Ten years ago, the world as we knew it changed. Inexplicably “gates” began to emerge around the globe. The gates were actually portals linking our dimension to ones inhabited by fiendish monsters, immune to conventional weapons. Our only salvation lay in the hands of the humans, who at this same time, transformed into hunters bestowed with superhuman powers!
Hunters and gates were given different ratings based on abilities (S, A, B down to E), and around this, a new craft was established. Guilds were formed as hunters entered gates clearing the “dungeons” of the monsters within for a fee. Sung Jin-woo (Taito Ban) is a timid E – level hunter of limited skill. Quite limited. In fact, he is dubbed “The Weakest Hunter of All Mankind”. Yet a freak occurrence is about to change all of that.
While exploring a dungeon he and his guild uncover a second high level “double dungeon” further in. This proved disastrous as nearly the entire party is wiped out, but not Sung. Sung narrowly survives and is chosen by a mysterious program named “The System”. It instils onto him the extremely rare ability to access the interface which now governs reality himself. Able to now grow in experience, leveling up and learning new abilities, all of which others cannot. With these new skills, Sung sets out to claim the power which has always eluded him. Fighting against man and monster alike, he discovers that this new strength comes at a heavy cost…
From A-1 Pictures comes Solo Leveling. A 2024 Korean anime series based on the massively popular web novel and manhwa created by Chugong. A mixture of videogame tropes, slice of life storytelling and over the top action sequences. The power trip storyline was a hit with audiences, leading to a follow up season titled Arise from the Shadow due to start airing in early 2025.
Which brings us to Solo Leveling -ReAwakening- . Off the bat, it must be noted that this is not a spin-off feature film as one might expect, but an abridged compilation of the anime’s first season. This isn’t at all a bad thing however, as it’s a great way for potential fans to dip their toes into the show to see if it is for them.
But also, great fanservice (not of that kind) for those already enamoured with the continuing adventures of Sung. With this compilations cinematic release giving them their first opportunity to witness Solo Leveling on the big screen. On top of this, the film features a teaser for Arise from the Shadows, closing out with the first two episodes from the hotly anticipated sequel series.
The mixture of genres and realising of videogame concepts through a “real world” lens definitely peaked my interest with Solo Leveling. A likeable yet dangerously ambitious protagonist and a world with new enemies around every corner intrigued me as well.
Personally, I had not experienced the anime or the source manhwa before watching the film. So, it’s a testament to just how well edited the feature was I had no trouble keeping up with the heavily condensed story. It is still definitely condensed however, with many characters popping up or disappearing with little fanfare, abrupt transitions and a fairly rushed introduction. But this is simply to be expected as is the less than cinematic level of animation. It’s great for a series but I found on the bigger screen becoming lost in the melee.
What the preview episodes make clear though, is just how great of a leap in quality the second season is over the first. Both in terms of the quality of the animation and the heightened excitement. Fans in the audience were gasping and applauding at reveals and unexpected twists as the special preview left them eagerly anticipating the new episodes. The increased budget and extra care ensure that like Sung himself, the production of the series is “levelling up” in ways many others cannot!
A taste of things that have past and those yet to come. Solo Leveling -ReAwakening- is an expertly truncated portrayal of Season 1 of Solo Leveling. One of which whets the appetite of dedicated fans and also those few yet to take the plunge into this groundbreaking series. It left me wanting more and I’m going straight to Crunchyroll to catch up on the whole thing before the next season drops.