I can kind of get some of the people being turned off from this.
I personally love the game, but maybe its just cause Im kind of sick of all the low quality RPGM games that have 15 sex scenes that are somewhat decently drawn but just pat out the whole game with traveling a very barren overworld and fighting simple mobs turn-based style.
I like the fact that the dev went out of their way to make a system that cuts most of that crap and introduces a unique mana/arousal-managment game. Some people will find it too simple, and I agree its too grindy overall, but generally I like that the progression doesn't seem to get slower and slower over time and that there is a few bits and pieces that you can change about how you want to play it.
I agree that the first scene could have been handled better and shouldn't have been immediate rape. Maybe a more subtle harassment would have been the better way to go, with following lead-ins into more and more lewd acts with the rules of the book being added in time.
One thing I personally found could have been better - and the game missed it's potential here - is that there were no multiple outfits and ways that the character sprite itself showed the ongoing corruption.
On the other hand, I really love the attention to detail the developer put into all the logs and interactions with the towns people that reflect the state of your decisions. And I really love the lore and story they build around the entire game.
I also understand people being a bit bored with it just being one guy. I personally don't mind that at all, but I can see how this can be a turn-off, especially if you are the type of person who doesn't like that kind of character as an antagonist and would have prefered some other kind of archetype.
For anyone who feels like the game was decent but lacked potential @manuru74 on twitter (the dev) has a sequel in the works. It apparently features 2 different FMCs and a bit of a more complex plot, as well as gameplay improvements. So keep an eye out for that (although a TL will probably also take a long time once its out).