I totally agree with you, it needs a more stronger scene. I've seen Blazblue get played at Evo and I fell in love with the gameplay, the different character styles, and the hype the game brings to the community. I've been playing SF in the 90's and I picked up Blazblue because of three things: I want to broaden my horizon and learn a new game, I'm a fighting game fan, and I love anime to boot.
I'm a Rachel main myself, and despite the fact I'm not doing good online I'm really enjoying the game to its fullest, and I'm still practicing continuously hoping to get into the scene real soon.