Solo Leveling

Jin-Woo, Time for a Class Change! The Hunter’s Strongest Test Yet!

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

Solo Leveling Ep 11 Review

In many RPGs, there comes a time when a player’s character’s base class no longer cuts it. They need to advance to the next class and unlock new strengths and abilities. In some cases, that involves the player undergoing some quest to change their class. If Jin-Woo wants to survive any of the threats coming his way, he’s got to class up himself and his Black Air Forces. 

Jin-Ho’s Older Brother and Jeju Island’s Threat

While Jin-Woo remains the episode’s main focus, the anime continues building its overall cast with original scenes. While some might take issue with anime-original content, these scenes enhance the story by giving insight into the supporting cast. This week, the two main draws are Jin-Ho and Jeju Island.

From the outset, Jin-Ho’s goal has been to prove himself to his dad that he can lead the guild the latter plans to create. However, while the manwha mentions him having other siblings vying for the same thing, they’re never seen. The anime fixes this by showing Jin-Ho’s older brother and his attempts to recruit S-Ranked Hunters. Despite failing, the older brother makes his plans to try recruiting abroad known at a family dinner. That, and he threatens Jin-Ho to stay out of his way. It won’t stop him but shows how serious this competition is. 

As for Jeju Island, the anime again needs to be more specific on the details. However, it only adds to the overall dread surrounding the place. If there’s a place that makes the guild master of one of the strongest guilds in Korea scared, then everyone should be scared. And, having binge-read the manwha, I can say this: they’re right to be scared. It is legitimately terrifying. 

The Third Big Moment I’ve Waited For

Onto the main event, the episode’s focus remains, as always, on Jin-Woo. To undergo his job/class change, he starts a particular quest. He has to fight through a dungeon of powerful, elite-level enemies that will test his versatility. Knights for his speed, assassins for perception, and mages for intellect. And he can’t use healing potions or full recovery. In other words, it’s a war of attrition and conservation. 

While Jin-Woo handles the normal enemies fine, all that changes when he faces the boss, Igris the Red Knight. Jin-Woo is fighting at a disadvantage for the first time since fighting the giant snake monster. Every time he tries to fight Igris, the silent knight manages to steamroll him! It’s like watching an under-level player take on a boss they’re not ready to face! The knight starts ruining his black air force energy! 

This is what legendary boss fights are like.

This was painful to watch as someone who’s gotten curb-stomped by bosses in video games countless times before. It also shows why advancing your character’s class can mean life or death in an RPG. This was the third big fight I’ve been waiting for the anime to adapt, and it didn’t dissappoint. It shows that he needs to keep leveling up his black air force energy for how strong Jin-Woo is. It’s only thanks to dumb luck that he manages to win.

The job/class change isn’t over yet, though. There’s a bonus round. Jin-Woo has to fight a mob of elite mooks at once and survive. If he does, he can win even more resources and abilities. But even though they’re weaker than Igris, their numbers, and his fatigue, leave him on the ropes! Things don’t look good! Worse, there’s only one episode left in the season.

I already know how this is going to end, but getting to see this in animated form is going to be awesome. And trust me when I say this: if Jin-Woo wasn’t HIM before, then by the end of the next episode, he will be HIM! His job/class change is going to make him a monster!

I Give “A Knight Who Defends an Empty Throne” a 4.5/5

Jin-Woo Doesn’t Let Anyone Take Advantage of Him

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Solo Leveling Episode 10 Review

It’s official now: Sung Jin-Woo is a badass, and he knows it. More and more people are starting to learn about it. So far, he’s managed to keep his slaying of Dongsuk’s party and defeating Tae-Shik quiet. However, sooner or later, people will start connecting the dots. An E-Rank Hunter keeps surviving these catastrophes he shouldn’t. And that’s not something that Jin-Woo needs to deal with right now. Thankfully, he now has the power of black air force energy, and he will make sure it keeps getting stronger. And anyone who figures out what he can do will keep their mouths shut.

The Black Air Force Continues to Grow

Once again, Jin-Woo has survived a catastrophic dungeon dive, though not without its scars. Two Double Dungeon survivors are dead, and one of them, Jee-Hoo, flat-out decides to call it quits. As sad as it is to see her give up on being a Hunter and return to her parents, this seems for the best. Jee-Hoo tried to recover from her PTSD, but this last dive only reinforced that she’s not cut out for Hunter’s life. And that’s alright. Sometimes, it’s better to quit when you’re ahead. Only some people can be Goku or Luffy and push their limits until they surpass them. 

Unfortunately, Jin-Woo doesn’t have that option. Ignoring the System forcing him to fight, Jin-Woo’s life is already in danger. Remember how I talked about Dongsuk and how he has a super-strong younger brother? To recap, Dongsuk’s brother is an S-Rank Hunter, and since he (rightly) assumes Jin-Woo is responsible for his brother’s death, he vows revenge. Thus, Jin-Woo has two options: either get stronger or run. 

Jin-Woo decides to get stronger and level up his Black Air Force energy. Thus, he and Jin-Ho begin their scheme to make Jin-Ho a guild master.

I like how the show faithfully portrays the two’s plan as well as it does. Having the two hire other Hunters to loiter around gates while they go in and do all the work is the kind of plan that’s so crazy, it works. Better yet, the shock on the other’s faces when they see how fast they take care of business is hilarious. Jin-Woo has black air force energy, though. And it’s only going to get stronger as time goes on. There’s one downside to it, though: the attention.

Jin-Woo Doesn’t Need the Publicity Right Now

Traditionally, someone with black Air Force energy is aggressive and wild and shows contempt for rules and authorities. At the same time, Jin-Woo can be the former, often not the latter. Leave him be or promise not to tell anyone how strong he is, and he’ll be reasonable. It looks like you’re going to mess with him or his family, though, and the energy comes out. Unfortunately (and I say this as someone who’s read the manwha), it’s only a matter of time before he attracts attention. 

As a prime example, we have a scout from one of the top Hunter’s guilds in the country. He sees all the disasters that Jin-Woo has survived, disasters that should’ve killed an E-Rank Hunter. He also realizes how he and Jin-Ho are buying up all the C-Rank dungeons and completing them in record time. Thus, he puts two and two together and realizes that Jin-Woo is stronger than an E-Rank. 

Much like in the manwha, this man tries to recruit Jin-Woo into his guild, only for the man to put on his black air forces. Not only does he turn the man down, but he orders him not to tell anyone else about him. The cut on his face makes it clear that his response will not be friendly or diplomatic. Then, just to mess with him, he scams him into buying some of the dungeons from him for more than they’re worth. That is what being Black Air Force is like!

Don’t Mess With Jin-Woo

This episode was another quiet one when compared to the previous episode, but that also has its own charm. It shows how deep and complex the politics and people of this Hunter-dominated world can be. More importantly, this episode shows how Jin-Woo doesn’t take kindly to people who see him as a meal ticket. That seems contradictory since he’s helping Jin-Ho, but their relationship is mutually beneficial. Jin-Ho can become a guild master, Jin-Woo gets stronger, and they both make money. In other words, treat him right, or Jin-Woo will mess you up.

There are only a few episodes left in the season, but trust me, the last few are going to be bangers. Jin-Woo gets a new quest that will let him change his class. And if you have read the manwha like I have, you know how hard this is going to go. I can’t wait for the next episode.

I Give “What is This, a Picnic?” a 3.5/5

Sung HIM-Woo Continues his Black Air Force Campaign

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Solo Leveling Ep 9 Review

Ever since I started (and finished) reading the Solo Leveling manwha, I’ve looked forward to seeing many moments. And most of them involve Jin-Woo making victims out of his opponents. He now radiates Black Air Force energy, and every time he takes down an enemy, it’s incredible. Seeing it go from being still images to being animated by people who worked on SAO and Jujutsu Kaisen is flat-out spectacular. And in this episode, we get to the next moment that I wanted to see in the anime. Sung Jin-Woo might call himself Sung HIM-Woo because he is HIM. 

Psycho Killer, Qu’est-ce que c’est?

The episode tries to start off by acting like nothing’s going to go wrong. This would be a simple dungeon dive for Jin-Woo and the other Double Dungeon survivors. But even if they didn’t read the manwha, savvy viewers should notice the red flags from the previous episode—the extended focus on Kim and his family. The prisoners joining them, and the shady meeting with that unknown person? Things get set up to be a disaster from the start. And they are.

Ripping the band-aid off, Kang Tae-Shik isn’t just working for the Hunter Association. He’s also an assassin. The father of a woman who was assaulted by those same prisoners and later killed herself hired him to kill them. And when Kim and the other Double Dungeon survivor stumble across him, he kills them both, too.

The red flags for Kim’s death were pretty obvious. The last episode focused on his family, and he talked about apologizing to Jin-Woo after this dive. So, his death shouldn’t be a surprise. It doesn’t make it any easier to watch, though. 

The story also makes it clear that, even if those prisoners deserve their fate, Tae-Shik doesn’t do this out of altruism. He just likes killing people, and this gives him the best excuse.

However, Tai-Shik makes one mistake: he tries to kill Jin-Woo, Jee-Hoo, and Sung in front of him. And we all know what that means.

Another Day, Another Victim

The fight between Jin-Woo and Tae-Shik is a foregone conclusion, but that doesn’t make it less exciting to watch. Sung makes a good effort before fighting him, but it isn’t until Jin-Woo steps up that the real boss battle begins. The animation is superb, but what cinches is the reactions that everyone else has to Jin-Woo. Sung and Jee-Hoo have trouble processing his Black Air Force energy. Tae-Shik, on the other hand, goes from being cocky as they come to looking ready to wet himself. And the absolute death glare that he gets from Jin-Woo. I could practically hear Jin-Woo thinking how worthless Tae-Shik was at that moment for trying to kill him. 

It should be noted that Jin-Woo only has the moral high ground here because he’s doing this to protect his comrades. Beyond that, though, he’s just like Tae-Shik. He has killed before, and will kill again. But unlike last time, where the System did force him to kill, he didn’t even need to be told that here. He didn’t care about it anymore. Anyone who stands against him is his enemy, and that means they’re liable to become victims. 

Sung Jin-Woo is HIM, indeed.

In the end, Mr. Sung covers for Jin-Woo by saying he killed Tai-Shik with Jee-Hoo’s help, so his secret is safe for a little longer. However, that doesn’t change the fact that the two other survivors of the Double Dungeon incident are dead. At this point, though, I don’t think Jin-Woo even cares anymore.

Thus, the episode ends with yet another example of Jin-Woo exercising his Black Air Force energy, and this will only be the start. The question is, though, is as he gets stronger, what’s to stop him from becoming detached from humanity altogether? We’ll just have to keep watching and find out. 

Also, it’s sweet that people think that this moment was a tribute to Toriyama, but that’s just a case of unfortunate timing. 

I Give “You’ve Been Hiding Your Skills” a 4.5/5

The Need to Be a Hunter

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Solo Leveling Ep 8 Review

After the recap episode from last week, Solo Leveling is back. Sadly, anyone looking forward to more action will be disappointed with this episode. Instead, this episode takes it slower and focuses on the characters. To be more precise, it focuses on why people want to become Hunters. Yes, there’s the fact that it helps keep humanity safe from what’s lurking on the other side of the dungeons. As we’ve seen, though, people have their motivations for risking their lives as Hunters. The fame and wealth it brings, the power it gives them, or the thrill of living out a real life fantasy RPG. Everyone has their reasons. Sooner or later, though, they have to question if their reasons are worth it. 

Exhibit A: Jin-Woo Needs to Help his Family

The first and most obvious example is Sung Jin-Woo. Even before becoming a Player and leveling up, he kept risking his life in dungeons. All so he could provide himself and his sister with money. More importantly, though, in the hopes of finding a cure for his comatose mother. And thanks to his experience in that special dungeon, he now knows about the Elixir of Life. AKA, the Holy Grail of medicine, AKA something that can cure any illness. The bad news is that he still needs to be stronger to get far enough to get the components for it. And when you’re weak in a video game to do something, you either A.) keep trying and hope for a miracle, or B.) go on the grind until you get stronger. 

Jin-Woo goes with option B, which means returning and accepting Jin-Ho’s offer, but with stipulations! They’ll be the only ones doing the work. Jin-Ho can hire people to show up to meet the required number of party members. They do that until they’ve cleared enough for Jin-Ho to become a Guild Master. Jin-Ho happily agrees to his bro’s terms. 

The rest of the episode is mainly exposition and Hunters discussing their reasons for their jobs. And while it’s not as cool as the fights, I like it. The slower moments help reveal more about a character’s personality. 

Exhibit B: the Yoo Family Needs the Resources

One of the big draws of the dungeons is the resources they can provide people with; the kind of resources society has come to rely on to maintain itself. Thus, dungeon diving can be very lucrative, hence why the best Hunters and strongest guilds are celebrities. And as of now, five guilds are at the top of South Korea’s food chain. 

Jin-Ho’s father, though, hopes to establish his own guild for his construction company. That way, they can gather the resources themselves without having to pay a middle man. That way, they’ll stay successful. And while it wasn’t shown in the manwha, additional scenes show that Jin-Ho isn’t the only one of his brothers vying for the right to lead this potential guild. Another one reached out to an S-Rank Hunter and got show down.

Jin-Ho is a loyal man, and will follow Jin-Woo to the ends of the Earth for saving their lives. However, he’s still trying to vie for his Dad’s favor, which means using every advantage he’s got. That’s why he’s a Hunter, and why he’s betting it all on Jin-Woo. It’s a mutually beneficial friendship. 

Exhibit C: The Guild Masters Need to Prepare for the Worst

One of the more interesting moments of the episode involves a conversation between the guild masters of two of the strongest guilds in South Korea. The thing is, both of them were survivors from a dungeon-related incident on Jeju Island. The anime has yet to go into too much detail, but when dungeons started appearing, things got so bad that the Hunters had to retreat. For reference, I read ahead in the manwha, and it’s better than it’s implied. It’s worse. To that end, they need more people to become Hunters—strong Hunters who can be ready for the day when what’s lurking on Jeju Island breaks free. 

None of this is important to the story now, but it will be down the line. Thus, this is some good foreshadowing.

The Double Dungeon Survivors Reunite

It might surprise some people, but this episode also marks the return of the other people who survived the double dungeon incident that made Jin-Woo a Player. And each of them is shown to be scarred by the experience, either physically or mentally. It gets to the point where each of them questions whether they should keep being a Hunter altogether. However, Jin-Woo’s friend, Joo-Hee, is the most notable example, as she’s still traumatized by the whole experience. However, despite her mother wanting her to retire, Joo-Hee tries to keep being a Hunter. She doesn’t want to give up the financial independence it provides her, even if it’s dangerous.  

It seems like fate when all the survivors of the Double Dungeon incident reunite as part of an urgent dungeon dive the Hunters Association needs done. Seeing how they each react to Jin-Woo’s new look/continued survival says a lot about who they are. I especially like how Kim Sangshik, one of the people who abandoned the others to survive, can’t look at Jin-Woo without feeling guilty. 

This episode was a slow burn, but I did enjoy the anime-original scenes that it added in. They are doing a good job of fleshing out the supporting cast of the series. And while many of them aren’t important now, they will be in the future. For the moment, though, we get to see the Double Dungeon survivors, a group of convict Hunters, and that purple-haired guy dungeon dive. 

Prepare for bloodshed. People are going to die.

I Give “This is Frustrating” a 3.5/5

God of War, Solo Leveling Edition

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Solo Leveling Ep 7 Review

If Sun Jin-Woo had any remaining doubts that he’d gotten stronger, they are gone. Last week, he didn’t just kill the boss of the dungeon he was in. Except for Jin-Ho, he killed the party that tried to kill him. At this rate, he might start thinking he’s unstoppable, which could be a huge problem. Thankfully, Jin-Woo’s conscious enough to understand that if he doesn’t want to die, he needs to keep getting stronger.

This is good because he’s got the authorities interested and angered one of the strongest Hunters in the world. Time to level grind!

Jin-Woo is Getting Noticed

For someone who just had to kill six people, the episode starts with Jin-Woo handling things well. Some people would be traumatized by killing another human being, even if it was in self-defense. Jin-Woo, though, doesn’t even use that as an excuse to cope. It’s more concerning how irritated he is at how they thought they had a chance against him.

Jin-Woo recognizes the benefits that becoming a Player has given him, both for his confidence and his family’s well-being. Plus, he discovers in this episode that his body detoxes him so fast he can’t get drunk. However, and not just because the System forces him to do so. It’s because he’s attracting unwanted attention.

First, reports about what happened have reached the Hunter Bureau and the desk of Mr. Woo. AKA the guy who saw Jin-Woo after the Double Dungeon Incident. He’s starting to suspect that something’s up with Jin-Woo, which could be an issue. However, what’s more important is the guy that Jin-Woo’s angered.

Remember Dongsuk, the leader of the party that Jin-Woo killed? He wasn’t joking about his little brother being a big deal. He’s an S-Rank Hunter living in America and is now out for revenge. 

Jin-Ho is a True Bro

At least there’s one person who isn’t out to get Jin-Woo right now: Jin-Ho.

It might be because his dub voice is done by Justin Briner or the sincere manner in which he conducts himself, but Jin-Ho is the kind of guy Jin-Woo wants in a best friend. Not only does he keep his mouth shut about what happened out of gratitude, but he makes a massive offer. His dad’s the CEO of a big construction company, and he wants to set up his own Hunter’s Guild. If Jin-Ho helps do raids to help him become a Guild Master, he’ll give him a building worth billions.

It’s a very tempting offer, one that benefits both of them. It would help Jin-Woo hide his strength for a bit longer, and Jin-Ho can show he’s worthy of his father’s trust. Sadly, Jin-Woo has things he must accomplish first. 

This whole conversation highlights what’s great about Jin-Ho. While he wants Jin-Woo to help him for his benefit, he’s also doing it to help Jin-Woo. He’s genuinely grateful to him for saving their lives and wants to do everything to help. Even if Jin-Woo still says no, he’ll keep his secret. Granted, he’s worried that Jin-Woo might kill him, but the loyalty is genuine. That’s authentic bro material, there!

God of War: Manwha Edition-Cerberus Boss Fight

The big highlight of the episode, though, remains the impressive fighting. After blowing past his daily training, Jin-Woo gets a key to unlock an S-Rank dungeon. He can’t resist the chance to see how far he’s come, leading him to head inside. What he encounters, though, can only be described as God of War fused with an urban apocalypse. 

Anyone who’s ever read Greek mythology will know how dangerous Cerberus, the three-headed guard dog of the Underworld, is. The Cerberus that Jin-Woo fights is something straight out of the likes of Dark Souls and as bloody as God of War. It also isn’t as one-sided as it is in the manwha; it’s a deliberate attempt to make Jin-Woo not feel so OP. In the end, it makes his ultimate victory all the more badass.

Solo Leveling keeps managing to raise the bar when it comes to fights, and this is only the start. If you’ve read the Manwha (I binged it in less than a week), you know how insane the fights will become. 

In the end, Jin-Woo leaves the dungeon feeling a little more confident in himself. What he did in the last episode wasn’t a fluke. Now he knows he’s tough and will only get more challenging. At the same time, he took enough of a beating that he knows that he’s not invincible. No matter how powerful he gets, he shouldn’t start thinking himself to be unbeatable. However, doing these dungeons will still be worth it, as they lead him on a path that could end with a potential cure for his comatose mother. 

Sadly, there will be no new episode next week. We’ll only be getting a recap. The silver lining, though, is that we’ll be able to catch up on the dub. 

I Give “Let’s See How Far I Can Go” a 4.5/5

Time to Get Back in the Game, Jin-Woo

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

Solo Leveling Ep 5 Review

If you’ve ever played online games with other people, then there’s a good chance this happened to you, or you saw it or heard about it. If a player’s not pulling their own weight in a group or keeps making things harder for others, the others may decide to not revive them the next time they die. Or they may have to leave them behind if it could endanger the rest of the group. It’s usually not done out of malice but logic. How, some players might purposefully use their weakest links as meat shields, or abandon them rather than give them the share of the loot. Why am I bringing this up now? Because Jin-Woo ends up dealing with these kinds of people in the latest episode of Solo Leveling.

And, yes. I intend to review each episode from here on out. This is a great show, and I’ve been reading the manwha online. It’s going to get crazy!

Jin-Woo is Now Jacked as Heck

After spending weeks stuck in the hospital, Jin-Woo’s finally cleared to leave. However, he’s no longer the same skinny guy who came close to death for the umpteenth time. Thanks to his System-enforced exercise routine, he’s gotten taller, put on a lot of muscle, and has a different appearance in general. To further emphasize how different he is, the episode opens up with all the nurses talking about how attractive he’s become. The nurse who comes to discharge him blushes when she sees him finishing up his exercise routine and then asks for his phone number. Humorously, since he’s not used to this kind of positive attention, Jin-Woo doesn’t realize he’s being hit on!

This kind of transformation isn’t something new. There have been a number of anime where the protagonist has undergone a radical transformation, turning them from either an unremarkable-looking or unappealing looking person into what Jin-Woo is now. This even happened to the likes of Spider-Man when he first got his powers. That said, it’s still amusing to see how everyone else reacts to the change. So, seeing the nurses gushing over Jin-Woo, I couldn’t help but smile in amusement.

Getting Back in the Game

In any event, now that he’s out of the hospital, Jin-Woo needs to start earning money; he’s got to pay the rent for his family. That means that it’s time for him to start going back into the Dungeons, and a local team is looking for two people to join so they can meet the minimum requirement to go dungeon-diving. Thus, Jin-Woo signs a contract with a man named Hwang Dongsoo alongside another temp, a newcomer named Yoo Jin-ho. Who comes way too overdressed for the job.

The first impression that Jin-ho gives is that he’s very much a rookie. He’s ready and eager to take on being a Hunter, but he doesn’t really know what being a Hunter is like. Some people might consider him annoying, but he’s got this dorky charm to him that makes him endearing. It also helps that the dub has him voiced by Justin Briner, the voice of Deku from My Hero Academia. That man is good at making the people he plays endearingly dorky.

Plus, it turns out he’s one of the people that you know you can trust to have your back.

Jin-Woo is about to Start Piling Bodies

What’s the most dangerous animal in the world? A lion, bear, elephant, or shark? While there are plenty of animals out there that can kill a person with little effort, they’re not the most dangerous. That honor falls to humanity itself. Thanks to our ability to think, reason, and adapt, humans are the most dangerous animals on Earth. And even being inside a dungeon filled with otherworldly monsters like giant insects doesn’t change that fact. As dangerous as those beasts are, they’re still hunted by Hunters. And, as this episode reaffirms, not every Hunter is as nice as Jin-Woo was or Jin-Ho is.

The show subtly drops a few hints as the episode progresses that something’s not right with the dungeon. While that could be chalked up to the monsters, the unease only grows as the group makes it to the boss’ lair. That’s when Jin-Woo realizes why Dongsuk’s group needed two more to help them: bait. To get their hands on the mana crystals, they seal Jin-Woo and Jin-Ho in the boss’ cave to wear it out so they can finish mining without worry. It’s a common tactic in MMO’s: weaken the boss first, then rush in and let the rest of the group finish it off. Except this will leave two people dead.

This is when Jin-Woo has the first of what will, no doubt, be many “I am HIM” moments. He looks at the giant spider, and realizes that it’s nothing compared to the giant statues. So he tells Jin-Ho that he’s going to handle things. Alone. 

Full disclosure: I wound up reading the manwha to see what happens next, and we are not ready. This is going to be the fighting animation that we need right now. 

I Give “A Pretty Good Deal” a 4/5 

‘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.