I never understood why a lot of people highly dislike this game. This is definitely one of my favorite games in the Final Fantasy franchise. I just love the characters, the settings, the touching story, the cutscenes, the gameplay... Especially the soundtrack. This game is also one of the very few games I've played that actually do tell you some important lessons.
Yes, some battles can be a bit repetitive and the game can sometimes be a running sim, but I've delt with it.
There's a hella lot to do in the post-story as well. I'm not gonna spoil it, though!

All in all, this game is misunderstood a lot and I appreciate this game 100%.