When Gamefreak announced Gladion, I was hyped for him as he was to be first edgy rival since gen 7, especially after XY bullshit. I was so glad, that I was able to forgive Hau for being 'friendly'.
For my surprise, I ended up liking Hau more than Gladion, because he was more than Malasada, as the majority expected (contrary to Tierno, who was nothing more than dance).
Why did this happen? - GameFreak tried to satisfy fans who wanted another edgy rival (including me), so, unfortunately, they copied many characteristics from Silver.
> unpleasant attitude
> offspring of the main antagonist
> he steals his first Pokemon
> and the most blatant thing - Crobat and Weavile (Silver had Sneasel) - I think this was done on purpose, like they say to us straight in the face that he is just another version of Silver
He sure is different from Silver in some important ways, but his similarities to his counterpart from gen 2 make him less likeable character than Hau in my opinion.