(before i start, lemme preface by saying that any comments made about the animation are made knowing that sometimes a production has to change studios, which means unavoidable changes, and there's not a whole lot to be done about it.)
with that in mind;
AAAAAUUUUUUGGGGHHHHH
spent the first two episodes acclimatizing myself to the puppet animation. after having rewatched season 4 to refresh my memory, the difference in movement is jarring. it was almost unpleasant after having gotten used to flying bark. and the fact that they used footage from previous seasons in flashbacks didn't help one bit. i had to keep myself from wishing i was watching one of the previous seasons instead.
story-wise, it felt super rushed? i dunno if that was intentional, considering what felt like an underlying message of "you have no control, except when you do, and things don't always work out like you expect" that i felt like i was getting? that, and a lot of the emotional and story beats just weren't hitting for me.
was glad to see another red son and mei interaction, as short as it was. i missed their dynamic (even if that scene did just feel kinda recycled from season 3).
of course, we get no more clarification on wukong and macaque's past beef other than a few flashes of a fight. but, i am glad to hear them argue and be bitter frenemies again. the monkey bro trio had some good interaction this season. i'd like to see more of them all being silly together and pulling pranks, personally.
some of y'all said i'd like the new villain. some of y'all were right. ya can't really go wrong; a cool snake dude with off-kilter morals and a nice voice? AND he turns into a big monster? of course i think he's cool. can't wait to see where they take us with this guy.
was kinda expecting more with nuwa. but a primordial snake goddess is pretty cool, even if she did feel kinda two-dimensional (but that may just be from lack of meaningful screentime).
that ending felt really...abrupt. and a bit phoned in? rushed, even. again, i assume there's new writers, along with the animators? maybe they were being pushed to finish it quickly, idk.
overall, not a terrible season? but not my favorite.
