Personally, Vesperia is my favorite tales game (though I haven't played any of the earlier ones), both in terms of characters and mechanics, with Rita coming in as one of my favorite mages in any video game.
My impression of the quality arc is basically the opposite of Aezeles's, I found the beginning very slow, with relatively limited access to abilities and a small cast of not entirely likable characters. However, as things progress and the characters grew I found most of them vastly more likable and the battle system greatly improved. The only one who really stays underwhelming is Karol.
Also, clearly Yuri goes with Flynn and Judith with Raven.
That said, if you do intend to pick it up, one warning: There are quite a few side quests that rely on you talking to certain people in certain places at the right time and some of them offer really good techniques or items, should you complete them. Unfortunately, while most aren't truly missable, there is no tracking for them what so ever, nor is there any notification to let you know that you've found or progressed one, so keeping a guide handy might be a good idea.
Then again, ToV also has a rather robust New Game +, so you may want to save the completionism for a second trip through.