SOME SPOILERS
Here's something I really liked! In every character route there was always a bit more backstory on a different character as well, some people must complain about them 'stealing the show' or 'having too much information even though it isn't their route' but personally I love it! Its like, there's multiple character routes and in every one you get attached to the character you chose. Once your done, you probably get sad, right? But you always get to see and learn more about them as soon as you move onto the next route, while your getting attached to the character in the route you chose at the same time, and it just repeats! Its exciting in my opinion :) (sorry for confusing wording in some sentences haha, hopefully you manage to understand though.)
I also have extremely mixed feelings with Ryu...honestly, I didn't really mind the personality change in fact it just brings out character. But the look change really saddened me, a lot, and I don't really like it, that's just a personal opinion, though~! BUT I fell in love with his personality over looks the farther I got into his route! It really touched me and he didn't even get any less adorable hehe, took a bit to get used to it though!
I'm extremely attached to this game and after I'm done I'm definitely considering playing it a second time just to see all the character development again and get to see the characters I got attached too in action again!
(Oh, and not to mention the art style! I'm obsessed with it!)
The only problem is that I'm super confused about why Ryu burnt down Aya's house in Kenji's route? Its very clear that it was Ryu, they said the suspect had pink hair and Ryu recently then asked where Aya lived. Now I'm just sitting here wondering why Ryu did that and why he'd do such a thing if nothing went on between him and Aya. Although, I do suspect it might've been Ryu's sister! I don't remember her name but I think it ended with 'eko' at the end or something.
Edit: I realized that your making a remake reading some of the comments! Its okay if your gonna save it for then but...will this question eventually be solved? Because I'm dying to hear the answer to it.