Solo Leveling is a good show. I can't call it bad because to me it's not.
At the same time, it is nowhere close to being peak as a lot of people say it is because there are some issues that I have with the show that weighs it down.
SL is just good. Nothing more and nothing less. In my opinion of course
Exactly, not "peak" as loads of normies who've only watched 4 animes say.
But even as someone who's now watched over 200 anime and manga I can still say Solo Leveling is good. Not trying to be deep or thought provoking, or even well written, just entertaining. And the animation is hella good you can't deny that.
But you’re not understanding that ”bad” and “good” are just subjective terms. Not measurements. You’re acting like just because you think it’s “Just good” others can’t think it’s bad.
Of course I know people are allowed to think it's bad, I'm just suprised people say it's THAT BAD when there isn't much to hate about the show at all except maybe the writing at times.
I haven't watched it but as a person that read the manga from start to finish, the characters just have no depth, its a fun power fantasy but to me that's all it is.
It definitely was trying to be deep but that's fine. Not everything works the way it was intended. If you enjoy it more power to you but I really didn't.
Again you’re using your subjective opinion as if it’s objectively true. You thinking it’s not that bad does not mean others are wrong for thinking it is.
Not to say that I didn't greatly enjoy the show, but the actual story is actually trying to be somewhat deep and thought-provoking, it's just that it fails at it so spectacularly that people really don't even notice it's there.
As the core theme of the show is hunters and guilds are meant to be a direct commentary on SK being dominated by a handful of companies, and their rigid nature of hunter powers levels with them not levelling up (which is a divergence from the norm of this genre), it is there to show the rigid classes within SK mega corps system, with the S class heros meant to be the direct heir chaebols and A class their inner circle. Pretty much everyone who doesn't awaken to this rank (not born into it) is never able to be part of the top of society.
There is also a lot of stuff in the show around how the private sector is constantly eating away at the influence of the government, and with repeated comments about how bad it is going to be if the government's S class hero dies of old age and they can't replace him, to indicate the decline of the government is very literally inevitable.
There is also stuff about how new industries are displacing the importance of old ones through Jinho's father being sick from mana poisoning, meant to show how the old rich and powerful are dying off, with it probably meant to be a comment about how the tech industry or something else is slowly replacing the importance of other industries.
The story is actually deep, it's just extremely poorly executed that people don't actually notice it for understandable reasons.
Solo leveling is a great “turn off your brain and watch cool fights” anime and (more importantly) the quality is pretty consistent. Definitely a solid anime at least.
Can you explain what makes it good? What standards are we using to decide that. Alot of people who shit on it care about the series they watch having some sort of merit, some greater meaning to it, some value they can grasp from it.
The World building in Solo Leveling is one of the least talked about aspects of the show, which is weird because they do it really well. Establishing how the Hunter World works, and showing how nuanced it is due to its more corruptive aspects, I just thought it was so freaking cool.
Not to mention the whole RPG aspect elevates the show quite a bit for me because it gives off a visual indicator of the main character's progress. Also I'm a sucker for RPGs so that appeals to me personally.
The season 1 finale is the best episode of the series in my opinion, because (spoilers for Solo Leveling Season 1) I really like how Jinwoo is being challenged from a psychological perspective. About how he was always destined to be the world's weakest Hunter and that he'll be nothing more than that, so on so forth. Seeing him do all this aura farming can get pretty tiring especially since that seems to be what is character is and nothing more.
Overall, the show's biggest weakness is the lack of attachment I have to the characters. That's what's really holding it back for me because I feel like the only person they want us to care about is the main character. And it's hard for me to care about him when his entire character revolves around doing cool stuff and looking cool while doing it. It doesn't help that the side characters have next to zero plot relevancy it just makes me feel detached from the entire show.
My thing is the whole op main character trope can work but I feel like the ones that do work have a strong supporting cast. SL on the other hand is just "The Jinwoo Show", it feels like the entire world revolves around him and as a viewer it's hard for me to be invested.
One Punch Man does the whole op main character Trope much better in my opinion, not only because the main character is a parody of said trope but also a lot of the focus goes more towards the other Heroes, give me more than just one person to care about.
ONE’s work is the best of this genre, for sure. I think Mob Psycho 100 is a better example, though. Mob is an honest exploration of the trope, where OPM exists to make fun of it. Feels like calling Archer the best spy thriller, or something
Is it good? I’m glad to hear that for its fans I guess. I couldn’t get through how they were shooting Cha Hae-In and had to turn it off. I don’t remember the manga being this lecherous, but maybe it’s just been a while
I mean, yeah it is but okay I guess. I don’t care that the girls are pretty I like that the girls are pretty. I care that I’m not asked to sit with a lecherous cameraman PoV to ogle and objectify the girls in this show
I feel like you can’t simultaneously say “It’s okay for the show to be shallow and fun” and then also complain that the show isn’t held in much high regard by others and that it’s seen as generic and uninteresting.
You’re trying to have your cake and eat it too. You want shallow low effort action. But you want the esteem of complex unique stories that have people heavily invested in them.
And I’d argue you’re doing the opposite of what you’re accusing them of. Instead of taking pride in how intelligent they think they are you’re taking pride in mediocrity and spinning it as enlightenment.
I wouldn’t call solo leveling good - I’d say it’s harmless. There’s worse out there. But I’m also not going to sit here and give it accolades it doesn’t deserve either.
I basically agree completely, with the one caveat that Solo Leveling is actually pretty harmful IMHO. The lecherous camera work every time Cha Hae-In is on screen for any length of time is disgusting beyond words. There’s worse out there of course, but GOD is it hard to watch
Solo leveling is objectively a generic and badly written show, this isn’t even coming from a hater standpoint I used to love the manhwa when I was 12. I can see why people like it (I myself used to like it too) but acting like it isn’t just a well executed self insert power fantasy is just lying
I mean that’s totally fine and I agree. But I also don’t get butthurt and act like I’m more enlightened than everyone else just because I’m fine with generic mindless action and they rightly point out that they find it boring and lazy
Just because you're in the mood for shit doesn't stop what you're eating being shit.
Solo leveling is bad. It's shallow. Its characters are all entirely one dimensional. It's action is all style and no substance. It's story is absolute ass.
Because being real, Solo Leveling barely has fanservice. The person is only talking about the few scenes when Chae was swimming. Compared to most mainstream anime that’s pretty tame.
It’s passable at being garbage if you choose to ignore that. It’s not my only gripe with it, but I might have had some fun with it if it had treated its women a little better.
I haven’t watched Chainsaw Man, and I like Gachiakuta specifically because it doesn’t do this shit. I haven’t seen Chainsaw Man, but Hell’s Paradise is another example of a show which is sexy but avoids the problems I have with Solo Leveling’s fanservice. Are you familiar with that one?
I have seen Chainsaw Man, Gatchiakuta, & Hells Paradise. I can name a lot more but u have a problem with Chae & not the sexy ninja from Hell’s Paradise season 1 really?
Yes, because my problem is not that anime women are sexy. I’m a lesbian, I like sexy women. I don’t like when a show takes time out of its day to leer at its women like a subway voyeur.
Yuzuriha is trying to be sexy. She works quite hard to be seen and show off her body. Cha Hae-In is trying to get a woman’s purse back for her, and very specifically does NOT want any attention.
The consistent problem with Solo Leveling’s fanservice for me is that we’re forced into the PoV of an omnipresent lecher to leer at Cha Hae-In’s body like she’s a piece of meat in a butcher shop’s display. She is given no say in the matter, and in fact, the story takes great pains to show that she’s very specifically uncomfortable being looked at in such a way.
I find that experience deeply uncomfortable, and the story makes no attempt at any Lolita or Kill La Kill styled commentary on the issues with its omnipotent lecherous cameraman. If I wanna watch a show like that, I’d go back to Hollywood action movies, thanks
Holy shit she’s not a real person but ok. She’s just beautiful. If that one scene 2-3 second scene and 5 second pool scene got you that uptight, then idk girl. She has a bunch of other scenes that show her popping off, but you’re still on those two scenes?
Yes, I am. The first minute she’s on screen, the show takes time out of its day to give you a big juicy shot of her ass and cameltoe. I already knew she was pretty well before that, what purpose does showing me the writers don’t know how mom jeans work serve? It’s gratuitous and gross and demeaning, and I’ve got plenty of shows I can watch that respect their women characters instead
Thomas The Tank Engine sold 200 million copies, Lord of the Rings sold 150 million copies. By this we can conclude, using the logic you applied here, that Thomas The Tank Engine is a better book series than Lord of the Rings.
Because these stats don't mean anything. First and foremost, people that didn't like it at the start and dropped it, probably didn't rate it, so the rating number is always skewed. This is not a metric to argue if something is amazing or not at all. Secondly, newer series have lesser reviews, which means less people have likely rated them, and the variance might be too high, specially if a lot of people that watched it when it came out were people that already read the manhwa and already like the series. Some series in their first year have insane ratings that drop over time the more people watch them. Finally, saying it's generic and badly written is an opinion. Whether you agree or not is irrelevant, some people do believe that. I read the entire manhwa before the anime came out and despite it being incredibly popular, it wasn't really that good at all imo, yet its rating was always very high. It's cool, and it's well drawn, but I would not give the series any rating above a 6. For me, the anime felt the exact same way.
I don't know how many times I can say this, this isn't an objective metric. For me, it's a generic power fantasy that looks great but lacks any amount of depth. Its plot is bland and the MC has no flaws, since basically he fixes them all at the "time skip" when he gets his leveling powers. I get why some people rate it highly, but that's not what I'm looking for in a series, and by the way, it gets repetitive AF the more chapters it goes on.
Your citation is correct, Solo Leveling is quite obviously popular. What I think people take umbrage with is your conclusion. Why does a story’s popularity equate directly to its quality?
Hey, just curious. If you’ve been following the thread & my comments on here then where did I say that the story was good & an indicator on its quality?
I got what I needed out of the thread as you can clearly see.
People are so easy to fall for bait/trolling lmao.
Realistically while I do enjoy solo leveling & the action that it provides I do have my own gripes with anime/manwha. I just also don’t care because I’m a huge fan of it.
Ah, the classic. Post a completely dogshit argument, then when people call you out on it you pretend you were joking the whole time anyway. Whatever helps you sleep at night bud
You realize not all anime is licensed by crunchyroll, so not available for voting right? Like Oshi No Ko was licensed exclusively by HiDive. The newest seasons of Bleach for Thousand Year Bloodwar, exclusively by Disney. "Stats" may not lie, but they can definitely be skewed.
"Popular" in the West. The east, namely Japan, says the show is mid at best and rates pretty poorly against other seasonal anime. Plus, they also have access to a wider variety of legal, and probably more cost efficient, means to watch anime. But yes, let's make everything about the West, like with most statistical analysis and research.
Also, this conversation isnt about JJK. It's about Solo Leveling.
And anime tourists are even funnier. I'm not one to gatekeep anime and anime fans but there are so many better titles than overhype animation with no substance to the story, setting or side characters. If you like overhype, power trip, self-insert aura-farming animes, be my guest. But defending it likes the last greatest media on earth is ridiculous and quite frankly pathetic.
People like u are so fucking funny. Get off your high horse bozo. Even decades long anime fans like me can like & enjoy the basic shit like Solo Leveling.
You gotta be joking lol, if you really believe solo leveling, demon sleyer and jjk are the 3 best anime’s of all time then you’ve probably seen like 5 anime’s. Also do you really believe the slime anime is top 10. This list isn’t based on quality and it’s obvious.
So, the wiki link u gave me. Should I use & say the same thing in regards to Frieren & MAL or are u just gonna let your biases dictate your opinion here?
I literally said on my comment that I’m not a solo leveling hater and that I used to be a fun when I was 12… learn how to read bro. Also in case you didn’t know Crunchyroll ratings aren’t real ratings they are based of popularity
Are you stupid, Crunchyroll isn’t a rating app this has nothing to do with what I said, that’s like taking hianime ratings seriously. If you want a real ratings then check an actual rating app like mal (even there solo leveling fans spammed it with the positive review bombing but the rating is more realistic)
You can’t be deadass, you just said that solo leveling being one is based (an unfinished show) but when frieren is one it’s not realistic because it’s unfinished😭😭😭😭
The CR ratings are inflated because almost everything gets a 5 or within 0.2 of it. Heck even blue lock has a 4.8. Using the # of people voting just makes it a popularity metric as well.
Media can be critiqued objectively to an extant, obviously you can’t just say this high quality series is better then this high quality series’s but you can objectively say that an high quality show is better then an low quality show. For example I can’t say that breaking bad is objectively better then mr robot for the reason that both are on similar levels of quality but I can definitely say that it’s better then solo leveling considering it is better in most aspects… I agree that media critique isn’t fully objective and people who try to make it this way are wrong but it’s also true that it isn’t fully subjective either. I wasn’t sure how to word it in English so Idk if it makes sense, sorry if it just sounds weird and meaningless
I get you. I'd argue that there are objective things within a show or series, but most media analysis is largely subjective. There isn't a set step by step guide to make a good series, there isn't a perfect formula. We can judge the final product, but we cannot reach an objective consensus or an objective standard.
Again, this is my opinion, but I can respect yours.
I enjoyed SL it was truly a treat to see just how bland characters can get and how far a story can go without any side characters I truly learned a lot by seeing just how little side characters can be characterized even though they get some semblance of screen time and how little they matter.
And SJW truly is one of the protagonists in all of anime I was surprised just how far the author can distract us with cool fights and tried to create a protagonist that is shockingly hollow so hollow that I thought It was the anime adaptation of dark souls and despite this managed to perform the feat of him servicing as a self insert power fantasy despite the character having no semblance of a personality to identify with.
It's a fast food that is so ashamedly fast food that it loops around to being worthy of being studied.
Most of the hate nowadays comes from the Crunchyroll's awards. They had to put down the original video, and the resub is still at 55% of downvotes.
I believe that the show should not be hated; it is good for what it is. If anyone wants to hate something, hate Crunchyroll and their judges.
Tbh, I didn't like the anime; I tried to watch it and couldn't finish it. Perhaps I just liked the manhwa more and I don't get the same excitement watching the anime.
So if you have watched the anime and not the manhwa. Please read it. I think the pace is better, and the paneling is next level.
Yeah, I lump SL in with the deluge of isekai power fantasies where the worldbuilding feels like it was done by someone with minimal experience with fantasy media outside of MMOs and gacha games.
Agreed. Solo Leveling rocked. I watched it before the hype, didn't know it would get huge-- and I LOVED it. My only complaint... he powers up SO fast. Slow it down just a little tiny bit. Still, great show, huge aura farm... all around good entertainment.
It got me back into anime. I love the animation and the concept is a lot of fun. It doesn’t have to be profound to be good. I had a grin on my face the entire time I watched and it got me into subs because I didn’t want to wait for dubs to be finished.
I have been avoiding watching solo levelling because of the two sides of the argument. On one side, there were people lauding it as the next big thing, but were entirely unable to articulate why they found it good. On the other side, there were bandwagon haters who were just shouting about how it was another generic power fantasy shounen. The fans being entirely unable to explain why they think it’s good beyond “its peak” is what made me believe the haters, so I stayed away.
However, just this last month I decided to give it a shot. I binged through the series over the course of two weeks and I really enjoyed myself! It’s not the most incredible show, but it is legitimately good. This feels like the first power fantasy anime I’ve watched where the protagonist actually has a solid and grounded motivation for why they’re growing stronger. All the side characters certainly leave a lot to be desired beyond just being there to hype up the protagonist and his journey; I did quite like their interactions with one another when the protagonist was off screen. I’ve also been liking the mystery unfolding regarding the purpose of The System and the origins of the dungeons.
I do think the biggest failing the show has is that - following the first arc - the protagonist never ever loses a fight. There are times where he gets beaten down and pretty injured along his journey to power, but he never actually has to flee in order to survive. Even the job change sequence, where he technically needed to flee, he got saved by the obvious Chekhov’s gun of him not completing his daily quest. And the big bad threat that was teased since the beginning of the series? It gets absolutely crushed by him, no challenge at all.
All in all, I would still call it a 7/10 series. While there are a lot of shows that are carried by animation and music, which this show certainly has very good on both, it’s not an entire failure of a series without those two things. It can be better, but I still enjoyed it.
Makes me glad I mainly read. Most times when some anime blows up I already know the story. Bit weird hearing people talk about “old news,” and annoying when people trash great stories because the adaptation was bad, there’s no ongoing debates distracting from the experience.
I disagree I feel like when rating shows we should think of it as the a normal distribution spread. and I dont see solo leving being two standard deviations above most shows at most one and even thats as strech. Its not even a particularly good power fantasy. Now I know its crazy for me to tell you how you feel however I feel like people inflate shows when using x/10 scale. I think you might mean 5/10 or 5.5/10 thats above average
Personally, I actually tend to rate things on a scale of out of 5. 1 is terrible, 2 is bad, 3 is OK, 4 is good, 5 is great. However, the anime community and film industry like to use a scale of out of 10, so to translate that: me writing it as a 7/10 is “the low end of good”. With there being so many power fantasy animes out there, and most of them being bad, I do think Solo Leveling is one of the better ones out there. I do prefer season one over season two, though, because it does seem like the writing is getting weaker the longer the series is running. So far, there’ve only been actually two standout moments from the show: the scene where he first takes a life, and the scene where he gets the medicine to his mother. Other than that, it’s all kind of all right.
I hate demon slayer but atleast it has likeable characters say what you want about it but atleast it has endearing characters I can name like tanjiro nezuko and shinobu.
Same goes for dragon ball everyone remember goku piccolo vegeta krillin gohan
No, it's dogshit even by shounen slop metrics. Even the most generic, run of the mill action shows with 0 substance have decent writing that makes sense and characters that have actual character. Nothing in Solo Leveling is executed well aside from the art, it's complete nonsense from start to finish
Manhwa, basically yeah the beginning and end of anything good is the GOATED art.
As for the anime, it’s like… the soundtrack? If you enjoy the same song Sawano’s been remixing for the past fifteen years
Honestly the feat of adding even more fascist rhetoric and misogyny to a self insert incel manhwa this masturbatory is so impressive the director should be scaled as multiversal
At least the fight is quite good but well saying something as "simple or for fun" all the time is just an excuse on denying that the story is bad, sure it doesn't have to be deep all the time cause that's annoying as well since not everyone have an iq of 120+ but at least just admit that the story is indeed boring, not like it gonna destroy the anime anyway, same shit as like demon slayer or other anime that get criticized on story since its the most notable it seems like you need to understand that this type of excuse really rots the anime and fandom even more. Oh yeah did i mention fighting?
I read the Manwha about 2-3 years ago and I really enjoyed it.
It was the first Manwha i read and I couldn't stop reading at night because it hooked me that much.
For the Anime I have to say that I also enjoyed it a lot, its not m, favorite show but its definetily up there and i would watch it again.
I liked watching Sung Jin Woo grow and get stronger with each chapter even though I have to say it kinda bothered me that at a certain point everyone except Jinwoo got useless but its still one of my favs and I would give it a reread or rewatch when i got time.
Brother how are these positions mutually exclusive? You’re allowed to enjoy animator reels pretending to be coherently strung together pieces of fiction. I watched the Shibuya Incident it was fucking great
It’s not bad, it’s pretty fun, nice animation. If you need a power fantasy to lose yourself in that’s a great one.
It’s just over rated. Everything that solo leveling does well, other shows from the last few decades do or have done better. Literally everything.
Solo leveling being an award winning show will never not be confusing. But it’s soooooo far from bad. It’s just not worth having a strong opinion of one way or the other to me, like it’s fine lol.
Solo levelling is good, not because of good writing, solid worldbuilding, or compelling characters, but because it's a pure, unashamed, and perfectly executed power fantasy with the action to elevate it even further
Read the manhwa. Maybe the show is different. It was alright. Did hype scenes well and the power progression was enjoyable. Had a few decent funny moments, especially if you’re somewhat familiar with manhwa. Read the entire thing.
The plot was very bland and Sung Jin-woo’s character seemed inversely proportional to his power. That last bit was almost impressive, really.
Solo Leveling is not trying to tell a good story or drive a narrative with complex characters. It's an exercise in excellent animation and fight choreography and to this end it is well executed.
Enjoying an anime (or movie or book) for its choreography and visual presentation (description) is a completely valid vector along which to appreciate a work.
I can appreciate simplicity and fun solo levelling is just neither. I love dragon ball I dislike solo levelling. Even dragon ball for all its simplicity has entertaining characters with actual arcs and symbolism.
It being "dumb fun" does not automatically mean its good or entertaining or mean it cant be critized people dont like solo levelling because it lacks a real story, interesting characters (name one human besides sung jin woo) or stakes (and stakes doesn't mean death or world-ending threats. They can be emotional, moral, or psychological. Seeing a protagonist struggle—whether with fear, doubt, relationships, or failure is what makes them feel human. Struggle reveals different sides of a character and allows the audience to grow closer to them when a protagonist wins effortlessly at everything, theres no tension, no growth, and nothing to invest in. The world exists primarily to validate sun jin woo strength rather than to challenge or develop him)
What makes power interesting isn't what it can do but what it can't do. Once you've seen one episode of solo levelling you've seen everything there is to see about it. Once the novelty wears off... what's left? There's a reason the one episode where sun jin woo shows vulnerability is the lowest rated one.
I like watching Campfire cooking because it has good recipes. I like solo leveling because it has great fight scenes. Neither protagonist ever loses a battle I like both of them.
Let me give you an anime with great animation great effects with only an ok plot and side characters. Its demon slayer. No one wants Solo Leveling to be this the next beyond journey end they just want more substance to what they consume
I think it set out with a simple goal and achieved it. Therefore, I agree that it’s good. I agree that something doesn’t need to be deep to be considered good, as you say. Conversely, I don’t think it can ever be the best for the same reason. High floor, low ceiling type thing. I hate when people call it “bad”, but I can’t defend it because I just get called a two brain cell teenager.
Shit is boring. You may as well watch Walker Texas Ranger or Delta Force and watch the good guy pull off ridiculous OP antics against bad guy who you always knew was going to lose.
It would get WAY less hate if the fights had a singular ounce of creativity.
The enemies range from boring, to really boring. The strategies sjw uses to defeat them range from stabbing it in the eye, to stabbing it in the eye a little harder. And the environments range from cave, to slightly larger cave.
Good fights can carry a series. But solo leveling just... Doesn't have them.
I am not immune to fun. I also lost my shit when simon the digger pulled out an EVEN BIGGER DRILL OH MY GOD!
If the fights in solo leveling were 1% as good as that, I wouldn't bat an eye at the non-existent plot and characters.
Inject those hype moments and aura directly into my brain, but make sure they're at least well made hype moments and aura. Instead of just the same slog over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and- oh hey the seasons over. If only I could remember a single thing that happened.
I thought Solo Leveling had one of the best opening hooks in recent animes. For the most part, I genuinely enjoyed the first season.
2nd season though basically throws everything out of the window except the animation. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy great animation and will watch terrible animes just for that alone. Solo Leveling has fallen into that category.
Anime fans when a show isn’t 10/10/10 peak writing, animation, characters, best legendary show of all time and also made me wet myself and break up with my girlfriend because it’s just so peak I couldn’t pay attention to her
Just because a show is generic or moght even be bad dies not mean that it can't be entertaining.
If you like it then all the power to you.
If you don't lile it then all the powerto you as well.
Honestly,in my humblr opinion its a solid 5 or 6 out of 10. It has its enjoyable moments but it won't make me come back all too often, once I have finished it.
Solo leveling is peak, Frieren is peak, anyone who says otherwise can take a hike. I watch anime for the overall experience and the enjoyment of the craft, not to nitpick and circle jerk everything under the sun. 🤷♂️
I mean it's a common enough attitude. Back in the late 90s early 2000s most of us were limited to "what's on toonamie." So every show in that line up was "mid or trash" years later because more options became available.
The majority of what was on toonami is still in the top 20 of all time anime and those were late 80s early 90s anime. This new shit will be fizzled out 30 years from now.
I know what you mean and I don't entirely disagree, but for me it falls into the same niche as Sword Art Online insofar as it gets far more hatred than it probably deserves while still being not-that-great overall.
Solo Leveling is a good show. I can't call it bad because to me it's not.
At the same time, it is nowhere close to being peak as a lot of people say it is because there are some issues that I have with the show that weighs it down.
SL is just good. Nothing more and nothing less. In my opinion of course
Exactly, not "peak" as loads of normies who've only watched 4 animes say. But even as someone who's now watched over 200 anime and manga I can still say Solo Leveling is good. Not trying to be deep or thought provoking, or even well written, just entertaining. And the animation is hella good you can't deny that.
I would argue that the animation is the only thing about the show that's truly peak. Other than that almost everything else in the show is just good
But you’re not understanding that ”bad” and “good” are just subjective terms. Not measurements. You’re acting like just because you think it’s “Just good” others can’t think it’s bad.
You’re letting it bother you for nothing.
Of course I know people are allowed to think it's bad, I'm just suprised people say it's THAT BAD when there isn't much to hate about the show at all except maybe the writing at times.
I haven't watched it but as a person that read the manga from start to finish, the characters just have no depth, its a fun power fantasy but to me that's all it is.
Yeah, SL isn't trying to be deep and that's ok. It's just for fun and I enjoy it. To exaggerate, it's an extremely high quality shitpost.
It definitely was trying to be deep but that's fine. Not everything works the way it was intended. If you enjoy it more power to you but I really didn't.
Again you’re using your subjective opinion as if it’s objectively true. You thinking it’s not that bad does not mean others are wrong for thinking it is.
This actually goes both ways tbh
Not at all, I'm giving my opinion, no matter how much I act like it's truth it's still an opinion. And so is yours.
Not to say that I didn't greatly enjoy the show, but the actual story is actually trying to be somewhat deep and thought-provoking, it's just that it fails at it so spectacularly that people really don't even notice it's there.
As the core theme of the show is hunters and guilds are meant to be a direct commentary on SK being dominated by a handful of companies, and their rigid nature of hunter powers levels with them not levelling up (which is a divergence from the norm of this genre), it is there to show the rigid classes within SK mega corps system, with the S class heros meant to be the direct heir chaebols and A class their inner circle. Pretty much everyone who doesn't awaken to this rank (not born into it) is never able to be part of the top of society.
There is also a lot of stuff in the show around how the private sector is constantly eating away at the influence of the government, and with repeated comments about how bad it is going to be if the government's S class hero dies of old age and they can't replace him, to indicate the decline of the government is very literally inevitable.
There is also stuff about how new industries are displacing the importance of old ones through Jinho's father being sick from mana poisoning, meant to show how the old rich and powerful are dying off, with it probably meant to be a comment about how the tech industry or something else is slowly replacing the importance of other industries.
The story is actually deep, it's just extremely poorly executed that people don't actually notice it for understandable reasons.
Solo leveling is a great “turn off your brain and watch cool fights” anime and (more importantly) the quality is pretty consistent. Definitely a solid anime at least.
Can you explain what makes it good? What standards are we using to decide that. Alot of people who shit on it care about the series they watch having some sort of merit, some greater meaning to it, some value they can grasp from it.
The World building in Solo Leveling is one of the least talked about aspects of the show, which is weird because they do it really well. Establishing how the Hunter World works, and showing how nuanced it is due to its more corruptive aspects, I just thought it was so freaking cool.
Not to mention the whole RPG aspect elevates the show quite a bit for me because it gives off a visual indicator of the main character's progress. Also I'm a sucker for RPGs so that appeals to me personally.
The season 1 finale is the best episode of the series in my opinion, because (spoilers for Solo Leveling Season 1) I really like how Jinwoo is being challenged from a psychological perspective. About how he was always destined to be the world's weakest Hunter and that he'll be nothing more than that, so on so forth. Seeing him do all this aura farming can get pretty tiring especially since that seems to be what is character is and nothing more.
Overall, the show's biggest weakness is the lack of attachment I have to the characters. That's what's really holding it back for me because I feel like the only person they want us to care about is the main character. And it's hard for me to care about him when his entire character revolves around doing cool stuff and looking cool while doing it. It doesn't help that the side characters have next to zero plot relevancy it just makes me feel detached from the entire show.
Dont know about the anime didnt watch it, only read the manhwa and i honestly think it's shit and people love it because it has good animation
It did aura farming masterclass
Anime is right now littered with “OP MC” yet solo leveling does the best in its execution
My thing is the whole op main character trope can work but I feel like the ones that do work have a strong supporting cast. SL on the other hand is just "The Jinwoo Show", it feels like the entire world revolves around him and as a viewer it's hard for me to be invested.
One Punch Man does the whole op main character Trope much better in my opinion, not only because the main character is a parody of said trope but also a lot of the focus goes more towards the other Heroes, give me more than just one person to care about.
ONE’s work is the best of this genre, for sure. I think Mob Psycho 100 is a better example, though. Mob is an honest exploration of the trope, where OPM exists to make fun of it. Feels like calling Archer the best spy thriller, or something
Actually never mind you're right Mob Psycho does this way better.
The title alone turned me off, and when I read about the plot, I knew it wasn't for me.
Is it good? I’m glad to hear that for its fans I guess. I couldn’t get through how they were shooting Cha Hae-In and had to turn it off. I don’t remember the manga being this lecherous, but maybe it’s just been a while
Wasn’t anywhere near bad but ok ig. Literally one of the most mainstream shows with the least amount of fanservice
I mean, yeah it is but okay I guess. I don’t care that the girls are pretty I like that the girls are pretty. I care that I’m not asked to sit with a lecherous cameraman PoV to ogle and objectify the girls in this show
I feel like you can’t simultaneously say “It’s okay for the show to be shallow and fun” and then also complain that the show isn’t held in much high regard by others and that it’s seen as generic and uninteresting.
You’re trying to have your cake and eat it too. You want shallow low effort action. But you want the esteem of complex unique stories that have people heavily invested in them.
And I’d argue you’re doing the opposite of what you’re accusing them of. Instead of taking pride in how intelligent they think they are you’re taking pride in mediocrity and spinning it as enlightenment.
I wouldn’t call solo leveling good - I’d say it’s harmless. There’s worse out there. But I’m also not going to sit here and give it accolades it doesn’t deserve either.
I basically agree completely, with the one caveat that Solo Leveling is actually pretty harmful IMHO. The lecherous camera work every time Cha Hae-In is on screen for any length of time is disgusting beyond words. There’s worse out there of course, but GOD is it hard to watch
Solo Leveling is basically Jojo Siwa of Anime, and Cocomelon of Kids show.
Solo Leveling at least has some stuff of high quality with the animation and action
And so as Dragon Maid but we don’t call it AOTY do we? 😂
I was just saying it was above your examples
I read the manwha
It was enjoyable enough to want to keep reading. If one wants to argue it's trash or garbage I probably wouldn't really disagree
But it was still enjoyable. A perfectly fine series that wasn't super great but wasn't awful either.
It is both a show and a manwha that I forgot about it if it's not directly in front of me and one I enjoyed watching/reading it.
Like a lot in the genre it’s absolutely poor quality (although the animation helps), and that’s ok.
Most of this stuff is poorly written tripe, but it’s fun anyways. We can still enjoy it without shame.
Oh the irony
“You must be fun at parties” they long way?
The only thing I know about it is that there is a hot bug
https://preview.redd.it/o4dpegyuk69g1.jpeg?width=322&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=20fe5d5f344444cc18248133ae8bf4730f0a108c
It looks like a doodle of pre schooler, is this supposed to be good? 😂
Solo leveling is objectively a generic and badly written show, this isn’t even coming from a hater standpoint I used to love the manhwa when I was 12. I can see why people like it (I myself used to like it too) but acting like it isn’t just a well executed self insert power fantasy is just lying
https://preview.redd.it/fc5mbxq8l79g1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d40cf83f235a7d4829c55b7f7d5ebe599f700e56
Oh it’s power fantasy to the max.
Still, the show is incredibly entertaining. Sometimes a guy just wants to pull up his sofa chair and eat junk food.
I mean that’s totally fine and I agree. But I also don’t get butthurt and act like I’m more enlightened than everyone else just because I’m fine with generic mindless action and they rightly point out that they find it boring and lazy
Just because you're in the mood for shit doesn't stop what you're eating being shit.
Solo leveling is bad. It's shallow. Its characters are all entirely one dimensional. It's action is all style and no substance. It's story is absolute ass.
SL’s only good at being garbage if you’re able to ignore how fucking lecherous it is.
Like, I get it, Cha Hae-In is hot
Does she have to be shot from the POV of some horndog voyeur in every single fucking scene she’s in?
Bro watch more anime if that’s your one problem with the show.
Lmao, have u seen Chainsaw Man, or at least Gatchiakuta?
if their problem is the fanservice, why would pointing them to something you deem more fan service address the problem?
Because being real, Solo Leveling barely has fanservice. The person is only talking about the few scenes when Chae was swimming. Compared to most mainstream anime that’s pretty tame.
The first example I can think of is when she stops the mugger in her first appearance, actually, but her getting out of the pool also works.
So u hate pretty anime women?
Wow, it’s amazing that u can even watch anything.
Is that what I said?
It’s passable at being garbage if you choose to ignore that. It’s not my only gripe with it, but I might have had some fun with it if it had treated its women a little better.
I haven’t watched Chainsaw Man, and I like Gachiakuta specifically because it doesn’t do this shit. I haven’t seen Chainsaw Man, but Hell’s Paradise is another example of a show which is sexy but avoids the problems I have with Solo Leveling’s fanservice. Are you familiar with that one?
I have seen Chainsaw Man, Gatchiakuta, & Hells Paradise. I can name a lot more but u have a problem with Chae & not the sexy ninja from Hell’s Paradise season 1 really?
Yes, because my problem is not that anime women are sexy. I’m a lesbian, I like sexy women. I don’t like when a show takes time out of its day to leer at its women like a subway voyeur.
Yuzuriha is trying to be sexy. She works quite hard to be seen and show off her body. Cha Hae-In is trying to get a woman’s purse back for her, and very specifically does NOT want any attention.
The consistent problem with Solo Leveling’s fanservice for me is that we’re forced into the PoV of an omnipresent lecher to leer at Cha Hae-In’s body like she’s a piece of meat in a butcher shop’s display. She is given no say in the matter, and in fact, the story takes great pains to show that she’s very specifically uncomfortable being looked at in such a way.
I find that experience deeply uncomfortable, and the story makes no attempt at any Lolita or Kill La Kill styled commentary on the issues with its omnipotent lecherous cameraman. If I wanna watch a show like that, I’d go back to Hollywood action movies, thanks
Holy shit she’s not a real person but ok. She’s just beautiful. If that one scene 2-3 second scene and 5 second pool scene got you that uptight, then idk girl. She has a bunch of other scenes that show her popping off, but you’re still on those two scenes?
Yes, I am. The first minute she’s on screen, the show takes time out of its day to give you a big juicy shot of her ass and cameltoe. I already knew she was pretty well before that, what purpose does showing me the writers don’t know how mom jeans work serve? It’s gratuitous and gross and demeaning, and I’ve got plenty of shows I can watch that respect their women characters instead
I used to love all the , courting death manhwas too when I liked solo leveling and then i got bored of all of them at the same time
https://preview.redd.it/jcqsqy7zm69g1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=334532803fa9dd4a103af9adc7584770bb3351b8
Stats don’t lie
Thomas The Tank Engine sold 200 million copies, Lord of the Rings sold 150 million copies. By this we can conclude, using the logic you applied here, that Thomas The Tank Engine is a better book series than Lord of the Rings.
I love how u guys bring up unrelated things because u can’t really argue back the stats that are listed here lmao
Because these stats don't mean anything. First and foremost, people that didn't like it at the start and dropped it, probably didn't rate it, so the rating number is always skewed. This is not a metric to argue if something is amazing or not at all. Secondly, newer series have lesser reviews, which means less people have likely rated them, and the variance might be too high, specially if a lot of people that watched it when it came out were people that already read the manhwa and already like the series. Some series in their first year have insane ratings that drop over time the more people watch them. Finally, saying it's generic and badly written is an opinion. Whether you agree or not is irrelevant, some people do believe that. I read the entire manhwa before the anime came out and despite it being incredibly popular, it wasn't really that good at all imo, yet its rating was always very high. It's cool, and it's well drawn, but I would not give the series any rating above a 6. For me, the anime felt the exact same way.
This is the anime’s ratings btw
https://preview.redd.it/66zoslnv379g1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cc6826624abcb538c436d3c44579da5d05d315a2
I can compare it to Gatchiakuta that just finished if you want.
I personally like using these metrics. Way more info here than random Redditors spouting stuff. Also, I read & finished the manwha.
I don't know how many times I can say this, this isn't an objective metric. For me, it's a generic power fantasy that looks great but lacks any amount of depth. Its plot is bland and the MC has no flaws, since basically he fixes them all at the "time skip" when he gets his leveling powers. I get why some people rate it highly, but that's not what I'm looking for in a series, and by the way, it gets repetitive AF the more chapters it goes on.
That’s cool bro, u can have that opinion. I read the manwha too & enjoyed the anime.
https://preview.redd.it/co4wt516579g1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aa73bb1a6031da31b756a8ab5224e163f53d8b00
It’s nice to know that over 913,666 people enjoyed it the same way. With 96% giving it 5 stars(me being 1 of them).
And then everyone on Reddit giving it 1 star(which is only 2%, although I know the haters wish it was bigger).
Your citation is correct, Solo Leveling is quite obviously popular. What I think people take umbrage with is your conclusion. Why does a story’s popularity equate directly to its quality?
Hey, just curious. If you’ve been following the thread & my comments on here then where did I say that the story was good & an indicator on its quality?
Hey, just curious, why share the stats at all then if the popularity wasn’t the topic of the conversation?
Chuds like this when they realize they can just pretend they were joking:
Bored & for fun.
I got what I needed out of the thread as you can clearly see.
People are so easy to fall for bait/trolling lmao.
Realistically while I do enjoy solo leveling & the action that it provides I do have my own gripes with anime/manwha. I just also don’t care because I’m a huge fan of it.
Ah, the classic. Post a completely dogshit argument, then when people call you out on it you pretend you were joking the whole time anyway. Whatever helps you sleep at night bud
Where was I arguing? I just posted stats & u see the reaction. Hook, line, sinker.
So easy.
You realize not all anime is licensed by crunchyroll, so not available for voting right? Like Oshi No Ko was licensed exclusively by HiDive. The newest seasons of Bleach for Thousand Year Bloodwar, exclusively by Disney. "Stats" may not lie, but they can definitely be skewed.
Yeah, not every anime is on CR I know this. However, most of the anime we know about & that is popular are on CR.
No other legal anime streaming platform has as much.
Netflix, HiDive, Hulu, D+, etc didn’t give us the Demon Slayer or CSM movies that released in the west this year.
See u when JJK S3 drops on Crunchyroll in 2 weeks.
It can be popular and still not well written.
SL is just fun, but nobody watches/reads it for the writing either so theres also that.
A series can be popular and poorly written and thats fine. SL is fun just like Dragonball is peak fun but poorly written.
"Popular" in the West. The east, namely Japan, says the show is mid at best and rates pretty poorly against other seasonal anime. Plus, they also have access to a wider variety of legal, and probably more cost efficient, means to watch anime. But yes, let's make everything about the West, like with most statistical analysis and research.
Also, this conversation isnt about JJK. It's about Solo Leveling.
This is the Japans opinion on Solo Leveling bro.
https://preview.redd.it/wnqe100ed79g1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=905fbf6197102e862193b5a939536066705fbdeb
This is japans most popular streaming platform btw.
Literally a post from 6 month ago bro where the producers themselves admit It's mid
https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/s/zgPcPc0ssX
U really try to use everything to say that this show is mid huh?
Lol u haters are so fucking funny.
Edit: Also 2 things with article u linked
It was only 1 producer saying that
He still states in there that it was above average, maybe read what u link first before believing a headline.
And anime tourists are even funnier. I'm not one to gatekeep anime and anime fans but there are so many better titles than overhype animation with no substance to the story, setting or side characters. If you like overhype, power trip, self-insert aura-farming animes, be my guest. But defending it likes the last greatest media on earth is ridiculous and quite frankly pathetic.
Lmao, I stopped reading after anime tourist.
People like u are so fucking funny. Get off your high horse bozo. Even decades long anime fans like me can like & enjoy the basic shit like Solo Leveling.
You gotta be joking lol, if you really believe solo leveling, demon sleyer and jjk are the 3 best anime’s of all time then you’ve probably seen like 5 anime’s. Also do you really believe the slime anime is top 10. This list isn’t based on quality and it’s obvious.
The stats bro
https://preview.redd.it/hbe19adqo69g1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=366b2180bb5fb0a3293d8aa115394999d0fd2c2c
Keep the Cope up. These are real people voting, not saying shit & being a hater online
“sTAtS doNT LiE”
Yeah they don’t, this is where Frieren on the platform it streams on
https://preview.redd.it/sf78mavrx69g1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f8833173f63fa5a9ecf5ab65b0e12050bd3791eb
Barely half of Solo Leveling & the other top 10 shows on the worlds largest anime streaming platform.
Why isn’t it number 1 like on MAL 🤔
It’s an unsolvable mystery I guess.
Hey, u see that number?
https://preview.redd.it/322baepd079g1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b70eb70dd1c0fbdd61dee1a1606eb9897814aa5b
288K people voting on anime on IMDB, compared to the near millions of anime fans voting on Crunchyroll.
Who should I take seriously? The 238K on minority on IMDB or the over 900K majority on Crunchyroll.
Which is the bigger number here, u passed 1st grade math right?
“Stats don’t lie, my number bigger.” -Man who’s never heard a whisper of the words “statistical significance”
Start here little bro
So, the wiki link u gave me. Should I use & say the same thing in regards to Frieren & MAL or are u just gonna let your biases dictate your opinion here?
All this proves is frieren isn't as popular on crunchyroll
Pray that Season 2 boosts those numbers ig.
Even Apocrathery Diaries is more popular than Frieren(surprisingly)
I literally said on my comment that I’m not a solo leveling hater and that I used to be a fun when I was 12… learn how to read bro. Also in case you didn’t know Crunchyroll ratings aren’t real ratings they are based of popularity
Pretty real to me, 900K people aren’t real?
https://preview.redd.it/m2sy20gfp69g1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c0fb6563e82dbd13065188b504818b4bbbebe353
Got anything to say otherwise or you don’t wanna believe your eyes?
Btw, the people voting on CR are gonna be the minority of people on the platform.
Are you stupid, Crunchyroll isn’t a rating app this has nothing to do with what I said, that’s like taking hianime ratings seriously. If you want a real ratings then check an actual rating app like mal (even there solo leveling fans spammed it with the positive review bombing but the rating is more realistic)
Mal ain’t in no way realistic when something like Frieren(an unfinished show) is at number 1.
I’d rather take the ratings on the app that I watch my shows on then anywhere else personally.
You can’t be deadass, you just said that solo leveling being one is based (an unfinished show) but when frieren is one it’s not realistic because it’s unfinished😭😭😭😭
Damn right.
I don’t even use or vote on MAL anyways in my decades of watching anime. So I hardly take it seriously personally.
https://preview.redd.it/xsuiixmi579g1.jpeg?width=998&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1647d4ecf9a29f91eae9593b04abf3c361af877c
Look at a real rating app like IMDb. Literally nothing besides garbage gets anything below maybe a 4.8 on CR
8.5/10 with about 99K people voting as opposed to CRs over 900K
https://preview.redd.it/zid5p1m3u69g1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=48d2c479ae8aa587b21a85f4bdc5afcba0d0e097
This really that much better for u?
Stat wise more people vote on Crunchyroll than IMDB.
The CR ratings are inflated because almost everything gets a 5 or within 0.2 of it. Heck even blue lock has a 4.8. Using the # of people voting just makes it a popularity metric as well.
I mean, that’s how voting works unless you wanna be an undemocratic fascist who believes that everyone should have & share your own opinions.
Do u not like democracy?
Look up "recency bias".
Here’s Fullmetal alchemist Brotherhood for comparison
https://preview.redd.it/bn7v99vx079g1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b4791349c972c62ead8df19d4adefb49f467a38e
Not saying any of those shows are better than this one, but voting matters & it’s 2025.
No shit most people talk about the recent shit, otherwise this king wouldn’t have been dethroned on MAL(if you care about the ratings on that site)
I would rather you not use "objective" when it comes to media criticism, but otherwise I agree.
Media can be critiqued objectively to an extant, obviously you can’t just say this high quality series is better then this high quality series’s but you can objectively say that an high quality show is better then an low quality show. For example I can’t say that breaking bad is objectively better then mr robot for the reason that both are on similar levels of quality but I can definitely say that it’s better then solo leveling considering it is better in most aspects… I agree that media critique isn’t fully objective and people who try to make it this way are wrong but it’s also true that it isn’t fully subjective either. I wasn’t sure how to word it in English so Idk if it makes sense, sorry if it just sounds weird and meaningless
I get you. I'd argue that there are objective things within a show or series, but most media analysis is largely subjective. There isn't a set step by step guide to make a good series, there isn't a perfect formula. We can judge the final product, but we cannot reach an objective consensus or an objective standard.
Again, this is my opinion, but I can respect yours.
honesty I agree with you
I enjoyed SL it was truly a treat to see just how bland characters can get and how far a story can go without any side characters I truly learned a lot by seeing just how little side characters can be characterized even though they get some semblance of screen time and how little they matter.
And SJW truly is one of the protagonists in all of anime I was surprised just how far the author can distract us with cool fights and tried to create a protagonist that is shockingly hollow so hollow that I thought It was the anime adaptation of dark souls and despite this managed to perform the feat of him servicing as a self insert power fantasy despite the character having no semblance of a personality to identify with.
It's a fast food that is so ashamedly fast food that it loops around to being worthy of being studied.
Not stopping the SL hate, just kidding.
Most of the hate nowadays comes from the Crunchyroll's awards. They had to put down the original video, and the resub is still at 55% of downvotes.
I believe that the show should not be hated; it is good for what it is. If anyone wants to hate something, hate Crunchyroll and their judges.
Tbh, I didn't like the anime; I tried to watch it and couldn't finish it. Perhaps I just liked the manhwa more and I don't get the same excitement watching the anime.
So if you have watched the anime and not the manhwa. Please read it. I think the pace is better, and the paneling is next level.
I love Solo Leveling for what it is, a fast food mindless battle shonen. But winning over the likes of Frieren and Apothecary Diaries is a travesty.
Yeah, I lump SL in with the deluge of isekai power fantasies where the worldbuilding feels like it was done by someone with minimal experience with fantasy media outside of MMOs and gacha games.
and season 1 too
Agreed. Solo Leveling rocked. I watched it before the hype, didn't know it would get huge-- and I LOVED it. My only complaint... he powers up SO fast. Slow it down just a little tiny bit. Still, great show, huge aura farm... all around good entertainment.
Sometimes it's good enough to just have your attention grabbed. If every show wowed you the wow factor would be gone
It got me back into anime. I love the animation and the concept is a lot of fun. It doesn’t have to be profound to be good. I had a grin on my face the entire time I watched and it got me into subs because I didn’t want to wait for dubs to be finished.
Welcome back! I’m glad you had fun with it, genuinely.
I have been avoiding watching solo levelling because of the two sides of the argument. On one side, there were people lauding it as the next big thing, but were entirely unable to articulate why they found it good. On the other side, there were bandwagon haters who were just shouting about how it was another generic power fantasy shounen. The fans being entirely unable to explain why they think it’s good beyond “its peak” is what made me believe the haters, so I stayed away.
However, just this last month I decided to give it a shot. I binged through the series over the course of two weeks and I really enjoyed myself! It’s not the most incredible show, but it is legitimately good. This feels like the first power fantasy anime I’ve watched where the protagonist actually has a solid and grounded motivation for why they’re growing stronger. All the side characters certainly leave a lot to be desired beyond just being there to hype up the protagonist and his journey; I did quite like their interactions with one another when the protagonist was off screen. I’ve also been liking the mystery unfolding regarding the purpose of The System and the origins of the dungeons.
I do think the biggest failing the show has is that - following the first arc - the protagonist never ever loses a fight. There are times where he gets beaten down and pretty injured along his journey to power, but he never actually has to flee in order to survive. Even the job change sequence, where he technically needed to flee, he got saved by the obvious Chekhov’s gun of him not completing his daily quest. And the big bad threat that was teased since the beginning of the series? It gets absolutely crushed by him, no challenge at all.
All in all, I would still call it a 7/10 series. While there are a lot of shows that are carried by animation and music, which this show certainly has very good on both, it’s not an entire failure of a series without those two things. It can be better, but I still enjoyed it.
Makes me glad I mainly read. Most times when some anime blows up I already know the story. Bit weird hearing people talk about “old news,” and annoying when people trash great stories because the adaptation was bad, there’s no ongoing debates distracting from the experience.
I disagree I feel like when rating shows we should think of it as the a normal distribution spread. and I dont see solo leving being two standard deviations above most shows at most one and even thats as strech. Its not even a particularly good power fantasy. Now I know its crazy for me to tell you how you feel however I feel like people inflate shows when using x/10 scale. I think you might mean 5/10 or 5.5/10 thats above average
https://preview.redd.it/usoqrtm1h99g1.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&s=0d1f1e57396b565e54c58b8f5e34165edcc419b3
Personally, I actually tend to rate things on a scale of out of 5. 1 is terrible, 2 is bad, 3 is OK, 4 is good, 5 is great. However, the anime community and film industry like to use a scale of out of 10, so to translate that: me writing it as a 7/10 is “the low end of good”. With there being so many power fantasy animes out there, and most of them being bad, I do think Solo Leveling is one of the better ones out there. I do prefer season one over season two, though, because it does seem like the writing is getting weaker the longer the series is running. So far, there’ve only been actually two standout moments from the show: the scene where he first takes a life, and the scene where he gets the medicine to his mother. Other than that, it’s all kind of all right.
Dudes be calling solo leveling generic but adore demon slayer
I hate demon slayer but atleast it has likeable characters say what you want about it but atleast it has endearing characters I can name like tanjiro nezuko and shinobu.
Same goes for dragon ball everyone remember goku piccolo vegeta krillin gohan
From solo levelling i remember sun jin woo and...
good side characters good plot. something SL doesnt have.
Real
DS has done 90% more, while SL ain’t even beating DS even in the aura farming and animation standpoint lol
For real, palpable irony
No, it's dogshit even by shounen slop metrics. Even the most generic, run of the mill action shows with 0 substance have decent writing that makes sense and characters that have actual character. Nothing in Solo Leveling is executed well aside from the art, it's complete nonsense from start to finish
Manhwa, basically yeah the beginning and end of anything good is the GOATED art.
As for the anime, it’s like… the soundtrack? If you enjoy the same song Sawano’s been remixing for the past fifteen years
Honestly the feat of adding even more fascist rhetoric and misogyny to a self insert incel manhwa this masturbatory is so impressive the director should be scaled as multiversal
I’m here for the comments
Remember who’s on top everyone
https://preview.redd.it/8qblzgnqk69g1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7cbfb1ead579510e54c4ddf2b51ff17c5cae42d9
Also in Japan too for the Ultra weebs
https://preview.redd.it/syb5gmwtk69g1.jpeg?width=960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1306ce0f4bc47969714b8d41fc269edcfee94ea4
Is it supposed to be #3? I didn't know that it had a different name in Japan (though Is basically the same)
Yep
Not Japan having better taste and more respect for women, fucking hell
They’re, like, the last nation on Earth that outdoes the US in misogyny before you get into executions for the sin of being a woman in public
Fight, fight, fight, and almost forgot to mention fight.
no
Get back to me if anyone is still talking about Solo Leveling in 10 years
both are right tbh
I don't think anyone here genuinely, I mean truly genuinely hate SL lol.
There is nothing to hate on this show on a visceral level, they simply think it's overhyped, they actually enjoyed it for what it is.
Yes exactly man. I'm not the biggest fan but like I see comments saying it's dogshit and I'm like, why?? The sad thing is people do mean it...
It's a dogshit self insert story.
That's the entire point of Sun Jinwoo going from a generic loser to a sexy overpowered Chad that everyone dick eats.
Not a single other character matters in any context. They are just elevation to prop the MC up higher.
No hate or anything if you like the animation or if you think it's good. Just agree to completely disagree.
At least the fight is quite good but well saying something as "simple or for fun" all the time is just an excuse on denying that the story is bad, sure it doesn't have to be deep all the time cause that's annoying as well since not everyone have an iq of 120+ but at least just admit that the story is indeed boring, not like it gonna destroy the anime anyway, same shit as like demon slayer or other anime that get criticized on story since its the most notable it seems like you need to understand that this type of excuse really rots the anime and fandom even more. Oh yeah did i mention fighting?
Thanks Knuckles.
I read the Manwha about 2-3 years ago and I really enjoyed it. It was the first Manwha i read and I couldn't stop reading at night because it hooked me that much. For the Anime I have to say that I also enjoyed it a lot, its not m, favorite show but its definetily up there and i would watch it again. I liked watching Sung Jin Woo grow and get stronger with each chapter even though I have to say it kinda bothered me that at a certain point everyone except Jinwoo got useless but its still one of my favs and I would give it a reread or rewatch when i got time.
It has cool animation, but if that’s all you have I’m not watching for more than maybe 10 minutes
Brother how are these positions mutually exclusive? You’re allowed to enjoy animator reels pretending to be coherently strung together pieces of fiction. I watched the Shibuya Incident it was fucking great
Doesn’t make the writing good
Because it has dogshit writing. It's all show and no substance which is fine if you can accept it for that.
The problem is the people trying to claim its some S tier anime which it certainly is not. Its self insert slop with good animation
It’s ok to like something bad. Don’t tie your self-image to liking an anime
Just use izanagi okami from the beginning of the game just like everyone else if you want to feel broken.
It's a solid but shallow 7/10 self insert power fantasy.
Yall will do anything but admit that it’s bad lol.
You can still enjoy something that’s bad. I like McDonald’s but I’m not gonna tell you it’s good food
It’s not bad, it’s pretty fun, nice animation. If you need a power fantasy to lose yourself in that’s a great one.
It’s just over rated. Everything that solo leveling does well, other shows from the last few decades do or have done better. Literally everything.
Solo leveling being an award winning show will never not be confusing. But it’s soooooo far from bad. It’s just not worth having a strong opinion of one way or the other to me, like it’s fine lol.
Solo levelling is good, not because of good writing, solid worldbuilding, or compelling characters, but because it's a pure, unashamed, and perfectly executed power fantasy with the action to elevate it even further
Read the manhwa. Maybe the show is different. It was alright. Did hype scenes well and the power progression was enjoyable. Had a few decent funny moments, especially if you’re somewhat familiar with manhwa. Read the entire thing.
The plot was very bland and Sung Jin-woo’s character seemed inversely proportional to his power. That last bit was almost impressive, really.
Solo Leveling is not trying to tell a good story or drive a narrative with complex characters. It's an exercise in excellent animation and fight choreography and to this end it is well executed.
Enjoying an anime (or movie or book) for its choreography and visual presentation (description) is a completely valid vector along which to appreciate a work.
I can appreciate simplicity and fun solo levelling is just neither. I love dragon ball I dislike solo levelling. Even dragon ball for all its simplicity has entertaining characters with actual arcs and symbolism.
It being "dumb fun" does not automatically mean its good or entertaining or mean it cant be critized people dont like solo levelling because it lacks a real story, interesting characters (name one human besides sung jin woo) or stakes (and stakes doesn't mean death or world-ending threats. They can be emotional, moral, or psychological. Seeing a protagonist struggle—whether with fear, doubt, relationships, or failure is what makes them feel human. Struggle reveals different sides of a character and allows the audience to grow closer to them when a protagonist wins effortlessly at everything, theres no tension, no growth, and nothing to invest in. The world exists primarily to validate sun jin woo strength rather than to challenge or develop him)
What makes power interesting isn't what it can do but what it can't do. Once you've seen one episode of solo levelling you've seen everything there is to see about it. Once the novelty wears off... what's left? There's a reason the one episode where sun jin woo shows vulnerability is the lowest rated one.
Eh, I’m not gonna cheer just because mediocrity got a fancy new paint job
I've watched and read it. I don't hate it but it is extremely over-hyped
I like watching Campfire cooking because it has good recipes. I like solo leveling because it has great fight scenes. Neither protagonist ever loses a battle I like both of them.
It’s good looking but like the writing does suck Jin Woo died and we got some other guy wearing his skin for the rest of the series
It still shouldn't have won anime of the year over Frieren.
It looks like a fun show, and fun is good. But Frieren is really good.
Based on this argument, so we should awarding OSCARS to COCOMELON now??
I saw the top screen and my brain went to : Kannagi
It's popcorn. All flavor and no substance.
It's ok, but I wouldn't consider it good.
The last book was kind of a big middle finger to the rest of the story though (I'll avoid mentioning why because it involves major spoilers.)
Let me give you an anime with great animation great effects with only an ok plot and side characters. Its demon slayer. No one wants Solo Leveling to be this the next beyond journey end they just want more substance to what they consume
I think it set out with a simple goal and achieved it. Therefore, I agree that it’s good. I agree that something doesn’t need to be deep to be considered good, as you say. Conversely, I don’t think it can ever be the best for the same reason. High floor, low ceiling type thing. I hate when people call it “bad”, but I can’t defend it because I just get called a two brain cell teenager.
I LOVED the manhwa 💓
Shit is boring. You may as well watch Walker Texas Ranger or Delta Force and watch the good guy pull off ridiculous OP antics against bad guy who you always knew was going to lose.
The meme does not apply here.
It would get WAY less hate if the fights had a singular ounce of creativity.
The enemies range from boring, to really boring. The strategies sjw uses to defeat them range from stabbing it in the eye, to stabbing it in the eye a little harder. And the environments range from cave, to slightly larger cave.
Good fights can carry a series. But solo leveling just... Doesn't have them.
I am not immune to fun. I also lost my shit when simon the digger pulled out an EVEN BIGGER DRILL OH MY GOD!
If the fights in solo leveling were 1% as good as that, I wouldn't bat an eye at the non-existent plot and characters.
Inject those hype moments and aura directly into my brain, but make sure they're at least well made hype moments and aura. Instead of just the same slog over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and- oh hey the seasons over. If only I could remember a single thing that happened.
I thought Solo Leveling had one of the best opening hooks in recent animes. For the most part, I genuinely enjoyed the first season.
2nd season though basically throws everything out of the window except the animation. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy great animation and will watch terrible animes just for that alone. Solo Leveling has fallen into that category.
So I guess To Love-Ru must be amazing then by the same logic
Anime fans when a show isn’t 10/10/10 peak writing, animation, characters, best legendary show of all time and also made me wet myself and break up with my girlfriend because it’s just so peak I couldn’t pay attention to her
https://preview.redd.it/ww0m4dvfed9g1.jpeg?width=496&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=feaa11b1d9b8eee2938d78d7eefc9635cfb034e4
Real.
No
Just because a show is generic or moght even be bad dies not mean that it can't be entertaining. If you like it then all the power to you. If you don't lile it then all the powerto you as well.
Honestly,in my humblr opinion its a solid 5 or 6 out of 10. It has its enjoyable moments but it won't make me come back all too often, once I have finished it.
Solo leveling is peak, Frieren is peak, anyone who says otherwise can take a hike. I watch anime for the overall experience and the enjoyment of the craft, not to nitpick and circle jerk everything under the sun. 🤷♂️
No
Womp Womp
So why SL is good? Hahahhaa
Womp Womp
I mean it's a common enough attitude. Back in the late 90s early 2000s most of us were limited to "what's on toonamie." So every show in that line up was "mid or trash" years later because more options became available.
The majority of what was on toonami is still in the top 20 of all time anime and those were late 80s early 90s anime. This new shit will be fizzled out 30 years from now.
Its very well animated
I know what you mean and I don't entirely disagree, but for me it falls into the same niche as Sword Art Online insofar as it gets far more hatred than it probably deserves while still being not-that-great overall.
Something can be enjoyed without being good. Stop trying to convince yourself something is good just because you enjoy it.