In short, it's an experimental project that proves it's possible to make anime in 4K.
Summary:
Sol Levante is a short experimental movie made in 4K.
It's the first anime made like this, and we won't see a full series in 4K anytime soon.
If you want some good animation with no plot and have a 4K screen, you should check it out.
If you've browsed the Netflix catalog of anime, you might have stumbled upon a curious one called Sol Levante. The anime has great cover art and an intriguing description. However, if you actually try to watch it, you're going to realize it's only 4 minutes long.
Sure, it looks impressive, but there's no plot or anything. So, what even is Sol Levante, and can we expect a full series to be released at some point?
How Anime Resolutions Work
First of all, Sol Levante isn't any kind of trailer. It's a fully completed project — or at least, supposed to be one. This anime short is an ambitious project by a group of creators from Production I.G. sponsored by Netflix. It's said to be the first hand-drawn anime made in 4K HDR — yes, there was no anime naturally made in 4K before.
Most of the native resolution of modern TV anime is 1080p or slightly lower — so yes, 1080p would be an upscale half of the time, and watching anime on a 4K screen doesn't make it look better. Movies get produced in 2K occasionally, but there hasn't been a single hand-drawn anime that was made in 4K.
It's also important to remember that resolution doesn't mean anything.
For example, many illegal streaming websites will have 1080p looking worse than your average 720p on a streaming service like Crunchyroll because they want to save the storage space on the servers.
It's Unique, but We Won't See Anything Similar Anytime Soon
Still, Sol Levante is unique in its own regard. It's the anime you're supposed to watch on a 4K screen, and it shows that the technology for 4K anime is already there. However, most fans ended up extremely disappointed with it, hence the low ratings for the short.
The anime was initially planned to release in fall 2019, but was pushed down to March 2020. This means that before fall 2019, it had probably already spent some time in production. In the end, it was just a 4-minute short — yes, the technology for 4K anime is there, but it takes way too long to make. A full series probably won't be produced this way anytime soon.
Do you want to see a full anime made in 4K?
It's Really Short, So if You Want Good Animation, Watch It
In the end, is Sol Levante worth watching? That's a bit of a silly question, considering it would take none of your time. If you want to watch something really short but good-looking, go ahead — and it will look even better if you have a screen for it. However, don't expect it to have any coherent plot or characters.
In short, it's an experimental project that proves it's possible to make anime in 4K.
Summary:
Sol Levante is a short experimental movie made in 4K.
It's the first anime made like this, and we won't see a full series in 4K anytime soon.
If you want some good animation with no plot and have a 4K screen, you should check it out.
If you've browsed the Netflix catalog of anime, you might have stumbled upon a curious one called Sol Levante. The anime has great cover art and an intriguing description. However, if you actually try to watch it, you're going to realize it's only 4 minutes long.
Sure, it looks impressive, but there's no plot or anything. So, what even is Sol Levante, and can we expect a full series to be released at some point?
How Anime Resolutions Work
First of all, Sol Levante isn't any kind of trailer. It's a fully completed project — or at least, supposed to be one. This anime short is an ambitious project by a group of creators from Production I.G. sponsored by Netflix. It's said to be the first hand-drawn anime made in 4K HDR — yes, there was no anime naturally made in 4K before.
Most of the native resolution of modern TV anime is 1080p or slightly lower — so yes, 1080p would be an upscale half of the time, and watching anime on a 4K screen doesn't make it look better. Movies get produced in 2K occasionally, but there hasn't been a single hand-drawn anime that was made in 4K.
It's also important to remember that resolution doesn't mean anything.
For example, many illegal streaming websites will have 1080p looking worse than your average 720p on a streaming service like Crunchyroll because they want to save the storage space on the servers.
It's Unique, but We Won't See Anything Similar Anytime Soon
Still, Sol Levante is unique in its own regard. It's the anime you're supposed to watch on a 4K screen, and it shows that the technology for 4K anime is already there. However, most fans ended up extremely disappointed with it, hence the low ratings for the short.
The anime was initially planned to release in fall 2019, but was pushed down to March 2020. This means that before fall 2019, it had probably already spent some time in production. In the end, it was just a 4-minute short — yes, the technology for 4K anime is there, but it takes way too long to make. A full series probably won't be produced this way anytime soon.
Do you want to see a full anime made in 4K?
It's Really Short, So if You Want Good Animation, Watch It
In the end, is Sol Levante worth watching? That's a bit of a silly question, considering it would take none of your time. If you want to watch something really short but good-looking, go ahead — and it will look even better if you have a screen for it. However, don't expect it to have any coherent plot or characters.
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