Simply put, this season’s premiere of Clone Wars kicked all kinds of @$$.  I really enjoyed the Clone Wars animated movie that was released in theaters prior to the movie, even if it came with a number of flaws.  However, season one of the show was hit or miss – some episodes were just as good, if not better, than the original movie, while others were a real bore.

One of the main issues I had with the first season was its disjointed nature – I’d say 80% of the season were unrelated episodes that could be watched in any oreder.  Though that makes it easy to jump in at any time, it also took away some of the impact of some of the storylines.  It’s great to have an episode focused on Yoda, or any of the other jedis.  But the unifying theme this year of the Rise of the Bounty Hunters has already given us more intense, exciting episodes with darker tones, and a great villain.

Yes, folks, the hype was worth it – Cad Bane is a damn great villain.  More charismatic and memorable than Boba Fett ever was (I know…sacrilege), and a damn fine opponent to our honorable Jedis.  He’s more than a match to all of our heroes, even without Jedi powers.  And though teaser images show that more bounty hunters are coming, I’d venture to say they’re not going to be anywhere near as badass as Bane.  It takes three of the best Jedi’s to finally break this guy’s mind, and he still manages only to buckle under the pain, but not from the jedi mind tricks!

One thing I noticed immediately this season, also, is just how damn good it looks.  I don’t know if it’s just the high def that I watched it in (most of season one I watched in standard def), or an increase in the animation quality, but the animation looked to move smoother, the action more spectacular, and the images sharper.

Of the three episodes played this season thus far (Holocron Heist, Cargo of Doom, and Children of the Force), it’s hard to decide which one I liked the most – the episodes fit nicely together to make for one feature-length experience, really.  And it’s especially nice to see Mustafar play into the series, foreshadowing its appearance at the end of Revenge of the Sith.

This season of Clone Wars started off so good that it made me quickly forget the issues I had with season one.  I’m eagerly anticipating the more adult storylines that they seem to be putting together, and you can check back here every Monday to see what I thought and tell me what you thought too!  Post your opinions on this season below!

Missed the first couple of episodes?  You can watch them at the official site!