yeah the battles actually get quite fun - although I agree that concept is annoying (a la Final Fantasy).
Basically, when you get hit, you can 'block' or 'superblock' to reduce damage or even damage the attacker.
Likewise, when you attack, you can boost your attack by pressing buttons at the right time.
An added bonus is 'stylish moves' which don't increase damage, but allow to use specials more often, again by pressing A at the right time.
Well anyway, you'll get to all of this later, but I find it becomes more interesting as the subtleties start to become more obvious, and you get a wider range of skills etc.