Solo Leveling is an action anime based on a light novel. It has one season and a second season set to release in late 2024. Solo Leveling is set in a world threatened by monsters; the only people who can fight the monsters are people with magic called hunters. The story’s protagonist is Sung Jinwoo, who was born with barely any magic but gets a second awakening after dying in a dungeon. Thanks to his second awakening, Sung Jinwoo gets the ability to upgrade his stats such as his speed and strength and to gain other special abilities just like in a video game. As you continue to watch the show you get to see Sung Jinwoo gain more power and fight many powerful beasts.

At the show’s beginning, the audience gets introduced to the main character who was given the nickname by his coworkers of the world’s weakest hunter. The first important thing we see the protagonist do is go into a dungeon with a group of other hunters. Very soon after, we discover that it was a double dungeon that had two dungeons, one of which was so dangerous that it killed almost every hunter that went into it including Jinwoo. What happens next is that he gets a reawakening and is given the ability to become more powerful through hard training. After discovering this we see Sung Jinwoo train hard each day until he becomes powerful to kill the beast who would’ve killed him instantly before. As we continue to watch the show we see Jinwoo become one of the most powerful characters we see in the show and watch him fight beasts such as knights and a three-headed dog.

Watching this show gave me a lot of fun. It had many qualities that fit my interests. These qualities include magical beasts, character development, and a powerful and likable main character. As I continued watching the show I gained more respect and started to understand the protagonist more and more. I also enjoyed the world-building the show provides. Getting to see how this world works was life-changing for me because of how bizarre and creative it is. The show also did a great job of showing how much Jinwoo changes throughout the show. For example, near the beginning, he fights some beasts he is no match to, but near the end, he runs into them again and doesn’t struggle to beat them. Therefore, Solo Leveling has many characteristics that people find fun and enjoyable.

Overall, Solo Leveling was a great piece of entertainment. After I finished an episode I immediately wanted to go to the next. It also had moments that had me on the edge of my seat making me wonder what was going to happen next. Once I finished the show it had me wishing season two would come quicker. I highly recommend this show to anyone even if they’re not familiar with the Anime genre. 

-Matthew R