Solo Leveling is definitely making headlines with its extreme popularity and all the massive hype surrounding its current Jeju Island arc. This has also led Solo Leveling to overthrow One Piece as one of the most popular anime on Crunchyroll.
The popularity is determined by the number of ratings, and recently, Solo Leveling went past One Piece with 594 K ratings. However, does that automatically make Solo Leveling a better anime than One Piece when it is not even better than its own manhwa?
The anime is no doubt great, as it handles the intensity of the show really well, but the manhwa does a lot of things better, making it difficult for the anime to surpass it.
Solo Leveling manhwa’s art is in a league of its own
One of the best elements of the Solo Leveling manhwa is its dark and gritty art style by Dubu. The usage of black and blue colors to depict the grim world, while occasionally using violet and white to enhance Jinwoo, does a really good job of setting the tone of the world.
The anime is a lot tamer with its use of colors, losing the assertiveness and darkness that we get in the manhwa. Another issue with the anime is the apparent censorship in many of the scenes that we get.
Recently, in episode 11, we see a lot of dead bodies lying around Jeju Island when the Ant king attacks the S-ranked hunters. However, that was one of the very first episodes that sort of touched upon the brutality of the Ant king. In the manhwa, these scenes are way more pronounced and gory.
The design of the Ant King also got slammed because of its lack of eeriness. He does not look nearly as menacing in the anime as he did in the manhwa. This certainly affects the viewing experience as fans would much rather enjoy a dark fantasy anime than a more cheerful one when the world of the show itself is hopeless.
The pacing and storytelling are better in the manhwa
One of the most apparent criticisms that the anime faces is the fact that it relies way too much on Jinwoo. The protagonist is important, yes, but when the focus never really shifts from him, this aspect becomes redundant.
Not only that, but the anime also barely expands on other side characters and just keeps Jinwoo, the hero, under the spotlight. This is also an issue of the manhwa, but it still does a better job at its world-building.
The manhwa takes more time to make the audience understand dungeons, monsters, and, later, the conflict between the Emperors and Rulers. It also describes the internal struggles of Jinwoo in a much more relatable manner.
However, the anime cuts back on all of this because of its goal to keep the pacing of the show fast and tight. Now, this is not a bad thing as it makes the battles look more intense, but it heavily impacts the storyline in the long run.
Solo Leveling is overrated imho, the entire cast is pretty flat (I mean, characterization if that’s the right term)
— Andrevotto 🎨 I’ll draw your waifus 🎨 (@Andrevotto) March 16, 2025
Solo Leveling has its flaws for not following the manhwa properly and sacrificing depth and tension in its wake. So, after enjoying the anime, fans should definitely opt for reading the manhwa for a better experience as a whole.
Watch Solo Leveling on Crunchyroll.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
