Have you seen the grass? srsly wtfh?
I think they REALLY stretched their imagination for the Battle Frontier. I think the people are the same as well. I suppose it made things go quicker but...meh, I'm not sure how much I dislike these games. There's always that horrible feeling that they'll go to far and ruin a lovely region that is Johto.
One thing I may dislike is Kanto. I felt it was a sidequest...not an actual region. I hope that they improve it more this time around.