I think that's exactly the way Kazuya is meant to come off. He is a little wuss.
The brutality of the "carnival" was something else. Especially after they showed the medical ward, and their goal of not having a fatality this year. Quite a cold way to rank the academy talent. Satellizer was slashing a lot of the other Pandoras across the throat.
I can't imagine that engenders a very good level of teamwork when a Nova shows up. You have a big crew of Pandoras who fight each other and maybe even hate each other. Maybe that's why it isn't so bad that they lose so many fighting every Nova because the survivors don't feel so bad.
On a lighter note, I like that Satellizer wears glasses in her off time. It singlehandedly changes the way she comes off after seeing her slashing her classmates with such brutality. I can't explain why. Maybe they make it look like her guard is down? Like a candid photo or something.
Also, the shot of Shiffon in the ED (the student council president with the permanently closed eyes) has her shadow sporting a really creepy smile. I love her kind of character.