Solo Leveling defies one big anime trend – and should stick to its guns for season 2

As time has passed, however, things have changed. Jinwoo is having the classic hero’s journey of realising he’s actually much stronger after coming back from the dead in the pilot episode. Instead of climbing the ranks, he is stuck with his E-rank label while the system secretly upgrades his missions, weapons and strength. Why? It’s a mystery.

Even if you’re not keeping up with the monster madness happening onscreen, you’ll be able to tell Jinwoo is changing quite easily.

Without any warning, his physical appearance subtly shifts at numerous points, meaning he’s started season 2 as a buff, chiseled man. The meek schoolboy we started with disappeared fairly quickly into Solo Leveling – and that’s been a problem for some fans.

Now that we’re one episode into season 2, there’s two opposing arguments in the fandom. Some feel season 1 did a terrible job of showing Jinwoo’s progress and evolution, but they also think season 2 is going to fumble the bag. Given how starkly different Jinwoo is now, there’s a fear that his growth will be rushed as Solo Leveling steamrollers into its Jeju Island Arc.

Let’s flip this argument on its head. What if the speed of Jinwoo’s ranking is actually a blessing rather than a curse? Yes, we’re moving at a lightning-quick pace – but it’s incredibly dynamic. And isn’t that why Solo Leveling has stood out so much in the first place?

It’s fair to say that, historically, anime likes to take its sweet time unfolding a storyline. While this often matches up with manga chapters, TV adaptations still never leave any stone unturned.

Think of One Piece as an example. We’re only just beginning to see the anime’s finish line, and it’s been going since 1999.

Dragon Ball, Naruto, My Hero Academia and Attack on Titan have all followed a similar path. In one way or another, each franchise has continued to live on, even if it’s obvious its storyline should have been stopped long before. Solo Leveling quite literally slices through its rivals by getting to the meat much, much faster.

If Jinwoo’s story had any different kind of pacing, it would be boring. Taking away all the excitement of the leveling up, the battles and new achievements he can unlock, Solo Leveling is just like any other run-of-the-mill anime being released these days. It hits all the basic narrative touchpoints while incorporating stereotypical goals to be reached – namely that a young, weak boy defies the odds and fulfils a supernatural prophecy.

The reason why we’re so enthused by the show and can’t wait to devour season 2 is its dynamism. Obviously, the big mystery of why Jinwoo is still showing as an E-rank that’s incredibly tantalising, but the small wins are just as heart-stopping.

Other hunters are now starting to see Jinwoo as a real threat, and that’s thanks to him being thrown into the deep end head first.

We’ve finally got an anime that’s really challenging the system it's set for itself, and that’s challenging us in turn.

The next episode has never been needed more when we’ve been charged through a deadly, violent mission at full pelt, almost always resulting in more questions than answers. Jinwoo hardly knows how to handle what’s being thrown at him, but the fact he can hold on by the tips of his fingers makes watching any scene in Solo Leveling remarkable.

If Jinwoo can keep up with being in the thick of the action, so can we. It’s time we respected Solo Leveling Season 2 for what it’s giving us – a blood-rushing, pulse-raising adventure that’s showing no signs of slowing down.

Solo Leveling season 2 is available to watch on Crunchyroll.

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