The anime has already reached its main point — it won’t be any different after that.
Summary:
- Solo Leveling has been hyped up by its source readers — and its only fault is the slow start.
- In some ways, the anime actually improves upon the source material.
- If you still have issues with Solo Leveling, it’s okay to drop it — it won’t become any different.
Solo Leveling (Ore dake Level Up na Ken) is an anime that fans have been waiting for since before it was even announced. When the era of manhwa adaptations started with Tower of God (Kami no Tou) and The God of Highschool, this was one that readers were practically begging for.
Well, we finally got an adaptation this year, and the source readers are mostly happy about it. The anime-only watchers also found it pretty fun, but, as with every anime, it’s not made for absolutely everyone. And if you’re still not enjoying the anime after 8 episodes, you shouldn’t wait for it to suddenly get better.
Solo Leveling is very self-explanatory
Solo Leveling is exactly what it says on the tin. You get a main character who’s motivated to become stronger, and he does it by himself — hardly anything more complex than that. If you’re expecting the anime to become something different than that, you aren’t getting it.
It’s understandable if you weren’t enjoying the anime at first. In fact, one gripe the source readers had with the Solo Leveling adaptation is how slow the beginning was — you didn’t really get to the main point until Episode 5. That’s almost halfway into the season — a double-length premiere could have helped the pacing.
Yes, Jinwoo’s coolest moments are definitely further into the manhwa. But if you aren’t enjoying the anime at this point, it’s safe to drop it: it won’t become any different even if it gets a second season.
The anime improves upon the source material
In fact, manhwa readers actually mentioned the anime improving upon some of the source material’s faults. While Solo Leveling is definitely entertaining, it’s not really known for great character writing. The anime actually expands on the characterization. And while the art isn’t as sharp as in the manhwa, the animation and the soundtrack make up for that.
The main selling points of the manhwa were its amazing art and its cool protagonist. It’s just that simple — if you want something more complex than that, you probably want to read or watch something other than Solo Leveling. That doesn’t make it bad, though: simplicity can be a strength as well.
It’s fine to be disappointed by it
It’s understandable why you might be disappointed with Solo Leveling. Episode 7.5 being a recap made a lot of fans unhappy, but you didn’t need to watch it — and it was announced to be one prior to its airing.
If you still don’t like the anime after it got to its main point, it is okay to drop it