I actually find C# to be more like "the successor to C++ that I actually want" rather than "Microsoft Java" at this point. If you approach C# as if you're just programming Java you are going to be missing out on some nice features, such as structs, unsafe blocks (including pointers), and modern additions like pattern matching. On top of that, I find that I prefer certain things about C#'s implementation compared to Java - reified generics over type erasure, for instance. Apparently Project Valhalla will change some of this implementation stuff. But for a while now I've found C# to be ahead of Java.

The syntax is also way nicer. Having to type out "implements/extends" instead of ":", for example. These goes a long way to denoise a very noisy language.

This is a bit inappropriate since for a long time now Java was busy catching up to C#. When Project Valhalla merges, Java's type system will become very close to what C# is now: reified generics and first-class value types. Algebraic data types will also come to town. But only after Project Loom merges, Java will be firmly ahead again with a fresh take on all matters async.