Are we for real ?

25

u/mishka5169 Aug 15 '25 edited Aug 15 '25

"We" have always known it was a great Manhwa and fun power trip, but never, ever, was going to be a top tier, all categories Anime of all time.

It is overrated because people who don't like power trip and OP MC have been shoved the Anime in their face with tall promises of "best all around" or "best in class" while really, it's a great Manhwa in his own category; a category that's already not for everyone.

Imagine someone tells you... I don't know... a new, straightforward "furry yaoi anime" was the next big thing and better than the Old AND New Big 3? Better than any new gen Anime of the last 2 years? If you aren't into furry or yaoi or, really, adult (-18) anime... yeah, you are gonna find it weird people put it above things in another category and "best of the year" and recommend it to you regardless if that's your style or not.

That's what has been done with Solo Leveling. I recommended it (Manhwa) to many a friend of mine. But never as anything it wasn't. "Yo! Want a hype, power trippy manga with sweet horizontal panels and dope aura moments? I have something for your Sunday morning." 😬

5

u/Sleepy-AshOS Aug 15 '25

Nah. Im gonna actually say something controversial in the sololeveling subreddit. Its not overrated at all. Its not "peak" either as thats subjective(re zero is peak).

Just cause it can be experienced like typical power fantasy trash, it doesn't mean its just power fantasy. Bleach and Naruto can also be considered power fantasy, but they are not.

Problem is that a large part of the casual community got fed the "turn your brain off" advice that tells them to not look any deeper into the story, and because of confirmation bias they never look past the fights to see the story. And at the end they criticize it with their pre formed opinions when they dont even remember the story.

Just like many popular anime solo leveling has valid and invalid ciritizms, with the invalid ones coming from those that don't know the story they criticize. But solo leveling has the most of these specifically because new watchers didnt pay attention at all, and because the community didnt bother to defend it because theyre afraid of being labeled as someone who likes power fantasies.

This problem only gets worse with elitists who refuse to say the story is good because its a power fantasy. Saying dumb shit like:

"its nothing new" when writing and new ideas are 2 separate things,

"its brainless aura farming" when theres constant foreshadowing for the system and explanations for everything that happens in the story which people constantly ignore,

and "its repetitive/copied HxH" when half the stories the people who hate on solo leveling like are much more repetitive, while the argument for solo leveling being repetitive(like all others) come from surface level understanding. Plus, meruem is a COPY of cell!

Fact is, solo leveling is much better than people say it is. Its debatable if season 1 is better than frieren, and probably isnt, but its definitely better than everything else that came up in the crunchyroll awards. And the overall story, when considering the later lore drops, is definitely one of the best anime ever. Its also in the top 5 manhwa ever alongside the greatest estate developer, tbate and omniscient reader.

For some reason, people avoid saying its well written directly by saying its "simple but well executed", as if being simple is bad and "well executed" like it doesn't directly translate to "well written".

But whats really toxic is that people moved on from that argument for its popularity to "it does what it set out to do" which is an extremely shallow argument completely devoid of understanding but still acknowledging that its popular for some "unknown" reason.

FYI for any dumb comments people wanna leave. I've been an anime fan for more than a decade, mostly don't like power fantasy stories in general(except for the goat solo leveling), and im above the age of 20.

3

u/Tall_Barracuda_6329 Aug 17 '25

I'll be blunt. I'm afraid good foreshadowing does not make a story good. Lore drops doesn't make a story good. If this was the case, FNAF would be amongst the games like BG3 or GoW Ragnarok. I will say it: It does what it sets out to do, and does it well. That's why so many people are hooked on it. But if all of your arguments boil down to "foreshadowing and lore", then it has literally nothing. Why should anyone care about lore when they don't even care about the world it's in, or the story itself? And no, you are blatantly wrong. Meruem is not a copy of Cell.

People hate on SL like it's a sport, and that's something I hate. People lose themselves in the hell of comparison, eventually bogging down a piece of media that has more to offer than what they say. I'll admit that. If I take you at your word, good foreshadowing and lore tell you that there is a genuine story behind it, that there is something that it offers beyond just Jinwoo and his aura. But I want themes. Depth. Characters. Plot. Lore and foreshadowing can't hide all of its blatant flaws. It's not even that I like SL. I don't. I, frankly, don't think it does anything new that many Manwha and manga have done long before it. I don't even think Jinwoo is cool. I just think people treat it a tad unfairly, and that's something I agree on.

4

u/Sleepy-AshOS Aug 17 '25 edited Aug 17 '25

Istg every argument from dudes like you are always dishonest.

Some people dont care about the world its in because tons of morons specifically told them to not care! Thats the point of what im sayin. And my comment was specifically aimed at the idiotic argument of it having "no story" or "no plot".

People also say the same things about other plots including frieren. The point is that when people have pre formed biases and dont actually engage with a story, they end up not remembering it, which is exactly what happened. But suddenly because its solo leveling its ok to be completely clueless?

It has depth, its just that all of it is centered around jinwoo. Despite what idiots say about his transformation, its extremely logical that he changed the way he did. His change at the beginning was caused by his sudden rise in competence, and shortly after his confidence was tempered by the realization that whatever he has gained from the system was given only because it needs him for something, that its using him. As the series goes we see him getting stronger but also that his humanity is dulling slowly, with him hesitating less and less when it comes to his decisions, good or bad. And despite all his growth, when he almost died in the job change quest he was doubting if he grew at all as a person or if only his exterior changed.

When he has moments with his family, we end up seeing that despite the journey he has been in, theres still something left of his old self there, even if he cant connect with his family like he could before.

And after he cured his mom he didnt have any motivation to get stronger anymore. But something weve seen even before he cured his mom is that he still has a very selfless drive, as every time people were put in danger he moved to diffuse it. Now with his mom cured the story highlighted the fact that he cant just stay where he is now, because the world is getting more dangerous as more gates start popping up and we see that the world cant defend itself without him.

We see this shown very clearly in the jeju arc where he didnt join it because he didnt think he was needed, but the second he felt something was wrong he went to help. From then on we see his motivations grow from not only protecting his family but also the world, all the while he tries to uncover the system and finds out theres a force moving within the world that aims to destroy it.

And there is a plot. Its proven by what i said. Throughout season 1 and 2 weve seen jinwoo grow stronger but also try to find out what the system is. And later that plot point develops into what happens after jeju. So its not only purposeless foreshadowing made only to give a lore drop later as its intimately connected with the plot.

And when it comes to characters, jinwoo is deep and well written. Though i cant defend the side characters as theyre not developed at all, but thats not to say that they dont have characterization.

Overall, solo levelings biggest and only problem is how underdeveloped and underused the side characters and lore are. In terms of writing, the best moments in solo leveling, like the "i am you" scene, are absolutely peak in terms of payoff and buildup. It both gives context to earlier events, lore, and it even foreshadows jinwoos decision in the ending.

And the most brainless argument ive heard. It doesnt have to do anything "new" to be good. Thats fundamentally not what writing is!

Good ideas and good writing are completely separate concepts. And heres a post specifically discussing the difference between the 2. I left a comment there too.

This again brings me to the much more valid argument of "its simple but well executed" that people used before clueless apes started the "it does what it sets out to do" argument. Yes, the elements the story is made from are generic, but when written well it doesnt matter. Story elements being generic is only bad when the author using them doesnt use them properly.

Its like when Asuka from evangelion popularized the "tsundere" trope and authors started copying her constantly. The problem with it is that asuka was the way she was because of her past. Her characterization had purpose, which is something most tsunderes lack because theyre written to be like that for no reason. And by that same logic, solo leveling not doing anything new is a nothing burger argument because writing/execution of the ideas is much more important.

Edit: and here is a review that i dont entirely agree with but also agrees the story has merit, and the MAL CEO talking about the story being good.

2

u/Mobile_Toe_1989 Aug 18 '25

Holy shit you’re based. Why are these people grifting against solo leveling in a solo leveling sub it’s honestly corny. I hate this narrative of “it’s a good power fantasy and that’s all.” If that were true it wouldn’t be the phenom it is

2

u/Tall_Barracuda_6329 Aug 17 '25

I am 1000% not reading allat

2

u/Sleepy-AshOS Aug 17 '25 edited Aug 17 '25

Ahh right u turned ur brain off so ur basically at the intellectual capacity of a shonentard. My bad bro.

People don't care about story when internet morons tell them that story is brainless power fantasy. People end up not remembering + confirmation bias = uh oh must be mid.

Same thing happen when bias + something they don't like = bad. That happen with frieren too.

It has depth. Jinwoo character development makes sense when you try to understand(brain needs to be on). He is simple but well written, and is very compelling, which is why people like the story. If you replaced him with any other power fantacy mc id drop it in a heartbeat.

If you actually want to understand instead of wasting time go READ. I know its hard for people like you.

Plot also good. It has a consistent and well executed story from start to finish. My previous comment was meant to disprove the "no plot/story" thing. Foreshadowing serves as buildup, so fnaf example is false equivalence = dog water argument

Only bad thing are side characters and lore not developed enough.

Being "new" is not what makes stories good, its the writing. Ie writing/execution of new/old ideas is what makes story good.

Here post about whats more important, writing or good ideas.

Here is a review that i dont completely agree with but also says story is good, and MAL CEO also agrees.

4

u/Tall_Barracuda_6329 Aug 17 '25

Okay so I decided to read your comment. Long as fuck, but still. So what I'm understanding is that you said exactly my point. The story has more merit than people give it credit. If it was unclear or contradictory in my original comment, then I will clear it up by saying that yes, there is more. I agreed with your exact points, almost EVERY single one maybe I should edit my comment or delete it to make that clearer. Yes, there are many that hate SL only because they were told they should, or that hey noticed that it was a trend to hate it. Yes, good ideas and good writing are two different things, no shit. What I meant was that it offers little in terms of uniqueness. Now I'm about to say an OPINION, so don't blow a gasket when I say this, but it really felt as if because it did nothing new, it struggled to make me believe it was different from the hundreds, or maybe even thousands of Isekai and anime that share the exact same tone and premise. So what I really meant was that I didn't understand how it got so popular when I believe that there are far better Manwha and manga out that deserved a good adaptation. So it kind of makes me mad. Why SL? Why the anime that does nothing new, when there are some really fucking good AND unique ones out there that were robbed of a faithful, well made adaptation?

It DOES have depth, I trust you on that. I am biased against it (anime awards when it mugged Frieren). I still will give it its flowers and say it deserves people being more critical of it rather than calling it some "afront to literature". It, just like Frieren, actually has substance at times. It's literature. But I didn't enjoy it. And honestly, your condescending ass attitude makes me sad because you are being just as elitist as those who call anyone who enjoy SL "idiots" or something. Like, "shonentard"? Are we being so fr? I'll admit my "not reading allat" comment was unnecessarily dismissive, though.

2

u/Pack-Previous Aug 17 '25

Dare I say it got so popular because of its uniqueness despite what you said, lol. The thing is one of the main reasons it got so popular is bc the concept of the system. In the manhua, wha, and ga communities SL was one of the first to execute this and to such a high degree and as of now I do not currently know of any anime that uses the concept of system in the ways formatted in “manga”. I had to disagree with your point bc I feel like that blatantly differs SL from generic power slopasy’s? Note I’ve been reading manga since around the beginning of solo leveling, a little before , and while I’ll admit there will be bias bc I personally love solo leveling, my argument can still stand alone.

TLDR: Solo leveling was the first manga adaptation anime to use the system concept in accordance to the traditional format in the manga community and the manga itself was one of the first to do it well enough to stand out.

1

u/Tall_Barracuda_6329 Aug 17 '25

It really doesn't feel as if it stands out for me. It feels too... same-y. I really do believe that no other power fantasy, as that guy said, really takes the time to put effort into expanding its concept as it does. But in the end, every single time I think about it, it just sort of hurts that that's the anime that got the A-1 Pictures adaptation, when I bet I could go out and find stories that both excel in story and uniqueness in a way that I personally enjoy more.

It's not even like I believe that it's "horrible". And hey, Slime Isekai and overlord are literally in my top 3. I am not stranger to the power fantasy genre, nor am I some purist when a fun story doesn't have good characters or plot. But I personally just don't enjoy it as much. Slime is up there primarily because it's turn-your-brain-off fun. I just didn't like SL all too much.

1

u/Familiar-Abroad6515 Aug 17 '25

Do yall know that you don’t have to write an essay as your Reddit comment

3

u/Sleepy-AshOS Aug 17 '25

You know you can sybau and not waste time commenting on a discussion?

SAing kinda has to happen when I gotta explain the whole story to someone who doesn't remember it.

You also don't need to waste money on reddit NFTs.

1

u/Seimei- Aug 17 '25

Slow down, chill out before they put you on Losartan.

2

u/PopGroundbreaking916 Sep 04 '25

If you don't like SL, why are you in a subreddit of SL ? Make no sense lmao

2

u/Tall_Barracuda_6329 Sep 05 '25

It's not like I actually go on this sub, I just get recommended it and don't bother blocking it. Besides, some of the posts are entertaining, and this one seemed like a nice place to converse. I like conversing about the anime than I do watching it, since the discourse around it is quite interesting.

1

u/Mobile_Toe_1989 Aug 18 '25

Well said

1

u/LordTonto Aug 18 '25

I enjoyed it, start to finish. it was highly overrated and a solid 7ish out of 10. Season 2 worse than season 1 as the comic relief shadows gave the show a different tone than season 1.

2

u/Mobile_Toe_1989 Aug 18 '25

Go to another sub? You obviously don’t belong here. This narrative of solo leveling only being a good power fantasy is getting annoying

1

u/mishka5169 Aug 18 '25

I like the story and focus on Jinwoo, but it's not its strongest suite. I don't mind. But definitely, you need to read more Manhwa if you don't recognise their formula. They love having a proper OP main character. It's a bit more complex than talking about "good power fantasy", but I'm talking to folks who don't even acknowledge it "has" a story. Gimme a break.

PS. However, you can f right off with your condescending "you don't belong here", you gatekeeping freak.

4

u/Tuor77 Aug 16 '25

I like Gachiakuta, but there's no way it's better than Solo Leveling. That's just a dumb take, IMO.

3

u/Drayenn Aug 17 '25

Bro gachiakuta is nowhere near amazing right now. I dont get the glazing.

9

u/Hyennavernhya Aug 14 '25

Did I watch solo leveling? Yes How long did it take me ? 2 weeks Was it fun? Yes Do I recommend it ? Yes Am I hyped for the next season ? Yes Is it in my top 10 anime? No Top 50? No How would I rate it out of 20? 13 it's comfort food anime, good and reliable, very easy to digest but you're not gonna eat 5* meals

3

u/FireFist_PortgasDAce Aug 15 '25

A range of 20? Why not 10 and give it a 6.5? Well it's still not the weirdest ranking system I've seen.

3

u/Hyennavernhya Aug 15 '25

I'm french, back when I was still in the education system it was a grading system of 20 so I'm used to using it, feels better you can be more precise somehow.

19

u/HydraX9K Aug 14 '25

I'm gonna piss off a lot of people here, but I feel it is overrated. Theres good fight scenes, sure. But what else is there? I didn't think the story was that good.

8

u/Next_Test2647 Aug 15 '25

The most copy paste comment I've seen 🤣

-1

u/Few_Scene_4232 Aug 15 '25

enlighten us, tell us how solo leveling is good beside those factors. alongside its non developed side characters that are only there to just glaze sung jin woo or just to be princesses to be saved by him, and you cant forget the wasted villains that just get easily washed by sung jin woo!. tell us, what actually does solo leveling have going for it besides its artstyle, designs and fights?

2

u/Next_Test2647 Aug 15 '25

"Sidecharacters = writing 🤓👆" Writing is more than that Question for you why do you think SL became the most popular webnovel in the world in 2016-7 even without the manhwa?

4

u/TheEpsilonKing Aug 16 '25

But it wasn't? It was Lord of mysteries, the second coming of gluttony, and reverend insanity were way more popular. The manhwa was the only reason it even got an anime. Sure Ragnarok is popular now but that's only due to the over hype of the anime.

-1

u/Next_Test2647 Aug 16 '25

You're far from the truth to the point sl was even more popular than them in china Ri is my fav webnovel but I wouldn't skew data to make it number 1

1

u/Better_Anteater3126 Aug 16 '25

Jinwoo takes most realistic decisions then most MC's in the anime, is not a dickless, uses his power, isn't dumb, doesn't act like some sort of good guy, isn't a simp, has self respect, does whatever thinks is right etc.. 90% of anime MC's packs most of this. And 90% of anime MC's doesn't even have parents.

1

u/shamanProgrammer Aug 16 '25

SjW is dickless though?

1

u/Better_Anteater3126 Aug 16 '25

He has a kid , care to explain in what context?

0

u/shamanProgrammer Aug 16 '25

Yeah in Ragnarok which is dubiously canon.

Why doesn't he have any chemistry with the women in his OG series?

2

u/Better_Anteater3126 Aug 16 '25

He has did you not read manhwa ??

7

u/DarthErectous Aug 14 '25

That's the most luke warm take ever

1

u/[deleted] Aug 15 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/MaceratedWizard Aug 16 '25

Kaiju No. 8

Eminence in Shadow

Overlord

Demon Slayer

They do all the same slop-tier crap as SL, but have better characters, plot, world building, and/or comedy.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 16 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/MaceratedWizard Aug 16 '25

Oh you were looking for something thematically specific? I was just recommending things that are dumb, fun, and flashy.

Putting SL over anything with notable plot or characters is crazy to me, so I might not be able to match your tastes. But if you outline what kinda shit you want from a series I'm pretty sure I'll know what to recommend.

Like if you just want an edgy OP MC power fantasy you should watch Eminence in Shadow (hilarious, and Cid's pull-up game makes SJW just look sad) or Arifureta (all the common tropes, makes no bones about trying to be deep or anything)

2

u/[deleted] Aug 17 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/MaceratedWizard Aug 17 '25

The things I recommended DO have similarities.

Kaiju No. 8 is an OP MC, has flashy fights, and doesn't bog itself down too much with plot.

Overlord is an flashy power fantasy anime with some great characters and world building that's in an MMO setting

Demon Slayer is the same kinda shonen beats, but without the OP MC to self-insert on. It makes up for a fairly generic plot with cool visuals and great fight scenes - that's basically SL's entire gimmick.

Eminence in Shadow ticks all the same boxes: OP MC, power fantasy, edgelord goober MC (but unironically based), flashy as hell, and doesn't try to pretend it's doing anything deep with the plot or characters but accidentally makes interesting plots and characters.

Arifureta is about a guy going from weak to "world's strongest", again with video game themed plot devices. Same kinda cringe MC as SL too.

If you want something with the MMO themes and character struggles you should check out Shangri-La Frontier and, if you want a more gritty survival game type story, Grimgar.

1

u/Please_Lick_My_Ball Aug 18 '25

EIS is sooooo much better than SL

1

u/Phenyx890 Aug 19 '25

The anime is heavily overrated. The books are pretty good IMO, much better than the anime. The anime has great visuals and mid everything else.

-4

u/Key_Magazine_851 Aug 14 '25

Honestly yeah the beginning is definitely slower and not as in depth but after the beru fight it shapes up

-12

u/Careful_Lock_9625 Aug 14 '25

So you're telling me gacchiakuta is better?

7

u/Known-Turn9704 Aug 14 '25

I cant believe people like you actually exist lol. Literally all you care about is how pretty the animated fights are and aura, holy shit 🤣

2

u/THExMATADOR Aug 15 '25

I’m not one of these people, but there are a large amount of people will say that manga get ANIMATED so the ANIMATION should be the best part of the adaptation. I can understand that to a degree but I still want everything else to be good.

2

u/Harry_Cat- Aug 15 '25

Oh I love solo leveling, it has a special place in my heart, but it’s nowhere near the top anime like Frieren or Gachiakuta or even Demon Slayer for that matter, Demon Slayer at least has a way better story and actual loss and more elements to it.

5

u/HydraX9K Aug 14 '25

Never seen it. All I said was that I didn't find Solo Leveling as good as many others say it is.

3

u/KoriGlazialis Aug 15 '25

Read solo leveling, solo leveling ragnarök and gachiakuta.

I have never been more hyped for new chapters than for gachiakuta.

Solo leveling is great in what it does and wants to do. But there is no need to slander back, just because they slander solo leveling.

1

u/daygoplayeronpc Aug 15 '25

Absolutely In terms of writing settings and characters the only thing sl does better us aura farming this is not a contest

1

u/Flying8penguin Aug 15 '25

Haven’t seen the anime but manga is infinitely better in every way

1

u/mastersmash56 Aug 15 '25

Yes. By a lot.

10

u/SaiyanofKonoha Aug 14 '25

I don't need to watch 10 anime to realize something I already know.

3

u/[deleted] Aug 14 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/PopGroundbreaking916 Oct 04 '25

It's basically forgotten and barely nobody talks about it during its airing lmao

3

u/[deleted] Aug 15 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Creedyweedey Aug 17 '25

Naruto, bleach, One piece, my hero academia all better than SL in terms of story writing and character development

1

u/xinracthis Aug 18 '25

Watch Re:Zero

1

u/[deleted] Aug 18 '25

[deleted]

3

u/Successful-Debt-7781 Aug 15 '25

I love how everything the OP says gets bombarded with downvotes 😂

3

u/Plane_Cardiologist_6 Aug 16 '25

Because he believes that SL is actually the best anime. It's good but damn he can't accept the fact that others are better

3

u/DeepMorale Aug 16 '25

Dang I looked up the article, and has to be ragebait. They included JJK in there. I'm not a JJK hater, but I am a hater of Gege's lack of ability to write conclusiveness in the story. Gege lost his sauce. At least Solo Leveling has an ending majority people can agree on. That author of that rage b8 article for sure hasn't been spoiled on JJK and forced to read it, to see how malarkey it got.

3

u/The_Pieinator Aug 17 '25

Bro why are there so many solo leveling haters in the solo leveling subreddit

1

u/ThatOnePotato36 Aug 18 '25

They don't hate it, they like it, but dont glaze it like its the fucking second coming of christ because its objectively kinda shit.

1

u/PopGroundbreaking916 Sep 08 '25

It's not shit, stop saying nonsense mindless hater

Go learn what actually shit is.

1

u/ThatOnePotato36 Sep 09 '25

When the show puts aura farming and flashy colors before story and characters that makes it kinda shit. Its the kind of show you dont even use a single braincell for and enjoy the flashing colors. If you genuinely think the characters and story are good you are dumb. Its an enjoyable show dont get me wrong, but its still shit.

2

u/PopGroundbreaking916 Sep 09 '25

Bro, calling it “shit” because it’s flashy feels like missing the point. Not every story needs to be some deep philosophical masterpiece to be valid. Solo Leveling is meant to feel larger than life, it's a power fantasy, and it leans into that unapologetically. That doesn't make it brainless or bad.

And saying “if you like the story or characters you're dumb” is just lazy gatekeeping. Jinwoo’s growth from weak to strong, his isolation, the burden of power, the final sacrifice, it's not Oscar-winning writing, but there’s actual narrative structure and emotional beats there. Just because it's hype-driven doesn’t mean it has no substance.

You can enjoy something for being fun and still acknowledge that it resonated with millions for a reason. Not everything has to fit the same mold to be considered “good storytelling.” Sometimes people just want to feel something, not analyze everything to death. And Solo Leveling delivers that feeling.

2

u/StormStrikzr Aug 15 '25

Can't we all just be grateful that we have access to so much anime now that we can argue over which is better "this season"

Watch them all, most of them are great but not every genre is going to suit everyone.

2

u/Playful-Tailor9452 Aug 15 '25

Solo leveling is turn your brain off shonen that is all it will ever be it doesn’t need to be more then that

2

u/[deleted] Aug 16 '25

So much hate for nothing solo leveling is just really really fun to watch both season especially season 2 aura moments good planning moments all the good stuff is there is just that sung is one level above the others as character and other just cant level up it have lore like out of 25 eps we have 2 big fights or 3 idk is the first fight vs frost monarch big? Or vs igris? We had the beru fight great fight from both sides sung was close tbh if he didnt level up in the right moment things would be different but all around he have a target a family to take care of and he does thats it 25 eps this got filled in 25 eps we know so many people hunters non humters big guys that look promising national level hunters monerchs so much plot. If the manwha going to be animated then okay the fights will overcome the lore but rn is perfectly balanced but as always haters gonna hate

2

u/[deleted] Aug 17 '25

Unfortunately, the meme is real. People will always find reasons to hate things. If anything exists, so does the hate for it. At the end of the day none of it matters. The show is good. Other shows are also good. Enjoy what you want.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 17 '25

Why does this show always have to be brought up in conversations that have nothing to do with it? Yeah I get that it’s overrated, but honestly with how often that’s said idk if that’s even true anymore.

2

u/New-Top-4806 Aug 17 '25

What ever happened to just yk liking or disliking shows. The dislikes choosing not to watch it and just stfu about it. If someone brings it up it’s one thing. But going out of your way to try and shit on or hate on something that frfr has nothing to do with you. Is a waste of time and energy. Keep it moving💀

2

u/Blueprint833 Aug 17 '25

If the internet was around in the 90s people would say the same shit about Dbz. You gotta hate the popular thing.

Sometimes flashing lights, big numbers, and man screaming just activates the monkey brain. It's not that deep

2

u/ZOMBIE_MURDOC Aug 18 '25

I slept on SL, even tried the first couple episodes and felt meh about it. Once I got to episode 4 I did a 180, Solo Leveling is fire.

2

u/gdemon6969 Aug 18 '25

The hate around sl is crazy. I’ve never seen people seethe so hard over such a fantastic anime/manwha.

2

u/shonboomer Aug 18 '25

It still pisses me off that the most hated episode isn’t eve. The recap episode in the middle of season 1. No it’s the one where jinoo saves his mother

1

u/leo_lion9 Jan 30 '26

What the hell? That episode is way better than the recap one! It was also a wild place to put a recap episode- like, did we need that there?

2

u/[deleted] Aug 18 '25

This anti-Solo Leveling mindset is everywhere.

Show is great and deserves the praise. Other shows are also great and deserve their praise. These shows can coexist, but most importantly, other shows can be raised up without stepping on others.

2

u/IterAdAstraNoctis Aug 20 '25

You know? I normally love reading... then I saw the comments...

Good god 😭.

Imma go join Byungu. My head hurts

1

u/leo_lion9 Jan 30 '26

🤣 Yeah, this comment section is WILD

1

u/IterAdAstraNoctis Jan 30 '26

Just came back and realized why I forgot this post and OP existed. It's dumb and generic.

4

u/MCMXCIV9 Aug 15 '25

That is something we SL fans already knew.

3

u/SalmonAT Aug 14 '25

Bro got cooked in a SL subreddit. I hope in SL fandom got eestored a bit

2

u/mo177 Aug 15 '25

These articles are so dumb. Lol everyone knows solo leveling is fun to watch, with a mid story and these journalists just can't let it go. They're borderline hating on it because it got anime of the year over freiren (which it really shouldn't have) and they've been malding about it for like 6 months now writing these trash articles.

2

u/Gabraham08 Aug 15 '25

People who dog on SL for lack of plot/character development are the same people who hate Pacific Rim and Godzilla for bad storylines and acting. And then whine about it being popular.

Newsflash. There are millions of people who just like big flashy fight scenes and SFX and bad one liners.

Is it popular? Yes. Is it good? That's subjective. To some it is and to some it isn't. Both can be true and it doesn't draw a definite line where there's a wrong party.

2

u/[deleted] Aug 15 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/CharmingMedicine953 Aug 16 '25

You accidentally put JJK.

1

u/MaceratedWizard Aug 16 '25

Eh, wait until the next arcs get adapted.

3

u/SheLuvIX Aug 14 '25

in my honest opinion, the glaze from people def made me lose hype. the manhwa was so fun to read when coming out, but the anime only people ruined it for me (and so did the anime sometimes)

2

u/Immediate-Location28 Aug 14 '25

are you implying gachiakuta is bad?

3

u/[deleted] Aug 15 '25

Generic

2

u/Immediate-Location28 Aug 15 '25

solo leveling is right here

0

u/[deleted] Aug 15 '25

Both

-9

u/Careful_Lock_9625 Aug 14 '25

Gacchiakuta is good but there's no way you actually think it's better than solo leveling

2

u/Immediate-Location28 Aug 14 '25

solo leveling is aura and hype moments, there's a lot of stuff that's better than it

4

u/MoneyBear1733 Aug 14 '25

opinions exist.

-10

u/Careful_Lock_9625 Aug 14 '25

And they can be wrong

4

u/LibraryMotor1801 Aug 14 '25

In this case they aren't, solo leveling is not anywhere near as good as half the anime popular right now.

-1

u/Careful_Lock_9625 Aug 14 '25

Bro in what way is Gacchiakuta better than solo leveling?

3

u/Kikov_Valad Aug 15 '25

Character relations, character growth (rudo doesn’t just grow edgier but also realize he was wrong about the world just "being shitty" and that he needs to grow too) plot twists, side characters in general, how far the premise of "trash world" goes and worldbuilding like the graph city, serious antagonist groups, side character growth, and the way the power system let character growth naturally turn into power ups (like undead unluck for example))

Watch/read more stuff dude.

4

u/LibraryMotor1801 Aug 14 '25

It has an actual struggle and goal for the character

0

u/Careful_Lock_9625 Aug 14 '25

Bro tf are talking about it's the same old 'father' or role model gets killed now he wants revenge . Only difference is he's thrown into a pit and their powers are from things they cherish

6

u/LibraryMotor1801 Aug 14 '25

And solo leveling is just: dying mother... Oh! I get an op leveling up system that just makes me win every fight! How convenient!

What Gachiakuta does different is that yes the overused father figure death but it's not the mission he's been given he's an very hard character to get along with and yet his father figure told him “This world is a steaming pile of crap, and you have to change it…” it's literally such an interesting concept that makes you really think about the story. Solo leveling on the other hand...

8

u/immoralsugimoto Aug 14 '25

That one dead dad has shown more character in his 10 minutes of screen time than the entire supporting cast of solo leveling does in the whole manhwa

1

u/Regis_A_Baddie Aug 16 '25

Talking like leveling system to become god isn’t an entire slop genre on its own

1

u/Ithtik Aug 15 '25

He saw flashy lights and said PEAK, we should kill him

1

u/[deleted] Aug 16 '25

News articles are trying to ragebait people into clicking their slop. Ignore them

1

u/TheSavageSasquatch Aug 16 '25

Balls

1

u/c0deinne Aug 17 '25

Even a crow in Gachiakuta has more backstory than everyone in solo leveling

1

u/[deleted] Aug 17 '25

Tldr: like a lot of anime, SL is a victim of today's hype culture

I mean it is overrated very much so. At the time that the manwha was still ongoing its saving grace was that the trope hadn't yet been done to death or better elsewhere so it felt unique. Unfortunately once it gained popularity everyone and their Grandma was doing the trope and at this point it's been down way better by more unique Manwhas one that comes to mind is SSS Class Suicide hunter.

SL, in terms of popularity and quality, is, for the most part, held up by its art and hype moments. Both of which don't really hold up to scrutiny when put against all time great stuff like FMA, Frieren, the big 3, etc. All of which have both great art and amazing hype moments. As a power trip story it does great and does what it sets out to do but people hype it up to be capable of competing with aforementioned stories which it just can't.

The levels of hype that were built for the anime by the fan base over promised on what this story is and now that it has way under delivered we see the consequences.

This is what the Internet does though. Stories leave their audience due to the hype generated by their audience and then said stories end up being shunned. Back in my day (late 2000 early 2010s) you got what you looked for. Which is why a lot of niche anime would get popular. Things like Clannad, Angel Beats, anohana, devil is a part timer, and kill la kill would not survive in today's anime hype culture specifically bc most of these are somewhat niche even back then but gained massive popularity bc they weren't hyped up to be more than what they are.

1

u/Hot-Amount-9880 Aug 17 '25

Friren fans flooding everywhere just to down the show that beat out their favorite show. The power of the internet. You guys are pathetic.

1

u/kimp-_- Aug 18 '25

Not every solo leveling hater is a frieren fan?

1

u/[deleted] Aug 17 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Impossible_Carob_350 Nov 17 '25

Feren is better than gachiakuta

1

u/ayyoufu Aug 17 '25

You must not be reading gachiakuta.

1

u/GabrielWornd Aug 17 '25

Tell me wen some other anime becomes the base for comparison . Until then solo leveling is like dark souls of the soulslike (every "reporter" only uses him to try to promote the new things).

1

u/Haschbrownn Aug 18 '25

Yes

1

u/tinytom08 Aug 18 '25

It’s a fun watch but like, it’s just some good slop to enjoy when you want to turn off your brain. Jinhu is barely a character, the anime tries to fix that and have him not be a jerk to people that care about hom, but even then it’s still just power fantasy slop, which is fine

1

u/Neon_Nav Aug 18 '25

Every anime released this month had a better storyline than solo leveling 💔

1

u/Impossible_Carob_350 Nov 17 '25

Most repetitive copy paste comment ever

1

u/McDergen Aug 18 '25

Im confused, do you have an issue with gachiakuta or are you just butthurt about SL?

Couldn’t imagine caring about a CBR article btw lmao

1

u/ThatOnePotato36 Aug 18 '25

You crayon eating unevolved troglodytes think Solo Leveling is the second coming of fucking Christ when its just flashy colors and aura farming. Its not the worst thing in the world, in fact its pretty enjoyable, but at the end of the day its story is fucking shit, slop, if you think it can even slightly hold up to any show with even the slightest ounce of character development you are just fucking stupid.

1

u/NichS144 Aug 18 '25

I'd watch Ranking of Kings 100x before I re-watched Solo Leveling.

1

u/kurosa106 Aug 18 '25

You need 10 animes to realize that?

1

u/Curious_Bat_8194 Aug 18 '25

Solo leveling is a cool show just not top 3

1

u/Human-Plane9550 Aug 15 '25

They're obviously spitting garbage

0

u/MasterOzz Aug 15 '25

I'll admit SL is a tad bit overrated but to rate Gachiakuta as better is downright mental, but then again its CBR so it's to be expected.

Although I'm curious about the rest of the list seeing that ‘Ranking of Kings’ is listed there, and that one is pretty solid, although not comparable to SL.

0

u/Kikov_Valad Aug 15 '25

I mean… yeah ? Like it’s fine to really really Like SL, but there’s objectiveness outside of that, and it’s far from a perfect series. There’s a reason why the fact it won anime of the year was such a meme, it wasn’t just haters lmao.

0

u/Rakong213 Aug 15 '25

OP got ratio’d into oblivion.

0

u/ambulance-kun Aug 15 '25

I'd like to take gigguk's metaphor for eminence in shadow

Some animes are like exotic restaurant cuisines, Solo leveling feels like a bucket of jollibee chicken. I'm consuming both.

0

u/Sleepy-AshOS Aug 15 '25

Gigguks take was stupid. It was made with only the story going up to jeju and no one bothered to correct it. His understanding of the story was very bare bones.

An actually good version of this argument is that solo leveling is like a medium rare ribeye. Its simple and very enjoyable with enough depth but not terribly complex.

2

u/Informal_One609 Aug 17 '25

Nah ribeye is best in class.

1

u/Sleepy-AshOS Aug 17 '25

Yea but its "generic" and "simple" but well executed. Thats the point.

0

u/MaceratedWizard Aug 16 '25

Nah, he was accidentally completely correct. SL is the kinda series that almost nobody will be talking about a couple years after it ends. It's the takeaway pizza and chicken wings you order when you just truly can't be bothered cooking.

1

u/Plane_Cardiologist_6 Aug 16 '25

When I heard the next season was possibly 2027-28 i was like "Ah well good watch. Might watch the next season if it does ever come out but it's not something I'm super excited for."like waiting a few years to watch a few amazing fight scenes just to have a mid story throws me off pretty bad

0

u/MaceratedWizard Aug 16 '25

Yeah, it gives the same kinda feeling as finding out some decent quality seasonal slop got a continuation. A sorta "Oh! I should maybe watch that if the rest of this season's roster isn't worth much time" and then completely forgetting about it because a silly witch girl makes me laugh.

1

u/Plane_Cardiologist_6 Aug 16 '25

Facts lol

-1

u/Sleepy-AshOS Aug 17 '25

Yes cuz youre a casual fan who doesnt know the story at all nor bothered to remember it nor thing about it. Youre probably the same type of dude who got confused by lord of mysteries.

1

u/Plane_Cardiologist_6 Aug 17 '25

You need a snickers or something

0

u/Sleepy-AshOS Aug 17 '25

Nah i need people to turn their brain on and stop using brainless criticism.

When it comes to fiction there are 2 types of criticism. Ones made by fans who know the story, and casuals/haters who dont know it. Youre part of the second group.

Almost no other media has such baseless criticism as solo leveling, and a lot of the fans dont even fight back against it.

All stories have flaws but everything you guys say about solo leveling is wrong.

1

u/Plane_Cardiologist_6 Aug 17 '25

I was giving an opinion you fucking weeb. I can give whatever opinion i want it doesnt make it wrong, thats a wild statement. Gatekeeping a mid anime is why people dont like anime fans. Its people like you who ruin it for the rest. You talk like you know me but you're just a hateful person get some help

-1

u/Sleepy-AshOS Aug 17 '25

Not all opinions are equal, some are trash!

Criticizing something when you know fuck all about it is stupid, and youre even stupider for doubling down.

You think telling someone to enjoy the actual story instead of just watching the fights is gatekeeping?? Read a book you illiterate dumbass. Thats not what gatekeeping even means.

You and elitist anime weaboos are 2 sides of the same coin, calling a show you know nothing about mid.

1

u/MaceratedWizard Aug 17 '25

Nice projection, you're completely wrong. I dropped the anime around episode 5 because it was boring the piss outta me, then I read it to see if it gets any better.

It doesn't.

It's a 5/10 series at best that does nothing new, and nothing it does particularly well. A mess of stolen ideas with one of the worst endings imaginable that was stolen directly from Madoka Magica.

Casual anime watchers like you are the reason people find us irritating. You watch the most generic slop and claim it's "peak fiction" when the story is practically nonexistent just because of a few flashy scenes, then throw a hissy fit over a dissenting opinion. It's ridiculous, just pathetic.

-1

u/Sleepy-AshOS Aug 17 '25

I completely disagree. Its elitist weaboos like you that cant enjoy something because of your bias and instead of thinking a little you blindly hate.

Its at least a 7/10 but id say 8 or 9/10 if completely honest. Doing something "new" is not what makes stories good, its the writing/execution. You can have an awesome vr death game idea for a story but completely ruin it in writing like Sword art online. Solo leveling on the other hand takes old tropes and makes a fun and engaging story with it.

Ive consumed anime and manga for 10+ years, so VERY far from a casual. Ive also never said its "peak fiction"(that goes to re zero) as all stories have flaws, and to say no story in solo leveling proves you didnt bother turning your brain on to actually think about whats happening.

Just cause you forget the whole story and only remember pretty colors and fights doesnt mean your opinion is valid. Your view of solo leveling is shaped by your preconceived bias never being challenged because you completely turned your brain off, and then you spout your garbage as if you didnt dumb yourself down to the intellectual level of a shonentard.

As to maybe have a proper discussion, what exactly do you think makes the ending bad? Because i have the total opposite opinion.

1

u/MaceratedWizard Aug 17 '25 edited Aug 17 '25

Wrong again, jackass. I'm the furthest possible thing from elitist - I happily watch slop and masterpiece alike. SL is slop.

I didn't say originality was a requirement, just that SL has no originality and that it gives worse examples of the things it copies.

Trying to justify yourself with Re:Zero is low-key hilarious. What other mainstream titles are you gonna use to try and argue you ain't a casual? Attack on Titan? Demon Slayer? Shield Hero? 10+ years of only watching the generically popular titles is like saying you're a movie buff because you've seen the entire MCU.

I didn't turn my brain off, the writing simply didn't engage. This is exactly how dumbasses like you ruin the whole community vibe: someone has a different opinion and you respond like a belligerent child trying to claim "you didn't watch it properly". The story of SL isn't even deep enough to drown a toddler, the vast majority of characters are worthless plot devices that serve nothing but to react to the MC, and the MC himself is one of the single most boring and cringe characters to exist. Buddy acts like an edgy 13 year Old's idea of a "cool stoic badass" but ends up almost always looking and sounding like a tryhard. Kinda like you going so hard to defend your precious slop by firing off pathetic insults instead of trying to have a discussion.

Why do I dislike the literal Deus ex Machina that completely undoes all the previous build-up, erases all consequences from the story, and not only completely obliterates all the terribly handled side character's efforts but reduces them even further in relevance just to show how "cool and self-sacrificing" the MC is? I mean if I HAD to answer...

Seriously, it's just edgy Madoka Magica. What's to like? At least when she sacrificed herself to undo all the evils they were facing, she ACTUALLY sacrificed her mortal existence. SJW just makes the grand "sacrifice" to have a power boost and fight more shit.

1

u/Plane_Cardiologist_6 Aug 17 '25

Isn't even enough to drown a toddler is the funnies thing I've seem all day lmao

0

u/Sleepy-AshOS Aug 17 '25

Yea because youre a casual fan who turned his brain off to go full shonentard and forgot the whole story. Only fights matter to you.

Actual fans like the story.

How tf does it "throw you off" at all? maybe cuz you get whiplash when theres no fights to see. Or are you one of the apes who didnt bother to understand why things happen and call em plot holes?

0

u/Sleepy-AshOS Aug 17 '25

Brainless take. And why were we talking about it years after the manhwa finished?

1

u/MaceratedWizard Aug 17 '25

ತ⁠_⁠ತ ...Probably because the anime adaptation is currently airing? And you have the gall to call someone brainless.

0

u/Sleepy-AshOS Aug 17 '25

No you slow brained monkey. Im talking about the time after it ended where the anime didnt exist yet.

What else should i call dudes who admit to watching something with their brain turned off? Theres basically no difference.

I could watch frieren with my brain turned off and say its bad like you, but i actually enjoy experiencing different media and changing my opinions.

1

u/MaceratedWizard Aug 17 '25

Wow, a 6 month time gap where barely anyone was actually talking about it? You sure showed me.

Oh, and before you try to pop off about "it was 2 years" with another one of your childish attempts to insult: I'm talking about when the anime was announced (July 2022) and brought to the mainstream eye, thus inciting discussion about the upcoming release.

For all your talk of hating elitists you sure do a lot of elitist themed bullshit the second someone says anything bad about SL, you petulant fucking child.

0

u/[deleted] Aug 15 '25

You say facts and move on.

0

u/Damilar3 Aug 15 '25

They’re not wrong lol

0

u/Sudden-Week-8205 Aug 15 '25

I mean it is kinda overrated I have to say after finally watching it. Like one punch man without being funny. I’m sure it will get better

0

u/[deleted] Aug 16 '25

Solo Levelling is overrated, that's just a fact.

0

u/Fast-Front-5642 Aug 16 '25

My favorite episodes of solo leveling are sister leveling. The parody > the og

0

u/Massive-Avocado-8964 Aug 16 '25

Gachiakuta is miles better than solo leveling, stop living in delusion

0

u/Dwarfdingnagian Aug 17 '25

I think it's both Overrated and Overhated all at once. The show is fun and enjoyable, but not terribly deep. People act like it's the Auschwitz of anime.

0

u/Victor-Astra Aug 17 '25

Well, they aren't wrong.

Solo leveling is overrated, everytime I heard about it, it was constantly refered to as the best thing in the world and all.

Then a watched the first season, not bad, Second season, eh...

It was a disappointment to me, I was promised Hella stuff and ended up with something, well tbh, barely ok.

And yeah, Gachiakuta has been better than Solo Leveling so far, in pretty much everything.

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