I'm a massive fan of the series and ended up starting a collection of the manga. With constant reading, one volume takes about 2 hours to finish which is pretty great. The manga goes through some plots in the story line that the anime doesn't show! That's why I'd say it's pretty important to read it if you really want to into the nitty-gritty of it all. It ends up making a whole lot more sense in the end. The TokyoPop translation isn't a bother to me and it shouldn't be to you. Just a few name changes here and there shouldn't make you hateit. The story is what matters here.

That being said.. The characters are lovable and well thought out. There is genuinely no one who you will hate in this series and they're all easily memorable as well as the battles between them

Genuinely over all, its nothing but perfection.