Id started watching Solo levling some time back and i had no idea it was a Korean animation, all my thought was that it was a Japanese cartoon which is an anime. Solo Leveling had been on my watchlist for a while because everyone seemed to be talking about it, and im heavy into anime but what really caught my attention was finding out that it was originally a Korean webtoon. I had heard people say it was a manhwa, so I decided to see what all the hype was about. Safe to say, I completely understand why it became such a massive hit. I ended up binge watching it, their are about 3 seasons for now i guess if im not mistaken.
The summary of the story goes thus, in a world where mysterious gates connect Earth to dangerous dungeons filled with monsters, certain people awaken supernatural abilities and become Hunters whose job is to clear these dungeons before the monsters spill into the real world. Among them is Sung Jinwoo, an E-Rank Hunter who is so weak that he is constantly mocked by everyone around him. He barely survives dungeon raids and only continues risking his life because he desperately needs the money to take care of his sick mother and younger sister.
Of course, if he remained the weakest Hunter alive, there wouldn't be much of a story. Everything changes during what should have been a routine dungeon raid. Jinwoo and the other Hunters discover a hidden dungeon inside another dungeon, and what follows is one of the most intense openings I've seen in anime. Faced with impossible choices and overwhelming monsters, Jinwoo survives against all odds and awakens a mysterious system that only he can see. Unlike every other Hunter, who is limited by the abilities they awakened with, Jinwoo can level up just like a character in a video game. From that moment onwards, every battle makes him stronger than anyone could have imagined.
Another thing that impressed me was how faithfully the manhwa captures the feeling of the original webtoon. Fans of the manhwa had high expectations, and from everything I've seen, the adaptation lives up to them. The iconic moments are recreated beautifully, and while a few details were adjusted, the heart of the story remains the same. It also serves as the perfect gateway for people who have never read a Korean webtoon before.
By the time I finished the first season, I immediately understood why Solo Leveling has become one of the biggest anime releases in recent years. It's one of those series where you keep telling yourself you'll stop after one episode, but somehow it's three in the morning and you're still clicking "Next Episode." Whether you're already a fan of Korean webtoons or you're simply looking for an action series with incredible animation and a protagonist whose journey is impossible not to root for, Solo Leveling is definitely worth the hype.
