Fantasy Life (3DS) New Screens

Fantasy Life is a Level-5 Animal Crossing-like game with music by Nobuo Uematsu of Final Fantasy fame. The game, developed by Brownie Brown, will have SpotPass, StreetPass, and local play functionality when it releases some time within the 2012 release window. Compare these new screens with the old ones. I think it's a step backwards.

New:

Old:

What do you think about the change in art style? Do you prefer the new look over the old, or vice versa?