FIF#202-Solo Leveling

Ten years ago, portals to another dimension changed the world forever.  Now society thrives on Dungeon Raids against monsters and only specially chosen individuals are capable of protecting mankind from certain destruction.  Sung Jinwoo is one of these chosen few, one of the lowest ranked.  Then during a disastrous raid on a special dungeon, Jinwoo is chosen by a new kind of power, one that will enable him to finally level up and finally become more than just a hinderance to raiding parties. 

 
The only reason I know what Solo Leveling even is is thanks to stores like Wal Mart and Target having an overabundance of the Webtoon Comic on their shelves.  I’d glanced at it, really liked the art, but never wanted to give it a shot (not like I’m reading a lot of Manga these days anyway).  But being so readily available means it must be doing something right and that’s bound to be the case now that A-1 Pictures is delivering an Anime adaptation.  This has made Solo Leveling one of the earliest most anticipated Anime of 2024.  Does the first episode offer promise that the studio behind Sword Art Online will have another megahit on their hands.
 
I’ll be honest, knowing virtually nothing about Solo Leveling, I had no idea what to expect when it came to the world and action.  The world is probably the most fascinating part of the first episode (other than the clearly gorgeous animation).  It’s a place where, if you’re lucky enough, you can become a living, breathing JMMORPG character with skills and powers to fight monsters in two different planes of existence.  It’s become such a natural thing for this world that an entire economy has blossomed around it.  Guilds are now mega corporations and scientists are looking to retrofit magical energy into a new kind of less hazardous clean energy.  Some questions still linger like why haven’t these gates been permanently dealt with and is the world in a hurry to do so?  Given the plans some have in store for their valuables and riches, the answer to the latter is probably no.
 
It's easy to see why Solo Leveling’s adaptation has been handed off to A-1 Pictures.  There’s SAO vibes all over it, even if this isnt a full Issekai.  From the character designs to the Monsters to the reliance on large parties to tackle dungeons, this is the kind of stuff A-1 can do in its sleep (and should tie them over until whatever they have next for SAO).  While the premiere can feel like standard fare, it’s the last five minutes that offer the most.  Suddenly, a standard raid turns deadly and some of the action gets pretty gruesome and scary as hell.  If nothing else, the cliffhanger ending makes me wonder how the heck a series can even continue with the characters poised to be the central focus when theyre up against such an overwhelming force that literally cleaved a party member in half?
 
It's easy to see why Solo Leveling has been so heavily anticipated and the first episode succeeds on two fronts: First, I have to see how the hell Jinwoo escapes that disastrous death trap and Two, I kind of wanna start reading the Webtoon Graphic Novels now.  I guess Target has been trying to tell me silently for months that I’ve been missing out on the next big thing. Might as well investigate further.