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‘Solo Leveling’ Might be First Big Anime of 2024

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime, Anime Reviews, Crunchyroll , , , , , , , , , , ,

‘Solo Leveling’ Initial Review

It’s safe to say at this point that anime and manga have gone mainstream in Western Culture. More and more anime based on popular manga, light novels, and the like are coming out of the woodwork. But now, what the West considers anime (Japanese animation) is expanding its scope to works beyond Japan’s borders; specifically, to Korea, home to a plethora of webtoons and manwha. And right now, the one everyone’s talking about is the bloodiest since Attack on Titan, Solo Leveling.

This isn’t an exaggeration. Solo Leveling might be one of the bloodiest anime of the year. 

A Bottom-Feeder Gets RPG Superpowers

Ten years ago, portals and gateways opened up on Earth that led to other dimensions. And in those dimensions were monsters and entities straight out of a fantasy MMORPG. With conventional weapons useless, people started gaining the ability to hunt and kill these monsters, giving rise to the Hunters. There’s one catch, though: once you awaken your abilities, your stuck with whatever rank you get; no leveling up or getting stronger. Which stinks for those at the bottom, like Jin-Woo

Sung Jin-Woo is an E-Rank Hunter at the bottom of the barrel and is called the weakest ever. He can barely do any damage, he goes down too fast, and regularly comes close to death every time he fights in a Dungeon. But he keeps at it to support his family, until the day the inevitable happens. The party he’s in gets caught in a dungeon that starts slaughtering them in ways that haven’t been seen since Attack on Titan! And when the survivors can escape, he has to get left behind, thinking its for the best…until he realizes that this is a horrible way to die.

That’s when he gets this little notification like from a video game saying he qualifies to be a “Player.” Next thing he knows, he’s waking up in a hospital, completely healed. There’s one catch, though: he’s now being forced to do daily activities to get stronger or risk dying. The upside to that? He’s now able to level up like in a normal RPG. And he’s the only one who can do this.

Jin-Woo has just entered a real-life RPG.

An Interesting Take on a Premise That’s Been Done Before

As far as premises go, the concept behind Solo Leveling isn’t what one would call unique. Other anime have revolved around a similar premise.

  • Supposed weakling gets thrown into situation that can kill them.
  • Weakling gets a lucky break/special skill that helps them to survive and level up.
  • Weakling goes from being bottom of the barrel to OP as heck.

For reference, look up Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest. It’s like Solo Leveling, but an isekai and not as good.

I’ve never read the webtoon or web novel versions of Solo Leveling, so I wound up going into this anime blind. After what I saw, though, I can see why it’s so popular and breaking the Internet with it’s hype. The animation is dark, bloody, and beautifully well-done. The story (which is only four episodes in) doesn’t skimp on the details of how dangerous being a Hunter would be, either. While the first episode is lighter on it, episode two sees people in Jin-Woo’s party dying left and right. Limbs get blown off, a man gets crushed to death by a statue’s foot, and one guy got split right down the middle! It’s horrifying, yet you can’t look away. And Jin-Woo’s near-death experience rivals Eren Yeager getting eaten by a Titan in terms of horror! 

Speaking of Eren Yeager, Jin-Woo has a few traits in common with the wielder of the Attack Titan. Like Eren (at first), Jin-Woo is a good person put into horrific experiences that harden his heart. Yet Jin-Woo can’t quit being a Hunter, no matter how dangerous it is. Firstly, Mother is on life support due to being poisoned by mana from the Gates. Secondly, his sister needs the money for school. But he’s so weak that he can barely make ends meet, and his new status can help change that.

Don’t Underestimate RPG Mechanics

At first, the gains aren’t that noticeable, but anyone whose player an RPG should know better. Upgrading stats even a little can make all the difference, as seen in Jin-Woo’s first solo dungeon. While he once struggled against the weakest enemies, he gets strong enough to take down a snake the size of a house. With his bare hands, no less! And then he pierces the defense of another Monster a group of low-ranking Hunters were barely holding off with a broken Sword! The man is like a Korean Kirito meets Deku!

I’ve been reading Manwha and Webcomics for years on Webtoons, but Solo Leveling might be one of the most interesting and exciting that I have seen to date. And after spoiling myself by finding out what’s going to happen, I know I’m going to enjoy this show. Might even make it a weekly review.

I Think Misuzu’s Finally Lost it!

Aside Roderick J "Jay" Friz Anime , , , , , ,

Tomo-Chan is a Girl! Ep 11 Review

It’s taken most of the season, but at last, we’re seeing some real progress with Tomo and Jun’s relationship. Now both are aware they have a crush on the other; it might not be long before they’re a full-fledged couple. So…why isn’t Misuzu happy about this? This is what she’s been working towards throughout the whole show. Maybe she’s jealous because she doesn’t want to share Tomo with anyone else?

Things could get interesting fast.

Tomo, Carol, and Misuzu Get Jobs

Most people will never forget their first job, although some keep trying to do so. In this case, Tomo starts hunting for a part-time job to pay for a birthday present for Jun. That’s when Misuzu’s number-one fan, Tanabe, says his Dad needs help at the family ramen shop while his Mom’s away. Tomo, Misuzu, and Carol all join in, and soon, all three girls are working at the shop.

Since this is an anime, and Tomo, Carol, and Misuzu are all cute girls, business starts booming at the ramen shop. Say what you want, but getting pretty people to work at a business is effective. In addition, seeing Tomo and Carol in maid outfits is worth buying a few bowls of ramen (Misuzu refused to wear that outfit, though!) Jun seems to think so.

It turns out that Jun’s a regular at that ramen shop, and when he sees Tomo in a maid uniform…he starts going there every day so he can see her. While this does fluster Tomo immensely, the two are happy, and they’re even happier when Tomo buys Jun a matching smartwatch for his birthday.

I Think We Broke Misuzu

It’s the second segment of the episode that’s the most interesting one, though, and it all has to do with Misuzu. When she tries to push Jun and Tomo further along by pushing Jun down some stairs into Tomo’s arms, it backfires. He lands on Carol instead, which feels like something that would happen to Yuuki Rito from To-Love-Ru.

After that mishap, Misuzu ends up falling into a depression. As in, when she falls down the stairs into Tanabe’s arms, she thanks him. It’s that bad, and it gets worse when she stays home pretending to be sick for several days. The reason is two-fold this time: firstly, she realizes that her telling Tomo that she should act more like a “normal” girl in middle school affected her more than she realized. It made her feel unworthy of Jun when the reality is anything but. Secondly…she realized that part of her doesn’t want Tomo to be with Jun. She’s jealous.

The series’ TV Tropes page suggests that this might be because Misuzu sees Tomo as more than just a friend, but there’s nothing concrete. Regardless, Misuzu’s guilt is very much real, even after Tomo convinces her to come back to school, only to find she’s been drafted to play the starring role in the class play of Cinderella. And the Prince is played by…Tomo.

That TV Tropes page also says that Tomo makes girls question their own orientation, and I’m starting to see why. Still, this could be a good opportunity.

Hurry Up and Make a Move, You Two!

There’s only two episodes left in the season of this show, and I don’t know if there’s going to be a second one. Given how the manga its adapting is about 950 chapters (all of them one page) and we’re in the 800s from what I’ve seen, the chance of them ending the series in that time is…nill. I’m hoping, though, that we get to the point where the two finally fess up and get together, and this play could be the perfect way to do so.

Think about it: if Tomo were to suddenly end up playing Cinderella because Misuzu bailed, then Jun could be the Prince. That’s perfect for romance! Then again, much of Tomo and Jun’s relationship seems unorthodox, so that might not work. Either way, I’m looking forward to seeing how the next episode turns out. And I’m also hoping that Misuzu stops beating herself up like this. Another fun episode from my favorite anime from this season.

Oh, and don’t read the TV Tropes page if you want to avoid spoilers. Otherwise, go nuts. 

I Give “My First Part-Time Job” and “The Abandoned Cinderella” a 4/5 Each.