If you thought Shangri-La Frontier is only better than Solo Leveling, then think again! The show, as a whole, even outshines the behemoth of a series that is One Piece, and we also know how exactly. Despite its 28-year run, One Piece still hasn’t quite nailed this one thing that Shangri-La Frontier effortlessly pulled off in just two 24-episode seasons!
It is the world-building we are talking about. Now don’t get the wrong idea thinking One Piece doesn’t have good world-building. In fact, One Piece has one of the most beautifully crafted fictional worlds ever.
But the problem is that it often feels forced or rushed! But how exactly? What sets Shangri-La Frontier so far apart, and how did it even manage to make its world-building feel so effortlessly cool?
Shangri-La Frontier shows world-building done right, that even One Piece couldn’t
Shangri-La Frontier might just be unmatched when it comes to world-building, because of how natural it feels. It’s like the creators took all the best parts of a real MMORPG and crafted a universe that’s equally immersive as playing the game.
With clear rules, hidden mechanics, and most importantly, the lore and explanations; everything feels so intricately interconnected with each other. It’s like a real world with fantasy elements, just waiting to be explored. And the best part is how it gradually reveals the secrets of its world, not just dumping chunks of them at once.
SLF does all of it, while also being logically consistent. Every new area, every new quest, and every new mechanic just adds extra layers to the game’s already-established rules. One Piece, on the other hand, can often feel like a collection of loosely connected islands and viewers don’t even get to know why the characters are heading there to begin with.
Each character interaction in SLF comes naturally and it feels much more spontaneous
Another thing about Shangri-La Frontier that makes it even cooler is how it puts the power of exploring new areas/continents in the players’ hands! Unlike One Piece, where the World Government and Yonko act as external puppet masters, leading the main cast to where they should go next, SLF’s world evolves based on the actions of its characters.
Everything that our main protagonist, Sunraku, does, leaves a ripple effect, creating some unexpected twists and turns within the world, so it feels more dynamic and alive. His actions even impact the NPC (Non-Playable Characters in a game) behaviors to the monster difficulty levels!
With Season 2 of Shangri-La Frontier coming to a mega wrap and the epic GGC arc on the horizon, fans are more hyped than ever! While the One Piece anime is now on hiatus, there’s never been a better time to jump into this another PEAK series. You would get to see yourself how seriously cool the world-building in SLF is. So if you haven’t already, what are you waiting for?
Shangri-La Frontier is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
