Solo Leveling Review: It has been a little over a week into the New Year and we’ve been treated to a new Anime series. Titled Solo Leveling, the new Japanese anime series premiered its first two episodes over the weekend on Crunchyroll and boy, what a ride I’ve had! It has been a while since I found myself wanting to binge a series.
Solo Leveling was undoubtedly one of the most anticipated series this year. Having kicked off as a Korean web novel penned by Chugong in 2015, over the years, Solo Leveling has been adapted into a couple of international forms. These include a webtoon and Manhwa in 2018. Given that the series is almost a decade old now and has a massive fan following, the expectations were high from this one. And I am glad to report that it lives up to it.
For the unversed, the series revolves around Sung Jinwoo who is considered as the weakest demon hunter. With the burden to make ends meet, Sung Jinwoo continues to remain a demon hunter despite being brutally hurt by monsters in high-ranking dungeons time and again. However, something changes when he enters a never-before explored dungeon where he meets demons that are thirsty for blood. The expedition acts as a turning point of his near-over life.
The premiere of Solo Leveling was a thrilling experience, the least to say. The show doesn’t waste time in getting to the point of the plot. From the first frame, Solo Leveling keeps you on the edge. The series makes you feel like you are a part of the hunt, leaving you gasping, cheering and even rooting for Jinwoo.
Kudos to director Shunsuke Nakashige, character designers Tomoko Sudo and Hirotaka Tokuda, art director Yasuhiro Okumura, cinematography Masataka Ikegami and animation studio A-1 Pictures for bringing to table a visual treat. The animation quality is top-notch, almost video game style and the detailing in every frame – from the monsters to the characters – their deaths and even the dungeons — are impressive.
The scene that truly stood out for me was the dungeon set up. Not only did the gore in the scenes hit home, the set up makes you feel a little suffocated when Jinwoo is left to fend for himself. The scenes truly get under your skin.
Another factor that aids into making Solo Leveling interesting is the simple narration. It makes the viewing experience easy to follow. The cherry on the icing is Taito Ban. He adds a compelling touch to Sung Jinwoo’s character with his voice over.
Solo Leveling is off to a great start. If they keep up the pace and the presentation of the premiere episodes, Solo Leveling could emerge as one of the most talked about Anime series in the first quarter of the year. The series will drop a new episode every Saturday. Solo Leveling comprises of 12 episodes.
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