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Solo Levelingfans are starting to show disappointment with the way some things are being adapted in the current Jeju Island arc. This is one of the most popular arcs in the manhwa, so there are expectations that it will deliver the best ofSolo Levelingin the anime.
However, as Season 2 advances, there seems to be more and more dissatisfaction in the fandom. While it is normal for fans to complain about a few things now and then, these complaints seem to be becoming more frequent. For now, it is no big issue, though.
Jinwoo Vs. Ryuji Goto: “Where’s the contrast”?
The Jeju Island arc introduces many Japanese hunters to the story, who join the Raid Party created to clear the S-Rank Gate on the island. Seeing that Jinwoo is strong, Goto, the strongest hunter in Japan, begins to suspect that he might be a mage-type hunter and wants to challenge him to test that.
While the manhwa shows thatJinwoo is clearly strongerthan Goto, a few things were changed in the anime to make it look like their power difference is smaller. As a result, the scene in which Jinwoo defends himself from an attack lost almost all of its impact.
On Reddit,one user commented thatthey understand the reasons, but didn’t like the scene:
Honestly this is one scene I did like better in the manhwa. The fight definitely was cut short and not near as intense. I get they had to get things going for the raid, but still.
They also noted that, in the anime, Goto doesn’t seem to get scared of Jinwoo, as he does in the manhwa. However, some think this change actually adds to the plot, asanother user stated on Reddit:
Anime Onlys shouldn’t read this: The anime opted to not have this moment be definitively SJW’s overwhelming win. Not gonna lie, I actually think it works better in the anime. It keeps Goto relevant for anime onlys, and it’ll be even more hype when Beru no diffs Goto only to get no diffed by SJW afterward. The anime hinted just enough that SJW is stronger than Goto by catching his hand and Goto inner monologuing surprise that his hand was caught rather than the wrist, but anime onlys don’t know just how big the gap between the two is.
Anotherone added:
One of the most annoying things in the manhwa was how quickly S-ranks in general became irrelevant and got powercrept hard, so I’m glad the anime was able to hype them up even just a little
Goto was supposedly the second strongest in Asia behind Liu, and probably a top 5 regular S-rank (non-national) hunter in the world, and him immediately getting disrespected in his first fight against SJW immediately shows how quickly irrelevant S-ranks became in the story.
A third one also stated that, while toning it down may not be bad, they didn’t like the episode that much:
I agree with most people that it’s good they toned down Jin-Woo during the fight to add build up, but this was by far my least favorite episode in the series even including season 1.
Are Fans Overreacting to Episode 10?
For those who were eager to see the manhwa sequence adapted into the anime, it may be disappointing that it was adapted differently. If the change is meant to add to the plot, then it could be a good one. However, some fans noted that the anime is alsosoftening issues related to the Japanese hunters, who arenot portrayed in a good light in both the novel and manhwa, as one user stated:
It’s not that deep fam, they wanted to make Goto likeable I mean he is Japanese and obv anime is made in Japan also you’re able to notice there is not a single word about Japan plan to betray Korean hunters.
What’s Next for Solo Leveling?
Sung Jinwoo declined to join the raid in order to help his mom at home, butthings are getting worse on Jeju Island, with the ants evolving, which demands new strategies. While he trusts the other S-Rank hunters will be able to handle the situation, the team is having trouble there.
Solo Levelingis available to stream on Crunchyroll, subbed and dubbed in many languages.
Solo Leveling
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A-1 Pictures' Solo Leveling is an anime based on Chugong’s popular web novel. Set in an unforgiving fantasy world where hunters explore dungeons filled with monsters, the vulnerable Sung Jinwoo gains a significant power boost after he is picked to be a solo player by the System.
