Based on the South Korean web novel by Chugong, Solo Leveling from A-1 Pictures (Nier: Automata Ver1.1a, Mashle: Magic and Muscles) delivers an enticing premiere despite overwhelming exposition. It’s a dense world made up of ever-changing rules, and because of this, it takes work to keep up with the constant narration that is walking us through the big event that happened a decade earlier and the present-day solution to the madness. That said, despite the info dumping that takes place as we learn about our lead character Sung Jinwoo (Taito Ban) and his job as a “hunter,” the rest of the installment delivers a robust and bruising introduction, especially in the concluding moments.
As we learn through the narration, a mysterious event occurred ten years ago that resulted in gates to alternative universes being opened worldwide. Through those gates lived a variety of monsters who posed threats to humankind. To combat this, humans graded on their power resources were called to action to take part in raids to eliminate them. In theme with other projects currently airing, such as Delicious in Dungeon, these human warriors who possess supernatural abilities run the gamut from barbarians to mages.
In present-day society, a tightly wound system is developed to control hunters and delegate which grade of fighter goes where. Jinwoo, dubbed “the weakest hunter in the world,” is often banged up and just out of the hospital. His inclusion in raids typically inspires faith in his parties as they ensure the ensuing fight will be easy. His friend Joohee reprimands him for staying involved, telling him that his stubbornness will damn him.
As carnage engulfs Jinwoo and his party at the end of the premiere, it’s hard not to agree with her. Though we understand his motives — his dad’s missing, his mother is sick, and his sister needs to go to college — there’s no denying that his participation seems like a suicide run. Still, it makes for a scrappy character who might the skin of his teeth has found a semblance of survival instincts, even if his actual might diminishes his overall effect. Even non-readers of the webtoon can predict that something will change to affect his overall capabilities, but seeing him at his lowest makes those inevitable shifts more intriguing.
The animation is where the episode sings. “I’m Used to It” delivers some truly stunning action. Be it giant, man-eating ants or giant stone statues in overwhelming tombs, the beasts the humans fight against are vicious in their approach, and the animation follows suit. The opening fight sequence demonstrates a sleek visual style with cohesive action direction, with each moment of the fight following a direct line of action from point A to point B. Tangible impact levels a character when they fall or are wounded, accompanied by a weight to them as they stagger and fall.
With its My Hero Academia approach to integrating the magical with reality by showcasing how society would find a way to systematically and financially benefit from mayhem, we need that weight behind battles. It’s a sobering reminder that despite the larger-than-life situations these characters have found themselves in, they are still very much human, fallible to more formidable sources of power. As Jinwoo’s party begins to be decimated in the second cave, a cave he voted to inspect to make more money, we are given the horrifying truth of just how devastating these raids can be, as the remains of one man lay slumped against the door as if a marionette cut from its strings.
Even the characters and, most notably, their design speak to the realism of this world. While some arrive in otherworldly garb, many don their own worn down clothing. Jinwoo can’t even afford a dagger that stands up against a single blow. Party members drink food truck coffee while awaiting the start. Capitalism rests for nothing, and these touches add a greater level of dread as we realize how many humans are merely pawns.
Solo Leveling is a strong introduction despite the heft of information we’re asked to keep up with. The strong vision and kinetic animation that maintains a fluid flow so that we never lose the thread of movement, “I’m Used to It,” promises even more significant loss and mystery as we wait to see just how great a tragedy Jinwoo will have endured by the next installment.
Solo Leveling is available on Crunchyroll.
Featured images: © Solo Leveling Animation Partners
Review Rating
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Solo Leveling - I’m Used to It - 8/10
8/10
Based in New England, Allyson is co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of InBetweenDrafts. Former Editor-in-Chief at TheYoungFolks, she is a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics and the Boston Online Film Critics Association. Her writing has also appeared at CambridgeDay, ThePlaylist, Pajiba, VagueVisages, RogerEbert, TheBostonGlobe, Inverse, Bustle, her Substack, and every scrap of paper within her reach.
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