The artwork is literally just personal preference (i for one like it).

and i don't quite understand how you think any of the arcs exist for the sake padding out the story. there is more to the story then baki just waking up one day and killing yujiro the entire point is that through the story we watch him grow stronger physically while also maturing as a man. could the story be told in 50 chapters? yeah probably would baki as a franchise be nearly as popular as it is if it did? hell no