Exactly. Nothing makes sense after that. How come the universe never exploded any time after that when Goku has put in real effort? THAT is the biggest frustration of power levels when it comes to Super. Not 17 being in the ball park of SS Blue
It creates the expectation that the rest of whoever Goku fights is literally on that level, or more powerful. It also means he shouldn't be struggling.
Unfortunately, that set the standard for a lot of people. If Blue were, say, SSJ4 levels, do you think people would be mad? Or if God Ki wasn't jerked off so much? Probably not.
Additionally, it would have been better for Super to show the training. DB has always had bullshit, but showing how they trained and the nteh fruits of the labor helped ease people in. I get why people don't like this with those two things. It's about how much you are willing to forgive, in any medium, and for some with Dragon Ball Super that line is short.
I don't blame people who care, and I don't think people who ignore it are wrong. It's just kinda how Super turned out.
^Honestly, I just ignore episode 12 completely.
I do wonder if Super Saiyan God and Blue got nerfed in Super all the way back in the retellings and we just didn't know. In the BoG arc they changed it so Beerus says he went all out, but then Whis calls his lie later and it's not made clear exactly how much of his power he was using in the fight.
Depending on the person, that's easier said than done lol. All shonen has a moment where it's like "what in the fuck" and you either power through or you hate it.
And if they are going for the nerf aspect, I'd expect them to explain that outright, so I don't think it's that.