Solo Leveling confirms live-action adaptation – with mixed fan reaction

Solo Leveling originated as a South Korean web novel, exploring a portal fantasy adventure story about a monster hunter.

It's an action-packed tale involving plenty of supernatural elements, making it an ideal fit for anime audiences.

The resulting series was an international hit, with both seasons streaming in multiple languages on Crunchyroll.

So far, the fan response to this live-action announcement seems surprisingly mixed.

Some English-language fans on Reddit appear optimistic, pointing out that South Korean production companies have a good track record with web novel adaptations.

Some are also speculating about which Korean actors might be a good fit for the lead role of Sung Jinwoo.

For instance, 27-year-old Cha Eun-woo has starred in several TV dramas including the fantasy romance web novel adaptation A Good Day to Be a Dog.

One commenter even suggested that the Solo Leveling anime's English-language voice actor Aleks Le could reprise his leading role in live-action - although this fan did admit that "it’s obviously a longshot".

At the same time, many fans raised concerns about the shaky track record for live-action anime adaptations in general, posting reactions like, "It’s gonna be trash like every live action anime before it."

Another detractor pointed out the difficulty of translating Solo Leveling's fantasy action sequences into live-action, writing, "i don't trust anyone except james cameron to direct live action with amazing cgi."

"Usually [live action] ruined every manhwa/manga/anime I read and watch," wrote another fan. "I think I'll stick with the anime adaptation only."

Basically, a lot of anime fans feel like they've been burned by previous live-action adaptations that didn't live up to the hype.

However, it's worth remembering that there's a big difference between notorious Hollywood anime adaptations like Ghost in the Shell versus a South Korean adaptation of a South Korean web novel.

At present, this Solo Leveling adaptation is still in the early stages of development, and the announcement didn't include any information about the project's creative team or cast.

In the meantime, fans can enjoy watching the second season of the Solo Leveling anime, which is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

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