That's not simpler than 'cat /var/log/messages' or the equivalent, if for no other reason than you still need something to digest/summarize the output. It's just different, mostly for the sake of being different, but I'll not bait the systemd fanbois any farther.
The bastard in me wants to say "once again systemd and its ecosystem reinvent something that the Unix Way already solved decades ago, just in a different way".
But in reality, thanks for the tip. I used your example today to look into an issue I'd have otherwise been cussing "where's the damn logs!".