Yup!
First area was mostly a walk in the park. Enemies were easy and predictable, and the fighting space was more open. Second area has harder enemies, MORE enemies, less space, and more dynamic fighting environments. I kind of love it.
One thing I've realized is that I need to focus on progression or farming, not both. If I'm going to attempt to open shortcuts or move forward with the story, I need to stop trying to chop every part off of every enemy. Instead, I need to set aside designated runs/loops for that. I think that will help me focus my play a LOT.