I am sometimes surprised by the reaction of some people, both on the Internet and in real life, that think that because I criticise something or some people I necessarily don't like it/him/her/them. For example, if I criticise things related to Japan, they jump to the conclusion that I must not like Japan on the whole.
For me, rational criticism and personal sentiments are two clearly dinstinct things. Criticism usually affects only one aspect of something or someone, rather than the whole.
One of the motivation for criticism is to improve an existing situation, because we care enough for it not to tolerate it to be mediocre or bad.
There is a proverb in French and Italian that say "Qui aime bien chatie bien" or "Chi ama bene castiga bene" (in English, "Who loves well, chastise well"). This saying probably describes well my attitude to the world in general. Maybe it is due to my strict intellectual education.
What about you ? Can you like/love and (harshly) criticise at the same time ?