Permit me to say this but this is one of the most interesting anime I've watched so far.
People have been telling me about Soul Levelling. Well, actually I'm not the kind of person that pressure affects.
I wasn't in a hungry to watch the movie, I kept doing my stuff😁
Now, how did I decide to watch it? It all started on a slow weekend scroll, Netflix and Crunchyroll packed with anime trailers and memes. Then I stumbled on Solo Leveling, tagged as the highest-rated anime in Crunchyroll history and “Anime of the Year.” Big claims—but what grabbed me was the breakfast clip: A defenseless hunter suddenly bursting with power, shadows swirling, dark and electric.
Actually what pulled me into this anime was the dark powers around it. Never could I have guessed I'll be so captivated. I really love good movies.
The story is set in a world where monsters are attacking and people with supernatural powers, called hunters, are protecting humanity. In walks the weakest among them all, Sung Jin-Woo. He is the only E-rank hunter, practically powerless, with maintenance quests being the only way he manages to survive.
All this is reversed when he successfully comes out of a deadly double dungeon. He is not killed, but is turned into a participant of some kind of unknown System. He is suddenly able to level up, become stronger and have shadow powers. Since then, he has changed, not only to defend his mother and sister but to fight monsters that are well beyond the power of mortals. His quest is escalating in order to become the Shadow Monarch, a god-like creature on the boundary of human abilities
When I heard that very first dungeon theme, I was getting goosebumps. In more than 25 episodes I was swept along on a tidal wave of tension and triumph, laughter and loss. I was amused by the stumbling first steps of leadership on the part of Jin-Woo.
I cheered when he finally punched through walls. And some scenes like his reunion with his mother tore my heart. One Reddit fan said:
“This moment… was a moment of victory… not weakness. I think this moment made him more human.”
That single moment, his tears landed harder than dozens of battles.
According to one critic, A-1 did not simply animate it; they made it come to life to the point where the still manhwa art was transformed into a powerful, glorious showpiece
And it does. According to Reddit enthusiasts, its ambiance and its impact are unquestionable, despite the fact that CGI antagonists say it is style rather than content.
But honestly? I would prefer breathtaking animation with cool vibe any day
It was not the monsters that amazed me the most, it was the development of Jin-Woo.
He begins as an unconfident, demeaned, burdened family man. But the more powerful he is, the more complex he is. He is hungry to guard, yet might cost something. His humanity is being eroded by every win. One blog pointed out how voice actor Aleks Le brought more emotional character to Jin-Woo than the manhwa did, particularly in dangerous situations such as his first kill.
Even minor characters such as Cha Hae-In and Yoo Jinho are full of personality. Gun-hee, the president of the association, does not sound as a mere bureaucrat with voice work adding layers to his character.
There are a lot of things portrayed in this movie such as example
Power and Responsibility: A lot of shows address this, but Solo Leveling escalates it to such personal levels. Each and every floor, each battle alters Jin-Woo. That twinkle in his eye as the System refers to him as the Shadow Monarch? It is terrifying and breathtaking at the same time.
Family as Motivator: At the beginning of the story, Jin-Woo is fighting for mom and sister, plain and pure motive. No glory, no glory, but love. The time when they find their lives back? It is a sense of gratification.
Man vs. God: He becomes god-like. But the more powerful he is, the further away he is. He is even afraid to lose himself. Reddit wrote about how Jin-Woo confesses that his humanity is slipping away . The series is emotionally supported by that battle, human vs monarch.
As episode 25 rolled to an end I sat in silence for a long time.
I thought about the price of power. Jin-Woo’s tears felt earned because they revealed someone who cared—who feared slipping away from love.
I found some of myself in him. The segment that aspires to get to the next level. The segment that desires to defend. And the other side that fears to lose control.
Solo Leveling helped me realize that strength is more than that which you are fighting against- and even more importantly, who you are trying to defend. It brought to my mind that power may flower, but not strangle what it is to be human.
Season 3 will be released in January 2026, and the story remains to be further developed (up to four seasons overall).
In the future, there will be even greater shadows of war, more events in the world, perhaps even moral flips.
I cannot wait. Not only to the battles, but to the emotional stakes which remain fresh.
Thumbnail is designed by me on pixelLab and other images are screenshot from the movie