Cast: Banjo Ginga, Haruna Mikawa, Reina Ueda, Taito Ban, and Genta Nakamura.
Maker: Chugong
Shunsuke Nakashige, director
Watching via Crunchyroll
Japanese is spoken (with subtitles)
Twelve episodes, each lasting about 25 minutes, total.
What It Concerns:
That brings us to Solo Leveling, an anime adapted from a South Korean novel that eventually became a webtoon. The anime world has influenced other cultures so much that many have started to use the tropes defined by the medium to tell their own stories. This is great because it shows that the medium is flexible enough to adapt to other mediums and still retain its main characteristics. At last, it has completed the circle by evolving into an anime series in which we follow our main character as he strives to become the strongest.
Review of Solo Leveling: Script Analysis:
From the outside, Solo Leveling appears to be a simple plot, and for the most part, it is. A fanciful world where magic is real and monsters pose a threat to civilization is shown to us. Obviously, this means that someone has to confront the monsters and protect Earth. In keeping with the anime tradition of chronicling a character’s journey toward development, we are introduced to Sung Jin-woo, our main character, who is deemed the world’s weakest hunter by the standards of this universe.
After this traditional setup, the program moves into a fairly traditional plot in which Jin-woo finds himself in a unique situation and gains the power to advance to higher hunter ranks—something that no one else can do—which is what makes his journey interesting to watch. In these ways, Solo Leveling has a pretty traditional feel to it, and it requires assistance differentiating itself from the numerous other anime narratives in which the main character starts off as a weakling before working hard to become the best. If you are expecting something different from Solo Leveling, you will be let down.
But it doesn’t mean the show feels like it’s treading water all the same; in fact, the world-building is largely responsible for some of the series’ unique qualities. The series’ creator has given careful consideration to building a universe that feels real within this amazing scenario in which a portal from another dimension opens, allowing a wide variety of creatures to descend upon Earth and cause havoc. Beyond that, the narrative demonstrates how humanity has evolved in this circumstance.
Even though our main protagonists are leveling up and facing increasingly ridiculous foes, it’s thrilling to see how society, human behavior, and even the economy have altered in the wake of the dimensional invasion. This helps to keep the plot feeling more grounded. Fortunately, the show never fails to make Jin-woo the center of attention and to make his journey the main emphasis of everything—not just his quest to become the greatest hunter, but also his development as a person and his relationships with other characters.
Final Thoughts:
With Attack on Titan and Jujutsu Kaisen having concluded their seasons, Solo Leveling is off to one of the strongest starts to the year and may even be the finest anime series this season. The show has a timeless, contemporary, and nostalgic vibe that makes you want your main character to succeed because, after all, if he can do it, so can we. Although it may not wow viewers, the animation does a fantastic job of bringing the plot to life. The world-building will also captivate viewers as the mysteries of the realm reveal themselves to them.
