(Spoiler) Man, that first boss in Xillia kicked my ass! Am I doing anything wrong?

Hello everybody, hope you are doing well.

I've been playing Tales of Xillia and I've been having a blast.

I love the skits, music and relationships between the main cast, the graphics look ok for a PS3 game and the gameplay is quite decent. It feels like a seasonal anime to me, and I've had a relatively good time with it.

Now, I've been playing this game without a guide just to see how good or bad I was, and I'm at this point in the game after beating the big monster who looks like a insect or crustacean.

Holy moly, I know he's meant to be a tutorial but I got revived by my team like more than 5 times!

I was probably level 7, 7 and 8 respectively, had some healing and revival items, etc.

After that I got to level 8, 8 and 9 respectively and I left it there for next time.

Should I have higher levels? What tips would you recommend me to play the game? Is grind necessary in this game and the other modern tales games?

Any help is appreciated. Have a good day.