Solo Leveling Season 2 – Much Better Than I Expected

Solo Leveling Season 2 was not something I was hyped about, not at all, considering my feelings on Season 1. It was a solid power fantasy with the perfect protagonist for every weak male to self-insert into, which is fine. However, in the past 10 years, we’ve had a LOT of shows that did this trope much better, so I was not impressed. It didn’t help that I was watching Shangri-La Frontier at the time, which, for me, did everything Solo Leveling was trying but WAY better. Well, season 2 was a solid step up, although the core issue remains unsolved.

My Biggest Issue with Solo Leveling Remains; Sung Jinwoo

I get it; Sung Jinwoo is the biggest badass out there; he gets all the girls; he’s the sexiest, strongest, and blablabla. I understood that ever since he went through a complete physical transformation, evolving from a wimpy kid into a gigachad with shredded abs and 10 more inches to his height. That’s the entire point of his character. But the way the narrative beats you over the head with this information is rather suffocating. All the girls instantly fall in love, one girl that HATES the smell of all hunters finds his fragrance appealing, the monsters instantly notice that he’s the most dangerous opponent, and so on.

I get it; Sung Jinwoo is the most badass man to walk the planet. Understood. The other part of my issue with this character is how BLAND AND BORING HE IS. IS HIS ONLY DEFINING TRAIT BEING A BADASS? NOTHING ELSE???? I swear to God his shadow soldiers have more personality than him. Even as a kid, when I read the Solo Leveling manhwa, I found him totally dull. Naturally, he has to be drained of personality so that people can self-insert themselves, but come on. The biggest wasted potential is not having him corrupted by his shadow powers. Or at least make them affect his personality, because we see tidbits of that. Him being more open to killing people and being ruthless at times. But this happens VERY rarely ever to affect him as a character and spur any kind of growth or change in direction for his story. It’s boring.

The Action Doesn’t Disappoint

The first season of Solo Leveling was ok, in terms of animation. It was not bad or anything; the fights just felt very bland. As stated before, Shangri-La Frontier had similar fights but shown in a MUCH MORE SPECTACULAR FASHION. Solo Leveling Season 2, however, is a lot more visually captivating now that we have Sung Jinwoo’s shadow soldiers. They are a treat to look at, and even though I was scared they’d use CGI for them (they do for some), it still looks very impressive.

Their movement, the way Jinwoo summons them, their attacks, it’s all very crips and fluid, especially for Igris and Iron and the other “unique” shadows; they get special treatment. AND WE FINALLY SEE SOME TAGTEAM ACTION WITH JINWOO AND HIS SHADOWS. The dude is a necromancer/assassin who is also absurdly powerful. Yeah, that’s cool and all, but I want to see him USE HIS MINIONS. And he does, in most battles he utilizes his minions and his other powers, everything he has at his disposal, to kill the enemy. He isn’t just one-shotting everyone the Gates throw at him, and the fight choreography, especially in the Ice Elf battle, is absolutely amazing.

Is Solo Leveling Season 2 Worth Watching?

I will keep this short because I think I made my points pretty clear and concise. This season is much better than the first one. We already know everything about the system, how it works, how Sung Jinwoo levels up, gains items, and everything in between. We also get a lot more worldbuilding, lore about the Gates and the monsters, the approaching significant threat, and some minor side character development, which is barely noticeable, but it’s there.

Suppose you enjoyed the first sea and love the second one. It uses a very bland foundation and builds a solid power fantasy on top of it. Sung Jinwoo is still cool and badass, but now his quirky minions also get their time in the spotlight, which is greatly appreciated. However, I would still recommend Shangri-La Frontier, which has a second season out right now, as does everything this show tries to do, but WAY better.

If you’re looking for more anime recommendations, head over to our Anime Reviews section, or check out some new manga.