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Right after it hit the big screen, theSolo Levelinganime series did big numbers worldwide. Unfortunately, despite its relative success, several little but noticeable deviations have been made to the anime that have fans of the manhwa believing the anime might never surpass the manhwa in terms of its nuanced storytelling, pacing, and overall portrayal.
AsSolo Levelingcontinues to gather a substantial following, many anime and manhwa fans would like to see the anime surpass the manhwa, leading to an all-time high inSolo Leveling’sportrayal. After all, as the manhwa has ended, fans would much prefer an all-time high rather than a descent from the manhwa’s standards.
Solo LevelingManhwa: Chapter 93
Solo LevelingAnime Episode: 22
Effect of the Elixir Of Life on Sung Jin Woo’s mother
Solo LevelingAnimeEpisode:21
Due to one or two factors, many moments inSolo Leveling’smanhwa have been tweaked or outright cut off in the anime. For fans who actively await the animating of these scenes, having them not be present in the anime serves as a big blow. One such example isGoto Ryuji’s apparent fear of Sung Jin-Wooduring their sparring match. Sensing the very dark power that emanated from Sung Jin-Woo, Goto Ryuji had a face filled with horror and dread. But unfortunately, this highly anticipated scene was made exclusive to the manhwa, as it didn’t appear in the anime. Some believe the reason the Goto Ryuji scene was downplayed is becauseSolo Levelingis animated by A-1 Pictures, which, as a Japanese company, wouldn’t want to make Japan look so bad.
Another scene that was tweaked in the anime was whenSung Jin-Woo used the Elixir of Lifeon his mother, and she didn’t wake up. In the manhwa, this scene was heartbreaking as it implied that Sung Jin-Woo’s efforts had resulted in nothing. But in the morning, his mother woke up with Sung Jinah being the first to be notified. In the anime, his mum awoke almost instantly, taking out the tension built when it seemed like his hard work resulted in naught.
While these tweaked scenes might not change the overall story of the show, tweaking them to be less appealing or taking them out totally reduces the various nuances present inSolo Levelingand the appeal for fans of the manhwa to properly enjoy it. After all, any fan would notice and be dissatisfied with inconsistent facts from the source material.
Missing The System
How The Anime Fails To Capture One of Solo Leveling’s Defining Features
Solo Levelingundoubtedlyportrays its overpowered protagonist tropevery well, but even more than that, it’s a series with a leveling-up system. In the manhwa, readers are constantly immersed in the system as it talks to Jinwoo, presents choices, tracks quests, and becomes a living part of the narrative. Unfortunately, compared to the manhwa, the leveling system has been drastically played down in the anime. The game system and much of Sung Jin-Woo’s internal dialogue aren’t even portrayed in the anime.
Unlike the active function the system plays in the manhwa, the anime reduces it to no more than a background prop that makes the entire immersive feeling that much less. This puts Sung Jin-Woo’s depth of monologue and overall characterization in his transformative arc as less fleshed out. Sung Jin-Woo is powerful, no doubt, but that’s also because the system is constantly on his side. But with the system being played down in the anime, the anime has a long shot at matching the manhwa, much less surpassing it.
Lost In The Shadows
Why Beru’s Characterization And The Nuance Of Jinwoo’s Army Matter
Solo Leveling’sanime gets a chance to redeem itself through the characterization of Sung Jin-Woo’s shadows, particularly Beru, during the next season. Fans of the manhwa know that, unlike the many other lifeless shadows, Beru is a shadow with diverse nuances that make him stand out.His loyalty to Sung Jin-Woomakes him go above and beyond to know more about his master’s language and the world around him. While Beru is mostly terrifying to his opponents, to fans, he’s loyal, quirky, and innately curious. Hopefully, Beru’s quirky but prominent nuances are well portrayed so that, aside from epic fights, fans can also get epic laughs.
The currently released two seasons of the anime haven’t portrayed good characterization of Sung Jin-Woo’s shadows; however, rather than criticize A-1 Pictures for its terrible portrayal, it’s more so that they simply haven’t had the opportunity to do so. After all, of Sung Jin-Woo’s shadows, Beru and Bellion have the most prominent personalities. Of these two characters, Bellion has not made an appearance yet, and Beru was newly added toSung Jin-woo’s repertoire of shadowsbefore the end ofSolo Leveling’ssecond season.
More Than Just Fight
The Urgent Need For Better Pacing, Direction, And World-Building
Solo Levelingfocuses on fast-paced battles andbeatdowns. However, while its action is at its core, the series is, in the end, more than just fight scenes. Much better pacing and direction could be included in the anime adaptation to make it much better. With better portrayals of emotions from various characters and more standardized pacing, the anime adaptation can do so much more than simply lean into a fight-heavy direction.
There are numerous opportunities where visual representation, through directing, camera angles, or even internal voice-overs, could enhance the emotional depth and character motivations. Instead, fans are given explosive scenes with little build-up or consequence. For the anime to surpass the manhwa in its third season, various mistakes need to be addressed.
Solo Leveling
A-1 Pictures' Solo Leveling is an anime based on Chugong’s popular web novel. Set in an unforgiving fantasy world where hunters explore dungeons filled with monsters, the vulnerable Sung Jinwoo gains a significant power boost after he is picked to be a solo player by the System.
