While you do make some very good points, and I am always up for deeper combat systems ( *cough* in turn-based games... >_> ), I'll just say that, perhaps because I farmed a bit too hard when combat first released, I've only had to use a turtle strategy against one boss. Everyone else, from leaderless goons to rough-and-tumble tomboys ♥ to lust demons, I can easily beat down with an almost exclusively offense-based rotation. I might block on occasion (because I'm clicking too fast and miss the icon I was after <_< ), but mostly I just buff when they block and attack at every other opportunity.
Clearly this is not "better," per se. It's not slow, but it's still mindless. It's still just one strategy against 99% of the opponents. I do get more use out of the other supports, but not because they're good or even really helpful at all, just because I'm not particularly reliant on Chloe's buffs.
A more diverse, effective, interesting, and fun set of skills to choose from and to fight against would make a world of difference. Both active skills and passive skills to allow a player to truly customize specific thematic builds. Better synergies with your supports and, in general, just more for them to do would help - especially if the player has actual control over the supports; something that right now would be broken and unbalanced because of how the combat works.
Ultimately, though, I struggle to consider any of this worthwhile for a game that is ultimately just dabbling in combat for the final act of a story that never needed it. Especially taking into account the oft-repeated mantra, "single dev, weekly schedule." I support Arc's foray into the world of turn-based combat and hope it serves him well in learning the ropes and developing something better for a future game. It just doesn't take priority for me here. Would I like better combat? Absolutely. Would I still rather get an update featuring an adorable date with Ami? Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes.