Story: As far as story is concerned, the Yugioh writers seem to hype up their game. Inspite of the recap episodes, it has managed to stay consistent with its pacing and storytelling. Already, it is a massive improvement from Arc-V, with had a strong beginning and fell flat at the end. Also, its plot seems to take the Yugioh series in a different direction, to the direction of VR (which SAO established first), but inspite of that, it succeeds at doing its own thing, without much linkage to SAO.
Art: The art is quite spectacular, with top-notch summoning animations that felt like an upgrade from the previous series, however I have watched several anime (including DSoD) with stellar animations, so this one is kinda meh, especially since it doesn't bring its big guns often, but when it matters, it makes a huge impact.
Sound: Oh boy, what can I say? I was definitely invested in the openings and endings as of this moment.
Character: Now this is a more controversial topic, but I'm going to do my best on this.
Yusaku: Blah blah blah, he's the new Kirito/Yusei. I think we've all heard this before. But I don't think Yusaku resembles Kirito in any way aside from being good with computers. He more so resembles Reki Kawahara's 3rd protagonist (who doesn't have an anime adaptation yet), Minoru Utsugi. They both have a troubled past that led them to be excluded from others. While this isn't a spectacularly written style of character, it's interesting to see Yusaku change his perception of Ai, even little by little.
Ai: Ai is the centerpoint of VRAINS. The plot is focused on him and his Ignis brethren. He also provides most of the comic relief of the show (until Takeru and Flame). As for him specifically, maybe it's because I was used to Yui, but I didn't really feel that Ai would be special until the end of season 1.
Aoi: If Yusaku is Minoru, then Aoi would be Yumiko Azu (again from the not-animated series known as the Isolator). Sadly, she seems to be on the receiving end of writers bias (as most female characters are), so she may never resolve her character, which up until Season 1, has been to get recognition from her brother, and now it's to help others.
Takeru: Best sidekick in all of Yugioh (especially with his dynamic with Flame).
Revolver: Best rival in all of Yugioh.
Everyone else: Only relevant if the plot makes them so.
Enjoyment: Originally it was a 7-8, but with a war about to happen, it immediately shot up to 10.
Overall: 9/10
