it's not so much the format or the battles for me, but I think this arc is definitely highlighting a deficiency in either the original script, or the translation. Despite some attempts to add some flavor, everyone speaks with the same "voice". It's all extremely matter-of-fact, which is fine when it's just a few characters wandering around and reminiscing about the past, but falls flat when you introduce a half-dozen new characters and they all speak in the same tone.
even Wribel, who I think is *supposed* to sound like a punk, falls into the same mold. "You out of mana? lame." comes back-to-back with lines like "I'm sure it was a match you could've won" and "Why must I do something like this..." I won't claim to be a professional translator, but alternate takes like "I know you coulda won that one" and "Man, why do I always gotta..." respectively would go a long way towards making his speech feel different.
Of course, it's possible it was all so flat in the original text as well. Again, I'm no pro myself and I'm sure Kirei Cake is doing their best. But I'm looking forward to the official translation later this year, to see if they handle it any differently.
