What I liked (and didn't like) about Pokemon Sword and Shield

I just picked up Pokemon Sword and Shield for the Nintendo Switch, beating it in the process (I know, I'm a little late to the party). Being disappointed in the seventh generation of Pokemon, I decided to give Sword and Shield a shot to see if anything has changed for the better. Here's what I liked (and disliked) about the latest Pokemon game.

• What I Liked: A Revamped EV System: Pokemon Sun and Moon rubbed me the wrong way for a variety of reasons. A major reason was the EV system being too complicated. First, you had to collect bottle caps, which were impossible to find on your own. You'd do this by going to Poke Pelago with friends. Then, you had to max out your pokemon's level. Then, you'd go to a specialist and trade them to raise up your stats. This process was so tedious and complicated that I don't even know if I'm explaining this right. With Sword and Shield, the EV training process is more simplified. All you do is have your pokemon do "Poke Jobs". These lasted up to a day and took your pokemon to a seminar, boosting their EVs without any gimmicks. No more hoarding bottle caps just to boost one stat. Just get your pokemon working and that's it.
  
• What I Didn't Like: Too Many Rival Battles! One thing that has remained a steady constant is the number of rivalry battles. Starting in Black/White, you had more than one rival that you battle you after every gym battle. That hasn't changed in Sword and Shield, with more than one character calling you their rival. In fact, it seems such battles have escalated, halting your progress at every step. The trope of an eccentric adversary with ADHD has been a major turnoff in previous Pokemon games. Here it nearly made me turn off the game completely.
  
• What I Liked: A Dark-Type Gym! We finally have a Dark-type gym leader, with Piers taking the reins in this generation. Granted, his best pokemon didn't Dynamax. However, you got the complimentary TM and the gym badge after you've beaten him. The Dark type was introduced in the second generation, yet got passed over for gym leadership every generation. Yes, there were members of the Elite Four that have used Dark-type pokemon. However, this type was long overdue for this distinction, especially after the Fairy type got gym leadership twice since its introduction in the sixth generation.
  
• What I Didn't Like: The Gigantimax Concept: I don't mind Dynamaxing your pokemon at all. I think it's an intriguing concept that has some merit. However, getting the special types of Dynamaxes, known as Gigantimax, is annoying. Going to the wild area has plenty of opportunities for catching solid Dynamax pokemon. However, this can also be a tedious process since you must go to a specific location to find Gigantimax pokemon. This requires inspecting every den and running around the area endlessly. There's plenty to do in the endgame and you don't want to waste all your time searching in the area for such special pokemon.