What's the point with that quite lackluster story in Endwalker?

[Skyborne]

I've been lurking for ages and I pretty much agree 99.9% with posters like Rulakir, Veloran, Lauront, Kizuya, etc. Just my own thoughts too...

I also 100% agree with the themes presented in the game: happiness is hollow without sadness, we must all find our own meaning in life, etc. However, even though FF14 and FF in general has never been subtle, it just felt like a gorilla beating me with a sledgehammer with these 'themes', at the expense of the plot itself. It was all basically a victory lap for the Scions/WoL, and it also felt very meta, like Yoshida himself was praising us for sitting through this all. The music did the heavy lifting and it's as if someone locked Ishikawa in a dark closet for weeks with nothing but a bottle of booze and a copy of Undertale. I would say the sensation I felt the most was 'nausea'.

It was to the point where it made me reconsidered my agreement with these themes, and to ponder the merits of the opposite. Big backfire. Or was that the intent? Anyway, that Bitter Amaurotine caricature strawman in Venat's Chuunibyou Manifesto scene is the true hero. Take me back to Amaurot, where I can hang out with people who actually feel like natural and organic old friends and not bland rich kid book club snobs who just butter me up so I'll be their muscle. And frig off, live-laugh-love mary sue sparkleprincess, you aren't my mom.

I could write way way more about my thoughts on the characters and story elements, but that would basically take up a small novel. And I've already ranted about it all at length to my friends. Unless they make any antag more compelling than the Ancients/Ascians/Garleans, I may just tune out from the story/lore I have grown so attached to...

EDIT: and for the record, I consider myself a sentimental person who feels strongly and isn't above getting choked up on books/movies/games. I also enjoy Kingdom Hearts and all of its funcringe and character moments. But this...