Some people compare it to Digimon meets Yokai Watch with a sprinkle of kamen rider, and I couldn't agree more. It's without a doubt designed to be for a much younger audience than previous seasons. I wouldn't exactly call this a bad thing, but I could see how this could push a few people away. However, that doesn't stop the show from having some shockingly dark moments, most of which occur when the show is reaching it's climax.
A lot of characters go through deep and extensive character arcs and it's really interesting seeing them grow as people over the course of the series. The characters of this show is definitely it's strong point. It's very rare when you get an entire cast this likable where you want whats best for everybody by the end. Even characters I found annoying in the beginning I ended up loving by the end. I really feel like there's a character for everybody here.
The story on the other hand, is difficult to talk about. Not because it's good or bad, but because it takes a while to get going. The first half of the show is really just build up and feels like filler, but once it starts, as said before, it really gets going. It dives into some reason life problems, some of which you wouldn't expect a children's anime to tackle, but it does so beautifully. It really uses it's younger demographic as an advantage to try something new for the digimon series.
The show also doesn't go out of it's way to hide it's plot twists. You find out who the main villain is because the heroes do, you now what traps are waiting up ahead, you know who the traitor is, etc. but it uses these twists to it's advantage in very clever ways. You know these twists are going to happen, but you never know when or why which really allows the viewer to get in the characters heads.
Art is good. Sometimes there are episodes that look a bit off, but that's to be expected in a 50+ anime series. The art is never so bad that it looks ugly so that's nothing to worry about.
Sound wise, it works. The anime has some pretty catchy insert songs, and I really enjoy the openings and endings. This is a bit of a personal problem I guess, but the shows ost on the other hand can be a bit quiet some times. however in important moments where they raise the volume, it can be really dynamic or beautiful. To give you an idea, when I went back to listen to the ost after finishing the show, I was left jaw dropped with how good some of the tracks were. But in the show they were so quiet and rarely used that I never got the chance to really enjoy them.
Overall, I think it's a great series that anyone can enjoy, kids and adults alike.
