This needs a [2015]. Back then there wasn't a single usable client for .net.

Since then the non-Java clients have massively improved. In particular https://github.com/edenhill/librdkafka is fantastic. There's also https://github.com/dpkp/kafka-python/, with support for consumer groups and all the other modern features.

The basic criticism of requiring a complex client is valid, however you cannot achieve the delivery guarantees that Kafka gives you without one. The alternative would be to have a local agent process like consul, but that wouldn't give you the throughput that Kafka gets.

Disclaimer: I've built a C# client for Kafka based on librdkafa (https://github.com/ah-/rdkafka-dotnet), so I'm biased.