For a while, Solo Leveling was all you ever heard of when people spoke about Webtoons, after the release of the anime it took the world by storm again. With season 2 around the corner let’s look back on if the show is really that unique or did it get all this hype due being one of the first portal fantasy shows?
10 years ago, strange portals called gates started to appear all over the world. These gates lead to dungeons filled with monsters, and if they don’t get cleared in time, monsters will start to pour out, which can be devastating to the area around them. Luckily, the appearance of dungeons also awakened a part of humanity, which grants them the ability to enter and clear these dungeons before they become a problem. These people are known as hunters, and aside from them being the heroes of humanity, their powers can also net them a sizable income.
This brings us to our main character, Jinwoo Sung, who had the chance to awaken and enter these dungeons. Sadly, he didn’t hit the jackpot as he became an E-rank, and out of all E-ranks, he is known as the weakest. This means that attacking a dungeon is not just a job, but a struggle to survive day after day. This might make you wonder why he succumbs to such torture instead of earning his keep in a safer way. Because, as dangerous as it may be, it’s also the fastest way to make money, and when you have to support your comatose mom and sister in high school, the ends justify the means.
So on a day when Jinwoo and his temporary companions are braving a D-rank dungeon and they find out there is another dungeon hidden within it, they decide to enter that one as well, but it ends up being more than they bargained for. Entering the Double Dungeon ends up changing Jinwoo’s life as it turns him into the only hunter that can improve his abilities through a game-like system. A world where only he can level up.
Different perspectives
Aside from our hero, Jinwoo Sung, we switch in and out of several different perspectives. At the start of the show, we dive into some backstory where a large group of A-rank and several S-rank hunters attempt to reclaim Jeju Island. This is a welcome addition initially, as it helps build up the world and gives us an initial view of the power levels in the show. A hunter getting healed by an S-rank healer shows surprise at the speed at which he recovers. While the fact that they failed this raid shows that S-rankers are far from omnipotent.
As Jinwoo enters a gate, the audience gets to learn a bit more about the economy behind the gates thanks to Gunhee Go, the chairman of the Hunter’s Association. An organisation that came to exist to make sure gates get cleared in a timely manner and to make sure that the wealth obtained from gates doesn’t only flow towards one organisation They tell us that the essence stones gathered from monsters can be used to generate energy in a clean and efficient manner, and that the world has since shifted over to using these as its primary energy source. This helps fuel the idea that hunters can earn well even though it’s a dangerous job.
And finally, near the end of the first episode, we switch to an audience perspective where we see future side characters Jinho Yoo and Song-Yi Han as their hunter rank gets tested. Sprinkling in bits of what’s happening to them helps to build them up as full-fledged characters to be used later on in the story.
These moments would be a welcome addition if they only happened in the first episode; however, the pacing starts to feel a bit off in later episodes since these scenes may pop in while the tension around Jinwoo Sung has already built up. This disruptive pacing might be explained by the fact that these scenes were not present in the source material; however, it does allow us to learn more about the world, which could also help the viewer get more immersed in the story. So all in all, this makes for a bit of a double-edged sword.
Audio
Talking about audio in an anime, the first thing that comes to mind is the opening song, and in this case, we have a song called LEveL that gets you pumped to see the episode by Sawano Hiroyuki and the k-pop band, which is fitting considering the source material is Korean, Tomorrow x Together. The lyrics of the song loosely explain the plot of the story and putting in your best effort, which fits how Jinwoo has to keep training to improve his abilities.
Speaking of Jinwoo’s progression throughout the story, this also extends to the voice acting done by Taito Ban, who gradually gives the character a deeper voice. Likewise, the English dub also has a great performance by Aleks Le, who also manages to show this transition through his voice acting.
During fights, several UI windows might pop up with information that has fitting snappy sounds to indicate them popping up and fading away again. Among these effects, one of the most satisfying is the life counter rapidly decreasing. During more intense moments, several different orchestral-sounding soundtracks start playing, and I would like to highlight DARK ARIA, which invoked a feeling of sadness and inevitability in me and really elevated the scene for me.
Spoiler Warning: Lyrics might contain light spoilers.
Visuals
One of the things Solo Leveling was widely praised for by its fans was the dynamic art style showcasing the battles and the terrifying enemies they were fighting with. With the switch to a different medium, some moments may need to be represented differently compared to the webtoon; however, fans can breathe a sigh of relief as fan favourite moments with bone-chilling opponents still evoke a feeling of fear and eeriness while being enhanced with background music and sound effects.
The game-like UI screens have bright, sparkling, glowing lines as if the panel is alive; several enemies have slightly glowing details; and effects related to his ability have transforming animations, which evoke a feeling of these things having jumped right out of a video game. Where the art and animation truly shine is right after moments where Jinwoo gathers his resolve and gives his all in fights, jumping from location to location, slashing precisely, and UI windows popping up with information about his and/or his opponents status. Scenes like these, where all the elements come together, really immerse the viewer in the moment.
Conclusion
At first glance, Jinwoo Sung is nothing like we haven’t already seen before in other anime: the weakest among the weakest making a miraculous transition to becoming one of the strongest. While the story is mainly focused on our hero, it does manage to create a compelling world by adding intrinsic motivation to the characters and having our hero work to improve his abilities instead of getting them for free.
Still, even with those elements added, its core is still a somewhat simple story, but where Solo Leveling manages to shine is its polish as a whole. There are bone-chilling frames for the creatures, sharp and dynamic animation, the gradual transition at which Jinwoo gets stronger, and by fleshing out the world, it all comes together as a very entertaining show. So yes, in the end, it may be a power fantasy, but it’s a damn good one.
Season 2
Next January we will finally get to see more of Jinwoo Sung’s story with the release of season 2. As shown at the end of Season 1 Jinwoo his powers have more to them than just strengthening his own physical capabilities as he is also capable of turning some of his slain foes into shadow soldiers that loyally follow his commands. These warriors will definitely change the landscape of defeating the portal, but is it possible for one person to have this much power without repercussions? I guess we will find out in January.
And if you may have forgotten exactly what happened in season 1 or if you want to get a preview of what will happen in the second season, this month you can check out Solo Leveling -ReAwakening- in theatre!
