
a review by BaltazarJay

a review by BaltazarJay
When jumping into 'Solo Leveling' I was expecting nothing out of the ordinary and something pretty generic. My expectations were obviously not high but with the amount of talk I've heard regarding it I thought I'd give it a chance and think it isn't as bad as other web comics of the same variety. Backstory aside, my experience was very fun to say the least. The art for a vertical story was very dynamic and matches the tone. Although some characters may lack depth in their personality's it partially makes up for it for the flow and general idea of fights. The whole topic of the weakest hunter was not always forced upon too obnoxiously like how some generic Shonen type stories would. There is not really all too clever ways of defeating enemies or even all too complex enemies from what I've read but the sheer hype and dynamic action is enough to leave me satisfied. It's an especially fun read if I wanted to shut my brain off and see action. The whole environment and power system as well is very intriguing within itself. Everything about it is entertaining, even the simple lore and mystery of the worlds and dungeons.
Negatives
Solo Leveling does many things good but I would also like to point out many of the features it lacks. There are a lot of basic archetypes laced through out the story that may make sense, but overall are very predictable. In fact a whole lot of the story is predictable. You always know that our main character will swoop in and save the day as well as subvert the other characters in the world's expectations while always saying the same types of things regarding him being a low rank hunter. Although the fights may never disappoint in the action category you are never put on edge with the thought of him losing. The overall attachment and thrill you experience with other protagonists, are developed because the characters have to go through obstacles that have actual stakes, but here you just do not get that feeling more than a few times. My final thought that really bothers me would be the main character's personality. You get that he is supposed to be a cool guy and it succeeds in that but I do not clearly see that jump from him becoming a so-called loser to what he is now. The gradual transition in his character should arguably go unnoticed, but really once he got the system his character seemed to flip on a dime. It might make sense his behavior is nonchalant because of his exponential power but this power also never really gives him stand out moments aside from the times he saves people in dramatic fashion.
Overall
Although I have many critiques regarding his story I genuinely do really enjoy this world. It is definitely something I would recommend to many people wanting getting into manga/manhwa action. I may have came for a complex story but I definitely stayed for the action.__
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