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Extremely minor spoilers ahead that really only increase the intrigue one might have in the series----->
This is my first review: Initially, I was just writing a comment on my anime list for Arc-V but it ended up being so long that I decided I might as well post it here as well. Be gentle :)
This was the Yu-Gi-Oh Arc thus far with the most story and depth of characters. The first 50 episodes or so are reminiscent of previous Yu-Gi-Oh seasons, introducing mechanics such as the new Pendulum summoning method, and contains classic scenarios like duel tournaments. Even then, the inter-dimensional aspects of the story ... still shine through the first 50 episodes, providing cryptic twists, betrayals and mysteries to be continued through the following Synchro, Xyz and Fusion dimensions. Unfortunately, the characters from previous seasons that do make reappearances in their respective dimension do not retain their memories from the events in the previous seasons, they still have the same personalities and the same decks, save the added pendulum cards or slight alterations. On top of the exciting story and likable characters, the show, unlike its predecessors focuses on more aspects of a duel than just introducing more and more examples of the season's highlighted summoning method. (I'm looking at you Zexal, where every battle was just a competition to see who could summon the biggest Xyz monster, from regular Xyz to rank up Xyz to chaos Xyz it gets tiring you know.) Another likable feature in Arc-V is that the main character (Yuya), is not tied down by one or two rivals. In shows like Zexal, the MC's rivals were well known and set and you could obviously tell which future battles would occur. In 5Ds, Yusei's rival was obviously and predictably Jack Atlas for the first 50 episodes and then shifted towards the leader of the evil duelers in that show, which provided very obvious storytelling and guiding. In Arc-V, Yuya ends up fighting the largest variety of opponents to date, some friends, some foes, some even friend turned foe. The end result of Arc-V is not even remotely possible to accurately guess until dozens of episodes have been watched and allows for suspenseful watching, unsure of the future of the series. Most of all, Arc-V focuses on the relationship between Yuya and his monsters, his amazing cast of friends and supporters, and his ideal to duel like his father does, with a smile.