Hello.
In my opinion (as a hardcore RPG Fan) the game system is too hard to understand completly and often confusing.

Some points besides the better visibility of Optimum Rank Gear.
1. +1, +2, +3 Equipment should show final stats.
- for me it seems (looking at retainers abd prices) that not everyone understands the effect of + Equipment.

2. Non Optimum Rank Gear could be shown in red letters and the stat loss could be more pointed out. (I'm also for a bigger penalty)

3. Better visibility for "important" or classic gear-stats like Attack, Precision or Defense and Evasion. It think it would be nice if the important stuff is easier to spot. It makes comparing gear easier and it helps regulating the prices for good and bad gear.
It's is also very FF-like.

4. Soft Caps for Point Allotment should be shown too.
It is generaly extremly hard to comprehend certain effects of status points for certain Ranks and Classes.

All this helps us and especially new players to understand the world better.