I never liked JRPGs, I never liked Xenoblade. I needed a year to really get into this game, but it was so worth it.
One of the best games I have ever played. Open world travel is seamless, and once you unlock another two methods of travel it puts it on a whole new perspective. Exploration is rewarded, the world is magical, the music is great. The story has some great bits and I really loved the plot twists to the point that I cried on the final boss battle.
This doesn't mean I think it's perfect. There are many systems and subsystems to optimize your gameplay that you need to learn and invest time in refining. Sometimes grinding is necessary to upgrade equipment or relationships. There are some difficulty spikes in the story too. Audio mixing for some reason is awful and music tends to drown dialogue in an almost comical manner.

That being said, I really hope for a sequel