While I too was disappointed with FF9 in some aspects (discs played through too quickly, music was sometimes annoying, cards and Chocobos were a big pain), it was still a fun game, and I don't regret the time I spent playing it. FF8 I haven't played, so I can't compare it, but the real reason I don't love FF9 is because I played FF7 before it (and liked it better). There was already a thread recently comparing 7 and 9, so I won't repeat it all here, but my general opinion on the matter is that FF9, while not the greatest game, was still pretty good.

~ Graphics: Excellant, even you should admit that. Though I think some of the characters, like Zidane and Kuja, looked too feminine.
~ Soundtrack: Decent (IMO). There were some good tracks (Sword Of Doubt), but there are better. Really a matter of if you like the style or not.
~ Gameplay: Solid. I agree that it would be nice to be able to bring your HP to 9999, but as Matt mentioned, it's not necessary. I just wish Trance was more reliable, and you could get every skill-teaching item again. (I missed out on the Level 3 spells.) And super-bosses would be nice. (But if you go for the Excalibur II sword, every boss will probably seem like a super-boss.)
~ Character similarity: I kind of agree with you on Eiko--she always seemed liked a knock-off of Garnet to me--but I recognize that she's necessary for the story, and has some decent moves of her own. I don't like her, so I simply don't use her.
~ Stealing: Try Bandit. Or wait until later in the game when you have better stats. Stealing's nice, but not truly necessary.