Ever since it was first announced during Anime Expo 2022, A-1 Pictures' anime adaptation of the Solo Leveling web novel by South Korean author Chugong, has been one of the studio's most highly anticipated recent projects. Riding on the immense success of the web novel and its webtoon/manhwa adaptation, the anime had massive shoes to fill, especially with huge names attached, such as composer Hiroyuki Sawano — of Attack on Titan fame. Since premiering on January 6, 2024, the Solo Leveling anime has been a breakout series in the Winter 2024 Season, but how much of it stems from the quality of the production?

In the seven episodes that have aired till date, the series has shown promise, although there has been an unfortunate delay in the eighth episode's release — likely out of concern for the health of Sung Jin-Woo's voice actor, Taito Ban — coupled with the announcement of an interim recap episode. Notwithstanding this, the seven released episodes have been given enough time to be thoroughly dissected by viewers and critics alike, sparking many discussions about how the anime has fared so far. From this taste of what the series has to offer, has Solo Levelinglived up to the hype that preceded its release?

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An Engaging Start To Sung Jin-Woo's Journey

With so much expectation built up, the pressure was high to deliver with the first episode, and the anime did a decent job of introducing the world of Solo Leveling. Considering how engaging the source material is on its own, the studio did not have to do too much heavy lifting in the plot department and the fight sequences have lived up to, or even exceeded expectations with their sheer ferocity and frenzied pace. The inclusion of a few added scenes on Jeju Island in the opening D-Rank Dungeon Arc — which will hold great significance further down the line — is also an intriguing world building choice by the studio.

On the voice acting front, Taito Ban's portrayal of Sung Jin-Woo has hit most of the right notes, with some standout moments coming during the Dungeon and Lizards Arc, when the protagonist rues his gullibility and hardens his resolve after being betrayed by his party members. Furthermore, Hiroyuki Sawano's opening song and score have also lived up to his reputation and glittering resume, adding more positives to the anime's benefit.

That being said, it may take a few more tries and arcs for the animators to really encapsulate the spectacle and dynamism which set fights in the webtoon's panels apart from its power fantasy peers. Solo Leveling's art has always been one of its strongest points, especially when looking at the ludicrously high quality it maintained during its serialization. So far, the anime's art style has remained fairly close to that of the webtoon, save for a bit more of a polished look to align with the standards of its peers, although this has tamed some of the more menacing character designs in the source material.

For instance, the eerie malice in the smile of the Statue of God in the Double Dungeon was somewhat toned down by the darker lighting and altered framing used in the scene, whereas the original panel from the webtoon was the stuff of nightmares.

Translating the exhilarating visuals of Solo Leveling's artwork to screen was always going to be a gargantuan task for the animators working on the project, and production schedules in the anime industry are tight, to say the least. Fortunately, there are hints that this first season may be a test run for better things to come. Minor nitpicks aside, A-1 Pictures has done a reasonably solid job in the anime's first outing, particularly considering the weight of the expectations they had to bear on their shoulders.

The Challenges Of Catering To Expectations

One of the main things A-1 Pictures had to contend with in this first season, is the fact that they were covering only the initial stages of the narrative, and it would be a while before the bombastic set pieces of later story arcs saw the light of day. In this case, the series always needed time to build up its premise, world, characters, and storyline to ensure total immersion. This would also permit its protagonist, Sung Jin-Woo to make good on the title's promise at a meaningful peace and level up to an extent where his exploits seemed more consequential within the world he inhabits.

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The challenge here is that new entrants to the series may be expecting huge payoffs from the very beginning with all the hype that has surrounded Solo Leveling, which will be difficult to deliver with a story that is still in its infancy. In the seven episodes that have been adapted so far, the anime's pacing has varied between 3-5 chapters per episode, which is essentially breezing through the webtoon's content even by today's standards. However, there is still a ways to go for things to really kick into high gear.

How Much More Will Season 1 Cover?

Ultimately, the series may have benefited from a full two cour run of 24+ episodes for Season 1, as it would have afforded more time to showcase Jin-Woo's development. Even splitting cours up over different parts of the year or having the second cour release next year may have sufficed, taking a leaf out of the book of other acclaimed shows that have followed this model, such as Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, and Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War.

Season 1 of Solo Leveling will likely conclude with the Job Change Arc, the Red Gate Arc, or even a cliffhanger segue into the Demon Castle Arc of the webtoon, leaving more than 140 chapters left to be adapted, which is enough for 3 or 4 more seasons. Currently, it seems unlikely that A-1 Pictures will return with Season 2 or a second cour of Solo Leveling for at least another year, unless there is a surprise announcement lurking when this cour finishes airing.

What Does This Season Need To Really Stand Out?

Until now, the series has been lacking a memorable moment that can turn it from a show with potential, to something that will be talked about for years to come — Episode 19 of Demon Slayer Season 1 being a wonderful example of this from back in 2019. For those worried about whether this may come to pass, fear not, there are still 4 more episodes left to go, and any one of them could deliver on the promise that the Solo Leveling anime has shown so far.

Solo Leveling is available to stream on Prime Video.

Action

Fantasy

Release Date

January 7, 2024

Studio

A-1 Pictures

Creator

Chugong

Number of Episodes

12

Streaming Service(s)

Crunchyroll

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