Yeah, it's totally a generic art style. It's one thing to have a preference for an artistic style but you're factually incorrect in saying that the character models for the original game are better than the Definitive Edition, the latter emote properly and have fingers.
Remakes are designed to be a different experience. Whether they're better than the original all comes down to personal preference. A remaster/enhanced remaster is designed for compatibility with modern hardware. The original version of the game isn't suddenly gone just because the remake exists, you can still play Final Fantasy VII if you're that much of a purist of the "original vision".
It’s very generic in fact. It’s the same moe art design present in every single run of the mill anime game of the past 10 years. Simply compare the character art for the leads of 1 and 2 (which DE is obviously based on) and the difference is clear as day:
The first is a more realistic, almost western design, which is uncommon in these type of JRPGs. And the second is just... generic anime. Also, I never said anything about the graphical fidelity of the models themselves?
And dude, DE is literally the same game but with some gameplay and graphical improvements. Just like 99% of remakes. Don’t act like they’re these completely different games. 7R’s style is not the norm. Of course, the original will always be available... until it isn’t. Because companies would rather preserve the shiny, newer version over the ugly, old one (Ex: Sonic Adventure, Yakuza 2, Chain of Memories).
Well, I can only speak for myself when it comes to anticipating remakes, but often times it's because I'd enjoy a new version of something old I know I like (even with the issues a re-make would bring) more than navigating through new products that are often lacking the same punch in many ways.
To use one example, I was happy that Digimon Adventure 01 received a sequel series in tri. and now a full-blown re-make instead of something new because everything they made after the first season was crap to some degree or another to me. Now I do like most of the KH games post-1 (and learned to like a few of the others), and yet I won't lie that none of them have ever been in the first game's league to me. I'd appreciate re-visiting that game. I wouldn't want a re-make of the entire franchise though, just that one.
In my experience, any hype that comes with seeing any improvement or update in graphical quality in a remake is usually overshadowed immediately by the bad. Like to give my own example:
The Ratchet and Clank reboot had some great graphics and polished shooting, but all I could think about throughout was how the game was the antithesis of everything good about the original. The story being a parody on consumerism was turned into a by the numbers kids movie plot. The characters were removed of any ‘unmarketable’ personality traits. The legendary OST was replaced with the most generic movie score imaginable. It was such disgrace.
But the real twist of the knife is that now, whenever someone searches for ‘Ratchet and Clank’, that’s the version they’re gonna see. When a newcomer looks for the most convenient version to play, that’s the one they’re gonna see.