Maybe I'm still a 13yo edgelord at heart, but I have something to confess: I don't understand Solo Leveling hate whatsoever.
I tried watching several hate videos and I still don't get it, I got nothing.
The first hate video I watched set the tone because the guy missed context cues like the plague, so it was the classic "the plotholes are actually just holes in your brain" case.
The rest of it just boils down to people not getting the appeal and malding because the anime is just not for them.
"Gun to your head name one character except Jin-woo" - ok Igrit.
"No you can't name a summon it has to be a human character" - ok Jin-a.
"No not her, her name is too similar to MC" - ok pause now.
(not 100% sure how all the names are transliterated in English)
You're telling me people are opening up an anime called "Solo leveling"...find out that the main character is leveling solo and other characters don't get much screentime and development...and that's what they're losing their minds over? Are they stupid?
Hmm, today I'll watch an anime called "Solo leveling" *it is exactly as advertised* OMG TRAAASH BAD WRITING.
Also what makes remembering names in this particular anime difficult is the fact that if you're watching it with subtitles, then the subs have the Korean names, but the Japanese voiceover has completely different names - and that happens to all anime based on Korean or Chinese source material because they Japanize their names due to colonialism and whatnot.
Ok next point. "It's too edgy". Okay...so people watched the main character get absolutely fucking gored and abandoned to die in the second episode and then went like: yeah, I expect this anime to not be too edgy. Again, are they stupid?
Third point to which pretty much all criticism boils down to: "It's power fantasy slop".
First of all, they're saying it like it's a bad thing.
Second of all, genuine question: when was the last time we got a "power fantasy slop" anime without the power of friendship bullshit and without big tiddy slave elf/catgirl harem? Is there a goldmine of power fantasy anime that's not also power of friendship slop and not harem slop? Because I need to know. I watch a lot of anime and I genuinely can't come up with a single one that fits this criteria.
Fourth point is "All he does is aura-farms". Again, they're saying it like it's a bad thing. Why not? Let the guy aura farm lol, it's fun to watch. Also he only really does that in the second season, in the first one he eats shit like it's his job and gets gored in multiple episodes, so I'm questioning my sanity like...did we even watch the same anime?
"It's overhyped" - according to whom? Overhyping happens to all kind of garbage all the time, how come everybody chose to simultaneously shit their pants about Solo Leveling of all things?
I would actually agree that the second season was mid and there was a lot of stuff in it that made me dislike it and question where the anime is going (the presudo-romance stuff), but all this "criticism" and straight up hate got poured all over the internet when the second season didn't even exist yet. All despite the fact that the first season was pretty good. Sure it's not a 10/10 masterpiece, but it was solid entertainment. I blame Crunchyroll awards for this.
I have a weird taste, sometimes I like watching slop, but at the same time I really can't stand watching something boring at all. So if Solo Leveling was truly slop with bad writing and bad plot that's been done a million times before like the haters say, there's no way I'd be able to get through it and enjoy it.
All the hate looks completely absurd since essentially everybody's mad because...this anime is just not for them and it's too different? But they don't want to admit it's different and fresh, they state all the ways how it's different from actual slop and with a straight face say it's "bad writing"...?? Also, if you hate power fantasy, aura farming and one character narrative focus so much, why the fuck did you choose to watch an anime called "Solo Leveling"? Genuinely what are we doing here.
I am again reiterating my point: gun to your head name a power fantasy anime that's not power of friendship slop, not a harem and doesn't have romance and ecchi in the tags. Do it NOW since you're so adamant it's been done a million times before, I'll wait. If you manage to do it - good, a recommendation for me. If you can't do it - you gotta shut up about Solo Leveling already, hating on it is such an overdone trend, it's cringe.
