I definitely agree with most of what you said.
I think what kind of kills the game isn't so much the grind (although it can get frustrating there too) but the lack of true rewards.
I'm not asking for straight up porn, but even when you unlock the hairs and dresses, all you get is a single CG. That's it. At least Huniepop gave you 4 CGs.
I wish they really had invested more time into rewarding the player, because dick trophies aren't the answer.
And this is coming from someone who actually LIKED the new artstyle and was hoping for it to be explored. Sadly, it didn't.