Solo Leveling definitely created one of the most satisfying endings to a shounen anime season I've ever seen. Last week, we were all extremely blessed with god-level animation, amazing art, beautiful music composition, and the introduction of Jinwoo's strongest and most impressive enemy to date. The career change mission is important not only because it allows Jinwoo to advance, but also because challenges like defeating Igris force him to reconsider every step of his journey and use what he has built to move forward. This week's episode, perhaps more direct than last week's, focuses on Jinwoo overcoming his inner weaknesses while also fighting his enemies in real time. It makes for a satisfying story close to the season. And best of all, the animation is incredible, even if not as incredible as last week.
Birth of the Shadow Monarch
This episode ended for me pretty quickly and that's always a good sign for me personally. When the episode ends and I wonder how 20 minutes have passed, I know it was great. In this case, the first half of the episode impressed me with its use of sound and direction. The combat in this one is fine, but the fact that Solo Leveling episode 11 is so awesome makes it hard to compare even the action scenes that are on its level. However, the sound is unique; the voices in Jinwoo's head were layered so that they had an external, otherworldly quality. The flickering presence of battle as he focuses on his own thoughts instead of the fight is a wonderful feeling. I felt very satisfied watching Jinwoo also be forced to deal with his inner insecurities.
His brief escape from the mission, while a bit unsatisfying, also fits into this genre of narrative and development. Recalling the first time Jinwoo skipped his daily duties. Back then, surviving for four hours seemed impossible for him and all he could do was run for his life. This time, the enemy has an orange name (close to his level) and is used as fodder for leveling up. He knew he had the ability to take them down and take advantage of his lucky break as soon as he recognized it. While luck seems like armor in the plot, I think it's an example of how Jinwoo takes initiative when possible and doesn't get completely overwhelmed. He becomes overwhelmed because he takes advantage of his situation and forces himself to survive. A more timid hunter could very well have gained a few higher levels before taking the plunge, or even dying in one of the harder level dungeons. Solo Leveling isn't so brave that it makes the main character constantly weak, but at least he has to make an effort to achieve what he has.
The final part of the battle, where Jinwoo needed to ignore the series of invisible enemies in front of him to dispel the real threat, made Jinwoo feel quite excited. which fits a lot of fight scenes in shows like this. This is especially true when we know that many of the threats Jinwoo needs to be wary of exist within respected factions within Hunter society. I don't have too much else to say about this part's combat. Like previous installments, combat is excellent and really feels improved here, with enemy movements using less CGI. The golem fight felt like a proper boss fight, especially with the upbeat soundtrack leading up to Jinwoo's victory.
Finally, the episode ended with the moment I've been waiting for for weeks. Jinwoo's first “Arise” is absolutely perfect and sounds amazing on headphones. I appreciate the Dark Soldiers' faithfulness to the original comic book art style; they look amazing. Anime like this that have a lot of aura and energy have to be careful to show off the lighting effects without doing too much, and Solo Leveling achieves that delicate balance. I felt more than satisfied to see the mission come to an end, especially with the tease of monsters evolving on Jeju Island and the S-class threat lurking.
Looking forward to Part 2 of Solo Leveling
Season 2 has been announced (predictably) and while I'm sad that we didn't get a second season quickly, I'm even more pleased with the announcement and confirmation of a fake second season determination came quickly. Having picked up the manga earlier this season, I can say that it certainly does not disappoint. There are a few subtle changes the anime made throughout the episodes, but the visuals from DUBU are better than most visual media out there. In any case, I'm looking forward to what happens with this anime.
Once again, if you didn't vote for Solo Leveling in our weekly poll then you're lying to yourself.
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