Overview

Even though it is not true, it almost seems overnight that Manhwa's, Manhua's, Webtoon's and the like are becoming mainstream and increasingly popular. You cannot deny the invasion of both manhwa's and manhua's into the manga universe has been more prevalent then ever before - and in truth Solo Leveling is arguably the king of them all.

It may be blasphemous to suggest such a thing, but Solo Leveling is quite possibly to manhwa's what Akira, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Dragon Ball and one of the "Big-3" are to the anime community. I do not dare suggest that it is as good as any of the above - even though it is a fantastic piece - however what I try to suggest to you is that what Solo Leveling is, is a focal point for manhwa's and webtoon's. It is the explosion, the growth point, an absolute crucial read when introducing those into what mangaka's have to offer outside of Japan. It is not the first piece - but rather the main course and go-to.

I'm not completely crazy in referencing such untouchable masterpieces within the same paragraph as Solo Leveling, because this is a definitive read. A gem of a piece which absolutely deserves majority of the recognition it is getting and not just because it's the "launch pad" for manhwa's, but because this is brilliant... and every manhwa since has and will continue to be compared to it.

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Rating: 88

I've mentioned that this is a brilliant manhwa - and it is - but I haven't quite rated it in as high of a manner as other pieces, and allow me to elaborate as to why.

I do understand why many have give a mark of 90 and above, including many who see it as an absolute perfect piece, 100/100. At times it does feel that way. The artwork and storyline are fantastic, it was an explosion of not just color but action and storytelling which was portrayed more as a "story-board" or snapshots from a movie then an actual manga. What's key in this is that Solo Leveling executes this art-style perfectly, it's not overbearing or a showy display from the traditional manga norm - it is complimentary and addicting.

While many have shone light on this sole factor, it is important to consider the manhwa as a whole, and in truth this where my rating of 88 comes in. The characters and story are really good, however the development outside of the main character is not too well done. Background stories are not portrayed very well and a big error for me: not very lore-oriented. I know that fillers and background story chapters can be the bane of existence for many, but some manga's need them to build on the lore, explain unanswered questions and details and elaborate further on character development, adding an extra page or two to a chapter.

Solo Leveling is a manhwa which does need that but it's not done. Picture it as if you are playing a videogame. Rather then explore all the side quests, talk to NPC's and explore the wide open world available to you - you just focus on the main quests to "complete" the game. Now this piece executes that perfectly, but in truth the story was a bit rushed - particularly later on. It almost feels as if this manhwa was a 'synopsis' or 'overview' of what is actually supposed to be the real Solo Leveling. The story overall is brilliant, but at times it does feel a bit 'skip-y' rather then a natural or organic growth with everything involved.

179 chapters is a good read which flies by, in truth it could have comfortably reached 250 in my personal opinion and been much better for it. That being said, it is a brilliant read regardless. A fantastic piece with plenty of action and with enough weight in it that it's introduced lots of people into the world of manhwa, webtoon's and the like.

Despite the few docked points, I do not believe I can stress the importance of reading Solo Leveling enough, nor properly formulate it on this review post. So let me say this to you reader; Solo Leveling will be one of those pieces you will give to people as a recommendation whether they're experienced or brand new and just as a generation have permanently idolized certain anime's and manga's - likewise Solo Leveling will be that piece for Manhwa's.