Sounds like JRPGs just aren't your thing. Yes, BD did take a long time for it to pick up in the beginning, but so did Lost Odyssey and LO is leaps and bounds better than BD. I don't see you as the type that would pick up LO and give it a try, though, and it's a shame because that game was criminally overlooked.
JRPGs were better last gen (in your opinion, TC) because let's face it - how often did we ever see a good WRPG last gen?
People want to talk about WRPGs being progressive and changing the formula while proclaiming JRPGs are stuck in the past, repeating the same thing. Really? I haven't seen anything new or innovative as far as FPS games go.
And no, Borderlands does not say "Hi!" Adding a level-up system while consistently having damage values appear on-screen doesn't revolutionize nor revitalize the genre in any way, shape, or form.