I guess I'm one of the few who finds them kind of goofy and cheap-looking? It's very... edgy, evil PS2 villain-like, lol, but I appreciate that's a completely subjective impression. The only reason I have ever liked or used them is a) to give a stronger black outline to the iris or b) to create a gradient effect, which, surprisingly, is what they now seem (?) to be suggesting was what was intended from the start. The deliberate super-bright, high contrast effect looks jarring and makes them appear kind of dead-eyed, which I think is a real problem with Au Ra in general - you have to actively work to make them not look soulless.

...but some people dig that effect from the looks of it, which is fair enough. I do think, though, that it's more of the same with regards to the other graphical update complaints so far - people have become so attached to their characters that they've come to perceive graphical limitations as character traits, and I think once they get over that, they'll warm up to the new looks more than they think.