Potential Unlocked: ‘Solo Leveling’ Episodes 1-2 Review

They say whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, but that’s not the case for the world’s weakest hunter Sung Jinwoo. After being brutally slaughtered by monsters in a high-ranking dungeon, Jinwoo came back with the System, a program only he could see, that’s leveling him up in every way. Now, he’s inspired to discover the secrets behind his powers and the dungeon that spawned them. Crunchyroll, in collaboration with Aniplex, is bringing the world the eagerly awaited anime adaptation of the Korean manhwa sensation, Solo Leveling. The series will make its global debut on Crunchyroll’s streaming platform on January 6, 2024 and will reach viewers across 200 territories. A big thanks to Crunchyroll for the early access! Here’s a mostly spoiler free review for the first two episodes of one of Winter 2024 Anime’s most anticipated series!

Episode One: The very first episode of Solo Leveling does not start with our protagonist but instead leans more into the camaraderie of the hunters–individuals who are blessed with battle prowess in fighting and defeating monsters in the dungeons that appear in this world after a gate opens. This decision was probably meant to help introduce audiences to the world building that is the world that Jinwoo, a hunter of the lowest rank, is considered the “Weakest Hunter of All Mankind”–resides. I felt this was an interesting choice in the narrative to make as audiences don’t get to connect with Sung Jinwoo, our protagonist first, but he is soon o…