ReadNOW

Up to now couple of weeks, when you’ve been wherever close to the nook of the web the place anime lovers can’t cease gushing about Solo Leveling, you then positively know why it’s so interesting within the first place. The Japanese light-novel-turned-manhwa-turned-anime has turn out to be broadly standard with its distinctive tackle the facility fantasy style. However whereas the collection is vastly entertaining, a deeper take a look at the narrative reveals a bunch of head-scratching moments.

At its core, Solo Leveling tells the story of Jinwoo, a younger man who finds himself on the backside of the meals chain in a world the place sure people have an awakening, develop talents, and are given ranks based mostly on their energy ranges. Jinwoo is an E-rank Hunter, however after a harrowing expertise in a double dungeon, he attains the facility to stage up – develop stronger with every battle – and turn out to be one of many strongest Hunters to ever exist.

The collection’ recognition is proof of how a lot followers benefit from the energy fantasy trope, which permits them to vicariously expertise the fun of watching an underdog rise to glory. Solo Leveling has some gorgeous, adrenaline-pumping scenes, and it’s addictive to no finish. However the anime shouldn’t be with out its flaws. There’s some questionable logic concerning the narrative and character arcs, and we discover them in depth on this record, which counts down 10 puzzling moments of the anime; issues that make completely no sense in Solo Leveling in any respect.

10

Civilians Appear Oddly Calm and Unaffected by the Gates

Sure, the gates – portals that join the human realm to the realm of monsters – appeared over ten years in the past and have since served as a continuing risk to the security and well-being of the overall inhabitants. And one would possibly argue that the civilians have grown accustomed to them. However the truth that they’re dwelling in a world the place dying can actually come out of skinny air, the place monsters able to wiping out complete cities can escape of those gates, should elicit some response? Some panic?

Folks in Solo Leveling go about their every day lives as if Hunters have every part below management. Even when main disasters happen, just like the S-rank Dungeon Break in Seoul, the aftermath of a median citizen uncovered to such hazard is barely explored. This created an odd disconnect between these concerned and civilians, who turned background props. Even Jinwoo’s sister (and now his mom) appears unaffected by his powers and is rarely as soon as terrified or determined.

9

There Is Completely No Authorities Oversight

One of the vital puzzling features of Solo Leveling’s world is the entire absence of significant rules or authorities oversight. For a world the place supernatural gates opened a decade in the past, and have since been unleashing lethal monsters, the shortage of intervention from officers doesn’t sit nicely. Hunters, whereas belonging to guilds, typically function as particular person mercenaries. There isn’t any actual system governing them to make sure that their conduct is moral and that the destruction they find yourself inflicting is totally mandatory.

That is significantly evident with S-rank Hunters, essentially the most highly effective people on this planet, and their reckless actions. Goto Ryuji from Japan is proven as an smug Hunter who by no means takes accountability for his actions. This lack of presidency management results in absurd conditions. In Episode 1, Jinwoo’s social gathering is trapped within the dungeon, a number of deaths happen, and but, nobody is held accountable. Later, when Jinwoo himself turns into highly effective, he operates exterior the regulation, as if society is his private playground.

8

The World-Constructing Is Drastically Unbalanced

The world of Solo Leveling is all about magic, monsters, and Hunters co-existing, however it’s not precisely deep or constant. Some features, just like the hierarchy of Hunters and the rating system, in addition to the guilds they belong to, are well-developed. Whereas others, such because the origin of gates, the position of the federal government, the broader impression of magic, and mana radiation, which awaken magic in some people and sickness in others, aren’t defined with readability.

As a result of the story focuses closely on Jinwoo’s journey and his private objectives, as a substitute of how the world features past his perspective, your complete setting seems like a backdrop for his energy fantasy quite than a completely realized actuality. In comparison with anime collection like Fullmetal Alchemist, the place world-building is built-in into the narrative, Solo Leveling glosses over particulars.

7

The Lack of Psychological Well being Help for Hunters

A obtrusive omission on this planet of Solo Leveling is the obvious lack of any psychological well being help or sources for the Hunters. They’ve a career the place dying is a every day danger. They face life-threatening conditions, witness grotesque deaths, struggle essentially the most agonizing battles, and endure unimaginable trauma, and but there isn’t a system to assist them deal with all of it.

Sung Jinwoo and the social gathering endure excessive psychological stress through the Double Dungeon incident, the place the surviving Hunters watch others getting slaughtered in brutal methods. Lee Joohee, a B-rank healer, is traumatized to the purpose the place she retires as a Hunter. Regardless of this, there isn’t a point out of remedy or counseling. Additionally, Hunters like Cha Hae-in and Baek Yoonho are talked about to have undergone the worst experiences, however they aren’t struggling emotionally, which isn’t practical.

6

The Dungeon System Is Fairly Repetitive

At first, the dungeon system in Solo Leveling looks like an exciting idea – gates open, its energy is assessed, and a crew of acceptable Hunters is assembled, who then rush in to defeat the boss and shut it earlier than a dungeon break happens. However after a couple of arcs, the formulation turns into too acquainted. Most dungeons comply with the identical construction the place Hunters face progressively stronger armies and all the time reach defeating the boss. For as soon as, what occurs when the boss wins?

The problem isn’t simply the repetition, however the lack of variation. The whole dungeon system fails to be extra advanced, and it’s clearly not unimaginable as a result of different RPG-inspired anime like Sword Artwork On-line or Log Horizon have been artistic with their dungeon mechanics. However in Solo Leveling, these exist purely as battlegrounds. Little is thought about their origins to this point, however the anime might positively make them a extra natural a part of the story.

5

Supporting Characters Solely Exist to Reward Jin-Woo

One other (barely) irritating side of Solo Leveling’s narrative is how each supporting character exists with one goal – to admire Sung Jinwoo. Whether or not it’s fellow Hunters, authorities officers, guild bosses, and even antagonists, the second they witness Jinwoo’s energy, their personalities take a backseat and bathe countless reward. Moderately than being allowed to develop as advanced, well-rounded characters, they’re diminished to admirers.

Even Cha Hae-In, an S-rank Hunter with unbelievable talents and a loyal fanbase, has an arc that revolves round being awestruck by Jinwoo’s presence. This makes each interplay between Jinwoo and the following character appear one-dimensional. This over-reliance on supporting characters as cheerleaders for Jinwoo’s journey as a hero solely undermines their potential for development but in addition contributes to the collection’ larger incapacity for character growth.

4

The Fights Are Too Predictable

From the second Sung Jinwoo begins leveling up, the battles in Solo Leveling start following a sample – he faces an opponent, struggles, however just for a short period of time, then unlocks a brand new capacity or just overwhelms them along with his energy. Whereas this formulation is certainly enjoyable to observe for followers who love energy fantasy narratives, it removes any rigidity from the fights and makes them downright predictable.

Take the battle towards Igris within the Demon Citadel arc, as an example. Initially, it looks like Jinwoo is outmatched as a result of the knight is unbelievably robust and decided, however inside moments, Jinwoo adapts, counters, and wins. The identical occurs with the Ant King on Jeju Island. Regardless of the creature being hyped as a terrifying power to be reckoned with, it solely ever lands a single blow on Jinwoo, who then dispatches it with relative ease. These fights appear to be giving the enemy a false sense of hope each time, just for Jinwoo to crush them effortlessly. There isn’t any strategic depth, solely flashy visuals.

3

The Accidents Are By no means Sensible

The character of just about all of the battles in Solo Leveling is brutal, and but, the accidents hardly ever appear to have lasting penalties. Hunters take robust blows, get impaled, or endure extreme wounds, and nonetheless hold going, earlier than finally a Healer comes alongside and restores them. But it surely’s the time earlier than these recoveries, whether or not the Hunters are being slashed by high-ranking monsters and enduring deadly accidents, once they bounce again with minimal downtime.

This lack of realism makes the fights really feel much less impactful. The sample repeats itself all through the collection. And in distinction, anime like Berserk spotlight the aftermath of fight so nicely by exhibiting how the characters endure from their battles for actually lengthy durations of time. The problem is debatable, positive, however a extra grounded method wouldn’t harm.

2

Jin-woo’s Shadow Military Is Ridiculously Overpowered

From the second Sung Jinwoo ranges as much as Necromancer class and turns into the Shadow Monarch, he unlocks the Shadow Extraction capacity and builds a military consisting of resurrected warriors, every stronger than they have been in life, which not solely makes Jinwoo unstoppable as a Hunter, but in addition, the battles turn out to be more and more one-sided after that. There isn’t any denying that this energy is basically cool, however the reality stays that it removes any actual problem from the fights.

For example, in Season 2, when a C-rank dungeon unexpectedly turns right into a Pink Gate, it reveals the existence of highly effective enemies like ice bears and ice elves. Jinwoo defeats all of them along with his Shadow Military, and extracts their shadows to construct a preventing power to defeat Baruka, the dungeon boss, in a fierce battle. The imbalance of their powers leaves little room for Jinwoo to must strategize or adapt. If the Shadow military had sure limitations as a substitute, it might increase the stakes and make the fights extra partaking.

1

Jin-Woo’s Choice To Sit Out Jeju Island Battle Till the Final Minute

It is sensible for some, clearly, however the Jeju Island Raid is likely one of the most pivotal moments in Solo Leveling Season 2. So Jinwoo’s preliminary choice to refuse to affix the opposite S-rank Hunters till the final potential second makes little sense. Given his energy, his absence results in pointless deaths and destruction. His motive for staying again to take care of his mom is comprehensible. The truth that he additionally locations shadows on 5 of the Hunters is a intelligent alternative. However whereas the S-rank Hunters are preventing for his or her lives, Jinwoo is seen finishing his every day coaching objectives.

It is just when the published cuts off and the Ant King proves to be a devastating power that Jinwoo decides to intervene. His arrival is portrayed as a successful second, however it additionally raises the query – why didn’t he act sooner. Followers might argue that the Hunters from Japan needed to purchase themselves time and let the South Korean Hunters destroy themselves so they might take the glory, and the wait solely allowed for them to get discarded one after the opposite, however narratively, the selection is made to intensify the drama and never as a logical transfer for Jinwoo’s character.