Well, it's been a while (about 10 years or so) since I went through the Water Temple the first time. I remember being somewhat annoyed by it then, but I really enjoyed going through it this time.
I'm wondering: did I change, or is something radically different in the 3DS version that I'm forgetting? I know the item switching is faster, but is that it?
Maybe it's because I've beaten a lot of other Zelda games since then, or it could just be age and the accompanying wisdom.
Either way, I really don't think it deserves all the hate it gets.