I had the same gripes that you had when I first played the game: Why are those kids so annoying? Why aren't Kaim and Sarah saying more to each other if they are married? But then, I realized that I had a kid and that I am practically married. It hit me: This was the most realistic portrayal of children and marriage that I'd ever seen!!
Oh, and the story of immortal people living in a mortal world was pretty compelling, too. Gongora wasn't the most fleshed out villain it the world, but as the game went on, I really began to hate him. The characters were very likable (especially Jansen --he reminds me of me!) and Seth. The way that they dealt with loss and pain made the game stick with me. It helped that, at the time, it was the most visually impressive RPG I'd ever played.
It's hard to find fully original stories in any medium, nowadays. Lost Odyssey had a fairly cliche story, but the execution was pretty damned good. For a JRPG, it was actually easy to follow, too. Add a well executed story to a beautiful looking game with a good battle system and an awesome leveling up system and you have a great package.
(I'm not kidding. I checked out your package. It's great.)
