Anime usually works more efficiently.
Summary:
- Fans of the manhwa didn't like the pacing and the cliffhangers at the end of each episode.
- Solo Leveling is a story about an underdog who gradually becomes very powerful.
- The most notable detail is the change in narrative in the anime adaptation.
Many viewers have been waiting for the release of Solo Leveling (Ore dake Level Up na Ken) this season. Some came after the incredible experience of reading the manhwa, while others wanted to see the title that had attracted so much attention.
However, the first episodes received a lot of criticism — fans of the manhwa didn't like the pacing and the cliffhangers at the end of each episode. Some have called the adaptation a failure, vastly inferior to the manhwa. This is not entirely true, and the anime has its own strengths.
Proper adaptation of the story
It can't be said that Solo Leveling has an original concept at its core — it's still a story about an underdog who gradually becomes very powerful. There are also familiar tropes such as the weak but very kind and caring main character, or the noble goal the protagonist pursues — Jin-Woo helps his sister and sick mother.
Some may ask the logical question: why has Solo Leveling attracted so much attention? The answer is simple — the reason for the hype is the manhwa.
Despite the criticism, the anime is an almost faithful adaptation of the manhwa, but viewers were rather disappointed by the pacing of the first episodes and the fact that they weren't as impressive as fans expected.
A bad joke for the anime was the great popularity of the manhwa, which was published from 2018 to 2023. Chugong (the author of Solo Leveling) and his team made sure that their story was done at a high level. They succeeded, the manhwa really became a model of good visuals and topped many lists.
Better in some ways
Some might argue, but the adaptation is good in many ways. First of all, Solo Leveling has high quality animation — the movements are smooth and you can easily feel the scale of what's going on.
The first two episodes took place in a dungeon where Jin-Woo went to earn money. The events that happened there can hardly be called an easy ride, and the anime manages to convey brutality. Instead of the black bars of censorship found in the manhwa, the creators of the anime showed things as they are.
The most notable detail is the change in the narrative. More events are shown from the point of view of the secondary characters, which adds to the diversity of the story. The decision to show Jin-Woo's backstory and his former job at the construction site is interesting and touching.
Of course, the choice to make the first few episodes less spectacular may seem like a missed opportunity to some, but Solo Leveling is still the standout release of the season.