I liked the animations at first look. The author included both animations and mockups which highlight his efforts.

I'd like to highlight these great designer choices:
- The "unread" messages animation
- Simplistic action buttons for profile pages
- MD3 components have been used fair enough of times
- Stories on the right, inside the search bar

And would argue with these things:
- The comment icon (which is a square-like icon) could be replaced with a standard circle-like icon
- The inputs, for example chat-name input could be improved. It would look like a google app(Gmail for example) for an ordinary user, which could create some confusion.

It reminded me the Gmail app to some extent. Simplistic design, introducing an ease. However this inspiration was a disadvantage at some points.
I can see designer's efforts through animations and his designs that went beyond the minimal requirements.

Good luck

Check my design https://t.me/ZakhidnyyDesign

This work deserves attention. The design is crafted very neatly and comes in both light and dark themes. The author has put in a significant amount of effort and made the design tablet-friendly. Finally, I've seen the right spring animations.