because I've never played a JRPG that had a story that was in any way as engaging as those that are common on film, TV and in books.

I guess for me, they might not be as engaging as some of the stories told in those mediums (YMMV, some of my favorite stories are JRPG ones like Chrono Trigger and FFX) but they are different ones that I still want to experience and are the reason why I'm at the rodeo.