Solo Leveling Episode 1-2 Review

Solo Leveling is undoubtedly one of the most hyped and anticipated anime among web novels and webtoon readers! I went in as a complete fresher, watching the anime first before reading the webtoon. And after going through the first 2 episodes, I have a lot to say! Before that, a massive thanks to Crunchyroll Canada for the early access!! And if you already did not know:

Pacing

Right from the start, the anime, unfortunately, failed to grab my attention. I was not engaged for at least the first 10 minutes, which felt more off since the anime has a hype unlike any other. It felt like all the Isekai tropes banded together and had a party right before me. Crawling monsters, a band of fighters, and your typical weak, shabby-looking protagonist with a cute girl crush to follow suit. And after reading the webtoon, it made sense to me. It was a part added separately, which wasn’t covered in the webtoon.

The lore dump came after the somewhat unnecessary fighting sequence that served as our opening, and we finally got to know what the world was about. Only after 10 minutes of this and that, did the story properly begin. Bad move by the direction since that’s half part of the first episode.

But it did eventually get better, and the story picked pace right after that. Since it followed the source script, it was better-paced, less clunky, and got me completely engaged by the second episode. So, I’m hoping for the subsequent episodes to only get better.

To sum up: Do give it the first 3-4 episodes to make your call.

Animation

Considering the genre and the expected action sequences, I didn’t come with very high expectations. A1 Studios worked on this anime, a subsidiary of Aniplex. It has worked on Sword Art Online, another anime of the same genre, and it did a better job than Studio Peirrot (they’ve done Naruto, Boruto, Black Clover, Bleach, etc.). It’s not as great as Ufotable or Mappa, but you won’t dislike it either.

Don’t expect any Demon Slayer or God of High School eye-candy animation. It will be more in line with your typical massively long-running Shounen category anime

Soundtrack and OP

The soundtrack was there in all the right places. It was upbeat and dramatic, but not very memorable or unique. I did find it excessive in the beginning, but I was digging it towards the end. It set the mood and expectations for this anime, and I do believe it should be enjoyable in the subsequent episodes. It won’t feel out of place anywhere in the show. The opening and closing music were in line with the anime and its theme, and I enjoyed it, so do look forward to that.

PS: the opening is by Tomorrow x Together happy fan noises

VERDICT

While Solo Levelling did not have a strong opening, it did deliver towards the end. I was pulled in by the second episode sequence. The ambience, animation, and soundtrack all delivered towards the end. It did leave me giggling and excited for future episodes.

I can understand the love given to it by the novel and webtoon readers. Solo Levelling was a unique concept during its time, way back in 2016, but for the same reason, it got many many copied versions of itself in the market. Considering this, I do believe the opening sequence of the anime could have been slightly tweaked to suit the current times more, with less emphasis on the running tropes and more emphasis on what made Solo Levelling, well, Solo Levelling. But other than that, I do believe it will be worth your time.

Reading the webtoon ahead, I do believe there’s a lot in store for you, as the story only gets better and more interesting. The subsequent chapters getting animated makes me excited and will be worth the wait. Also, who doesn’t love power tropes?