I have the opposite issue. I find these quests where you control an NPC to be boring because they're too easy. They're in a tough spot where they can't be too hard really because they're giving you a new character to control with just a handful of buttons. Which turns out being really simple, and even simple jobs like red mage and dancer are more engaging to play than some combination of the following.

1. Main attack button. (A combo rolled into one button for this latest fight.)
2. Dot
3. OGCD attack
4. Self heal.
5. Limit break.

The Hien one was particularly annoying because it was just Hien and friends trying to hold the line until the WOL shows up and then we fight Elidizenos for real so the fight really served no point story wise to show us events we weren't present for. Honestly though I feel like story wise these npc battles don't offer anything we couldn't get through cutscenes.