden for me is that it seems like Naruto is almost starting over in terms of skill, instead of showing any improvement from pre-timeskip. Hopefully this new arc will change that.