I agree about riding the fence. The main reason D is so criticised for having a GC because it gives users a choice. I'd also rather have it either go full GC or full manual/semi-manual memory management, probably leaning more towards GC side personally.
There are other aspects where D gets hit from both sides because it never picks a side, instead it tries to cater to both sides, never going full into any of them. I guess there is some benefit in a language that's general and doesn't force you into specific paradigms, but it also increases the surface area (maintenance area) of the language and adds complexity for developers when every step of the way you have to consider the alternatives.
There are other aspects where D gets hit from both sides because it never picks a side, instead it tries to cater to both sides, never going full into any of them. I guess there is some benefit in a language that's general and doesn't force you into specific paradigms, but it also increases the surface area (maintenance area) of the language and adds complexity for developers when every step of the way you have to consider the alternatives.