The plot is very intriguing. The synopsis alone is one that tickles my guilty pleasure for badass fight scenes, character development, and world building. I'm a sucker for weak MCs turned heroes so I was hoping this anime was for me.
If you take a closer look at Solo Leveling, there's not much effort being afforded to anything else besides visually appealing characters and flashy battle scenes. Behind all of that, it's just your typical isekai. This is the type of anime that I can "turn off my brain" to while watching. I can already tell that character development is going to be almost non-existent or forced. I mean, what happened between episode 4 and 5? Why the sudden mood shift from the MC? Why wasn't it written so that right after he wakes up from his coma, he becomes cold? Instead he continues his innocent and naive self and then out of the blue (between episodes 4 and 5) just "Yeah. I'm an intellect now and everybody is ignorant to the happenings inside the gates but I know better because look at me, I have abs now." Lol I'm just hating but the fact that he wasn't devastated by what happened when he woke up kind of lessened the impact of what he just went through. Was it just me feeling this way? It doesn't make any sense. There's so many instances of quick 180s like this that tells me the story is only going hit quotas on badass fight scenes and art style but the quality is going to take a hit in developing the world and its characters. And that's where I draw the line. I can deal with it being fast paced but when the story's not there, I don't have it in me to ride it out. This is the formula on how we get generic isekais.
Anywho, another aspects of this world that really peeved me are the gates. Why are the portals protected by construction barriers and insufficient security? These things can cause dragon level threats (OPM ftw) and they're being held back by wooden posts? Bruh. Are you starting to see what I'm saying when the story is lacking in everything besides hot girls and guys and fireballs and lightning spears? For some reason, this dispels the illusion that this story is as well written as everybody says it to be.
As of episode 5, there isn't really anything that tells me what's so unique about this anime. I don't understand the hype that was sounding through the anime community. But I know I'm just hating since there's only been a couple of episodes so I'll give this anime the benefit of the doubt and continue watching it. If it exceeds my expectations, I'll do the walk of shame by deleting my review. Thank you.
