No good.
The only design that was kinda cool was majestic Rosch but everyone else is bad. It's like the game lost its personality with the generic vocal theme tune and new are to appeal to the masses. Also VERY disappointed that almost nothing was done to the in game sprites. THOSE should have been redrawn, not the talking sprites!
Agreed. If anything, the original Radiant Historia art style was one of the things that made it so unique and memorable. It had a dark edge to it, almost comic-book style, was atypical of other JRPG designs, and stood out.
The heavy blacks of every character created some truly stunning portrait art. It fit the tone of the game as well, being quite a bit more somber and grounded than a lot of contemporary JRPGs.
I find it... telling... that they're releasing the original art for the remaster as paid DLC and not just including it in the game. They know players would prefer the old art, but if they want it, they'll need to pay extra for it. It's not like they lost the old art assets. They're easily found online in high resolution.
I JUST beat Radiant Historia for the first time just last week, the day before they announced the remaster/remake. With it so fresh in my mind, I'm not saying any significant improvements. The in-game graphics needed it more than the portrait art, and the soundtrack is stunning but Shimomura's music deserves a remaster or rerecording as well to get the most out of her arrangements.
Edit: However, if the 3DS version is the only version available to you, the game is still good enough to warrant a playthrough, even with the art alterations. I love it to pieces. I'd just have preferred some more actual in-game enhancements.