Solo Leveling
“A Masterful Adaptation Conquering the World”
If I said that Solo Leveling is one of the most anticipated anime adaptations of all time, I wouldn't be lying. Since the webtoon took over the world a couple of years ago, fans have been desperately waiting to see how Sung Jin-woo and the rest of these characters would look on the big screen, putting on the most incredible show.
While some people have always complained that it's just Sword Art Online 2, and I'll be honest, there are a lot of similarities, you can’t deny that something about this title gets you going and makes you pay no heed to every flaw that adds to its existence.
Not only did the series go off the air recently, but it also gave us a season 2 teaser at the end, which won't let us sleep for some time. Truly, Solo Leveling is an anime adaptation that was done right. But when it comes to the series in general, does it deserve all the hype and praise it has gotten over the years?
The answer is a downright no, since the series isn't something out of this world. It's just following what a million of these 'leveling up' titles have followed, and the anime's success, for the most part, is because A-1 Pictures has had a 'no sleep for any animator' rule for three months.
Let's examine the anime's subject matter, whether the series deserves this godly treatment, and what we can expect from it!
Leveling up over and over again
There is no sugarcoating of the story in Solo Leveling. Sung Jin-woo is an E-class hunter, and at the bottom of the food chain, he fully understands that he must get carried away and feed on whatever scraps come his way. Not only is that annoying, but his strength is nonexistent, and the rewards are acquired at the cost of injuries, giving the impression that nothing is ever sufficient. Nonetheless, that dungeon encounter altered the course of his life irrevocably.
Now that he can visit secret dungeons or gates, as the anime calls them, the guy can level up whenever he wants. His whole life is also transformed into an RPG video game where he can distribute points among his attributes, gain daily rewards, complete special quests, and take on secret gate masters and dungeon bosses.
That's about it, to be honest. That's what many people bring up when they say that Solo Leveling isn't all that, which I agree with. But do keep in mind that the main selling point of the series is the action it brings to the table.
For instance, Jujutsu Kaisen, the anime that recently got a Guinness World Record under its belt, needs a solid story to boot, too. It's just people fighting every other second or so. But you know what? People love it, me included.
What I'm trying to say here is that a show like Solo Leveling doesn't need a good story. It just needs excellent action sequences, which the anime showcased even when most of them were Sung Jin-woo fighting random insects, snakes, and dogs, but hey, adrenaline's adrenaline!
Characters in a league of their own
As expected for something out of South Korea, the characters look like the top 1% of the human race, which is a perfect plus. But what's sweeter is that these pretty faces possess skills rivaling those of some of the anime universe's strongest characters.
Since the anime solely allows Sung Jin-woo that screen time, it is hard to draw favorite characters other than him. Webtoon and Manhwa readers are well aware of what is to come, as the first season primarily focused on Sung Jin-woo's legend-building. It is not our style to divulge information, but if you are interested in discovering what incredible things are on the horizon, I encourage you to peruse the source material. A couple of days will be all it takes!
However, I do think that the characters take the series to the next level. Just like Gojo Satoru and Nanami Kento carry the Jujutsu universe, some of these S-class hunters carry this universe, where the main highlight is supposed to be an E-class hunter who had an awakening at random.
The action never ends
We all knew the anime was about to be about the action genre. What do you expect from a setting where only the protagonist can ‘level up’? However, some of these fights have been totally off the hook, and the animators at A-1 Pictures sure deserve a raise after all these episodes.
While faithfully recreating the various character movements from the manhwa, the animations are smooth, and the choreography is excellent, even when switching from close-quarters combat to fistfights. Finally, the battle at the end was the icing on the cake, and with that teaser to follow, these guys know how to keep the excitement going, to be honest.
Also, the animation feels so crisp. At the very beginning, I was skeptical as to whether A-1 Pictures could handle this adaptation. Honestly, it is difficult to pull off some of those action scenes from the manhwa. But the studio has done a fantastic job, and I don’t have any complaints at all. Bro, you had individuals such as Mr. Beast tuning in to the show every other week; if you ask me, that is how you know you have succeeded.
Moreover, the anime giving us that recap episode right in the middle just made everyone so angry that it was one of those classic anime fans on Twitter moments. The greatest anime of all time does not try to hide his face from these Twitter moments, so it is safe to say that Attack on Titan is just sitting there sipping wine. For that series, it’s just another typical day.
A-1 Pictures should take some tips and tricks from the guys at MAPPA, the studio that’s been criticized 24/7 in recent years. On that note, I think it’d be a lot of thrashing to MAPPA if they picked up Solo Leveling, which wouldn’t be anything new, given that the studio picks up anything and everything. But the situation would’ve been much worse since people love kicking MAPPA around for some reason.
Solo Leveling has set such a high standard this year that I doubt any other title can compete. The anime features top-notch action scenes that are among the best of the year. It will be challenging for any other anime to surpass Solo Leveling in this genre.
It’s just one of those titles whose adaptation was long overdue, and now that it’s finally here, we can’t wait for the rest, to be honest. I’m sure you’ve all watched the series a couple of times already, but if you’re one of those 0.1% of the Earth’s population who have no idea about the series, please do yourself a favor and watch this masterpiece. I’m sure you’ll love it.
Also, be sure not to skip the opening and ending themes, since that opening sequence is probably the best animation I’ve seen in recent years. The music, the transitions, and everything else are top-notch, making you wonder whether the whole budget went into making the anime opening sequence. I’ll be harsh on the rating and give it a solid 8.
A lot more could be shown about the other characters and the world. But the first season showcased only Sung Jin-woo leveling up and taking on these different creatures for his daily quests and rewards.
It works when you watch a show like this, expecting nothing but violence and carnage. But I’m also saying it could’ve been better to showcase more than our main golden boy. After the third or fourth episode, however, everyone immediately began reading the entire manhwa, so I suppose I am just venting for no apparent reason at this point.
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