Solo Levelingis anime’s new hottest title, stealing the industry spotlight in 2024 with its debut,and shattering records with its near-masterful second season. The journey of protagonist Sung Jinwoo, from “World’s Weakest Hunter” to national level and beyond, has captured the attention of anime fans around the world. Incredibly tight pacing andjaw-dropping visuals, especially during its sophomore outing, have seemingly made the series a perennial candidate for anime of the year.
It would be incredibly difficult to labelSolo Leveling’s second season as anything but a success, and the anime’s ever-growing fan base is proofthe series is here to stay. However, the anime isn’t perfect, even by power fantasy standards. Underneath its flashy fights and incredible animation, a few issues plague the series that have their roots planted deep into the anime’s source material.Solo Levelinghas become a sensation over the course of its two seasons,but it does have its flaws.
A Big Flaw Is Holding Solo Leveling Back From Greatness
One of the Anime’s Biggest Issues Can Be Traced Back to Its Source Material
Solo Levelingis as close as a series can get to being every power fantasy fan’s dream. Sung Jinwoo begins his journey almost impressively underpowered, until his acquisition of ‘The System’ boosts his power and abilities. Refreshingly, even after gaining access to his new abilities,the main character still has to put in the work to become stronger, unlike manyother protagonists in the genre. With so many positives going for it, it would seem the anime might be considered a masterpiece in the making, but a big flaw continues to hold the series back.
Solo Levelinghas a world-building problem. Its inclusion of Hunters from all different nations, alongside its somewhat shallow dives into the politics surrounding magic beasts and dungeons, are serviceable to the story, if not somewhat underdeveloped. The real-world setting infested by magical creatures and gates makes for battles with relatively high stakes, especially if those creatures escape. The major problem, however, lies with the generic, or perhaps non-existent, development of the System.
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The moment Sung Jinwoo is given access to his overpowered abilities, the series never really does anything with them. It isn’t a gradual reveal of the true nature of his rather generic video game abilities, but rather it’s that they aren’t given any sort of reasoning or explanation at all. Of course, those who have readSolo Leveling’s source material, in either web novel or manhwa format, know that development centered around the System is coming, but the series takes far too long to dive into its secrets,giving way to other major problems.
Lack of Development Leads to Other Major Problems For Solo Leveling
A Lack of Development in Solo Leveling’s Earlier Sections Gives Way to Stagnation
The lack of care given to Sung Jinwoo’s abilities would otherwise be fineifSolo Levelingtook the time to build other aspects of its story. There is ample opportunity to further develop how having his mother back would affect Jinwoo and his sister, or how other Hunters might find his sudden and extreme power-up fishy, rather than waving a hand over it and thinking it’s fine as long as it benefits them in a pinch. Real romantic development between Jinwoo and Cha Hae-In would also help to benefit the series in a number of ways.
Instead, throughout two entire seasons of anime,the focus remains on Jinwoo leveling up, becoming stronger, and having practically no opposition in battle. Unfortunately, this has given rise to criticism from certain corners of the anime community thatSolo Levelingislittle more than “Aura Farming: The Series”. Of course, there’s much more to the anime, and that assessment is largely a gross oversimplification of its issues and severely undersellsSolo Leveling’s strengths. However, the catalyst for that criticism is very real and present throughout the series, and it stems from its source material.
Solo Leveling’s Issues Can Be Traced Back to Its Source Material
The Anime Has Dealt With Some Built-In Problems
Solo Leveling’s anime adaptation, produced by A-1 Pictures,takes direct inspiration from the manhwa’s telling of events, and many of the problems that plague the series are present there, as well. In many ways,the anime series even improves on many of the manwha’s shortcomings, like in its decision to introduce Cha Hae-In into the series earlier than she was in the source material. Originally, the S-Rank hunter appeared and fell for Jinwoo with little build-up or warning, and the anime was able to at least let its audience spend some time with her before she becomes a major character.
However, the anime has not been able to improve upon the lack of development that plagued the series prior to its Jeju Island arc, which is somewhat of a shameconsidering the vast potential ofSolo Leveling’s world. Its characters, the public’s perception of gates and Hunters, the politics surrounding the entire premise of dungeons and their creatures, are all ripe for deeper exploration that would benefit the series greatly in its earlier sections.
Solo Leveling Is Still Good, Despite Its Flaws
The Series Offers Enough Beyond Its Issues
ThoughSolo Levelinghas its problems, there’s no denying thatA-1 Pictures' adaptation has been great. Despite a lack of notable development in its world building and characters, the action on display is irresistibly stylish, and Sung Jinwoo’s work ethic and humble attitude are incredibly refreshing in a genre filled with unlikable protagonists. His shadow abilities are also unique and make for cathartic endings to his battles, as his shadow army’s numbers continue to grow and boast more powerful members.
Solo Levelinghas just recently become thetop-rated series on Crunchyroll, and its second season has made quite the early bid for anime of the year. Its massive success is undeniably earned, flaws and all, and fans can be sure the series won’t be going anywhere anytime soon with all the popularity and acclaim it’s earned. As the anime continues on, the System’s and the world’s secrets will be revealed.It’s just a shame the anime didn’t do much with them earlier.
Solo Leveling
Cast
Solo Leveling follows Sung Jin-woo, the world’s weakest hunter, who gains extraordinary powers through a mysterious program after surviving a brutal monster attack. As he navigates his newfound abilities, Jinwoo embarks on a quest to uncover the secrets of his powers and the dungeon that altered his fate.
