DISCLAIMER I’ve only watched the first season but as of now, I’m actually really disappointed in Solo Leveling because everything it promised in the pilot it has so far failed to deliver.
An intriguing world system full of interesting characters became…a bland nothing-burger that often threatens to become interesting but ultimately remains pretty generic, with absolutely nothing to say about the very obvious parallels to our real capitalist world.
A unique and creative way of solving the dungeon (like a puzzle in a video game! Who would have thought!) becomes literal XP farming so the MC can essentially one-shot anything that comes his way without even having to plug his brain into his body.
And worst of all, a sort of bland but charming MC who has to rely on alternative ways of solving a problem (like using his brain) because he’s weak who is sweet but has a deep sense of justice that sometimes results in unadulterated rage at injustice…became a painfully boring and generic Anime Coolguy with no personality outside of…morally dubious badass.
(WORKING OUT DOES NOT MAKE YOU TALLER. LET JINWOO BE A SHORT KING YOU COWARDS.)
Even the moral dubiousness is never used to make a point. It’s just ‘ooh what if he killed people would that be fucked up or what?’ Oh but Everyone he kills deserves it though. He’s also never punished for this. Also it says nothing about the world he lives in that literally forces people into extremely dangerous forms of labor in order to make enough money to survive. We will not be addressing that at all actually.
Also Jinwoo hasn’t truly struggled in a single fight since the pilot. I kept thinking the show was going to throw him a loop and make him THINK but it literally never does. The solution is ALWAYS ‘just lock in lol’ and then it works every time no matter how hard the fight. Like in Demon Slayer or Naruto the protags have plot armor too but at least they have to continually hone their skills, think outside the box, and be motivated by their bonds and friendships. Jinwoo just kinda. Fucks around. Never struggles. Just locks in. Thats so BORING!
It just sucks because the bones are there but it ends up so so generic and boring to me. The animation is good I guess but call me Miss Shania Twain cause that don’t impress me much !!!!
