To be fair it is more complicated than that. You have to feel the car start to move, hear the revs react, adjust the rate at which you release the clutch and how much gas you give accordingly and for some vehicles/situations you even need to pause the release of the clutch for a moment to let the vehicle start to gain speed. It’s all something you eventually get used to and can do without thinking but there is a significant frustrating hump to get over in the learning curve.

I feel like those who say they don’t understand why people like driving manual are people who never got over that hump. Because once you get over it, it is a lot of fun. And even if you still prefer to drive automatic after that because of your personal preferences, you still get why some do like it.