‘Solo Leveling’ Anime Debut Exceeded Expectations

Everybody was waiting for Solo Leveling to come out, and the first episode was a pleasant surprise for new and old fans alike. A-1 Pictures, the studio responsible for Solo Leveling, left many fans hyped up over the anime’s amazing action scenes.

The studio went all out for this long-awaited anime, and it’s safe to say that fans were left speechless. Anime fans who’ve watched hits from A-1 Pictures, such as the Fairy Tail series and movies, Mashle, and Blue Exorcist would know the studio’s great feats as far as action sequences go.

Part of the surprise was that the anime didn’t follow the exact scenes of the first chapter of Solo Leveling. Instead, the studio made a good decision by introducing the relevant characters and setting up the theme of the series. Jinwoo’s pivotal death didn’t take place in the first episode, but other entities and important nuances, such as the Korean Hunters Association and the Hunter ranking system, were seen.

In the manhwa, essence stones weren’t given immediate emphasis compared to the anime. These stones aren’t just valuable, but there are entities that believe them to be a new sustainable energy source. Explaining the importance of essence stones at the onset of the show makes the series easier to follow and helps a lot of viewers understand how Hunters earn money in the first place. They’re not the easiest gems to earn, especially for Jinwoo, who’s an E-Rank Hunter.

Jinwoo lives in a world where he’s hard-stuck in his rank as a Hunter, and no training could change it. Both the anime and manhwa were straightforward about how powers were awakened, but the anime was quicker to show the benefits of being a high-level Hunter.

Great animation and wise world-building choices aside, Cha Hae In made anime watchers squeal during the first episode. She comes up later in the later chapters and is one of the fandom’s favorites, and it’s not hard to see why. I would love any woman who could get my stolen purse back to me with one quick backflip, too.

(featured image: A-1 Pictures/Crunchyroll)