If you ever do find it in your heart to give TLA a shot, I would certainly recommend it. The previous poster is wrong, the game wasn't planned as a single story from the start, it was planned as a single game that had to be split into two because it wouldn't fit into a single GBA cartridge (I heard it was originally going to be an N64 game, but I can't find a source on that right now). This is why the end of the first game is so abrupt.

I pretty much agree with your sentiment, the first GS is a solid RPG, but alone, it's not the unforgettable game people say. It's the two games played with the password system that make it so beloved.