We talk a lot about manga on our podcast, but in truth, comics are a worldwide phenomenon. For instance, Dark Mage, the comic we covered on our most recent episode (at the time of this writing), is actually not a manga but a “manhwa,” a comic from South Korea. If that episode got you interested in that medium then you should check out Solo Leveling. Solo Leveling is set in a world where monsters have begun to invade our world, leading to certain people, hunters, gaining the ability to fight them. The main character is Sung Jin-Woo, considered by his peers to be the weakest of the hunters. However, after surviving a terrifying encounter with a high-level monster, video game-style menu screens start appearing to him, giving him instructions on how to get stronger. Like Dark Mage, Solo Leveling is an action manhwa that takes place in a world heavily influenced by games. While Dark Mage was all about Dungeons and Dragons, Solo Leveling instead takes influence from MMORPGs like World of Warcraft. Everything from how the hunters team up to take on dungeons, how their parties consist of traditional gaming roles like tank and healer, to how Jin-Woo is able to tell how strong monsters are by the text color of their names, serves to reinforce the video game spirit. This creates a very interesting fusion of a setting that isn’t quite like anything I’ve read before. Unlike Shonen Jump manga, which is intended to be printed in black-and-white physical books, Solo Leveling is a “webtoon,” meaning that it was created specifically to be read on a computer or phone screen. The result is some truly incredible fully colored art, which is formatted in panel arrangements that would not be possible in a physically printed comic that you'll have to read for yourself to see. Solo Leveling at the time of writing has 114 chapters. You can read the first 15 for free via the official release here. It’s drawn by Dubu and written by Chugong, who also wrote the web novel ‘Only I Level Up’ which the series is adapted from.
Aug 21, 2020 • Subscribe
More like this
Shonen Flop Recommends #2: Solo Leveling
We talk a lot about manga on our podcast, but in truth, comics are a worldwide phenomenon. For instance, Dark Mage, the comic we covered on our most…
Shonen Flop Recommends #9: Inuyasha
So, last episode we covered Bone Collection, which is absolute trash. However, aspects of the manga (the constant gags, the romance plot, a boy and a girl as…
Shonen Flop Recommends #9: Inuyasha
So, last episode we covered Bone Collection, which is absolute trash. However, aspects of the manga (the constant gags, the romance plot, a boy and a girl as…
Shonen Flop Recommends #5: Cowboy Bebop
It feels kind of redundant to write an article recommending Cowboy Bebop. It’s the perennial “anime for people who don’t like anime” because it’s so damn cool that…
Shonen Flop Recommends #5: Cowboy Bebop
It feels kind of redundant to write an article recommending Cowboy Bebop. It’s the perennial “anime for people who don’t like anime” because it’s so damn cool that…
Shonen Flop Recommends #8: Shaman King
In our upcoming episode, we will be discussing Bone Collection. Not to spoil the episode but we don’t like it. It’s a shame because the concept of supernatural…
Shonen Flop Recommends #8: Shaman King
In our upcoming episode, we will be discussing Bone Collection. Not to spoil the episode but we don’t like it. It’s a shame because the concept of supernatural…
Shonen Flop Recommends #3: Parasyte: The Maxim
In our most recent episode, we talked about how SWOT failed at its attempt to be an action manga set in high school. The manga “Parasyte”, and especially…
Shonen Flop Recommends #1: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Let’s say that after listening to our episode on Dark Mage, you still (for some reason) don’t want to read it, but the theme of eastern-magic-vs-western-magic or the…
Shonen Flop Recommends #6: Cromartie High School
In our next episode of Shonen Flop, we’ll be covering Mashle: Magic and Muscles, a satirical comedy manga making fun of Harry Potter and the growing trend of…
Cromartie High School, Little Witch Academia, The Irregular at Magic High School
Shonen Flop Recommends #7: One-Punch Man
One of the things we constantly said during our recent Mashle recommendation episode was how much it reminded us of One-Punch Man. But what is One-Punch Man?…
Shonen Flop Recommends #1: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Let’s say that after listening to our episode on Dark Mage, you still (for some reason) don’t want to read it, but the theme of eastern-magic-vs-western-magic or the…
Shonen Flop Recommends #7: One-Punch Man
One of the things we constantly said during our recent Mashle recommendation episode was how much it reminded us of One-Punch Man. But what is One-Punch Man?…
Shonen Flop Recommends #3: Parasyte: The Maxim
In our most recent episode, we talked about how SWOT failed at its attempt to be an action manga set in high school. The manga “Parasyte”, and especially…
Shonen Flop Recommends #6: Cromartie High School
In our next episode of Shonen Flop, we’ll be covering Mashle: Magic and Muscles, a satirical comedy manga making fun of Harry Potter and the growing trend of…
Little Witch Academia, The Irregular at Magic High School, Cromartie High School
Shonen Flop Recommends #4: Kaguya-sama: Love Is War
One of the themes that SWOT, the subject of our latest episode, tried to play around with was romance in a highschool setting. Its questionable attempt might be…
Shonen Flop Recommends #4: Kaguya-sama: Love Is War
One of the themes that SWOT, the subject of our latest episode, tried to play around with was romance in a highschool setting. Its questionable attempt might be…
Solo Leveling Season 2, Episode 2
Solo Leveling Season 2, Episode 2 concludes the red dungeon, as Jinwoo faces the dungeon boss, Barka. Will he save the lower ranked hunters?
Solo Leveling: Leveling Up?
Greetings, fabulous people of the Internet! Hanime on Anime here, and welcome to another brand new review. And I tried with this one. I tried to love today’s…
Solo Leveling Season 2, Episode 11
Solo Leveling Season 2 Episode 11, sees the Ant King dominate the S-Ranked Hunters, slaughtering half of them with one hit.
Solo Leveling Season 2, Episode 9
Jinwoo finally crafts the Elixir of Life, healing his mother. Curing his mother was the main reason he became a hunter. It’s rare that a character reaches his…
Solo Leveling Season 2, Episode 1
Solo Leveling Season 2 Episode 1 sees Jinwoo enter a red gate after it transforms form a C-Ranked one, there he encounters ice bears and elves
Solo Leveling Season 2, Episode 7
In Solo Leveling Season 2, Episode 7, Jinwoo heads back into the Demon’s Castle to finish his climb to the 100th floor.
Solo Leveling (Volume 2) – The Lizards
Jinwoo survived the double dungeon and now finds himself at the mercy of his daily tasks. Recently he was rewarded with a special dungeon of his own to…
Solo Leveling Season 2, Episode 5
Episode 5 of Solo Leveling Season 2, shows Sung Jinwoo into another mess when he joins the Hunters Guild’s secondary strike team.
Solo Leveling Season 2, Episode 10
Solo Leveling Season 2 Episode 10, the hunter train against each other. Eventually, Jinwoo joins them but refuses to go on the mission.
Solo Leveling Season 2, Episode 4
In Solo Leveling Season 2 Episode 4, Jinwoo is looking for the last material for the Elixir of Life. He joins a mining crew, to make money.
Solo Leveling Season 2, Episode 6
Solo Leveling Season 2 Episode 6, Jinwoo shows off his unmatched power in front of an audience including, Jinchul and Cha Hae In.
Solo Leveling Season 2, Episode 3
Solo Leveling Season 2 Episode 3, Jinwoo continues to level up as he tries to gather the ingredients for his mother's cure.
The 2021 Shonen Flop Awards
It’s the end of the year so no better time for a best-of (and more importantly worst-of) Shonen Flop awards aka The Floppies. See what manga takes the…
The 2021 Shonen Flop Awards
It’s the end of the year so no better time for a best-of (and more importantly worst-of) Shonen Flop awards aka The Floppies. See what manga takes the…
The Leveling of Solo Leveling Review
The Leveling of Solo Leveling is a great watch for fans of the series, but also for fans who enjoy an inside look at the industry.
Solo Leveling: Episodes 1 and 2 Reviews
I didn’t include Solo Leveling in my list of shows to watch for Winter 2024 because, quite frankly, it sounded like just another boring fantasy with overused elements.…
Solo Leveling Season 1, Episode 2 Review
Strength wasn't what was important in this dungeon and it appears Sung will be rewarded. Solo Leveling has proven me wrong,
The Next Solo Leveling?
Today we are briefly looking at the success of Solo Leveling and trying to imagine, what will be next? ► Support me on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/Arkada ► Follow me on…
Solo Leveling – Episode 1
Cool concepts aside, a series like this ultimately rides or dies on its cast, and so far these fictional people aren’t bringing much energy or doing much to…
Anime Like Solo Leveling
When gates mysteriously started appearing throughout the world, they connected the real world to a fantasy land full of dangerous beasts. At the same moment,
A Returner's Magic Should Be Special, Shangri-La, Tower of God, Shangri-La Frontier, Solo Leveling
Solo Leveling – 16 – Reassessment
Emerging from the Demon’s Castle Gate, Jinwoo acknowledges that he can’t hide his strength in the shadows forever, nor can he make decent enough money as long as…
First Look: Solo Leveling
Ten years ago, dimensional vortexes began opening all across Earth, releasing all manner of fantasy monsters immune to conventional weaponry. Only magically empowered humans called “Hunters&#…
Solo Leveling – Episode 1
Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today we’re checking out a new property I was recently commissioned, as we explore the first episode of the…
Episode #311 – Solo Leveling
Jellokun reviews Solo Leveling and we talk new airing shows in the spring 2024 season.
Episode 294 - Solo Leveling
This week, the Winter 2024 anime season is upon us, and we've received a ton of requests for this show since before it even came out! So join…
First Look: Solo Leveling
Ten years ago, dimensional vortexes began opening all across Earth, releasing all manner of fantasy monsters immune to conventional weaponry. Only magically empowered humans called “Hunters&#…
First Impression: Solo Leveling
A group of adventurers are in over their heads against a swarm of monster-sized fire ants and aphids. Cue mysterious heroes, here to save the day! Our protagonists…
Elsewhere: Shonen Flop episodes 75-77
I’m one of a pair of researchers for the quite splendid podcast Shonen Flop, and will be highlighting the full episodes on this blog each time one releases,…
Solo Leveling Episode 2 Review – That Was Brutal
That was certainly a crazy episode.
Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow-
Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow- is currently streaming on Crunchyroll on Saturdays....
Solo Leveling, Solo Leveling Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow-
Elsewhere: Shonen Flop ep.72 – Metallica Metalluca
I’m one of a pair of researchers for the quite splendid podcast Shonen Flop, and will be highlighting the full episodes on this blog each time one releases,…
Solo Leveling: The greatest manhwa
Hey guys what is up welcome back to my blog I’m so thankful that you guys took the time out of your day to read my blog post.…
Special Preview: Solo Leveling – ReAwakening
Rating (compilation part): 3 (of 5) Rating (new episodes): 3.5 (of 5) Solo Leveling is returning to TV for the Winter 2025 season, and this special theatrical presentation…