I agree with that, and won't try to rationalize that bad design. That, in addition to being attacked straight out of a cutscene, seems pretty cheap. It is only cheap the first time though, since the QTEs are the same every time you play it.

Going through the 'first time', it really does suck. Some of the QTEs don't make a lot of sense... like why would I press X (on Xbox) to dodge something when A jumps, or even RT is the pre-set dodge button? In the flow of the game for the first time, it is a little frustrating. When you play through it again, you might have an idea of what to expect.

I don't think you have to hold down any button, just time the button press.