Anime 52299 Ore Dake Level Up Na Ken Reviews Sort Suggested Filter Check Filter Hide Preliminary On Spoiler Off P 2

One of the worst anime I have seen lately. It is a very slow and boring series. The plot here you will not experience anime is literally about nothing. The main character as it happens in badly made shonen can overcome anything as long as the will to fight does not leave him. The results of the fights are therefore obvious. Apart from the fights in this anime you will find nothing but unnecessary and poorly conducted dialogues. The worst is the change of the protagonist into a completely different person at the start which I hate. I do not recommend.

For someone who was waiting for the anime to come out after a long long long period of time, I would like to shout with happiness that every second of the waiting is most definitely worth it. Their approach to the anime’s pacing with their plot is amazingly complete, I know because I have finished the manga and read the LN, seeing how they animated the 3 episodes of the anime, shows that they are loyal to the manga and LN, which is a good sign, because this shows that the anime would be complete in its portrayal of the information’s and story of Solo ... Leveling.

Another thing that captivated me is their straightforwardness shown in the animation. By straightforwardness I meant the killing scenes, blood scenes, fears shown in the characters faces and actions, in general the goriness of the anime were not masked, but shown to the viewers, and this is an amazing thing because it would be more emotionally captivating and exciting to watch. Also, its fighting scenes are splendid, it is not half hearted and not boring or just monotonous, but instead they are able to make the viewers emotionally interact with it, meaning you will feel tense as you watch them fight, struggle to survive etc…

Really recommend this anime or story in general, I really cant wait till next week for the next episode how I wish it will all just come out, I really really want to binge it so bad hehehehe

Anyway, when I first started watching I was not very into it as it was giving me AOT vibes. Let me explain, although it is a very unliked statement AOT was bad because it was predictable, had bad character development, weird pacing, and story. And that beginning it was the same thing for this anime. Watching someone die in front of him, tired of being weak, the motivation coming from being weak and being "noble", losing limbs, and wanting another opportunity. But unlike AOT it didn't take them a whole season to go through this arc it only took them three. After that, it was ... more story and world-building focus. It started to focus on how the world works and made the MC go through hardships that he still struggled to complete but found better ways to the solution other than the fact that he was just the MC.

Although they do make him into the average MC we usually get. But the difference I am seeing is a small glimpse into how and why he got overpowered makes it far better than any other overpowered anime MC. It at least is trying to build some sort of why and good motivation. You can also see how it affects the mental way of thinking especially in the mine episode. I do hope they keep romance to a minimum although they have alluded to two love interests.

It also didn't point out the obvious too much. Some things were bad like suddenly going from scrawny to fully jack. I would have liked to see more of those personal training quests. Although I believe it is good the way it is because they didn't make him instantly good and everything.

I also really love the animation and art of this type of anime. And the voice acting is on point. And if you are watching and you think that it is getting slow just continue watching as more than likely the next episode is more than likely a very entertaining EP. Although I have some idea of what I think is going to happen the way this show is going it's more than likely not going to disappoint in its delivery.

In the last few episodes he can either become very good are horrendously bad. Well, we will see if it'll make us watch part 2 of season one.

Probably my first and only time writing a review of an anime , but i feel solo leveling deserves this ...
For any manhwa reader's saying that the anime is not adapted correctly , i would highly disagree so far 4 episodes are out and without any spoilers i would like to comment that the animation was absolutely fabulous A-1 picture did a phenomenal job with it.

Animation 8/10 : Once again its still too early to rate the animation but as far as i have seen from episode 4 assuming that to be the peak of their animation it is still a solid 8/10 , ... The fight scene's are very much well animated ..

Music/SoundTrack : 9/10
Well that's a given... its SawanoHiroyuki , the soundtrack he has made for any anime are some of the best and it fits very perfectly with this anime too.

Story : 7/10
See it is at the end of the day a power fantasy right , so naturally if that's not your cup of tea you won't enjoy it , but i will say solo leveling is the best it comes to a power fantasy that is actually great , The characters all are very well developed in this anime and one might say the anime is too edgy , it's really not compared to some of the other isekai anime that are in the market today , does solo leveling do anything new in the isekai genre ? well no but what it does do is it takes the general elements of what an isekai is and do it at a grander scale , it is without a doubt peak of power fantasy without the MC being edgy

Voice Acting : 9/10
The Voice actor for Sung jin woo our MC is without a doubt a flawless pick for the role , until episode 3 we really don't see much difference in his voice but once again i am rating all this off based on the most recent episode that is episode 4 and the only words i can say is that , The VA did a phenomenal job at it ....

Now in conclusion would i recommend solo leveling ? well absolutely even the non power fantasy lovers atleast i would recommend to give 4 episodes a try for the very least , if somewhere in your mind you thought anime's like SAO or shield hero were able to get you hyped up then solo leveling is the best as it comes and i will say this without a doubt that the anime adaptation by A1 pictures is perfect without a doubt , i am saying this as a manhwa reader , and if anyone tells you otherwise to go read the manhwa cause its better ... then they are probably basing things off on prejudice , without actually giving the anime a try

Long story short : Solo leveling is a must watch this season.....

Target audience matters. and I am just outside the target audience. Younger me would have loved this, it's high energy, power fantasy, gory, and the protag is edgy. However, older me has developed new tastes (which I will not claim to be superior, simply different), and subsequently I struggled to feel invested.

Things I can praise:
- Animation. It's high quality stuff for the action scenes. They are bombastic and top notch
- Joohee. The only person who feels realistically portrayed in this show. Can't say much about why without spoiling events. I only wish she had a bit more time on screen in order to ... give her a bit more development and give the audience more time to build an attachment.
- Use of violence. While gore is generally a selling point for me, this show used violence in such a visceral way that it helps sell the gravity of many scenes. They don't hold back or sugar coat.

Things that I found disappointing
- Story. It's relatively bare bones and straight forward. There is certainly some hints at underlying depth but so far not enough of that was presented to captivate me in to wanting to know more. Otherwise, as it's presented here, it's more or less "What if RPG mechanics were introduced in the real world."
- Characters. They can be overly dumb at times, not noticing very obvious things, and many are very one note and cliche. The thing I dislike the most is when characters become powerful they also become super edgy, and that's the route our protagonist went down. It's the kind of edgy teen me wanted to be, always one step ahead, people being afraid of my super reflexes, a cold demeanor, etc. But adult me feels it's too one note and became a trope.
- Stakes. The main character being in peril only matters if they have sufficiently built up your concern for other characters. It's rare the main character will die, either they are able to rally themselves to win, or somehow survive to fight another day, either way it's their plot armor kicking in. It's the supporting cast suffering the consequences of the hero's failure that drive stakes, because they are more expendable. Unfortunately, the show did not do enough to make me care what happened to the supporting cast. They got little screen time, and those that did weren't given enough time to be interesting and likable characters. The main character sure does endure a lot of punishment, and you can really feel it, but in the end I knew he had plot armor and would come out the other end unscathed.

As it's plain to see I have more issues than praise but I'll reiterate that I'm no longer the target demographic. I was able to enjoy the show for it's animation, and great action scenes, so I did continue to tune in each week. Sometimes that's all you need, even if it's not your kind of story, it'll still please the eyes.

Solo Leveling, the anime adaptation of the beloved manhwa, has stormed onto the anime scene with an electric mix of fantasy, action, and a narrative that treads the fine line between humanity and monstrosity. Inspired by Nietzsche's timeless wisdom, the anime weaves a tale that explores the depths of power, transformation, and the shadows that lurk within.

At its core, Solo Leveling is hailed as a masterpiece, a sentiment echoed by fervent fans and critics alike. The series introduces us to Sung Jin-Woo, the 'World's Weakest' hunter, who embarks on a journey that transcends his initial vulnerability. The anticipation surrounding its adaptation into anime is met ... with resounding success, capturing the essence of Sung's growth with each meticulously crafted episode.

The animation, as celebrated in multiple analyses, stands as a pinnacle of art, redefining the limits of the fantasy genre. Studio A-1 Pictures and its team receive well-deserved praise for breathing life into the source material. The beautiful animation, coupled with an incredible direction, promises an immersive experience that sets Solo Leveling apart.

The narrative, while containing elements that some might deem generic, transcends its initial premise. It introduces viewers to a world where dungeons unleash monsters upon Earth, creating a visceral struggle for survival. Sung Jin-Woo's journey is marked not only by physical prowess but also by an exploration of the human psyche, echoing Nietzsche's cautionary words about staring into the abyss.

Sawano's masterful use of soundtracks, highlighted in one of the analyses, becomes a character in itself, providing impact and emotion to each scene. The OSTs resonate with the narrative, contributing to the immersive quality that defines Solo Leveling.

The character development, particularly in Sung Jin-Woo, becomes a driving force behind the anime's allure. His growth from weakness to strength, as witnessed by fans in the manhwa, is brought to life with a style that keeps audiences eagerly anticipating each confrontation. The series, as noted, might lack complex character arcs, but the sheer fun it delivers, reminiscent of SAO's appeal, transforms it into an emotional and entertaining powerhouse.

Solo Leveling is not just an anime; it's an experience that transcends the confines of its genres. It understands the desires of its audience—entertainment, fun, and an escape into a world where the hero's journey unfolds with style and impact. As the anime progresses, it beckons viewers into a realm where every episode leaves them yearning for more, standing on the precipice of what could potentially be the best anime of 2024. In the crowded landscape of anime, Solo Leveling emerges as a beacon, inviting fans to venture into a world where monsters are not just external adversaries but the shadows within us all.

Maybe my rating is a little strong, but only because this show is pure power fantasy without any good characters or story thus far. The pacing moves at breakneck speed, with the protagonist going from the proclaimed "weakest hunter in humanity" to being obviously being on pace to beat every hunter by... episode 3. Jinwoo has the personality of a 2x4, since he had 1 episode of being the weakest into immediately becoming "the coolest and strongest". There's really not much of any other characters yet 7 episodes in. There's just nothing earned at all. I feel like I'm playing pretend with a kid where ... he says "now my power goes to 1000 and I'm gonna beat you" so I respond and say "yeah well I'm 2000 so you're gonna have to really try" and then he says "oh yeah, well I'm power level infinity!". Overall just super boring unless you are into the most fanfiction style power fantasy possible.

"Anything can enjoyed if no brainpower is required" perfectly encapsulates "Ore dake Level Up na Ken", better known as "Solo Leveling", it is a run-of-the-mill power fantasy with mindless action and trite storytelling. It was perhaps designed by the author to be as bland as possible and to appeal to as many young impressionable males as possible. Furthermore, the story serves as a form of escapism for its intended audience; for that reason, "Solo Leveling" should be reviled for its existence.

The protagonist, Jin-Woo, serves as a self-insert to most young men, making up the base of the social hierarchy in real life. Whose worth, in ... society's view, come from wealth and good-looks. Jin-Woo Having neither and being the weakest character in his world is relatable to many, but the author gives him a literal "cheat menu"; Jin-Woo becomes a completely different person after receiving his cheat menu. Initially he was admirable but later becomes detestable. The cheat menu deviates from the initial premise of the show, "Hard work is rewarded" that many shonen anime have. This illustrates that the story is facile slop excreted by the author for the mindless masses to consume. Moreover, the story lacks depth and the escapist power fantasy of the show delivers the wrong message to its audience. Jin-Woo does not have to work hard when he is given the "cheat menu". He becomes strong in a few weeks when in reality it would takes years to become that strong. This cheat menu allows the author to make a multiple ass-pulls in his nonsensical story. In addition the story does not have anything meaningful to say.

The show provides a self-insert power fantasy for its brain-dead audience who will enjoy the show. Those not lacking in critical thought will find that it is, as others have also said, mediocre at best. Therefore, its nickname by many as "Mid-Leveling" is truly apt.

A storm has come for the future of anime. One with the potential to destroy good taste for the next decade, as mass cope and denial run rampant along with the name of this season's new Top Slop Anime: Solo Levelling.

Short Summary and ‘TL;DR’ waiting at the bottom.

In this preliminary period, most reviews and takes are read as desperate cope from manhwa readers, unwilling to accept that their beloved series has been made into a mediocre, substanceless slop - filled with glaring and awkward issues within its very first few minutes. In some cases these reviews have convinced me in their own words why ... this show should be at best, a 5, then proceed to give it a higher rating anyways. It's as if those who don’t like this show slept through some sort of psy-op; people with garbage taste both like or hate this show, and the same can be said of people with good taste. It's bizarre.

This anime wasn't made for greatness of any description, a statement I'm very comfortable making as we are seven episodes in. The character work is lazy or non-existent, the premise is childish, Grade-A ‘cringe’, and the pacing of many episodes, let alone the first three, serves to kill interest for anyone without high levels of patience.

The art is fine, the music is swell, but the rating of five is written on it as-well. Unlike most people it seems, I'm not afraid to delve fully into why this preliminary has thus far been dull, poorly paced and nonsensical, lacking anything to bite down on and actually invest in. I know most anime fans are beyond understanding this, but stories are supposed to be more than power fantasy garbage. Power Fantasy is at its most tolerable when there are things to supplement otherwise uninteresting or predictable story-telling, like the other characters or creative plot-threads, something this show hellaciously avoids.


I’m not going to wait for the preliminary to finish, it's time to accept this creation for what it is: and that’s mid.

Premise -

First, I’ll make something very clear; I don’t give a damn about the manhwa. From a first hand friend's account, I’ve heard the art is good, and by comparison, the pacing and characterization is better by comparison. Something I imagine hasn't changed from the source is the core premise. A shame, because it's of the laziest, dullest and most unimaginative premises one could pry from the depths of their mind: VIDYA GAEMS & DND, IRL!!!

Alright, this isn’t exactly true, but it also kind of is. There are paladins, fighters, healers, and the whole nine yards in this setting. That’s well and good, checks a box on slop fantasy bingo, but seeing a story with this premise commonly regarded as “THE BEST MANHWA OF ALL TIME” nearly made me spit on my monitor.

The gist is this: For no reason that is to be explained in the near future, funky anime portals inexplicably open up randomly around the world (South Korea), and generic, uninspired DND knock off monsters come out of them - presumably to kill people and run rampant. Alongside this slop fantasy epidemic, people begin to “awaken” meaning they get the privilege to LARP and kill fantasy monsters, epic style. The awakening process is of course accompanied by the arbitrary and overused trope of a “ranking system” from rank S at the highest, and E at the lowest. BUT WAIT! What separates this arbitrary ranking system from all the others you’ve probably seen is that once you have your rank, you're stuck with it, forever! (Unless the writers/author decide a character needs to become stronger in the near or late future.)

On the surface is there anything totally wrong with this premise? No, but yes. There are a few problems. Aside from the inclusion of an arbitrary ranking system automatically making you a hack writer, this premise is sloppily presented, serves to excuse any lack of real character growth, and is generally - stupid.

Slogging through the terrible introduction to the world, we understand that these DND knock-offs can’t be killed with earthly weapons. They can only be killed with weapons made from special materials dropped by them when killed, or just generally found inside these portals/dungeons.

If you stop and think for about three seconds you may have asked, “Why don’t these people turn this material into guns, or bullets, instead of LARP’ing a DND campaign?” The answer to that simple: F*** YOU, don’t ask that! This simple question could have been caught and snuffed out in a few seconds of plot pruning, but is completely ignored and to my knowledge; never brought up or justified even within the manhwa.

Issues related to world building are just wildly rampant. There are many easy, yet missed opportunities to better expand on how this thinly veiled world operates and is conducted. Instead, we’re subjected to god awful pacing and scenes which introduce people and plot threads with little or no relevance to what's current. If done optimally, episodes 1 and 2 could have been condensed into a 30/35 minute special. But, you know what, who cares! The Fellowship of the Ring never flew the eagles to Mordor, after all. That excuses everything and anything when it comes to god awful world building!

The main takeaway is that the premise is dumb, childish, and easy to poke holes into. Sloppily presented, as it is in this adaptation. But what about the rest? Surely, the story based on one of the “BEST MANHWA OF ALL TIME” has a gripping story with deep characters, crazy twists, sinister/threatening villains and a well written main character to make up for the god awful premise, right? Well…

- Story

Before we’re introduced to our “Just Like Me!” main character, this anime manages to take a dump on its own chest with the most jarring introduction to a world I’ve ever seen. We open with poorly drawn navy ships surrounding an island. We’re then taken to a scene featuring the most generic slop fantasy LARP characters ever seen in anime - fighting against the Giant Ants from Elden Ring, and utterly contrasting what was just on screen.

If I told you this anime made me laugh, you might assume there's bits of comedy throughout, but the real comedy comes from how seriously this show takes itself. I don’t think anything is meant to be construed as comical, but I found myself laughing every time someone died - or mentioned ranks, magic, and other DND or video game lingo with a straight delivery.

This is truly based on the best manhwa of all time.

After we’re through the terribly delivered exposition and world building, leaving more questions than answers, we finally get to sink our teeth into the pulsating flesh of our main character, J…! Something. I think his name is kinda like that one guy from some Korean R&B group? Jim-Man John, I think was his name? (RIP G.O.A.T)
I don’t know, I’ll just be calling our MC Jim from now on, only for the sake of this review's english localization. Some Jim-Who. The character of which the entire world revolves around.

We’re introduced to Jim through a very clever and subversive character introduction where two nameless and ugly bastards talk about him with zero substance.
There's fat-man, and skinny-man. One of them describes our MC as the most useless, worthless human being on the planet, incapable of killing so much as a fly. Jim himself is aware of how much of a loser he is, which I imagine is supposed to heavily resonate with the entire target audience for this genre of anime. Despite being a massive loser, Jim endeavors in his career as a Hunter, the name for the people bestowed with those arbitrary ranks. As expected, Jim is the absolute lowest rank and is an active burden to everyone he works with, unable to pull his weight to even a minimal degree. Regardless, he persists in this pursuit as he is the only breadwinner for his family, trying to pay for his little sister's schooling as-well as his comatose mothers sickness.

This doesn't sound that bad, right? Jim’s initial character and motivations give us maybe just a little bit to nibble on, but we have a problem here - the taste turns to sulphur the moment you begin thinking. Delving just a bit further into the first episode, Jim’s level of uselessness is presented as nearly comical. Correct me if I’m wrong, but there are many ways to make money in this world, no? The career as a ‘Hunter’ is supposedly a fast way to earn profit, but it's also explicitly alluded that payment is in line with your CONTRIBUTION. Jim literally can’t do anything, he is as useless as described. I’m saying, this idiot shouldn’t have been our main character. The author was fishing for sympathy points and went too far, making our main character seem like a massive idiot rather than sympathetic. Although, him being an idiot and making poorly thought choices at-least remains a consistent character trait.

Moving on, some things happen and Jim drags his feet alongside a group of hunters conducting a “raid” on one of the DND portals, clearing out a dungeon until they find an optional path. The group decides to vote whether or not to continue, leaving a split decision and Jim to break it. Now, with everything there is to know and has been seen of this character so far, any choice other than cutting his losses would leave Jim looking not only STUPID, but short-sighted, selfish, ignorant, and BRAIN-DEAD. You can most likely imagine which choice he decided to make, because otherwise the story would end there. The events following this are extremely spoilerly, but to gloss over it: Things happen, characters become either stupid, unreasonable, or smart because the author needs to create cheap and sudden tension - which doesn't even work as there is no real tension in the sequence I’m describing.

He made a clear cut mistake, yet in the aftermath he feels no visible or real guilt and faces no immediate consequences, a running theme for most of his actions - he even benefits in this instance.

Otherwise, Jim-Who as he is introduced is awful, almost worse than what he quickly becomes. This character sucks, a laughable attempt of creating a character cheated by ‘muh society’. Lazily and poorly written around a poorly rationalized motivation, a combination ill befitting the so-called, “Best MANHWA OF ALL TIME”.

Though, at the very least, Jim has the luxury of being ‘written’, unlike ANY of the other characters, a poisonous root problem this anime suffers from chronically.

- Characters

Usually, I have a lot to say about an anime's cast of characters, even some of the worst garbage I’ve ever watched leaves me with more than a footnote for most of them.

But here? This anime breaks new ground, as none of the side characters have any meaningful writing or development. Nobody is allowed to say or accomplish anything without minimal loose involvement or relevance to Jim-Who. Seven episodes in, and the only major character with a semblance of development and motivation is Jim-Who’s, of which becomes artificial and unimportant respectively.

Jim’s sister is an empty kawaii girl husk who only complains or talks at her brother about her brother. She looked like she had an important friend, but they’ve never been seen since episode 1.

Jim’s mother is a comatose vegetable, not even a tasty one. I said I wouldn’t talk about the manhwa, but I know the animators had to add the scene where Jim actually visits her in the hospital, because it doesn’t actually happen within the span of 50 chapters. She’s only one of his primary motivations, totally not important at all, right, author? There was also a funny flashback where she spontaneously falls on the floor and nearly cracks her head open.

The following isn’t a spoiler, as I find anyone could see it as painfully predictable.
Fat-man from before signed his death warrant in the first episode - making the mistake of announcing he has a wife and child with no prior prompt. He was just husk only tasked with talking about Jim-Who. Skinny man is the same, except he didn’t mention his wife and child so he didn’t die - but he may as well have cause he’s no longer relevant. So, why’d he exist to begin with?

One of the hunters, a girl, at one point warranted mention as she was unconditionally clingy and concerned with every breath drawn by our MC, Jim. However, she hasn’t been seen since episode 4, so I guess the show is trying to tell me she doesn't matter.

There's a pattern here. Most minor characters like Jim’s Sister are just brainless bug-men and women who have no goal or task of their own that doesn't involve the main character, Characters talk at him about things in brief stints of ‘tell don’t show’ garbage, which infests light novels and slop anime everywhere.

So, this brings us back to Jim, he’s an idiot, but the show fails to present him as one, instead jarringly transitioning his character into a knowledgeable Wizz-ler with no build or prior alluding. Had the Fat and Skinny man instead said, “This guy is a useless loser, but he’s pretty smart too.” That would correct his sudden character contradiction, but also create another, because if he were smart he would’ve opted for a career he can actually perform in. Would a skinny twig-let go to college football tryouts? No. So why is this useless idiot trying to be anything but a McDonald's cashier?


Though, we still aren’t through with Jim and never will be, because now we approach the crux of the show's namesake. Here, Jim-Who no longer needs to have ‘character’ development at all! Not outside of what’s artificial, contrived, or uninspired.

- The Best Manhwa of All Time (How to Level Down Your Story Telling)

The third episode triples down on the bad pacing by being slow and dull, wasting precious seconds on nonsense which could have been used to develop anything or Jim-Who himself. But, at this point any development for Jim-Who will only be artificial.

Here, Jim finds out he became the Hokage or something, because it's finally time for him to walk the path of becoming our overpowered and unbeatable protagonist, gaining the ability to ‘level up’ as the title suggests. Because some things happened in the last episode, Jim has had some form of what's called a ‘second awakening’, where a hunter might arbitrarily change to a higher rank because the author wants them too.

The introduction to this concept is made redundant and confusing shortly after - because what actually happened is through arbitrary and chance means, Jim now gets to do real life video game quests; so that he can level up his new video game stats and skillzzz.

Anyone who still thinks this story is worth a 10 or anything near it needs to book a clinic visit.

The video game garbage levels down the storytelling in the sense that Jim-Who will only have development and changes through arbitrary means, rather than as a person. We may as well be watching an actual video game character.

The worst has to be, despite being a real human being, Jim-Who has ‘fatigue’ as well as a literal health bar - though the ladder isn’t shown until a later episode, used to create cheap tension while Jim-Who is fighting ‘on the ropes’. This doesn't matter, anyways, because both mechanics are regularly forgotten about or unmentioned at different points, to where I forgot that fatigue was even established.

But now we’ve finally reached the crux of the issue. Every single character likes Jim-Who, or they will suffer consequences. Character interactions not including Jim-Who are either about him or something poorly implanted where the story currently is. Jim-Who is the world - so as a result the world, characters and setting all suffer tremendously and are left meaning nothing because Jim is lacking as a character. If the world and characters mean nothing, what's the point of watching Jim do anything or beat anyone when the outcome is as predictable as knowing when you’re next going to breathe?

Obviously this is going to be the focal point in 'Solo Levelling', don’t fool yourself into believing nobody understands this. The point is to watch Jim-Who beat monsters and level-up, and even that aspect is dull and bland.

Jim levels up, says something stupid, has a flashback or screams, then wins.
He isn’t allowed to fail or develop as a person, the author practically hand holds him through any difficult character moments through the floating screens. I don’t find him relatable at all, despite relatability supposedly being one of his redeeming qualities. Sit back in your gaming chair and think, what else is there to know about Jim-Who? He has a sister, a mother, is an idiot, and wants to get stronger. If you can compile a greater list I’d be more than happy to read it.

- The Rest of the Crap, Cont. (Residue From My Notes)

The only thing I can think to commend this anime for is this: With how seriously this anime takes itself, I’m still surprised that thus far, this anime has NOT overly sexualized women or school children. No big, distracting, ill placed bouncy breasts like other trash. No ‘fanservice’, none of it. This is very shocking in this hellish dark age of anime, and oddly refreshing. I can’t wait for it to be contradicted in the near to late future!

Besides that very welcome exception to the cliche’ rules of anime, this show takes itself way too damn seriously for what it is. If you were to look at my profile or merely this review, you would be under the assumption that I just hate fun, or anime as a whole. While the second statement can make a hardy debate topic, this show is anything but fun, but by all accounts you’d expect it to be. The premise is so silly you would expect some clever jokes, subtle humour, etc. Instead, this show treats itself with such gravity that it loops around and becomes hysterical. The opening scene features people getting straight up disembowelled, to where they begin bleeding a slaughter house’s worth of blood by themselves.

The unintentional hilarity from the buckets of blood only increases with time. I won’t go into detail, but there is no shortage of moments where a certain someone is getting thoroughly killed to death, and you’ll wonder how they haven't died from how insane and goofy it looks - which destroys any tension there could’ve been.

- The End of Good Taste - Conclusion/Short Summary

Is this truly based on the “best manhwa of all time”? Doesn't feel like it to me. If you’ve bothered to read this far or watched bits of it yourself, does it feel like that to you?

I first wrote this in the context of only episodes 1-3, before it was removed for being too epic and cool (Editing in further context is not allowed). Though now on episode 7 I found I had to rewrite very little, as most core points still stand strong.

The premise is rotten, becoming worse as Jim-Who ‘levels up’. The Storytelling is lazy, poorly paced and predictable. The characters are unintelligent or given nothing to work with. The world is held together with paper and tape - vulnerable to having half a dozen holes poked through it within the first episode, which are never to be addressed. These points should be apparent for anyone who has viewed media for more than fifteen years, yet they seem to have gone over many people's heads.

Try not to take any offence to this reader, but this story comes off as hackily written, dull, cookie cutter, power fantasy slop - hardly different from light novel garbage infesting each new season of anime. Video games and DND in real life. Damn, why didn’t I think of that after the age of twelve? I might’ve been rich, or something.

We are halfway through the season, so at this point it's safe to assume nothing will change in the grand scheme. The idea that this show could even scratch the surface of a 10/10 in someone's mind is utterly baffling, helping to create the diluted rating of 8.46 at the time of writing. Still, I may hate this show, but I still love how it tries, how seriously it takes itself. I’ll probably keep watching for the spectacle of such bland storytelling being unproportionally popular.

Besides episode 7 being a vast improvement compared to the others, I can’t think of a single thing I genuinely like about this whole show. Rather than a rating of 3 or 4, I still know in my bones that a 5 is still where it belongs.

My interpretation is that most who like this show to an unrealistic degree are subconsciously forcing themselves, since the source material has, for some reason, resonated with a lot of people.

“It can’t be bad, it can’t fail, because what I LIKE is what it's based on. SO, it isn’t bad.” That's roughly the thought process I can imagine.

And so, this is Solo Jelking, in all of its glory upon our screens. Even if you read all of these silly words and agree or disagree with most of them, I have a challenge for you. If you already watched any episode of this travesty, compare my words against your own interpretations. Ask yourself If the things I’ve said are true and if that's what you thought as-well. If the answer is that my words aren’t true? There's nothing more I can say - except this.

“THE BEST MANHWA, OF ALL TIME” sure does make for a pretty crappy anime.

TL;DR: This anime is not good, all of its hype is based around the source material, where people describe how cool things are when they haven't even been shown on screen yet - or are worse, completely made up in their head and don’t match what we’re actually watching. The best words to describe every aspect of this show are arbitrary, contrived, and mid. It feels like you’re watching a different show than everyone else. If you have no bias going in, just know most people are all talk. Something this generic, uninspired and poorly organized in every way has no business being considered THE BEST, or anything close to it.

I've never written a review before but I felt like I really wanted to, since some guys are really angry at the anime for some reason, so bear with me.
If you don't want to read the whole review, just don't listen to the guys complaining about the extra scenes and the animation, since the animation is clearly top notch especially in the battle scenes.

Animation: 8/10
Of course it's not the best like dbs broly, your name etc, but it's actually pretty good and we haven't even started yet. The animation is fluid enough and when the action starts they use impact frames and thick lines that ... make the whole atmosphere much better.

The cinematography and choreography is also very nice, which is always a bonus.

Voice Acting: 9/10
The Voice Acting so far is incredible, you can hear the pain in sung jin woo's voice which is insane, the voice actor was stated to be coughing blood from the screams as well, this just makes you understand how much passion and love goes into this anime

Pace: 10/10
The rating is compared to manhwa.
The thing that most people complain about and I don't understand why, really, the pacing is really good and explains everything better, we also see some characters earlier which adds more depth to them since in manhwa the only character that really matters is sung jin woo.

Ah yes, the timeless tale of a down on his luck regular guy who stumbles upon an encounter with eldritch gods, only to be imbued with the power of - you guessed it - video games!

Solo Leveling takes every element of storytelling and replaces it with literal RPG-esque pop-ups telling you that something happened or that a number went up, rather than ever giving you anything meaningful to earn character development or progression in what could hardly be called a plot. You realize this quickly as our downtrodden hero encounters his first enemies on his own - a couple of unassuming goblins. But it's not ... enough that there are goblins on screen - there's text above their head that says GOBLIN, just in case you were utterly lost without it. But do not fret, for they are level 1 punk goblins, the weakest of all goblins. Fortunately, our brave hero has been training for 1 day, and he has put 23 points in to STR so he can easily defeat them. This is the kind of high quality writing you can expect from Solo Leveling - any moment of tension or growth being replaced with brainless video game slop so you can "turn your brain off" and watch something so derivative it might as well be playing underneath some Subway Surfers gameplay on TikTok and you wouldn't miss a thing.

Solo Leveling wastes absolutely no time becoming a power fantasy as by the 5th episode our self-insert is a certified muscle-bound gigachad who makes every woman who sees him instantly drool over his physique. It's kind of like if Goku became a super saiyan at the beginning of Dragonball Z, rather than having anything of consequence build up to it. And it's not like DBZ is a difficult bar to cross in the world of shounen, but here we are.

Solo Leveling has a plot device called "the system", which is essentially deus ex machina in that there is no consequence to any threat Jinwoo encounters during his battles because it will immediately offer him a solution no matter how close to losing or dying he might be. Level 18 vs a C-rank boss? What the hell does that mean in the context of this world? Who cares! His fatigue is at 57, it will go higher if he slows down, because that's what fatigue is. 57 sounds high I guess... oh, "the system" gave him a full restore item, he's fine now! Riveting stuff.

In any case, there are occasionally good ideas buried deep within the contrivances and insanely lazy writing of this universe, but it really doesn't matter. I would not recommend this to even the most unseasoned of anime viewers. After many years of Crunchyroll trying to convince me manwha adaptations are the new hotness, this is just another one i'm throwing on the pile of pale imitations of far better anime and manga they're clearly inspired from. Watch Shangri-la Frontier instead if you're in to video game adjacent fantasy. Hell, watch Sword Art Online instead. I can't believe I'm even saying that.

A pile a hot steaming garbage would be more enjoyable to feast upon than this show. The lack of creativity and pure laziness that surrounds this show is obvious to any who watch. You can tell the creator wanted to make an isekai, but didn't want the isekai tag. From simply making the armour "Invisible" (the creator didn't want to have to draw something so didn't) to turning it all into a real life game.. From seemingly nowhere, you already had a regurgitated formula, with random dungeons spawning. Something I'm sure we've all seen about a thousand times by now. Yet you still wanted to ... be even less creative? If anything I'm impressed with how lazy you can be.

You somehow even managed to make high octane, adrenaline fueled fights simply nauseating. Let me break down every. Single. Fight. In this show. Mc stupidly decides to fight something way out of his league - Mc gets his ass handed to him - Mc thinks about leaving - Mc loses his teleport crystal - Mc stabs the enemy 3 or 4 times and wins. Re-read that four or five times and you've basically experienced this show in its entirety.

I will now tell you every single person's reason for wanting to be a hunter in this show, money. That's it. There is no real motive, there is no real driving force as to why people are hunters. They just want money. You know what else can get you money and simultaneously not cause death. A normal job. If you are expecting anyone to have a deep/meaningful reason to go out into these dungeons, they never will. Why would I root for any character, when their decisions are stupid and all they want is power and wealth? No backstory presented in the show is a valid enough reason to put your life at risk in these dungeons. As I've already pointed out, you need money get a normal job. It simple just shows the creators lack of creativity and good story writing when their best and only damn reason anyone has is money.

I was completely on board with the show. To me, episode two was a damn wonderful watching experience. It was unique and had me wanting more. But from that point onwards there is nothing more. You will never see an original idea after that episode again. This show is completely soulless, the pacing is awful. Some episodes are all over the damn place you get whiplash from just watching. Half of the time I swear an AI wrote the script, it's that genuinely horrible. I have no idea how it's scored so high to the point I feel like it must have been botted with high scores.

I have never put time and energy into writing reviews. If I love a show I simple think "That was lovely" If I hate a show I simply move on. But this soulless sludge of a show pushed me to write/rant about how just truly horrible it is. if you find enjoyment in something, that's fantastic. I am not trying to take that away. But the sheer number of people that find this enjoyable is scary to me.

This anime is a wasted potential.
I basically watched this with my friend because we have nothing better else to do with our time, and thought we could check this anime out since it was hyped for a while. The pilot episode was good, but it got tiring very quick. It basically followed the Yu-Gi-Oh method where the MC is shown being beaten off from the start, getting a epiphany moment where they just basically give off a speech totally uncalled for and can be somewhat connected to the story while also not at the current situation at the same time, and then basically draw the ... "I Have To Win Because I Have Trauma" Card.
The first few episodes were good because the MC was basically showing the reality as it is. Life beats you off to dust and sometimes leaves you nothing but scraps, but it's his resolve, that he just wishes that he was strong enough to provide for his family while also thinking about the safety of others AND made it out alive, made the anime somehow worth it.
But it was in the succeeding episodes where we started to question whether or now it was actually in the first place.

It was like he didn't learn anything at all. All he learned was that he has to be stronger in a sense that is better than what his standing was before, and never really acknowledging the fact that the reason why he survived was because he thinks what his next move should be. He lived because of his deduction skill, his perception and observation, his emotional strength and resolve - not by his raw strength. But right after he got the option to "Level Up", it was like everything that was established before got thrown under the rug and was replaced by the hunger for power and strength. Not to mention how he now thinks he's better than everyone else simply because of this new power he attained, but that's a story you can look into yourself if you decide to watch this anime.

All I have to say is, the animation was good, the storyline could use some work, but for now it will remain the wasted potential that it is until this verdict of mine changes. I still have hopes for this anime, I guess I just need to give it time to actually get good.

To get straight to the point, this anime is just another power fantasy with a boring OP male lead, the type of which we've seen many times over.

The first episode seemed promising to me. However that was soon cast aside. A real bait and switch. Story wise this is extremely mid, if that.

Our main character is a strong independent ikemen who don't need no team. The way in which he's always this ultra cool, calm and collected, calculating galaxy brain who mindgames all the npc's around him is not only cringe, it makes each episode extremely uninteresting. Our main character gets a random ... post-puberty growth spurt and glowup just to emphasize how, apparently, pathetic he was before and how different and ALPHA he is now. I joke, but truly everything about the writing in this tries to convince you what a badass he has become and it's annoying to watch. Girls love him, people shake in their boots just by the way he glares, and if it wasn't already obvious how cool he is, someone will blatantly point out for you how cool and strong what he did was. I don't know why I still believe the hype surrounding trending anime when I should know better.

There's a few girls introduced at the time of writing this, one of which seems to be a damsel in distress. She's sweet, she's hot, and most importantly she doesn't know what to do without our gigachad. If there's one wish I have for this anime it's for her to at least be able to hold her own at some point.

The world is just about interesting enough to keep watching. It's just annoying that the main character is as unlikeable as he is. I'd have taken any other character over him. I know I'm probably not the target audience for this, and for a younger audience I think this will be just fine.

If you're like me, just watching to pass some time: don't expect interesting characters or story, just empty your head and watch the flashy pixels.

{updated: the last 2 eps were actually well done, we igris fanboys ate good during those eps, took a lot of patience but it was very pleasing ngl}

As a huge fan of the manhwa for many years, i awaited the arrival of a good adaption, and i must say im disappointed, maybe my expectations were too high and now im left underwhelmed. If, ur looking forward to this series, skip the anime, go for the manhwa, you'll have a much better experience that way.

The studio is dragging the ever living sh*t out the series with many extra scenes which i believe to be mostly ... unnecessary. To elaborate on this, scenes like the jeju island which is supposed to be introduced far later in the series due to a surprise discovery of the ant but was introduced in literally the first frame of the anime, then there were scenes such as the tea meetup of the female members from the white tiger and hunter guild, they were talking about characters who are supposed to be introduced far later in the series, resulting in no purpose of that scene even existing. However i do have some mixed emotions for a couple of scenes, such as sung not trusting jinho in their chat for the 19 raids, which illustrated the trust issues sung had in others but when u look at the manhwa, sung begins to trust jin ho since the dungeon where he tries to protect sung.

Secondly, the chin-woo made me consider almost dropping the series but i gave it another chance, hoping for it to bounce back and prove me wrong and thats is why review is sort of late. But now i've lost all of hope in this adaptation. It's still unbelievable that the studio that by, not once but twice, the majority of ep 8 was covered with huge ass chins.

However, i wont ignore the good eps, they drop actual cinematic fights every 3 eps or so, and they're very enjoyable for the 2 minutes they last, so it is "good" for "some "eps.
There are indeed alot of consumers who love to get character development early on and enjoy these extra scenes, and i wouldnt really hate this either if the season was a little longer than just 12 eps. Where god of highschool had a problem in the fast pacing, solo leveling went too slow.

(lastly, its just a personal opinion ubt i think echo by the boyz is a better op than the current one for this series, i hope they try to get it for the 2nd season)

This is so bad. I just can't understand this high rating. Weak motivation, flashbacks every couple of minutes, poor hero development. It's very annoying to have a hero who completely ignores his superpowers. But even everyone around completely ignores the obvious changes.
Every time a hero thinks about upgrading his abilities, I beg him to upgrade his intelligence. For me, this is the only explanation for his actions.
Again, it is discouraging, disappointing, frustrating and exhausting. I really don't understand why this anime is on the top list.


Couple more answers for MAL. This anime is not unique, I immediately remembered the anime Cautious Hero and I would ... be very happy to see similar behavior

I really tried to keep an open mind while watching this show, but I don't get it. It's just another wish fulfillment power fantasy where this useless scrawny dude gets ridiculously overpowered, and now that I've watched the series through, I still find myself wondering what exactly people were so hyped about. If you're here because of all the hype surrounding this show, drop that hype and draw your own conclusion instead, or you may end up disappointed.

Starting with the story it's nothing special. It can be so predictable and just so bland. It somehow takes ideas from similar shows and somehow makes them worse ... here. Obviously not going to say much about it here, but if you've seen other shows similar to this like "Sword Art Online" and "I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in The Real World, Too", then you probably know where this is going already. Throughout this whole show we also get this like side story sprinkled in with these side characters who we learn absolutely nothing about apart from the fact that they're supposed to be huge deals in this world... And that's it. This is our introduction to whoever these characters are. Why should we care about these characters when we know nothing about them? And the main story sometimes has to pause in the middle of fights in order to show off this side story. This isn't good writing. This is a terrible way to introduce these characters. It just feels like it's there for padding and eye candy, as for some reason the show focuses a lot on this one female side character, and we end up getting a lot of shots of her from behind if you know what I mean. And by the end you still know basically nothing about her.

Next, the characters... They're nothing special either. I found myself frustrated with pretty much all of them, and now that I think about it, I don't like any characters in this entire show. Like some of them just make such terrible choices that conflict with their motivations. And then the MC, good god the MC. I found them at least likeable to begin with, but they really take a turn for the worse over the course of the show. They had a unique design that set them apart from other power fantasy shows similar to this, but then drops it by changing their design completely, making them look like a generic fantasy protagonist. The difference is so jarring too, especially when you look at them side by side. At first I thought they were a completely different character. Now sure if it was just their design that got changed, then maybe I could've let it slide, but man did they really have to give this dude an ego too? He starts off as just a nice guy trying to do his best and make ends meet... Until he gets OP and gets that ego of his, clearly letting his new power go to his head (reminding me even further of Sword Art Online), and if that wasn't enough, they gave him plot armor too, because of course.

About the only good thing in this show are the fight scenes, because yes they're pretty cool... But that doesn't really last long. The coolness of the fight scenes starts to really wear off once you realize how OP this MC is, and that no matter what, plot armor will save them in some way or another.

Overall, I can't recommend this show. Back when this first started to air, I remember being pretty excited for it! I was going in completely blind but people seemed pretty hyped about it, claiming it had such a good story, cool fights, and great characters... But it left me disappointed, but that's mostly on me for listening to all that hype and taking their word for it. Because this show did not live up to all that hype. Not even close. It eventually got to the point where I would have to force myself to keep going with some people even saying "it doesn't get good yet, keep going". But it never got good.

This is a 4 for me. I really can't give it anything higher than that. If you didn't like Sword Art Online, you're probably not going to enjoy this as they're incredibly similar in some parts.

I simply don't understand how this show is an 8.4 right now. It's the definition of mid+.

There was a ton of hype from the manhwa readers, but once you get past the modern-day veneer this hits all the typical isekai power fantasy beats. The animation is alright, the story is...well, there isn't really much of a story other than "I'm the one guy who gets stronger lol and there are plenty of cool places they can potentially go with it (not a reader of the manhwa, so can't speak to that). If you're into Gary Stu wish fulfilment in a fun setting you'll probably ... like it, but I wouldn't go in expecting more than that. It's fine, and I've enjoyed it enough to keep going, but I've adjusted my expectations.

So far the show has a huge problem: the characters barely have personalities. Characters are mostly defined by level and class ("B rank healer," "C rank fighter," etc.) and have pretty much exactly the "personality" you'd expect based on their class and rank. They're all caricatures with the substance of a paper bag. The main character's design is slightly more emo Kirito, and so far he's about as nuanced. Jin-woo is the only character I feel like I know at all, and him barely. Joo-hee is an absolute mess. Her core personality trait is falling to her knees in the Walmart, and she's an all-timer of a weak female character so far.

Pacing has also been rough. We're 9 episodes in, and one of them was a recap episode and one of them was total filler.

The show is fine. It's like a 6.5. But it's right next to Haikyuu!! on the all-time list at the moment and that's completely insane.

“Solo Leveling” anime has been a hot topic since its release, and it’s easy to see why. The series, adapted from one of the most successful manhwas, brings to life the story of Sung Jinwoo, an E-rank hunter who stumbles upon a mysterious system that allows him to level up in strength, defying the rigid hierarchy of his world.

The animation quality is top-notch, with A-1 Pictures delivering some truly stunning visuals that do justice to the source material’s acclaimed artwork. The soundtrack complements the visuals well, adding to the overall immersive experience.

However, the anime isn’t without its drawbacks. The main storyline is engaging but the ... supporting cast lacks depth, especially in the early episodes. This can leave viewers wanting more from the characters that populate Jinwoo’s world. Additionally, some feel that the narrative can be a bit one-dimensional at times, focusing heavily on the protagonist’s power progression.

Despite these criticisms, “Solo Leveling” manages to capture the essence of the manhwa and presents a compelling fantasy world filled with danger and excitement. It’s a straightforward adaptation that knows its strengths and plays to them well. While it have simple theme setting, it provides a satisfying journey for those looking for an action-packed anime with a clear direction.

In conclusion, “Solo Leveling” is a solid watch for fans of the genre. It delivers on the action and spectacle, even if it doesn’t push the envelope in terms of character development or plot complexity. If you’re in the mood for a visually impressive and entertaining series that sticks to the basics, this anime is definitely worth checking out

Why this anime feels so cringe af.The characters are reandom npc who appears for 1 time only and full of shitty crap jokes and logic.was Never a fan of manhwa(expect the 18+💀manhwas)as they have the worst sense of humor and storytelling which doesn't come near Japanese mangas. Although Solo leveling's concept really attracted me (never read the manhwa) but watching it realized there's nothing so uniqe about, it just a boring and overhyped anime.
Smellfatishers gonna really love this anime 💀.
I will say some episodes are unbearable. Today's generation really love cringy things thanks to tiktok.

Expected saitama level shit
Got King(from opm) level reality