The first two episodes of Solo Leveling season 2 are now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Much like the video games it emulates, the anime series Solo Leveling often forces its protagonist to tediously grind away in order to gain experience and level up – a gift unique to Sung Jinwoo in this universe of invading monsters and the magical “hunters” who keep them at bay. But when that repetition is followed by a big, hyper-intense, and awesome fight, it justifies the whole thing. This is a show that’s practically criticism-proof: Just when it seems like Solo Leveling is wasting the audience's time with a subplot that goes nowhere or with side characters that threaten to steal our attention away from Jinwoo's feats of strength, it throws a dozen visually stunning, jaw-dropping things at the screen. There’s not much substance to Solo Leveling beyond its thrilling fights, but the beginning of season 2 is still an exhilarating, fist-pump-worthy good time.
Thanks to the flashy animation of A-1 Pictures and the rousing music of Hiroyuki Sawano, the already spectacular artwork of the original Solo Leveling webtoon becomes a second-season premiere full of severed limbs, smashed skulls, and buckets of blood. The first season ended with Jinwoo acquiring a superpower that lets him resurrect dead enemies and add them to his army; the first two episodes of season 2 are essentially all about testing out these necromancy skills, with dozens of new faces cowering in fear to sell us on Jinwoo's increased skills. Is there more to the premiere than the fights and the wish-fulfillment of a forgettable, weak dude becoming the most overpowered guy in the world? Yes! And also, not really.
These two episodes see Jinwoo continue his journey toward antiheroism (and at times full-on villainy). They even raise some interesting questions about the corrupting nature of Jinwoo's powers and make some hints that he’s becoming more like the monsters he fights in the dungeons. Yet all that is quickly brushed aside in favor of developments like the arrival of vicious killer Hwang Dung-soo, who’s looking for Jinwoo in order to avenge the death of his brother. He’d be an intimidating presence if Solo Leveling had any sense of stakes, but we all know there’s zero chance of this guy actually posing a threat to Jinwoo.
We also get more of the White Tiger Guild leader's interest in Jinwoo and whether or not he has reawakened, an interesting mystery with some potentially huge consequences for the larger world of Solo Leveling. But that storyline is moving at a snail's pace and it’s kind of hard to remember that people discovering Jinwoo’s stupidly huge increase in power is meant to be important. And, of course, there's the mystery of the program that allows Jinwoo to level up, the most compelling story of the show, but that’s another pot that seems to be simmering in the background.
So there is more to Solo Leveling than the action, but in the early stages of season 2, the show seems uninterested in paying attention to anything other than Jinwoo's accomplishments in combat. Once these storylines move along, perhaps the anime will gain some actual substance. But for now, it doesn't matter. Everything is secondary to the intensity of the fight scenes and the tremendous number of "hell yeahs" they elicit.
And you know what? It works. This is not a show I watch for complex characterizations, nuanced discussions of morality, intricate world-building, or even memorable characters. I keep up with Solo Leveling for the same reason I watch gamers pull incredible acts of badassery in Elden Ring or play a game using every cheat code and mod available. That's where Solo Leveling becomes a distinctively thrilling viewing experience.
