Warning: Contains manhwa spoilers for Solo Leveling.
Summary
Solo Levelingis no doubt one of thehottest anime of the yearthanks greatly to just how popular the manhwa was to begin with. However, despite its global popularity,Solo Leveling’s manhwa is actually far from perfect, so much so that I dropped it the first time around, but maybe the anime can fix some of its biggest glaring flaws.
Despite its initial allure,Solo Leveling’s manhwa failed to keep me hooked beyond the Jeju Island Arc. The chapters following the Jeju Raid mark the beginning of season 2 of the manhwa and depict the so-called calm before the storm which isSolo Leveling’s final battle against the Monarchs. However, this stretch of chapters makes forone of the dullest, most confusing moments in the entire series.
Solo Levelingwas finally inching towards its finale and, ideally, I should have been unable to put the series down. However,the introduction of too many new characters and confusing subplots at once, coupled with poor pacing and an eventful yet uninteresting main plotline, meant I instead found myself growing bored and frustrated. Eventually, I dropped the series, forgetting to ever pick it up again and read the ending (which was equally disappointing).
Solo Leveling Fails To Develop The Original Appeal Of Its Prologue
Solo Leveling seems to have left behind the most interesting elements seen in its prologue to rely on the classic tropes of the genre instead.
Solo Leveling Goes Downhill After the Jeju Arc
The Manhwa’s Poor Pacing Ruined What Could Have Been Great Arcs
The first time I was exposed toSolo Levelingwas around the time the manhwa was gearing up towards its final big battle. At the time, I didn’t even know what manhwa was, but I had certainly heard all aboutSolo Leveling,which only goes to show just how popular the series was even in a tiny corner of India.
Solo Levelinghad a unique allure that even I, a devout shoujo consumer, could not resist.
Despite being constantly pestered to read it by people around me, it wouldn’t be until over a year later that I actually dove into the series. Safe to say,Solo Levelingenchanted mewith its bright, beautiful art, intriguing premise, and exciting pacing. I loved even the supporting characters like Yoonho, Beru, and Woo Jinchul, and even though I had never been drawn to shōnen action series in the past,Solo Levelinghad a unique allure that even I, a devout shoujo consumer, could not resist.
However, this excitement surprisingly wore off shortly after the Jeju Island Arc, which is unanimously agreed to beone of the best arcs inSolo Leveling. The climactic fight against Beru had set the bar as high as it could get, butthe manhwa' second season never quite managed to live up to the same heights. Until this point,Solo Levelingnever had a single dull moment. The pacing was always perfect and kept me scrolling to the next page without a second thought. However, the arcs leading up to the final battle between Jinwoo and Antares were mostly underwhelming save forthe Double Dungeon Arc.
As a result, these new plotlines were incredibly confusing and almost impossible to make sense of or keep track of.
The Japan Crisis Arc was by far the worst of the lot, despite being a rather exciting arc in the light novel which goes to show that the main culprit behindSolo Leveling’s problems in the latter half of the manhwa was indeed therushed pacing. The manhwa hastily introduced the various Monarchs as well as perplexing new plot elements like the Fragments of Light, trying to lay out various pieces of the story in a very short amount of time. As a result, these new plotlines were incredibly confusing and almost impossible to make sense of or keep track of.
Solo Leveling’s Ending Was Just As Atrocious
The Rushed Final Battle Makes for an Anticlimactic Ending to an Otherwise Great Series
Still, when I heard thatSolo Levelingwas getting an anime, I finally resolved to reread and finish the manhwa this time around. Much like the first time, the first half was spectacular and while I made it through the second half of the story this time, I wasonce again let down by the ending. Without a doubt, it was beautiful to see these various pieces of foreshadowing across the series finally come together to revealSolo Leveling’s beautifully crafted lore.
That said, the lore isn’t where the problem lies but rather the final battle itself, which was incredibly short and anticlimactic. Antares, who should have been Jinwoo’s most challenging opponent andSolo Leveling’s ultimate antagonist,left much to be desired in the end. Add to this the fact that the second half of the fight that takes place in the dimensional gap is entirely off-screened and there are very few redeeming qualities aboutSolo Leveling’s ending.
The Anime Is Already Fixing Solo Leveling’s Biggest Issues
Solo Leveling’s Anime Could End Up Being More Loyal to the Light Novels
Despite my gripes with the manhwa,Solo Leveling’s anime adaptation has reignited my love for the seriesand has the chance to be even better than the manhwa in many regards. Season 1 ofSolo Leveling’s anime has also already begun fixing many of the manhwa’s major issues and has the perfect chance to flesh out the final battle against the Monarch of Destruction as well as the arcs leading up to the finale.
Theearly introduction of the S-rank hunters in season 1suggests the anime may also do the same with the Monarchs which could help make the latter half of the story less confusing. The anime could also give the Japan Crisis Arc and the International Guild Conference Arc the focus they deserve, making for a more loyal adaptation of the light novel.
Solo Leveling Season 1 is Incredible, But How Does It Compare to the Manhwa?
Whether Solo Leveling’s anime lives up to the manhwa is debatable as it executes some aspects flawlessly but leaves more to be desired in other areas.
Overall,Solo Levelingis no doubt a good story, and it is easy to see why the manhwa became as popular as it did. The series no doubt holds a special place as one of the first few manhwa I ever read, but having explored the medium more since then, I can confidently say thatSolo Levelingis far from perfect, but simply one of the few manhwa out there that isn’t outright bad.
The fact that I dropped the series midway doesn’t necessarily mean the whole series is bad, as everyone enjoys this type of product differently according to their own tastes, but that there is definitely scope for the anime to greatly improve on the source material, which is why I simply cannot wait to see whatSolo Leveling’s anime has in store for the future.
Solo Levelingis available to read from Pocket Comics and TappyToon.
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.
