Why do people think this is Anime of the Year material?

Idk why it would even be anime of the season. From what I noticed, the fights are what most people like about it but after watching all 12 episodes it just seems meh. Animation is great, sure but that is kinda about it.

Fights all have the exact same pattern with MC going into the boss room, encountering the boss, thinks that it seems pretty strong but he should be stronger because he leveled up, mc gets ragdolled like a punching bag, before getting almost killed he miraculously heals and then kills the boss in one or few hits, rinse and repeat.

We then have the overhyped to the shit "Arise" scene. That was abaolutely underwhelming and disappointing. Why and what was it hyped for? It's like going to your sleeping sibling and telling them to wake up. There was no oomph, no impact, no epic saying of the line with cool OST or whatever, just saying one word normally and that's it.

Idc honestly if people gonna shit on me for saying this but I just can't seem to find any reasons why Solo Leveling should be above acore of 5. Plot is whatever, side characters are just for MCs convenience, character development is also barely there. Fights could have been better and way more interesting if they actually weren't the exact same thing every time.

Ok so
There's no reasons to question gates or where there came from because it has already been questioned and explored prior to when we meet our mc so people are already used to it. Humanity has no way of knowing what these gates are or how there came, they just exploit it. Furthermore, later on there's a lot of lore and exposition dropped about the world of Solo leveling so you'll get your answer about gates and stuff and how they came into the world soon enough.
The world is specifically tailored to Sung Jin Woo. There's nothing stupid about no one being able to grow stronger cuz that's how the power system works. Its literally in the title. And training does make u stronger. Not in the sense that your abilities increase in skill, but training your knowledge in stuff like martial arts if your an assassin type helps. Experience also helps. Cuz an experienced B ranker is more valuable than an non experienced A ranker. Stuff like this isn't show in most other stuff so Solo Leveling is putting emphasis on these things.

I understand why you don't think its AOTY. There's always gonna be something you ain't gonna like. But there's a lot of reasons why other people like it. It's fun to watch, easy to understand and root for Sung jin Woo and the animation, production and voice acting are all spectacular. Also it's peak.

I think it was cool but the pacing completely destroyed it for me. It became a collection of bland and useless scenes every time the action was picking up. Which is a shame as the pacing is the best thing about the manhwa.

It has a similar feel to Demon Slayer in a way, mainly because both of them are animes where you don't have to think about the plot and where you can just watch nicely animated fighting every episode. That's all it is as of now and it's well done. Probably doesn't deserve anime of the year however.

The show is being adapted in small parts and as it is it definitely isn't aoty material, The reason why people hype it so much is because the manhwa as a whole is definitely top tier and could be aoty contender if fully or halfway adapted but it wouldn't be possible

There isn't much happening but I could see solo leveling sneak into the nomination or contender of aoty considering its popularity

it’s a 6/10 anime with 10/10 animation, not even anime of the season

Reading through threads like this is so entertaining cause they invite some of the most pretentious people 💀

“Small brain”
“Shit taste”
“Shounentards”

Oh no god forbid people enjoy a fun and entertaining power fantasy action show where the MC becomes crazy OP. Some people out there, believe it or not, don’t take anime super seriously and let “muh refined and superior taste” define their whole personality. Some people actually just…enjoy the things they choose to watch, without worrying about how their taste will be perceived because they like action shows or whatever the seasons most popular show was😱💀 is it AOTY? No, but that doesn’t take away the fact that to many people out there, it’s a good show in their eyes. If you don’t think so, so be it. Let people enjoy things and find something more suitable to what you like.

Cool you have your own opinion, I guess?

Solo Leveling is one of the best manwha, and its anime adaptation is one of the best in the recent years.
- Both have top-level drawing
- Anime has top-level animation
- CG does not look like crap
- Characters are both relatable and aspirational models
- Characters have development
- Multiple characters have motivations that pit them into direct conflict
- Story is nuanced
- Subverts isekai into reverse isekai, and makes it work
- Has awesome pacing
- Reveals in the story are well done, minimizing exposition and throwing the characters into action
- Does not rely on deus ex machina, every curve ball is properly foreshadowed
- Story archs are distinct and logically derive from the previous ones
- Overall story progression is internally coherent
- Character deaths have impact and meaning
- Reveal of the real villain is well done
- Avoids using tropes in a boring way

You say that the first thing you'd do if you saw a game popup appear in your vision.
Well..... you can go back to chapter 2 and see how Jinwoo wobders what this system is, how this would work, and totally disregards it until he is sent to the penalty zone.
So..... ironically, you validated his reaction in your post.

Now, feel free to disagree.
But please consider each of these ppints can become a lengthy discussion.

@Puntosmx I accept the challenge, first of all by saying that no, Solo leveling is not one of the best manhwa out there (popular does not mean good) and it certainly doesn't have the advantage of having one of the best anime adaptations out there, but let's start in order:
1- the anime definitely doesn't have high level animation, there are some well animated scenes but overall the animation was average if not disappointing
2- This anime uses practically little CGI, so I don't even understand why I should mention it
3- It's not really true, given that the only character explored in depth is Jin Woo who will increasingly lose his humanity
4- This is also bullshit, the only one who has development is Jin woo and maybe some shadow of him, the rest of the cast are just useless spots that are of little use
5- This also seems like bullshit, what would these reasons be?
6- The story is the most elementary thing of all, also because it cannot distance itself from the usual clichés of time travel
7- this is definitely not an isekai and it's not a reverse isekai, brother
8- But if the pacing was the worst part of the show, it always kept wasting time with very long episodes and useless scenes where nothing happened...
9- Of course it was wonderful to discover who the 5 strongest hunters in the world are and to know what powers they had... I was obviously being ironic to make you understand that it's not true
10- Oh no? Back from the Dead, Time Travel, Infinite Skills... the pretension of this show was born from a deus ex machina, lol
11- The more I go on the more I wonder if you are trolling
12- Do deaths have impact and meaning? But what am I reading ☠️
13- So good that they still have to explain to me how the villain managed to manifest himself in the earth without a container that could contain his power...

Well I have no idea what you read, but it sure isn't just leveling, damn The author doesn't even know India is in Asia to say how mediocre this work is, lol

@Leon888 The very fact you consider this a "challenge" already shows a lot of red flags.
You replying to a series of things as if trying to debunk everyone is another big red flag.

But let's see if we can make this a constructive discussion, shall we?
Hard to answer point-by-point when I wrote 16, whils you wrote 13, but let's try pairing them.....


Well, in that case list here the three best (not most popular, not the ones you like best) manhwas in history.
PROVE your words are true.


You missed this one. That means you accept it has top-level drawing?


The animation quality does not matter on the sloq, quiet, tranquil scenes.
The moment it matters is in the high-action scenes.
Avoiding animation loops, repetition of animations, shaky cam over static drawings, moving special effects over static drawings, and other cost-saving measures is a sign of high quality.
Smooth movement is the rule in SL even on quiet scenes. The animation may be reduced in those, but it is high quality even then.


Anime is a multimedia product. Everything in it matters. From the drawing to the animation to the music to the opening and ending.
If the anime has CG, it is a factor for measuring the quality of that anime.
Although your comment sounds like you only consider CG when it is all the anime, like the new Berserk.
But comparing the CG in SL to.... say.... Lv99 villainess?
SL does it right.


Two arguments from you here.

While it is true that the only character that is "truly explored in depth" is indeed JinWoo, that does not mean other characters don't get screen time and development.
Go Gun-Hee is the grizled veteran.
Woo Jin-Chul is the ikemen.
Baek Yoon-Ho is the brute.
Choi Jong-In is the tactician.
Like it or not, they are ideals, and have relatable features.

So, even though those characters are not "truly explored in depth", they don't NEED to be.
The one character that needs to be explored in depth is the Protagonist.
You asking the story to explore secondary and tertiary characters only makes you sound pedantic.


Lee Joohee goes from a worried sister/love interest to a trumatized state to start her recovery after the third dungeon. That, as you shold know, is a character arc. The fact it is no further explored into her full recovery does not detract from the fact that the arc is there.
Kim Sangshik being a father makes him a relatable figure. He gets more screentime on the anime than in the manwha, and his portrayal as father IS relatable. Also, his cycle from confident hunter to him escaping cowardly to him apologizing to JinWoo IS a character arc.

You keep asking secondary and tertiary characters to be treated like the protagonist, and that is madness.


You syaing things are bullshit does not make them so.
Those motivations that you clearly did not notice appear from the first dungeon.
Characters want money, and that leads them to either cooperate (first dungeon) or murder their companions (second dungeon).
Of course there is the thrill of muder (third dungeon).
And revenge.

All of which seem to be beneath your notice, which is not a fault in the anime, but in your perception and analysis.


If you boil it down to "main character fights to become strong", every single action shounen is the same.
You can go back to watch Astroboy if that is your metric.

Meanwhile, everything in SL has nuance.
Dungeons appear. But if left unattended, monsters come out.
Monsters are immune to conventional weapons. But humans develop powers to fight them.
Dungeins are a source of destruction. But they can be mined for resources.
Hunters can be separated by power level. But they can't change that power level.
Training won't increase a Hunter's power. Yet, it is crucial for the Hunter to learn how to use that power.
Main character is an orphan. Yet, his father was a Hunter that disaooeared years ago.
The Hunter Association ar ethe "good guys". One of the antagonists that tries to kill MC is part of that association.

Now, I wonder what kind of time traveling cliches you are bothered about.
Modern "time travel" is always a boring "went back in time and created a paralel universe", which is not the case in here.
Also, time traveling is not at the forefront of the story, but it is revealed WAAAAAAAAY at the last arc of the story. Traditional time traveling stories put it front and center, which SL does not.

The very motivation for JinWoo to raid dungeons is nuanced:
He needs to participate so that he does not need to pay the hospital fees to keep his mother alive. Meanwhile, he SUCK majorly at the job, and no amount of training or effort will change that.
Compared to your average action shounen protagonist, that is already novel-level.
Or do you believe that Goku or Midoriya or Luffy have nuanced and compeling motivations to do what they do?
Especially since chapter 1?


There are hundreds, if nor millions, worlds that the Rulers have invaded and destroyed.
Dungeons are not part of this world.
Portals connect the main world with the dungeons.
- That is the definition of isekai.

Characters come out of the portals into the world.
That includes the Sovereigns, even if they inhabit human hosts.
- That is the definition of reverse isekai.


For ADHD children raised by television who need colorful movement and flashing lights to not lose focus?
Yeah, the SLOW pace of the story is a problem.

Yet, those "useless scenes" you criticize are the place where the "normal world" is established.
If you studied the Journey of the Hero, you'd know that it is crucial for this "normal world" to be established, since it marks the baseline from where the adventure of the hero can be defined as "not normal", and thus, exciting.


Your irony only serves for you to feel you are right, even though you are wrong.
Yeah, they showed some of the top-level S-tier hunters.
The ones who will be both allies and antagonists for JinWoo.
They also showed Jeju Island. Twice. Which is both a backstory inflection point for the whole story (it was there that humanity learned unattended gates are a problem), and a future inflection point for JinWoo in his battles against the Rulers.


Back from the dead? JinWoo said "yes" to the prompt before dying. So, he merely was healed. Heling was a big deal during chapters 1 and 2.
Time travel? That is propperly set up and executed in a future arc. I wonder why you keep on wanting to discuss things that have not been shown on screen yet.
Infinite Skills? Well, that shows you don't understand what "deus ex machina" means.

Let's check TVTropes....
A Deus ex Machina is when some new event, character, ability, or object solves a seemingly unsolvable problem in a sudden, unexpected way.
- Dei ex Machina are solutions to a problem.
- Dei ex Machina are sudden or unexpected.
- Dei ex Machina are used to resolve a situation portrayed as unsolvable or hopeless.
- Dei ex Machina are external to the characters and their choices throughout the story.
While you can argue that the second dungeon MAY be a Deus, since it is not propperly stated what could happen when they succeed in the test, even a lot of its characteristics are propperly SET UP before they even enter.
And that is why your cries about skills and time travel and such are not real DEM.
When a writer sets up a power or possibility, and it is revealed in the critical moment, that is the writer being good at writing.

I suggest listening to Brandon Sanderson for more information. He makes very good explanation for how to avoid DEM.


404. Argument not found.
Also, please stop projecting. You are the one trolling here.



404, argument not found.
If you can't show why I am wrong, that means I am right.
Your lack of argument proves me right.
Thank you.


Which villain?
The one that HAS NOT BEEN SHOWN YET?
Oh, don't worry. Name him and I'll explain it to you, since you already proved you did not understand when you read the manwha.


Ok, another unanswered argument.
Which means you know I am right in it.

I'll wait for your kind reply.
Especially yout top-3 best manwha of all time list.
I am always eager to dive into quality media.

It's anime of the year material because the manhwa has 200 million views on piccoma. The game gained 5 million downloads in a week. Of course there should be a reason for that. Also if you go to google trend and compare with frieren. Let me tell you who wins here. The graph goes up for solo leveling and shows that its internationally famous and frieren is not famous except japan lol. And Of course Famous shows will always win Awards. This is why demon slayer always wins awards even though there are a lot of other good animez