It was a fairly small issue and -eventually- simple to counter. So it could be a complete non-issue. It just stands out in being the only part that felt unfair in an otherwise well-balanced game that even leaned on the side of being easy/gentle.
acceleration part of the movement
skipping the acceleration again
This might be the key? There were moments of distraction that worked to ambush me as you designed, those are all good. But after dying to them consecutively I was actively looking for them, and still moved too slow to completely evade, getting clipped on the side. Plus, per your words, both our dodge efforts only/mostly worked when we were already moving.
Though again, mostly a non-issue, even I eventually formed a simple strategy within the game’s mechanics to get through it unharmed.
Weighing in on the other matter you mentioned if only to expand your data pool: I had no issues with the character’s hitbox. But I rarely play games in this genre, so maybe there are some conventions that I am blind to.