It seems like, the last few years, fantasy with video-game elements has become the most dominant genre of anime. (Shounen is more of a demographic, but even if you consider it a genre, classic fighting shounens are not popping up as commonly as fantasy/game anime.) I’m not exactly sure what led to this huge explosion of popularity, but I personally hope it doesn’t continue to dominate every season of every year.
I like variety in anime, so seeing 10-20 of the same or very similar genre every season is frustrating. But that’s not to say all fantasy/game series are bad or anything. That’s why, despite my weariness of this genre, I am watching the new highly popular fantasy anime Solo Leveling. My thoughts on episodes 3 and 4 are covered below.
Episode 3: It’s Like a Game
While not as thrilling as the second installment, episode three was certainly entertaining. I’m not going to recap everything, as I don’t want to cram too much into a post already covering two episodes. But the main thing that happened was that Jinwoo awoke in one piece in a hospital. He now has a window system like a video game telling him about quests, skills, and items. At first, Jinwoo is concerned he’s hallucinating, but he quickly learns to use the system to his advantage. He begins to build up strength.
So far, there are several impressive elements of Solo Leveling. One example is that the monsters feel like they have a presence. They aren’t particularly frightening or original in design, but they’re somehow so in-your-face as they attack. The sound design and fight choreography go a long way here. It also helps to see the characters’ expressions. When Jinwoo was running from the giant centipede, his terror and the scale of the monster chasing him both felt quite real. It was the same with the red wolf monster at the end of the episode.
It’s satisfying to watch Jinwoo becoming stronger with the new system. This kind of anime, where the main character slowly levels up for a large portion of the show, is not typically my cup of tea. However, there are exceptions. I loved Kumo Desu ga Nanika? (So I’m a Spider, So What?) But the main character in that was easy for me relate to. Jinwoo, by comparison, is less relatable and a lot more bland. Still, like I said, I’m enjoying watching him level up. Maybe it will become even more engaging as the series continues.
Another blog I read recently pointed out that Jinwoo’s voice-actor is a somewhat newer seiyuu who is doing an amazing job so far. His name is Taito Ban. Although he’s been voice-acting in anime since 2017, most of his roles were minor supporting ones up until the last two to three years. Now, he’s finally getting some attention. I definitely think he deserves it. Taito’s voice reminds me of Yuuki Kaji when he does his gruffer main character voice. Anyway, Taito is doing a great job playing Jinwoo Sung.
My main complaint about Solo Leveling so far is that three of the four female characters are either nondescript or terrible in terms of personality. It’s not just that the female characters are personally annoying to me – they also feel badly written from a more objective standpoint. It might be too early to say for sure. Maybe the writing for Jin-ah or Joo-hee will improve. In the meantime, I’m impressed with Hae-In Cha and hopeful that she will be well-developed as a character.
I was really harsh toward Joo-hee in the previous episode review because I’m so sick of male writers always picking the women characters to be annoying, fearful, and sensitive. That’s still true, but I also want to be clear that I don’t hate Joo-hee for becoming “traumatized.” That’s a realistic response to the brutal, hopeless situation in which she was trapped. This could be a great opportunity for her to have some interesting character development.
On a related note, this episode handled the idea of trauma in a slightly clumsy way, but one which was good overall. It’s hard to explain, but the narrative treated trauma sort of like a switch that is either on or off, or a property that is very clear-cut. Actual trauma may not present in such a black-and-white way. That being said, acute trauma can certainly “flip a switch” in some people the way it seemed to do for Joo-hee.
I was interested to see that Jinwoo is also struggling, though not to the same degree. He’s had several flashbacks of being killed by the statues in the dungeon. The memories make him freeze up in fear. I appreciate the fact that our main character isn’t psychologically invincible. Maybe he’s not as bland as I thought. That helps me want to keep watching this anime. Now, let’s see if Jinwoo can survive this battle.
Episode 4: I’ve Gotta Get Stronger
The fourth episode was fairly exciting as Jinwoo struggled to survive in the dungeon alone. The monster battles were really cool. What I said previously about the monsters having this real presence is still true for episode four with the gigantic blue snake boss. The visuals during this boss battle were pretty epic. I’m impressed with the production quality for sure. Anyway, it was a struggle, but Jinwoo finally beat the giant snake.
One thing I’m wondering about is whether this anime is actually going to bother giving us any answers about the mysteries of the world. Is the system ever going to be explained? What about the gates? I’m fine with it taking a while as long as some answers are provided. But at this rate, Solo Leveling doesn’t feel like the kind of anime that will explain anything. I hope I’m wrong.
Another thing I’m wondering about is what exactly this episode was trying to communicate. With Jinwoo monologuing about weakness and strength to epic music while fighting, I kept thinking there was some big message there. But the only theme I can see is, “Being weak is bad, so get stronger through willpower.” That’s not only an exhausted, overused, and shallow theme – it’s also not something I believe actually has any truth or bearing on reality. I think I might be looking too hard for meaning in a very simple shounen fantasy anime.
By the end of the episode, Jinwoo has become very strong. He killed that rock golem monster just by throwing a broken sword at it. I don’t remember what rank the monster was, but a whole team of D-rankers couldn’t beat it, so it was probably about C-rank. Clearly, Jinwoo is now quite powerful. He’s no longer the weakest E-level hunter. I guess that’s pretty cool. I wish there was something more to the story, but whatever. Weak boy becomes strong. The end.
I’m definitely not enjoying Solo Leveling as much as I enjoyed Kumo Desu ga Nanika? That said, it’s certainly not a bad anime. The production value is great, and the simplistic story is appealing to the majority of anime fans. I’ll keep watching for now.
Thanks for reading~
PATREON
