Sorry for any audio issues! i was pretty sick when recording. Hope you enjoy! Also, yes this is a re-upload. Had to fix some copyright issues that, appreciate your patience with this!
Its a dumb fun power fantasy that gets repetitive with a edgy op mc otaku wet dream and a main heroine who is just a prize for the mc to show that he's not just op but cool that he can have such a high tier girl not the no name weak nobody like healer girl.reality quest is better than this.the mc of reality quest still struggle and there are other characters and can beat the shit out of him without even trying also he has more personality than jin woo.also don't compare the artist to a generic power fantasy manhwa where the world revolves around an mc that has a clear advantage(a big dumb advantage at that)where he can grow and others can't.the artist is an actual person with talent and flaws of his own
Really amazing project 👍🏾, I’m no good at video essays but I love listening to them. A premise you might also find interesting, “Solo Leveling is not about Jin Woo, but his son” 🫨🫨🫨 do with that what you may 😏
I liked the moments where Jinwoo has to face his own changes, and its an active choice to continue valuing humans, even with how much he'd been wronged and facing some of the worst traits of humanity, he continued to defend them. A lot of people face a similar choice when they grow up, whether they choose to continue to care, or closing themselves off. It could have had more focus, and I think the ending was rushed, but its a good series and I love it a lot.
That line "...I'm glad I gave her that umbrella", that JW says right after killing those hunters. It starts with him realizing the situation to understanding the situation. There's a moment of extreme panic on his mind and then, silence. He snaps and kills those guys without hesitation. One of those movements when he says he lost another part of himself. That line about the umbrella shows he felt no guilt for killing those hunters.
I disagree. This isn't a story like overlord. (A story that people praise for its side characters development, even if they don't really grow and all focused around the mc. You just spend more time with them doesnt make it better). The reason solo leveling is one of the best stories out there is because of its focus. It didn't extend its time for more profit and chapters. The author had a idea for the story and kept its focus on the main plot of the story, while using side characters as story telling peices. It's perfect way to keep your story interesting and how you really put yourself in sungs shoes. If you connected to the main mc in the start of the story, you would see the same growth as the mc. Struggle isn't necessarily needed anymore. You would have the same questions and feelings sung has durning the story.
@@acephas3 yes yes you do. It's what makes it so great. You spend enough time doing something you will be a master at it, and it becomes way way easier.
@@be9240not a money grab to make side characters interesting with their own drive and purpose. Also it’s not interesting to watch an overpowered mc for 100s of chapters no matter how strong ppl get something can always challenge us….
you just made me cry all over again. i get the shortcomings of this story, but despite all of them, i really can't stop myself from loving the whole story, the twists, the characters, and the world the creator, the illustrator, and everyone involved in the visualization of the story. thank you for an awesome video.
this is one of the best videos I've ever seen on RUclips it accurately highlights all the important and the consistent flaws the manhwa has but you allowed me to expand my horizons and start reading them. To address the level of depth and great storytelling the manhwa has although it didn't go into a lot of detail into the side characters aspects it's still presented as one of the best manhwa ever In my opinion. Cant criticise on how you said everything you said on this manhwa and I fully support everything you have said about this manhwa, (Just subscribed)
Jinwoo is one of if not the most generic protagonist ive ever seen, but he is by far my favorite protagonists from this genre. His motivations make sense and hes so dedicated to them that it checks out why hes kind of a dumbass when it comes to relationships. The powering system makes sense and is done in a way thats pretty fun, even when it gets more complex and the story starts to get out of hand. It was just done so well in a manner thats so fun to watch play out. I love how simplistic he is at his core, hes just a boy that loves amd supports his family, he never becomes this holy than tho guy, even when he has the power of a god, the most benevolant thing he ever does is become the neighbourhood watch lmao.
I like solo leveling so much because we can see ourselves in the shoes of sung jin woo. Everyone has some hidden potential but we are always too late to realize it. Solo leveling teaches us that being weak is not the end of the world. You can always be serious and courageous enough to grow strong in any aspect of your life through sheer hard work and will. This power fantasy gives us the motivation that even the weakest can become the strongest. So, if you are strong from inside then you can become strong in no time.
Glad to receive this video looking into Solo Leveling and its story, I got to say that i got a nice perspective at what makes a power fantasy what it is after seeing more of what makes Solo Leveling. Thanks AxelBeats for this awesome video it was a delightful video to watch~!!!
First ever manhwa I finished, I have my doubts but after reading it I found myself so hook to the story that I can't stop reading it. I'm glad it got animated!
Really cool video my man, I found your words at the end a good inspiring note as to what his message meant and will continue to mean to the world. Loved the whole video, hope to see other cool things from ya!
We don't want tension, we want the bad ass to be bad ass. It's why the show is popular. Don't want him being reluctant to get stronger or weak or take forever before he gets stronger.
Yeah every single story has enough tension or delay between badass moments, which is all fine and good, but I've been waiting for a story where the MC just demolishes everything, In this specific story, I loved that he never really faced an intense challenge late game, it was so refreshing.
@@jkavathas1010bruh he literally dies. But yeah, I like the change of pace from the ‘but-what-will-the-power-do-to-me’ protagonist. And they also didn’t make Jinwoo a brat either. Instead, he’s smart and gets shit done when it needs to be done.
Bro why am I watching this and tearing up at the end like I didn't read the novel and webtoon as they were being published and wrote a tribute post for Dubu when he passed away...honestly your tribute at the end was lovely. I am glad we finally got an anime too so I can experience Only I Level Up all over again. For your comments on the weak points...since the webtoon is from Jinwoo's viewpoint I understand the lack of 3rd character omniscient to explore the other characters but I think if you read and review the novel you will find it more fulfilling. However I will say that the tension was created by the release schedule since you couldn't read it all at once. Jinah's school getting attacked was stressful even when reading it again as a manhwa.
23:24 so when I played the Witcher 3 I spent most of my saving monsters from humans and killing humans that were the real monsters, the monsters don’t have a choice in what they are/need the humans choose to become monsters. When you get down to it everything on earth is an animal the difference is us humans have conned ourselves into thinking we are more, been human is something a person has to be taught and it is something that can be unlearned.
You gained a subscriber my friend, it was a really interesting 1.5 hrs journey, was never into manwas but the story really intrigued me , getting to hear the story out made me feel like theres a lot of potential in here. Really cool job again. Rooting for another audio soon. ❤❤
Thank you for your fantastic, knowledgeable overview for this manwha. I am watching the anime episodes as they come out. They interested me so much, I got the 8-book series of the original novels (predating the manwha) and just finished the main story today. Many of your critiques are less of an issue in the novel. They are still there, but, with more time to flesh things out, they are no longer total buzz-kills narrative wise. For example, the middle section, where you have a lot of problem with characters just disappearing, more of them last longer. The demon princes still gets written out, but other characters do have an extended presence, fleshing them out.
32:00 focusing way more on the main character rather than spreading out the character development was a breath of fresh air for me being as tho every other anime a watch go in on everyone (as they should normally) lol
All depends on context. There are ways to do all those story lines really well and effectively, but it's just SUPER easy to make them shortcuts to avoid effort and THAT I'd the problem with them. They aren't inherently bad, just inherently easy to mess up lol
This also have hidden genetic and friendship lol, main character is selected due to some speciality in him. And main reason he fighting is for his family and protect his friend.
@@mr_santaclauss2840he was chosen not because his father had some connection to the rulers, but because of how close he was to death all the time during the raids. The architect didn’t want to choose Sung but ashborn insisted. Having family as motivation to get stronger/provide for them is different then in some other mediums where friendship/family is literally the cause of their power up
The system gave me plot armor. It has stepped in to save my life more times than I can recall, and in borderline miraculous fashion. This is crucial for me as I have gone from playing on nightmare mode to playing on solo mode. I have saved the lives of several people and gotten pretty damn good at being good to others despite my often life threatening trials and my ever growing hatred for myself and for those who seek to do harm to others, yet nonetheless I have lost everyone that I love and care for, either because they have turned on me, or because they didn't make it. Life on the streets was rough, I shouldn't have made it this far, but now that I am no longer homeless and have secured a place to keep my burdens, it is time I found out how powerful I indeed can become. Thank you for this, it has inspired me quite a bit. Keelah se'lai. 👊
While it does suck that a lot of the other characters aren't really explored and they kind of disappear as he gets stronger it also makes sense. If you really think about it as he is the player, then that means that everybody else is just an NPC. As he levels up he has to leave behind the party members that don't help him anymore, and find new ones that will allow him to continue to develop.
I see what you mean about other characters being brushed away but it makes sense to the overall story cause it’s called “SOLO” Leveling, no one else should matter too much to the story
i found that it was appropriate for jin to get as strong as he did and for things to get as easy as they did. it’s still relatable, as i now wanna work as hard as i can untill life becomes just as easy as it got for our mc, it makes sense that he’d get that strong given the nature of the story and the trope of leveling up
great explanation. as someone who's just new to the series, i think your points about jin-wu's early struggles is what makes him more relatable to more people than superman.
I think I can agree with some points on your critique, but you mention the biggest appeal about this being a struggle for power, but It is also a power fantasy, I wasn't unhappy about exponential growth at the tower because the way I was being shown was cool, really cool S level magic and that's what I wanted to see. Probably not a repeating pattern of struggle, overcome, till he gets to the top. I want to see him pop off. yk?
Solo leveling is one of those stories where you just turn your brain off and enjoy the ride. It also helped that the art in the manwha was hype as fuck. I've also enjoyed other power fantasy novels like Legendary Mechanic, Supreme Magus, and Sword God in a World of Magic when I don't want to think and just want to read.
46:45 At this point AxelBeats says that Jinwoo plows through most of the 100 floors of the dungeon in a couple of chapters, with attention only given to a couple of major bosses. This might be true of the manhwa, which I have not read, but the light novel covers in detail progressing through a large number of floors. If this were a movie I can easily see many of these scenes winding up on the cutting room floor. BTW, I am absolutely adoring this recap. Not just the story itself but also the editing and narration. Thank you. I discovered a few days ago that I haven't read the light novel to the end (maybe it wasn't translated to English when I read it) so I'm looking forward to the final third of your recap.
Solo leveling is generic premise but execution is so awesome that i cannlt stop reading! What you call flaws is actually part of its charm. It does not add too much side character development so the story flows much faster pace. Some stores add too much side stories then lose focus. It reminds me a lot of gantz. Another one of my favorite 20 years ago. A weak boy facing unfathomable monsters who killed him then he revives and atart getting stronger. I look forward to finishing the story! Highly recommend,! 😊
The author died 😭 wow i did not know that however ive only gotten into this series 3 weeks ago but still kinda sad but incredible at the same time he have created something that people will remember for ages which is all i could ever want before leaving this wolrd , Fly High🌠
Anime hurts bad cause mixed up with music it emotionally binds you with the character's life. It's better to take this up completely here rather than crying at the last episode there
First off, I want to thank you for taking the time to share the entire story. I really appreciate it! However, I do have a bit of a concern about the foreshadowing throughout the video. While I think foreshadowing can be a great storytelling tool, it sometimes felt a bit overdone here. In many cases, it came across as spoilers instead of subtle hints. For example, when you mentioned phrases like "This is the only time in the series he did this" or stuff along those lines I think a more subtle approach to foreshadowing could really enhance the viewer's experience, allowing them to engage with the story without feeling as though they already know what’s going to happen next. Thank you for considering my thoughts on this!
true that side characters werent flashed out enough, didnt read the ln tho so dont know much about that, the interesting thing is dubbu who also was the ceo of the company was getting sicker so lots of ups and downs were going in real life which effect is shown in the manhwa.I hope the anime adaptation improves it source material further like they are doing right now
This could be head cannon but I think Jinwoo decided not to join the Jeju Island Raid initially was because he believed the S-Ranks he watched training before were more than enough to handle it but decided to plant shadows on them just in case. When you think about it, Japan & Korea probably would have won if Beru didn’t appear. No one saw him coming so Jinwoo had no choice but to step in at that point lol. Great video man. I really love this series so seeing analysis like this makes me happy lol
57:10 its ironic how even with this power, sung jin woo loses people over and over and over. Even winning at the "end" he doesn't feel like he actually won.
Something you missed in the castle arc. I think it’s good writing that as more is revealed to him by the system his motivations would change. Yes he mentioned his mom a lot at the beginning, but that was before the system started to take his emotions and sensitivities away by having him kill. Then his motivations moved towards figuring out what the system actually wanted from him because he knew he was strong enough to save his mom at that point.
33:50 might have to go back a lil to understand why I said this. it’s call solo leveling for the reason I think. It’s not supposed to expand onto the other characters like that. That but my opinion
I feel like part of the reason solo leveling still works after Jin woo becomes a monarch and over powers everyone is because you’ve been with him through the struggle and the level grind so it feels like he deserves it
That's fair! It's definitely fun the whole time, I just think the opening arcs fit my own preference more. I can totally see why people would like the latter bits more tho
@@AxelBeats I actually agree I enjoy the early arcs more bc I don’t think the later arcs would be anywhere near as good or enjoyable without the early struggles
I remember reading solo leveling for the first time and the feeling of emptiness when the final chapter of the main story came out. Whenever you get that feeling of emptiness, you know that you enjoyed the story. I really enjoyed solo leveling for both its strengts and flaws. I especially liked the way how the plot progressed and everything slowly started falling into place. But i definitely agree with the point that there was not much development for the side characters. Which was quite a shame because some of them would have made the story more satisfying. But in my opinion had thomas andrew (the national ra k hunter) the most character development out of the side characters. Because before he got beaten to a pulp by sung woo. He would've never asked or voluntarily help someone. Because he believed that his domenating strength could solve everything. After the beatdown, he helped fighting the beast monarch and assisted in the korean massive gate. Also he assisted sung woo with ambushing the dragon monarch. Which shows how his ego shattering turned out for the better.
Bro u just broke me this whole time I thought douboo was still alive in at the supermarket fighting back tears cuz I just learned literally the only managa type content I've ever read let alone followed as it came out n more over finished (well obviously not the prologue) is no longer with us rest in power my man ty my god ty so much for the laughs the smiles the absolute adrenaline rushes and the single most gorgeous beautiful art work these eyes have ever seen bare none
Idc about what other people say, solo leveling is so good. This is the very first manhwa I ever read and then I finished and I don't like reading I would rather watch anime than read manga or manhwa and yet I finished solo leveling because it is that good.
Exactly, i don't remember where i see it but the author of solo leveling had problems with the creator of the gamer for the great amount of similarities border on plagiarism with both works
Tbh after reading this whole story he past couple days. I don’t think all stories need to follow these frameworks of having perfect side characters and what not. This story didn’t need that. The way it was laid out was amazing. It solely focused on the main character in a really good way, it made it seem like the mission he was carrying out was just so much more important then developing with anyone else around him. You see that with the girl he likes as well. I don’t think it’s a flaw at all. I think his lack of commitment to everyone and pure focus on the mission is such a strong pull in this story. Including when you see the end. The ending makes this point stand out to me because after going through so much in means to the mission. He finally can rest and find purpose elsewhere like building relationships and living life. Hence the ending of him going back to the girl to start from square one again. I love how it almost seem selfish how much attention he got because the ending just hits that much harder when you know he can finally take his foot off the gas then in your head you can imagine him finally being present with others and developing for and with others. Living the life that we as the readers know intuitively that he would’ve preferred.
With solo leveling season 2 coming out in January and Ichiei Ishibumi the creator of High-school dxd finally giving us a update on shin dxd 5 the light novel that hopefully will drop this year as well maybe 2025 will be a good year.
hey just to let u know i was struglling in writing my own series an i saw some of ur videos they actually help me a lot btw my name is or bar im 17 and i hope that when my series will rise up u will remember me (:
As a fellow necromancer myself, this is by far my most favorite anime of all time, ever. As far as his development goes, I'm not sorry that he becomes as powerful as he does. The world around him had its chance to be kind and forgiving when he was kind, caring, and creative. And that version of him essentially DIED, alone, in a dungeon. Nah this is earned. The world can deal with what is now a shadow monarch. I hope he rules the fricken world.
@ebaocihc7085 Ummm, Overlord is pretty decent. Death mount death is kinda eh, But as far as anime goes where the MC is a necromancer, there really isn't much. I myself am working on something, but I'm no one right now 😅
Even taking advices I always find myself attracted to these types of manga especially those where there are touched to romance. Does adolescence really hurts that bad that I can't even get over when an anime ends. I think being single is the cause of it or maybe I have become distracted in my life.
I definently get the criticisms about jinwoo and severe power creep but the jeju island and him not going is mainly because it was thought that with all the s-ranks going that another strong one wouldn’t be necessary. He didn’t skip just because he didn’t want to.
TBH I found it refreshing reading a comic that didn't go off in a dozen side stories. It knew what it was here to do and it did it. I think if you focus so much on the side characters, you're just ruining it for yourself. Judge a work for what it is not what you wish it was.
Okay I do get the point about side characters getting zero development, however the story is meant to solely focus on Jinwoo. Think of it like a game, how many NPC’s get character development? Mostly the ones who are going to be around the longest. Both of the survivors of the double dungeon and Kang incident retire from hunting at that point. She leaves the city to go home, and I believe he stays as the sole mentor of Cha Hae In. But the story doesn’t really follow cha so we’re not going to see him much. Incidentally though, the light novel actually goes into a few characters more, the Manwha leaves A LOT of that out (panel space I guess) Anyway sorry for the little tangent my point is, side characters don’t matter because if Jinwoo doesn’t see them we don’t see them, the story is from his eyes unless us the reader are needed to know about something for some reason.
I love this so much because it reminds me so much of Sword Art Online just like you said; it was the first Anime I watched that wasn’t YuGiOh and Pokemon.. (I then watched yowamushi pedal and wrote off anime until One Piece live action; now I’m a weekly manga reader)
Sorry for any audio issues! i was pretty sick when recording. Hope you enjoy! Also, yes this is a re-upload. Had to fix some copyright issues that, appreciate your patience with this!
copyright is a b1tch, I hope this is the one!
@@ecowo57 me too aha
Its a dumb fun power fantasy that gets repetitive with a edgy op mc otaku wet dream and a main heroine who is just a prize for the mc to show that he's not just op but cool that he can have such a high tier girl not the no name weak nobody like healer girl.reality quest is better than this.the mc of reality quest still struggle and there are other characters and can beat the shit out of him without even trying also he has more personality than jin woo.also don't compare the artist to a generic power fantasy manhwa where the world revolves around an mc that has a clear advantage(a big dumb advantage at that)where he can grow and others can't.the artist is an actual person with talent and flaws of his own
Really amazing project 👍🏾, I’m no good at video essays but I love listening to them. A premise you might also find interesting, “Solo Leveling is not about Jin Woo, but his son” 🫨🫨🫨 do with that what you may 😏
Awesome job my brother
I liked the moments where Jinwoo has to face his own changes, and its an active choice to continue valuing humans, even with how much he'd been wronged and facing some of the worst traits of humanity, he continued to defend them. A lot of people face a similar choice when they grow up, whether they choose to continue to care, or closing themselves off. It could have had more focus, and I think the ending was rushed, but its a good series and I love it a lot.
That line "...I'm glad I gave her that umbrella", that JW says right after killing those hunters. It starts with him realizing the situation to understanding the situation. There's a moment of extreme panic on his mind and then, silence. He snaps and kills those guys without hesitation. One of those movements when he says he lost another part of himself.
That line about the umbrella shows he felt no guilt for killing those hunters.
I appreciate the fair critique of Solo Leveling as your points are valid and I agree with them. The ending of your video was sad but beautifully done.
I'm glad you enjoyed :)
I disagree. This isn't a story like overlord. (A story that people praise for its side characters development, even if they don't really grow and all focused around the mc. You just spend more time with them doesnt make it better). The reason solo leveling is one of the best stories out there is because of its focus. It didn't extend its time for more profit and chapters. The author had a idea for the story and kept its focus on the main plot of the story, while using side characters as story telling peices. It's perfect way to keep your story interesting and how you really put yourself in sungs shoes. If you connected to the main mc in the start of the story, you would see the same growth as the mc. Struggle isn't necessarily needed anymore. You would have the same questions and feelings sung has durning the story.
Yeah, but we ALL reach a point where we are over -leveled for the tasks before us, especially if you’ve spent time grinding.
@@acephas3 yes yes you do. It's what makes it so great. You spend enough time doing something you will be a master at it, and it becomes way way easier.
@@be9240not a money grab to make side characters interesting with their own drive and purpose. Also it’s not interesting to watch an overpowered mc for 100s of chapters no matter how strong ppl get something can always challenge us….
you just made me cry all over again. i get the shortcomings of this story, but despite all of them, i really can't stop myself from loving the whole story, the twists, the characters, and the world the creator, the illustrator, and everyone involved in the visualization of the story.
thank you for an awesome video.
this is one of the best videos I've ever seen on RUclips it accurately highlights all the important and the consistent flaws the manhwa has but you allowed me to expand my horizons and start reading them. To address the level of depth and great storytelling the manhwa has although it didn't go into a lot of detail into the side characters aspects it's still presented as one of the best manhwa ever In my opinion. Cant criticise on how you said everything you said on this manhwa and I fully support everything you have said about this manhwa, (Just subscribed)
Jinwoo is one of if not the most generic protagonist ive ever seen, but he is by far my favorite protagonists from this genre. His motivations make sense and hes so dedicated to them that it checks out why hes kind of a dumbass when it comes to relationships. The powering system makes sense and is done in a way thats pretty fun, even when it gets more complex and the story starts to get out of hand. It was just done so well in a manner thats so fun to watch play out. I love how simplistic he is at his core, hes just a boy that loves amd supports his family, he never becomes this holy than tho guy, even when he has the power of a god, the most benevolant thing he ever does is become the neighbourhood watch lmao.
It basically takes the power fantasy genre, both its good parts and its weaknesses, and shows it off perfectly.
I like solo leveling so much because we can see ourselves in the shoes of sung jin woo. Everyone has some hidden potential but we are always too late to realize it. Solo leveling teaches us that being weak is not the end of the world. You can always be serious and courageous enough to grow strong in any aspect of your life through sheer hard work and will. This power fantasy gives us the motivation that even the weakest can become the strongest. So, if you are strong from inside then you can become strong in no time.
Nah some people just born with terrible genes
Glad to receive this video looking into Solo Leveling and its story, I got to say that i got a nice perspective at what makes a power fantasy what it is after seeing more of what makes Solo Leveling. Thanks AxelBeats for this awesome video it was a delightful video to watch~!!!
First ever manhwa I finished, I have my doubts but after reading it I found myself so hook to the story that I can't stop reading it. I'm glad it got animated!
Flaws? Couldn't notice any because I was having so much freaking fun!
Thank you for the last section of this video, you really went above and beyond. Rest in Peace Dubo
Really cool video my man, I found your words at the end a good inspiring note as to what his message meant and will continue to mean to the world. Loved the whole video, hope to see other cool things from ya!
Keep up the awesome work and videos alexbeats love the video
We don't want tension, we want the bad ass to be bad ass. It's why the show is popular. Don't want him being reluctant to get stronger or weak or take forever before he gets stronger.
Yeah every single story has enough tension or delay between badass moments, which is all fine and good, but I've been waiting for a story where the MC just demolishes everything, In this specific story, I loved that he never really faced an intense challenge late game, it was so refreshing.
Same here.
@@jkavathas1010bruh he literally dies.
But yeah, I like the change of pace from the ‘but-what-will-the-power-do-to-me’ protagonist. And they also didn’t make Jinwoo a brat either.
Instead, he’s smart and gets shit done when it needs to be done.
Bro why am I watching this and tearing up at the end like I didn't read the novel and webtoon as they were being published and wrote a tribute post for Dubu when he passed away...honestly your tribute at the end was lovely. I am glad we finally got an anime too so I can experience Only I Level Up all over again. For your comments on the weak points...since the webtoon is from Jinwoo's viewpoint I understand the lack of 3rd character omniscient to explore the other characters but I think if you read and review the novel you will find it more fulfilling. However I will say that the tension was created by the release schedule since you couldn't read it all at once. Jinah's school getting attacked was stressful even when reading it again as a manhwa.
Its honestly heartbreaking to see these brilliant manga artists/authors passing due to hematoma or hemorrhaging.
23:24 so when I played the Witcher 3 I spent most of my saving monsters from humans and killing humans that were the real monsters, the monsters don’t have a choice in what they are/need the humans choose to become monsters.
When you get down to it everything on earth is an animal the difference is us humans have conned ourselves into thinking we are more, been human is something a person has to be taught and it is something that can be unlearned.
You gained a subscriber my friend, it was a really interesting 1.5 hrs journey, was never into manwas but the story really intrigued me , getting to hear the story out made me feel like theres a lot of potential in here. Really cool job again. Rooting for another audio soon. ❤❤
The ending of this great manga ended with the father who created it. It really it a true form of love
Outstanding work on this one!
This is a great comprehensive video for the story!
Thanks friend! I hope you enjoyed :)
I believe this is the best written series ever. Straight to the point!.
Thank you for your fantastic, knowledgeable overview for this manwha. I am watching the anime episodes as they come out. They interested me so much, I got the 8-book series of the original novels (predating the manwha) and just finished the main story today. Many of your critiques are less of an issue in the novel. They are still there, but, with more time to flesh things out, they are no longer total buzz-kills narrative wise. For example, the middle section, where you have a lot of problem with characters just disappearing, more of them last longer. The demon princes still gets written out, but other characters do have an extended presence, fleshing them out.
Solo leveling is the story of how saitama became one punch man I said what I said lol
Much love for your full explanation! Much more love for the moonlighter music in the background! ❤
Love this video! You’ve gained a new subscriber
32:00 focusing way more on the main character rather than spreading out the character development was a breath of fresh air for me being as tho every other anime a watch go in on everyone (as they should normally) lol
This is how other fictional stories should properly write plot armors, not that stupid hidden genetics and power of friendship.
All depends on context. There are ways to do all those story lines really well and effectively, but it's just SUPER easy to make them shortcuts to avoid effort and THAT I'd the problem with them. They aren't inherently bad, just inherently easy to mess up lol
I think you didn't watch till the end
This also have hidden genetic and friendship lol, main character is selected due to some speciality in him. And main reason he fighting is for his family and protect his friend.
@@mr_santaclauss2840 but not as the same level as Bleach and FairyTail HAHAHAHAHAHA
@@mr_santaclauss2840he was chosen not because his father had some connection to the rulers, but because of how close he was to death all the time during the raids. The architect didn’t want to choose Sung but ashborn insisted. Having family as motivation to get stronger/provide for them is different then in some other mediums where friendship/family is literally the cause of their power up
The system gave me plot armor. It has stepped in to save my life more times than I can recall, and in borderline miraculous fashion. This is crucial for me as I have gone from playing on nightmare mode to playing on solo mode. I have saved the lives of several people and gotten pretty damn good at being good to others despite my often life threatening trials and my ever growing hatred for myself and for those who seek to do harm to others, yet nonetheless I have lost everyone that I love and care for, either because they have turned on me, or because they didn't make it. Life on the streets was rough, I shouldn't have made it this far, but now that I am no longer homeless and have secured a place to keep my burdens, it is time I found out how powerful I indeed can become. Thank you for this, it has inspired me quite a bit. Keelah se'lai. 👊
While it does suck that a lot of the other characters aren't really explored and they kind of disappear as he gets stronger it also makes sense.
If you really think about it as he is the player, then that means that everybody else is just an NPC.
As he levels up he has to leave behind the party members that don't help him anymore, and find new ones that will allow him to continue to develop.
Okay trying to just piss writing lol
I see what you mean about other characters being brushed away but it makes sense to the overall story cause it’s called “SOLO” Leveling, no one else should matter too much to the story
That's what I tell people about Naruto too.
I love that the anime is trying to develop some of the characters around Jinwoo so far
Great video my guy like your takes and hope you have a great week
Appreciate you friend!
i found that it was appropriate for jin to get as strong as he did and for things to get as easy as they did. it’s still relatable, as i now wanna work as hard as i can untill life becomes just as easy as it got for our mc, it makes sense that he’d get that strong given the nature of the story and the trope of leveling up
great explanation. as someone who's just new to the series, i think your points about jin-wu's early struggles is what makes him more relatable to more people than superman.
I think I can agree with some points on your critique, but you mention the biggest appeal about this being a struggle for power, but It is also a power fantasy, I wasn't unhappy about exponential growth at the tower because the way I was being shown was cool, really cool S level magic and that's what I wanted to see. Probably not a repeating pattern of struggle, overcome, till he gets to the top. I want to see him pop off. yk?
100% get you on that. I just wasn't super satisfied with how to tone shift was done. Still had fun overall tho
Solo leveling is one of those stories where you just turn your brain off and enjoy the ride. It also helped that the art in the manwha was hype as fuck. I've also enjoyed other power fantasy novels like Legendary Mechanic, Supreme Magus, and Sword God in a World of Magic when I don't want to think and just want to read.
46:45 At this point AxelBeats says that Jinwoo plows through most of the 100 floors of the dungeon in a couple of chapters, with attention only given to a couple of major bosses. This might be true of the manhwa, which I have not read, but the light novel covers in detail progressing through a large number of floors. If this were a movie I can easily see many of these scenes winding up on the cutting room floor.
BTW, I am absolutely adoring this recap. Not just the story itself but also the editing and narration. Thank you. I discovered a few days ago that I haven't read the light novel to the end (maybe it wasn't translated to English when I read it) so I'm looking forward to the final third of your recap.
Glad to see you’re still at it! The manwa is one of the two I’ve read and I’m really hoping the anime won’t disappoint
Yoooooo I hope you've been well man!
Solo leveling is generic premise but execution is so awesome that i cannlt stop reading! What you call flaws is actually part of its charm. It does not add too much side character development so the story flows much faster pace. Some stores add too much side stories then lose focus. It reminds me a lot of gantz. Another one of my favorite 20 years ago. A weak boy facing unfathomable monsters who killed him then he revives and atart getting stronger. I look forward to finishing the story! Highly recommend,! 😊
Don't get me wrong, I still had fun with it. It's BECAUSE I like it that I wanted to know more about the world is all
Great video, have been looking for a video like this showcasing the manhwa, thanks!
The author died 😭 wow i did not know that however ive only gotten into this series 3 weeks ago but still kinda sad but incredible at the same time he have created something that people will remember for ages which is all i could ever want before leaving this wolrd , Fly High🌠
To clarify the webtoon artist died. The original author of the novel is alive.
@@hipployta ah the artist still he created such stunning work 😭
Bro i started living my life where i see my daily task like he did and boy does your body change quick especially in the gym
Anime hurts bad cause mixed up with music it emotionally binds you with the character's life. It's better to take this up completely here rather than crying at the last episode there
First off, I want to thank you for taking the time to share the entire story. I really appreciate it! However, I do have a bit of a concern about the foreshadowing throughout the video. While I think foreshadowing can be a great storytelling tool, it sometimes felt a bit overdone here. In many cases, it came across as spoilers instead of subtle hints. For example, when you mentioned phrases like "This is the only time in the series he did this" or stuff along those lines I think a more subtle approach to foreshadowing could really enhance the viewer's experience, allowing them to engage with the story without feeling as though they already know what’s going to happen next. Thank you for considering my thoughts on this!
Solo leveling plot armor is used correctly and effectively
This is the only isokai that I think is awesome. So many lessons in the context of the series.
true that side characters werent flashed out enough, didnt read the ln tho so dont know much about that, the interesting thing is dubbu who also was the ceo of the company was getting sicker so lots of ups and downs were going in real life which effect is shown in the manhwa.I hope the anime adaptation improves it source material further like they are doing right now
Thank you. Awesome video ❤
Great review!
The light novel needs to be read first because there's a lot left out of the manwha and the anime.
God THANK YOU FOR SAYING THIS! 🙏🏽🙏🏽 people who are new are missing so much! And so is Axel because he didn’t read the LN either🤷🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️
Love the fact that the writer finished the story before they passed makes it pretty unique feeling
The writer did not die the artist of the manwa died, the writer is alive and is continuing soloeveling ragnarok
This could be head cannon but I think Jinwoo decided not to join the Jeju Island Raid initially was because he believed the S-Ranks he watched training before were more than enough to handle it but decided to plant shadows on them just in case.
When you think about it, Japan & Korea probably would have won if Beru didn’t appear. No one saw him coming so Jinwoo had no choice but to step in at that point lol.
Great video man. I really love this series so seeing analysis like this makes me happy lol
57:10 its ironic how even with this power, sung jin woo loses people over and over and over. Even winning at the "end" he doesn't feel like he actually won.
Something you missed in the castle arc. I think it’s good writing that as more is revealed to him by the system his motivations would change. Yes he mentioned his mom a lot at the beginning, but that was before the system started to take his emotions and sensitivities away by having him kill. Then his motivations moved towards figuring out what the system actually wanted from him because he knew he was strong enough to save his mom at that point.
Thank you so much for this! I think this is now my number 2 after Noblesse
As a famous mangaka said… “people only die… when they are forgotten…”
Solo leveling will make sure HE lives on!!!
33:50 might have to go back a lil to understand why I said this. it’s call solo leveling for the reason I think. It’s not supposed to expand onto the other characters like that. That but my opinion
thank u so much, it helped me on my presentation huhu
I feel like part of the reason solo leveling still works after Jin woo becomes a monarch and over powers everyone is because you’ve been with him through the struggle and the level grind so it feels like he deserves it
That's fair! It's definitely fun the whole time, I just think the opening arcs fit my own preference more. I can totally see why people would like the latter bits more tho
@@AxelBeats I actually agree I enjoy the early arcs more bc I don’t think the later arcs would be anywhere near as good or enjoyable without the early struggles
I've been S O L D just by the intro, Imma go watch
I remember reading solo leveling for the first time and the feeling of emptiness when the final chapter of the main story came out. Whenever you get that feeling of emptiness, you know that you enjoyed the story. I really enjoyed solo leveling for both its strengts and flaws. I especially liked the way how the plot progressed and everything slowly started falling into place. But i definitely agree with the point that there was not much development for the side characters. Which was quite a shame because some of them would have made the story more satisfying. But in my opinion had thomas andrew (the national ra k hunter) the most character development out of the side characters. Because before he got beaten to a pulp by sung woo. He would've never asked or voluntarily help someone. Because he believed that his domenating strength could solve everything. After the beatdown, he helped fighting the beast monarch and assisted in the korean massive gate. Also he assisted sung woo with ambushing the dragon monarch. Which shows how his ego shattering turned out for the better.
Very thorough and valid criticism of the series. This story is junkfood, but it does taste good.
Thank you for the review 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Bro u just broke me this whole time I thought douboo was still alive in at the supermarket fighting back tears cuz I just learned literally the only managa type content I've ever read let alone followed as it came out n more over finished (well obviously not the prologue) is no longer with us rest in power my man ty my god ty so much for the laughs the smiles the absolute adrenaline rushes and the single most gorgeous beautiful art work these eyes have ever seen bare none
“If the anime doesn’t do something good, the kirito fight is cooler”
Solo leveling anime crew “hold my beer”
For me its the pacing and no annoying one dimensional side character is so refreshing
That's totally fair! Like I said, the issues I have are just opinion. I'm glad that it works for you and I hope you enjoy the rest of the series :)
Pov: the animation studio did in fact do something crazy with the kasaka fight
i'd say they're about even tho
Thanks for the recap :D
Power fantasy are the best and most popular for a reason.
Idc about what other people say, solo leveling is so good. This is the very first manhwa I ever read and then I finished and I don't like reading I would rather watch anime than read manga or manhwa and yet I finished solo leveling because it is that good.
Well done, subscribed ❤️
'The characters having a problem developing who aren't Jinwoo...' gotta be the most hilarious shit I've heard throughout the video.
Bro I’m reading this after JUST finding out Toriyama passed. Now I learn the creator of my new #2 series passed.
I don’t want to be him. I just want him. He can own me…
Don't be weird in my comments please
Exactly, i don't remember where i see it but the author of solo leveling had problems with the creator of the gamer for the great amount of similarities border on plagiarism with both works
Who came here after the 1st ep of season 2
Tbh after reading this whole story he past couple days.
I don’t think all stories need to follow these frameworks of having perfect side characters and what not.
This story didn’t need that. The way it was laid out was amazing. It solely focused on the main character in a really good way, it made it seem like the mission he was carrying out was just so much more important then developing with anyone else around him. You see that with the girl he likes as well. I don’t think it’s a flaw at all. I think his lack of commitment to everyone and pure focus on the mission is such a strong pull in this story. Including when you see the end.
The ending makes this point stand out to me because after going through so much in means to the mission. He finally can rest and find purpose elsewhere like building relationships and living life. Hence the ending of him going back to the girl to start from square one again.
I love how it almost seem selfish how much attention he got because the ending just hits that much harder when you know he can finally take his foot off the gas then in your head you can imagine him finally being present with others and developing for and with others. Living the life that we as the readers know intuitively that he would’ve preferred.
this video is excellent.
🙏
great recap brotha positivity forward
More like JinWOOOOOOO Axel uploaded a video!
With solo leveling season 2 coming out in January and Ichiei Ishibumi the creator of High-school dxd finally giving us a update on shin dxd 5 the light novel that hopefully will drop this year as well maybe 2025 will be a good year.
Id probably add woo chin Jul to the list of characters. I mean he's been there from the beginning and constantly pops up.
Even more true in the light novels.
hey just to let u know i was struglling in writing my own series an i saw some of ur videos they actually help me a lot btw my name is or bar im 17 and i hope that when my series will rise up u will remember me (:
Amazing video, man. Loved it.
his servants especially the ant and ingram had the best flushing out and character development.
Hopefully this get fleshed out more in the anime kind of like we are seeing in the Bleach TYBW
This was fire🔥 great job dude this shi was too good!
As a fellow necromancer myself, this is by far my most favorite anime of all time, ever.
As far as his development goes, I'm not sorry that he becomes as powerful as he does. The world around him had its chance to be kind and forgiving when he was kind, caring, and creative. And that version of him essentially DIED, alone, in a dungeon. Nah this is earned. The world can deal with what is now a shadow monarch. I hope he rules the fricken world.
Any other good anime with necromancy?
@ebaocihc7085 Ummm, Overlord is pretty decent. Death mount death is kinda eh, But as far as anime goes where the MC is a necromancer, there really isn't much. I myself am working on something, but I'm no one right now 😅
How big is your skeleton army?
@@Blackmarketbirdseller In terms of units and structure? or like, actual numbers?
@@CryptTheNecromancer numbers
So JinWoo is the new Night King. Reviving the dead continuously.
Unrelated but I appreciate the Honkai and Genshin OSTs. You happened to pick my favorite ones too 🔥
Even taking advices I always find myself attracted to these types of manga especially those where there are touched to romance. Does adolescence really hurts that bad that I can't even get over when an anime ends. I think being single is the cause of it or maybe I have become distracted in my life.
You deserve so many more subscribers
I definently get the criticisms about jinwoo and severe power creep but the jeju island and him not going is mainly because it was thought that with all the s-ranks going that another strong one wouldn’t be necessary. He didn’t skip just because he didn’t want to.
TBH I found it refreshing reading a comic that didn't go off in a dozen side stories. It knew what it was here to do and it did it. I think if you focus so much on the side characters, you're just ruining it for yourself. Judge a work for what it is not what you wish it was.
Okay I do get the point about side characters getting zero development, however the story is meant to solely focus on Jinwoo.
Think of it like a game, how many NPC’s get character development? Mostly the ones who are going to be around the longest. Both of the survivors of the double dungeon and Kang incident retire from hunting at that point. She leaves the city to go home, and I believe he stays as the sole mentor of Cha Hae In. But the story doesn’t really follow cha so we’re not going to see him much.
Incidentally though, the light novel actually goes into a few characters more, the Manwha leaves A LOT of that out (panel space I guess)
Anyway sorry for the little tangent my point is, side characters don’t matter because if Jinwoo doesn’t see them we don’t see them, the story is from his eyes unless us the reader are needed to know about something for some reason.
I read the entire manwha. I'll wait for the anime to get to the latter parts cos that's gonna be lit
I love this so much because it reminds me so much of Sword Art Online just like you said; it was the first Anime I watched that wasn’t YuGiOh and Pokemon.. (I then watched yowamushi pedal and wrote off anime until One Piece live action; now I’m a weekly manga reader)
I appreciate your work but you missed some vital points in his development and shadow ability
I mean obviously. Some stuff is worth talking about, some stuff isn't. I just made judgement calls as I went
How do you not have 1million subs this videos are fire😊😅😅
Thank you aha one day maybe :p
His power required him to live as he did to improve, im sure the characters not being dragged along is because it is intentionally solo
Black Suit Jinwoo is *chefs kiss*