This story is typical of many novels in that it has a barely ok start (kinda boring before everything starts off for real), followed by quite an addictive first half where a lot of new and interesting things happen and the story flows well which then starts to get screwed over in the latter half as the author starts running out of ideas and motivation and screws up the pace and plot in so many ways that just add up until the end is boring, anticlimactic and just badly done overall.

The manhwa helps a bit since it's a fast read, the entire thing in two days isn't hard to do, stories like this are far worse in novel format because you end up wasting so much time on a slowly dying story.

In this story, we also sadly have a protagonist that ends up being emotionally handicapped after a while and it starts to feel like the author is just trying to appeal to teenagers who love edgy, "cool" and borderline cringeworthy stuff. Everything screams that the whole shtick is about him being as "cool" as possible, be it the powers, enemies or his attitude.

Still, it would've been a more worthwhile read with less shitty aftertaste if the author didn't screw the end parts up so bad.

Honestly, it was fun to see him level up, to get stronger, to dumbfound other people. But I vehemently despise the author for ruining it all in the latter half and taking the easiest, most shit way of ending the story. I for one don't enjoy seeing self-pitying protagonists that seem to be emotionally stunted, have no real motivations other than "gotta protect the people I love (which is the more overused cliché and trope there is and so incredibly dull as motivation)" who then end up being the only person in the world that matters because everyone else is completely useless and can't be trusted to do anything. Lazy writing at best with so many good ideas that were executed awfully. Towards the end of the story, nothing really matters anymore either since the protagonist just does stuff and we never get to follow the journey properly, it's like a summary at the end. Feels axed, or more like the author never had any real vision for a long coherent story so he just tossed in random crap, got fed up and wanted to end it quickly. Oh, and how stupid is a premise where only one person can get any power while everyone else is just granted an one-time boost? Even to the end, second awakenings and so on never became relevant for others to get power ups too, because no one but the protagonist matters, just like the teens self-inserting would like it, to be the most special boy that gets everything while no one else can get a piece of the cake. It's almost sad how hard this caters to a certain demographic that is easily pleased as long as you throw in some edgy cool things that they wish they had. It also doubles as being so easy to make up a story where no one else matters and no explanations are needed more than "it's cool, dude".

Me giving it 4/10 is being generous because the first half was 8/10 or even 9/10 at parts, but the latter half kept steadily dropping points until the last dozens of chapters that sat solidly at 1/10 in enjoyment. Hell, even at the end I'm extremely unconvinced about the reason for him even getting handed the power he got since he was never anything remarkable even from the start, just a face in the crowd. Maybe recommended to stop at "season 1" of the manhwa.

Oh, I forgot to mention. Quite a bit of racism here too, the usual USA, Japan, China and Korea crap. Not as noticeable as in the novel but it's definitely there and painfully obvious at times. Almost all conflict between people in this story is just the author using people from the aforementioned countries as representatives for their country. Just so fed up and tired of this from korean and chinese novels/manhwa, which is why I tend to avoid those set on earth.

... Last updated on June 23rd, 2024, 1:59pm

This is just my thoughts of the manhwa Solo Leveling. I think its an extremely good story that just leaves you wanting for more after each chapter. I can't get enough of it. The characters are well made and have personalities to fall in love with. The way they portray the antagonists is really amazing. Like wow how scary and strong they can look, you just know immediately that the fight will be outstanding. The fights are really interesting and the author balance action with fun comedy really well. You understand the main characters goals how he strives to get stronger, the way he looks at the world and how he uses the powers he posses. I just love it! And its really something anyone that likes action and fantasy should pick up! You will not get disappointed.

The way the main character evolves from this cute little thing to this hot badass man is so so so astounding. It's not something I've seen before, the story has really got its own take and way to unfold and this wold with hunters that go through dungeons is not something that that author has been used by its self but this way to portray and write it is not something I've seen before. Not in this way, it might be a bit similar to the gamer but there are clear differences.

Sung Jin-Woo is really an interesting character, and I can understand the pain he has gone through. The way he wants to get enough money for his mother and that he wants his sister to be able to continue studying and that he mostly get stronger for them, and I really am wondering what it is he is losing as he gets stronger. He is still considerate and kind even if he has had to kill people.

His job that he got was something really cool too and the comedy that it brings is really delightful who could think a shadow could sigh and look disappointed, talking about chapter 54 that currently is the last one to be posted where I'm reading it. Hope I can expect the next chapter soon as I said this manhwa is really something to pick up. The 54 chapters are so enjoyable and I really loved them. Might have read it a bit too quickly but when you find something so good you really can't hold yourself back and just catch up right? I really love how the author makes the end of each chapter a little cliffhanger especially in the middle of a fight. Each chapter just ends at the perfect time to make you want to read the next chapter and eagerly await it if it's not out.

I think this is excellent for the genre.

• It’s a perfect take on the trope. Mechanics are great and pacing is on point for the first two thirds of the story. It’s predictable but still insanely addictive to read. I couldn’t put it down.
• Characters are fun. I loved a lot of supporting characters, especially the shadows soldiers. I didn’t expect them to have so much personality haha. The main character is likeable. True he is a bit bland, but I think that’s part of his character becoming
  Spoiler (mouse over to view)
  god-like. They did touched a little bit on him losing parts of himself and distancing himself from his human side.
  I enjoyed seeing him evolve.
  I also was anxious when the love interest was introduced but in the end their story was very cute (especially in the side stories).
• The ending is slightly disappointing. Fortunately the side stories make up for it, but… yeah.
• The art. This is what surprised me the most. The art is downright GORGEOUS. I couldn’t stop screen-shooting every panel. If only webtoons all had this standard…

All in all: a fantastic read! I went into it having low expectations but I understand why this is so popular. Highly recommended if you want something simple but fun to read.

... Last updated on February 12th, 2024, 2:27am

I binged this series within 2 days. That's how good it was! I couldn't put it down or stop thinking about it. Literally just finished it, so am quickly writing down my thoughts before I forget them.
I had a hard time deciding what to rate this. I truly did love reading this webtoon, I did! It was a definite 10/10... but only season 1 LOL. Seriously loved the plot and the ARTTTT -- oh my gosh, that alone deserves a 10 in itself. All the action scenes? Please, the artists deserve ALL the praise. (R.I.P. Dubu).

But I had to go down to a 9 because of season 2. Don't get me wrong, I loved the webtoon as a whole. All the characters, like the shadow army? Ahhhh, they are all so precious. The plot and storyline, woooh -- it was done so well cuz there aren't any forgotten characters or plot holes or missing elements. And the way humour is woven into the story too!! There were serious and sad and scary moments (omg that smiling statue in ch 6 will forever be memorable), but there were some super funny moments too, so it was a good balance of emotions. There's a reason S.L. is ranked one of the highest webtoons out there.

Sigh.. season 2 though. It felt way too insane. That's a sign of the story pacing going way too fast, and for sure I agree with everyone saying that the ending was rushed. The sweet spot of S.L. was literally all of season 1, when Sung Jinwoo was staying true to the title and solo leveling. It was so fun to read his development and that's probably what people will remember S.L. for: his levelling up journey. But once he became too OP (aka season 2), that's when things went downhill.



Well, to be fair, this story is called "Solo Leveling" for a reason. It's gonna be about Sung Jinwoo doing everything by himself. But did he really do everything by himself...? Buuuut he did make it to the end by his wits and strength too. That was seriously impressive,

Ah jeez this reminds me to talk about the ending. It was pretty epic, but

I kinda appreciate the extensive epilogues (21 chapters total!), but at some point it did feel dragged on and unnecessary. Totally agree with the comment about it being like Boruto LOL, I didn't come here to read about Jinwoo's son's life! That sequel can made into a separate spin-off or special or something...

That brings me to the romance part of the story. Err, just like any seinen story, there's a definite harem, and I'm ehhhh about that. Fine, whatever. But I like and didn't like how he ended up with

Jeez, this is too long now, but I had serious thoughts/comments. In the end, I reaaaally liked this webtoon. It was a real page-turner and everything (nearly, anyway) was so good. Would definitely recommend reading it!

... Last updated on January 25th, 2024, 6:05am

good start but horrible ending, the first 100 chapters or so were increadible but sadly it went downhill after that towards a terrible ending.

Aside from peak art style and an (somewhat) entertaining history, Solo Leveling is mostly mediocre at everything else it tried along the seasons. ESPECIALLY in the characters department, there's no supporting characters in Solo Leveling, MC goes by himself most of the time and then the rest of characters are just NPCs scattered somewhere else out of POV, like real NPCs of a videogame which just cease to exist whenever your are not looking at them...
If you are here for MC you are going rejoice out of quality content and action based fan service... If not, then, you may want to try looking somewhere else....

... Last updated on January 11th, 2024, 11:31am

THE BEST THING I'VE EVER READ

RIP Dubu

This one is "MY GATEWAY TO MANHWA REALM".

I personally think this is ONE OF THE BEST. The plot was pretty common but the storytelling and pacing was great, plus amazing artstyle; character design, background, colouring, effects, everything is done perfectly.

The side characters are not that much involved here. Everything revolves around just the main character. This tale would have got better with some side characters' involvement. Nevertheless, it is still great.

If you have not read this, you should definitely check this out ASAP. You might skip your heartbeat. The excitement this gives is otherworldly. It can get you hooked.

...and now this is getting an anime adaptation. I hope the studio will not let us down.

Why they tried to turn this franchise into a boruto? Everything is already good, then they decide to write a story that a child has to be exact copy like his father. Same leveling system, same everything, except his son doing it 100x easier. They could write anything else, but they decided not to, probably thinking that when a formula works it would always works.

... Last updated on May 3rd, 2023, 9:50pm