Agreed. Graces started on a really strong note. It identified all the characters early on, set us up for a big, epic political clash and then built up to something even bigger. However, my biggest issue is... the friendship. Oh God, the friendship. Just... There's having the team unite as a single, awesome army of badassery, there's having a ragtag bunch of misfits come together and band together for the common good and then there's My Little Graces.
Apart from that, though, the writing was pretty solid and the voices mostly carried it well. Jamieson Price I thought was a bit excessive for Mmmmmalik but he pulled it off in the end and Steve Staley was just... God-tier casting. Pascal's voice actress gives possibly the best performance in the whole series, in any language. Just... wow. The only one I wasn't a fan of was Asbel's. Papenbrook is good and all but he just... he doesn't sound like a nobleman. I dunno why but I just keep picturing Asbel as a surfer with his voice. I'd have stuck him in a role like Reid, TBH.
Anywhoo... About the Xillias. Don't get your hopes up. I hate to be That Guy but, trust me, Namco's localisation staff feed on human suffering. First, they'll raise your hopes, then they'll ignore your pleas for the game, then they'll release a beta version in Japan and then they'll say they have no interest in bringing it to the west... and if you're very, very lucky, they'll do it in that order.