Solo Leveling is set in a world where people cannot rank up after their strength given at birth is appraised. I don’t know about South Korean society and culture as well I do about Japan, but I’ve heard that given the current situation young people mine and protagonist Jinwoo Sung’s age face, no matter how much work they put in, the system doesn’t reward hard work and simply makes rewards those born with great wealth. Punishing those unlucky to not have those aspects. These struggles while shared by men and women, cause men to lash out at the growing feminist movement, creating a really hellish environment. Truly worthy of being called “Hell Joseon.” So, it is my understanding that in the face of all that, works such as this and Limbus Company are direct ways of lashing out against the system, which is great.

After a traumatic experience, Sung gains the ability to level up and grow stronger like in a game, and ability only he possesses. One reason why grindy games like MMOs are popular in South Korea is because in the game you can put in work and always get a result, unlike how they perceive their world around them to be. So, I think ascribing a video game system to Sung allows him to lash out against the system, is a very deliberate choice to call to this desire found in the Korean guys this series is aimed at. I’m generally not into these game elements being shoved to stories. It is fundamentally a writing crutch, but I found myself not disliking it as much here. Throughout this first season, the level up system represented an unknown power. He was getting quests from some high power, and the more he was rewarded by the system, he was forced to come to terms with that question. He seemingly loses sight of his original self and is forced to make several hard decisions to keep living with this new power. In addition, I found the way he handled his newfound power to be charmingly akin to most guys. And as an aside, given South Korea’s problems of misogyny, a power fantasy story like this can easily show the leading male get a power and use it at the expense of the women around him. While the power he receives clearly changes Sung, it’s clear that while he’s no longer a doormat he doesn’t disrespect the good people around him like Jinho Yoo, his sister Jinah, and her friend Songyi Han. Which demonstrates the immense power did not go to his head, perhaps more so than the modesty he acts with.

I felt like overall, thematic elements weren’t explored the deepest, it had a very good amount of depth for my low standards with action manga that I really enjoyed. The hard life or death decisions, and the very real emotional turmoil Sung goes through (which is masterfully portrayed by both the animation and Aleks Le’s English voice acting) added good weight to each plot development of the story.

The first season ends as if this is just a prologue and things are just beginning. Given that Sung’s character has just reached a turning point implying all this, and a good amount of time has been building up Haerin Cha, one of the strongest Hunters in Korea, I suspect there is much more development yet to occur. I am excited to start season 2, which is currently airing as of this writing.