Lack of hype??

The reason of SL's manhwa being loved is the quality of artwork

1- Solo Levelling isn’t remotely as popular in Japan

2- It’s also not remotely as popular in the west if you compare with shit like Chainsaw an JJK lmao

3- The production is very average to say the best, so there’s not much to be hyped about in the first place

Solo Leveling literally got 2nd (2021) and 6th (2022) in AnimeJapan "Series We Want To Get Adapted Into Anime" polls.

Why DOES this have the hype it has? Genuine question, specifically directed towards the people who ARE hyped.

It's the most anticipated non-sequel show of the season by far, and I see that the manhwa was a big deal, too. But I didn't see anything in the trailers and the synopsis that really make this stand out.

What makes Solo Leveling special? From what I can tell, the best thing about it is the fights. Is that the one thing carrying the whole manhwa? Or are there other things to like, like interesting worldbuilding/power system, cool characters, intriguing mystery or an emotional story?

What are the anime that Solo Leveling is the closest to? Sword Art Online? Jujutsu Kaisen? God of High School?

@perseii

Unfortunately it has absolutely none of those things.

And in terms of anime it's closest to your run of the mill Isekai story with an OP MC, albeit one who's much more edgy and cold.

If you like power fantasy or revenge fantasy where the main character constantly encounters overconfident morons and destroys them, you'll like Solo Leveling. There isn't much else to enjoy, although I hear they're making some changes.

Csm was extremely hyped since its announcement but we all know how it went later on. Kny wasnt popular until the hype erupted after ep 19. Solo leveling is pretty popular and generated a significant amount of hype during its announcement and trailer release. I guess the marketing is a bit lacking but people will get hyped again eventually once the anime starts.
Btw the manhwa was popular for its art. The story wasn't that bad though. Let's see if the anime can capture those moment.

@FZREMAKE That's more like a bubble effect.
KnY had a strong start. I was in Japan by the end of July and at World Cosplay Summit there was a lot of KnY cosplayers around, ufotable café was full on KnY mode, and you could see all things around there indicating it was a successful anime before ep 19 (which would air at Aug 10th).
Growth on MAL was solid overall, without being treated as mid/unpopular before 19 nor getting a huge influx of members right after it.
If anything, there was an extra dose of hype among influencers due how pretty 19 was, but that was it.

And I guess you're right about SL.
If I'm to add anything, it got extra attention on manga sites because it hits very hard male teens demographic, which snowballed into being even more popular and sought by that public.

This will probably end up as the the largest member anime starting this season (but I don't think it'll catch up to Frieren), albeit I don't think it'll do great in terms of score with that animation.

@gleamingcobra That description kind of confirms my suspicions.

I was just surprised because this one in particular looked like it was getting hyped way more than other similar shows. Maybe being the best in that group is enough to rocket it to the top of MAL's seasonal anime chart. Or maybe there just aren't any other "huge" shows in Winter 2024 that can take its place.