Yeah, file me with Ness on this one.
1. Why would you want to gain a bunch of levels?
2. There's lots of ways to gain lots of levels; just wander around and fight randoms, for instance. It's an RPG, you can grind.
3. You can gain levels faster later in the game.
4. You don't need a lot of JP or exp to make a party that steamrolls chapter 1. (In fact, you can steamroll chapter 1 while still finishing the chapter with your entire party at level 2 or level 3 or so).
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Cats land on their feet. Toast lands peanut butter side down. A cat with toast strapped to its back will hover above the ground in a state of quantum indecision