Originally Posted by
Flying Mullet
One of the major critiques/praises of the Final Fantasy series is that it's difficulty is set up so that minimal level-grinding is required. Perhaps they chose a different direction with this game in requiring more level grinding. With so many versions of the game out, it's likely that they geared this game to the more hard-core gamer as there are plenty of other versions that cater to those that aren't keen on the increased difficulty.
Also, are you spamming the attack/magic(black) commands to try and obliterate your enemies? If so, try to use more of the support skills and magics to compliment your battle strategy.