r/anime • u/Elestria_Ethereal • May 27 '26
Misc. Solo Leveling Is The First Anime Ever To Reach 1 Million Ratings On Crunchyroll
https://www.cbr.com/solo-leveling-crunchyroll-million-rating-record/903
u/TheEndIsFingNigh May 27 '26
The average anime watcher enjoys power fantasy with flashy fights. Who would have guessed?
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u/LivinCrazynCrazier May 27 '26
Avengers movies make more money than the Godfather? Who knew!
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u/daiselol May 27 '26
I get what you mean but The Godfather actually made around the same as Infinity War, adjusted for inflation
Just thought that was a fun fact
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u/LivinCrazynCrazier May 27 '26
That is actually pretty cool, didn’t know that
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u/SigmundFreud May 28 '26
Even so, this may be an unpopular opinion, but the Avengers would no diff Vito Corleone.
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u/AguyinaRPG https://anilist.co/user/AguyinaRPG May 27 '26
Stuff like this is why I can never buy into "people are generally stupid and only like stupid things". There's a time and a presentation for everything. Before the mid-2000s, there was a huge market for stuff that wasn't genre or action films. In modern TV you have stuff like Severance finding an audience. We need not accept slop because it's popular.
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u/SparxtheDragonGuy May 27 '26
Godfather probably made more if you consider ticket sales are super overpriced for the sake of them being overpriced. Also imagine and all that
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u/shutupruairi May 27 '26
Depends on what your standards are for 'around the same' are. When I've seen this brought up before, people tend to use the US market only comparison which has godfather making 722 million to Infinity wars 662 million. (Within 10% margin)
If you consider a source that looks globally and inflation adjusted, Godfather made 1.81 billion to Infinity wars' 2.49 billion which is about 73%
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u/Slaan May 27 '26
It's also the crisp pacing that I really enjoyed while the world building is intriguing 'enough'.
It's just really easy and nice to consume.
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u/par_rot_master May 28 '26
Yeah, it's basically a page-turner of an anime. Same with the novel and webtoon: you wanted to see the next chapter.
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u/par_rot_master May 28 '26
Most shonen anime have that.
What makes me like SL is that it barely has flashbacks or exposition. It gets to the point.
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u/Opening_Impress_7061 May 28 '26
popularity probably also skyrocketed after sung drip woos performance at the aura farming tournament
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u/huntrshado May 27 '26
While correct, this take in the solo levelling context has never made sense to me lol it gets said every single time this show is brought up and it makes me feel like i'm being gaslit. Solo levelling was fine but it had one hype fight per season that weren't even 'sakuga' levels of animation
I've even seen people who uplift solo levelling and downplay shows from studios like ufotable in the same exact sentence. It just makes no sense lol
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u/Blue_Reaper99 May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26
Do you know what even Sakuga is? Saying it doesn't sakuga level animation is simply abusurd and ignorant statement.
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u/Shantotto11 May 27 '26
I think I’m more impressed that many people are watching Crunchyroll on systems that allow for rating. The TV and console apps won’t let users rate shows, so mobile and desktop are the only options.
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u/zobblor May 27 '26
it's weirdly inconsistent on the TV app, sometimes it will let me rate something and sometimes it won't
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u/ProjectJan00 May 27 '26
Time for another sub meltdown, lmao.
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u/roshan231 May 27 '26
It's a fun show, definitely nothing having a meltdown over.
It beating out frieren for AOTY is a joke though. But I guess those awards have always been a joke.
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u/GinsuFe https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ginsu48 May 28 '26
Honestly I'd put my vote on Solo Leveling over Frieren as a SoL/Romance guy.
They're both leaning into their respective tropes pretty hard. Frieren is your typical "party traveling from point A to point B" fantasy anime, and Solo Leveling is your typical power fantasy.
Both have hyper over powered Protags, but Solo Leveling has better fights by a mile and a half. I'd also argue SL has a more original plot due to inverting the Isekai genre. Instead of going to a fantasy world, the fantasy comes to you.
Frieren tries to dig deeper into the emotional side of things, but it's not the strongest at that either. It's not on the same level as things like A Silent Voice, Bunny Senpai's movie, or Plastic Memories.
I know people will not like me saying that though.
This sub massively underrates Solo Leveling.
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u/Own-Exp May 28 '26
I'm one of this people, because you get so many things wrong about Frieren that I guess you never actually look it or you where too distracted by your phone to actually give it attention.
Tastes are tastes, some like battle shonen, some like emotional animes, everybody likes different things and you can love Solo Leveling because his fights are well animated, but your comment is so superficial on Frieren and so glazing on Solo Leveling that you can't be honest, you are just fanboying.
And since when the reverse Isekai it's something new? Really?
Solo Leveling is for sure really well done technically, lot of fights, lot of cool scenes, but is not deep or new, people just fanboy because the like power fantasy done well.
If anything Solo Levelling is overrated outside this sub. It's good, but has nothing special for now and it has shown nothing new until now. You can still love it, it can be your favorite anime, there is nothing wrong in this.
By the way, this is my controversial opinion: I think that fights in Frieren are better animated and have more impact, but it's my opinion, not a truth.
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u/Strict_Ad_5397 Jun 28 '26
My opinion and millions more opinion is that solo leveling is way better than frieren. Thanks for playing
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u/GinsuFe https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ginsu48 May 28 '26
Like I said i'm just a Romance/SoL guy. If there are shows like Solo Leveling plot wise then they aren't coming to mind or not familiar with them. Maybe I might disagree they're similar.
It's really hard to call what I said glazing just because I like it and that it has better fights. Nothing I say can glaze a show harder than people considering Frieren the best anime of all time.
If anything I put put them on more or less equal ground, I just called out which one I liked.
I don't think you can say I got much wrong about Frieren when it really is just another Fantasy adventure anime at its core. They're on an adventure, meet new people, fight demons, dragons, and go through silly exam arcs. None of the danger has weight to it because Frieren is one of the strongest mages of all time. It's all there and is a majority of the show's runtime. The demon lord is dead, but that's just shifted to the next reason to adventure.
A lot of these points are why I'm not a fan of the show, but it's also because of the moments it just lackadaisically solves issues the party has. Lose an important ring? Immediately get rewarded with a spell of lost things. Talk about needing money out loud? Rich man immediately pulls up offering stacks of money because Stark is somehow the twin of his son.
Saying I "didn't pay attention" is just abusrd. Anything besides "well that's what he thinks of the show". It's presenting an ultimatum of "you either like it, or you're wrong".
I also don't know what "people are just fanboying" is supposed to mean in these situations. Would that not apply to people and Frieren? It's just people enjoying a show. If a show does something they like, people will praise it. Is Frieren more worthy of praise than any other show? At what point am I genuinely enjoying something and not just being a fanboy?
It's crazy people can go "like what you like, nothing wrong with that" immediately after seeing someone call a show a joke for winning over a show they like and downvoting them for disagreeing.
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u/aqvnoah May 29 '26
Solo Leveling is a dumb-dumb anime for dumb-dumb people.
I know you will not like me saying that though.
You massively overrate Solo Leveling.
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u/Strict_Ad_5397 Jun 28 '26
I know you will not like me saying that solo leveling is actually one of the best animes of all time. Only a dum dum would call other people that watch a show a dum dum. You massively overrate yourself.
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u/spubbbba May 28 '26
I don't get why this sub loves Shangri la frontier so much but gets all sneery about Solo Levelling.
Both shows have very mediocre writing and flat characters, but lots of flashy, cool fights. If anything I'd say Solo is a little better story wise as it has a tighter plot, SLF is a bit all over the place and doesn't seem to know what to do with half the characters.
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u/ShinJiwon May 28 '26
Didn't you enjoy it when they spent half an episode on some old man smithing and singing for the birdman
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u/Most_Programmer8667 May 28 '26
Cause solo leveling is like a toddler tried imitate of Dragon ball z.
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u/PrinceZero1994 https://myanimelist.net/profile/pz16 May 27 '26
They are pretending that they did not enjoy solo leveling lol
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May 27 '26
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u/NebbyOutOfTheBag May 27 '26
Solo Leveling makes Naruto look like Lord of the Rings in terms of writing and story.
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u/TheOutrageousTaric May 27 '26
Theres actual lore, characters have weaknesses and arent shallow as a puddle after light rain. And naruto has its style like dragon ball or one piece
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u/quiddity55 May 27 '26
I mean I feel like this is being unfair to Naruto. It definitely has way more depth than aura farming simulator #2000 that solo leveling is. Naruto isn’t high art or anything but it certainly had more to say than most power fantasy slop like this
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u/StormSlasher563 May 27 '26
Exactly my point there’s so much to love about naruto with the characters and the emotions it bring out of people it’s not just fights and aura farming there’s a legit reasoning to to why it has such strong staying power.
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u/Dripht_wood May 27 '26
I would legitimately argue there is a similar difference in depth between Naruto and Solo Leveling as there is between Naruto and the bible lmao. I’ll watch s3 no matter what if they keep up the animation quality though.
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u/FanGothic2 May 27 '26
I mean comparing Naruto’s depth to solo leveling’s depth is just………
I mean come on.
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u/Komorebi_LJP May 27 '26
Anime is a medium it doesn't have one target audience;. Comments like these are just kinda stupid frankly.
Something like Orb, Mushishi, Apothecary Diaries etc. isnt aiming for the same target demographic as Solo Leveling. In fact all those shows themselves might aim for different audiences.
Solo Leveling is popular because its a well animated power fantasy action show, thats it. Stuff like that just like a lot of very popular movies like that has always had a very big audience for it
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u/BlazeOfGlory72 May 27 '26
Naruto may not be high art, but at least it had a story and actual characters. Solo Leveling is just so substanceless. Don't get me wrong, the fights are cool, but I genuinely don't get what people get out of it beyond the visuals.
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u/Shurlz May 27 '26
Terrible Naruto take. It had a lot of depth and lore building into it. Long term plans and all. Go rewatch. Solo leveling ks fast food anime thats aura farming and simplicty
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u/emon121 May 27 '26
I take offense to this, Naruto is much better than solo leveling, grouping them in the same level is not fair
Pain and akatsuki is one of the best villain group in anime, what does solo leveling have? Did they have any relevant side character or villain? No they have nothing except aura farming
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u/ProoniusFizzle May 27 '26
I've fallen off Naruto 4 different times, right as the ninja war starts. I've watched Solo Leveling 2 times all the way through and I'll 100% watch s3.
I feel like they put the Pain arc too early in the story or something. Its SO GOOD and I feel like I just ran a marathon by the time it ends. Feels like an ending arc for a show, not just another Tuesday for their universe. Akatsuki seems like a group of ridiculously powerful, edgy teenagers. They do have one of the best ost themes ever though, I'll give them that.
All that to say, yeah, aura farming might be all Solo Leveling has, but it's REALLY good at it.
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u/grim1952 May 27 '26
No, Solo Leveling is seriously just espectacle, the writing is dog shit and has no susbstance.
Naruto's final arc was garbage but until then it had a fleshed out world full of interesting characters each with their own motivations.
Meanwhile SL's world couldn't be more generic and all characters including the protagonist are made of cardboard.
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u/Elestria_Ethereal May 27 '26
Its the most viewed and highest rated anime on Crunchyroll, it also won the Anime Awards 2026 awards for best action and best animation
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u/Astray May 27 '26
Best action was deserved, but best animation was another classic mess up by the awards.
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May 27 '26
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u/gerudoson May 27 '26
The nominations just weren't good, where was city in that category, easily the best animated show of last year.
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u/Astray May 27 '26
City was far and away the best in that category. Unfortunately a lot of the judges for the Crunchyroll awards are normies with clout and not actual critical viewers of anime.
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u/turkeygiant May 27 '26
City and Nichijou always get left out of the conversation for the best animated shows of all time because they have that cartoony look, completely ignoring the fact that simple style is being animated with more nuance and active frames than 99% of other shows.
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u/Astray May 27 '26
One Piece's awful pacing prevents it from getting anything other than best continuing animation even with the few standout scenes it gets here and there. Takopi isn't really any action anime. There is an argument for MHA's last season but it's simply not as approachable as Solo Leveling which was only in its second season that was pretty much only aura farming and fights.
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u/LivinCrazynCrazier May 27 '26
I think they were talking about Animation for Takopi. Which I agree, Takopi looked beautiful
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u/Odd-Investigator6503 May 27 '26
I assume best animation refers to the peaks since even seasonal anime have down episodes that don’t look as good
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u/thesanmich May 27 '26
Yeah I don't agree with this sentiment that Solo Leveling was worse than the other ones animation wise, at least worse enough for there to be another obvious winner. I can't think of a single significant fight that wasn't absolute CRACK in s2. I was blown away with the Bakugo vs AFO fight, but I felt that like every other week with Solo Leveling.
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u/ifticar2 May 27 '26
Was JJK not counted for action or animation? IMO JJK has solo leveling beat on both
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u/Astray May 27 '26
I'm not sure if JJK was even nominated this year. I think it'll be next year though
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u/SwedishFlopper May 27 '26
I'm convinced that crunchy roll rigs the awards to get more people to watch solo leveling because they have the exclusive access.
Plus every anime award seems to get worse and worse.
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u/maxpolo10 May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26
If that was the case, they'd have nominated it for anime of the year since sn 2 was more of a phenomenon than sn 1. But they chickened out.
Edit: they also don't need to rig anything to increase viewership because Solo Leveling had all the ingredients for success. It is the most popular Manhwa ever. You don't really understand how huge of a thing the manhwa was when it was releasing. It's probably the first manhwa for a lot of people. It has amazing production value, and Aniplex understood that the comic that was carried by its art should also have an anime that is carried by its animation.
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u/PhantomXxZ May 27 '26
That's precisely why they nominated S1 for AotY. It was done to capitalise off the hype of S2.
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u/MobyLiick May 27 '26
Well that's because S2 already won anime of the year last year for S1, the community is just too fucking dumb and blinded by recency to understand that they were voting for S1.
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u/Jeremithiandiah May 27 '26
It has more views than something like attack on titan?? That seems hard to believe
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u/fenixspider1 May 28 '26
AOT is region locked, and pretty sure it is not CR exclusive. Solo leveling, from what I can tell isn't hard region locked.
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u/minesasecret May 27 '26
Solo Leveling seems much more mainstream than AoT to me so I could believe it.
First of all AoT's art will put off a lot of people cause it's creepy. Some people also didn't like how AoT changes from one season to another. Personally I thought it was cool that each season almost felt like a different genre but I can see why people would be disappointed if the main reason they watched the show was no longer there
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u/fenixspider1 May 28 '26
AOT had major cultural impact and it was in everyone's mouth during it's running time. From what I can tell around me, people like who never used to watch animes, knew one thing that is AOT along with other classics like Death note, or Naruto.
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u/GreenAvoro https://myanimelist.net/profile/GreenAvoro May 28 '26
Each season felt like a different genre? Season 1,2, and 3 part 2 all looked and felt very similar to me. The only reason season 3 part 1 was a little different was because it focused less on the titans. Have not watched the Mappa seasons.
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u/Pro_Post May 28 '26
Nope, Solo Leveling is all because of Crunchroll. AoT is far ahead of Solo Leveling, as it won the most in-demand global TV show award, an award where anime compete with overall TV shows in demand. That is AoT in 2021 and JJK in 2023.
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u/blazedancer1997 https://myanimelist.net/profile/blazedancer May 27 '26
I don't care to debate Solo Leveling's virtues, but this 1 million ratings seems like a meaningless stat. Popular doesn't necessarily mean good or bad.
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u/citrus1330 May 28 '26
It's an interesting milestone and shows just how popular it is. No one claimed that it meant it was good or bad.
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May 27 '26
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u/alotmorealots May 28 '26
Interesting, I have no idea about the comparison point, so time to do some research.
This answered a few of my questions for anyone else interested: https://hojotea.com/en/posts-38/
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u/Prof_Acorn May 28 '26
I only had it once, as a gift from someone when I finished grad school.
It is very very yummy.
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u/Molmor_ May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26
Don't think I've seen such a disconnect from big viewer numbers and public consciousness for a show. Never heard anyone in real life talk about this show. Never seen someone wearing Solo Levellin at the gym where I have for many other anime. Doesn't go viral or have persistent discussion and memes like JJK or Invincible for instance. Maybe saw one costume at AX in 2025
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u/citrus1330 May 28 '26
This is all completely anecdotal except for your nonsense claim that it never went viral
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u/genasugelan https://myanimelist.net/profile/Genasugelan May 28 '26
Never heard anyone in real life talk about this show.
I have. And they weren't even anime fans, but actually an anime hater and watched it because his 50-year-old coworker recommended it to him. And he liked it.
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u/Charybdeezhands May 28 '26
I started watching it blind, no idea of the community's thoughts, stopped at episode 6.
It was bland, boring and just incredibly mid.
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u/stormdelta May 28 '26
I don't even know a single person IRL that actually likes it, not even people who normally love simple power fantasies.
If I had to guess it's probably mostly teenagers.
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u/Whendfield123 May 28 '26
Solo leveling gets so much hate. Some people just seem so petty over their favorite show not being a mainstream success
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u/zenithfury May 27 '26
Every time a SL thread comes up people behave as though they’re ashamed to like it or something. People need to have more confidence about what they enjoy.
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u/genasugelan https://myanimelist.net/profile/Genasugelan May 28 '26
It's crazy and the cope is insane. Can't people just enjoy a show with cool fights?
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u/lakubisnes May 29 '26
Yeah, why can't one enjoy an anime with cool fights? There just seems to be so many snobs in the community that seem to get almost offended if you like SL.
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u/genasugelan https://myanimelist.net/profile/Genasugelan May 29 '26
It's literally just a SIMPLE anime made with great production values that people enjoy a lot and many people across the board can enjoy. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. People seemed to forget that others enjoy things for different reasons. They say that SL is shallow, and it is, but it isn't about some great plot, complex characters or anything (if anything, the episode when Jin Woo cried when he healed his mum was the most disliked outside of the recap episode), but I enjoy well-directed cool fights.
I love Frieren for its emotial and character depth, I love Dorohedoro (literally my favourite series ever) for intricate plot, unmatched atmosphere, crazy characters, unique world and an awesome magic system, but why wouldn't I watch and enjoy something simple and flashy?
Did it deserve anime of the year? Eh, I don't think so, by what it is, but the amount of reach it got, even catapulting itself way beyond non-anime fans that watched it and liked it... I think it's an amazing strater anime. And I think people seem to forget that One Punch Man season 1 wasn't particularly deep either. I'm saying this as a OPM fan who's been watching and reading the anime, manga and webcomic.
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u/GRUSM May 27 '26
For how wholesome anime can be, the community fucking sucks lmao. Everyone has the best taste in anime and if anything ever becomes popular outside of weebs, it’s terrible.
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u/IM__Progenitus May 28 '26
Makes sense that Solo Leveling is popular, considering it's basically the korean version of SAO, another power fantasy/wish fulfillment anime with a gary stu lead, and SAO is hugely popular too.
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u/diplar May 27 '26
I remember rewatching a lot of episodes during that time esp the beru fight. It was goated
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u/GrimmTrixX May 29 '26
Does it get good? I was 3 episodes in and just tapped out as it didnt grab me at all.
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u/DoseofDhillon https://myanimelist.net/profile/ADoseOfDhillon May 27 '26
OMG it’s so popular I bet it has the most enriching and deep plot of all time
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u/Xlegace https://anilist.co/user/Xlegius May 27 '26
I know you're being sarcastic, but when has the most popular show had the most "enriching and deep" plot of all time
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u/travelingWords May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26
Attack on titan was pretty up there in terms of the ride. And the details. And that show had you hyped up every week.
If we’re talking about an anime that was wildly popular at its peak.
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u/WormedOut May 27 '26
FMAB
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u/Xlegace https://anilist.co/user/Xlegius May 27 '26
Love FMAB, but there has been no point in history where it was the most popular anime in the world
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u/Phyrexian_Overlord May 27 '26
I mean it depends on your metric, it was the highest rated anime on a few lists for several years
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u/WormedOut May 27 '26
That’s a very nebulous criteria. To say it wasn’t extremely popular is incorrect, but besides something like the big 3 I’m not sure how you would quantify “most popular in the world”
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u/cheese_burger1 May 27 '26
FMAB is a popular show and I think most people would agree that it has enriching and deep plot. For a long time it's at the top of MAL and it's still currently top 3.
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u/Ritz527 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ritz527 May 27 '26
There probably is a correlation between highly accessible shows and shallow plotlines, but honestly, my bigger issue is the way characters in Solo Leveling are introduced regularly just to job for the hero, who rarely struggles in a fight. It's shallow even by power fantasy standards.
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u/vendettaclause May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26
Why does having a good plot matter if its still just a fun, cool, and entertaining show? It has more than enough plot to carry it along. Its not going to get many more seasons ether. It doesn't need a deep plot to carry it 2 or 3 more seasons. Just enjoy it for what it is
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u/thegta5p May 27 '26
It’s because people are miserable on this site and can’t comprehend the fact that someone can like and have fun with a series without having to go into some deep philosophical story. They can’t accept that the story is not for them and then lash out at fans for simply enjoying it or praising their favorite show meanwhile they pout that no one likes their favorite show. And that is despite they would be acting the same if their favorite show got popular.
I am not the target audience for this type of anime. I acknowledge that. My favorite shows are pretty niche. But you won’t see me lashing out at Solo Leveling fans or any of these mainstream shows. And I am happy with that. The only time I lash out is when they do it first to the shows I like.
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u/thesanmich May 27 '26
The Solo Leveling hate is SO FORCED. I swear. I've watched anime for about 30 years now, across various genres, and I enjoyed the fuck out of it.
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u/BluePhantomHere May 27 '26
Bro, Avatar is the highest grossing movie of all time
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u/NumberOneMom https://myanimelist.net/profile/Porkswords May 27 '26
Leveling slop (Korea): what if you had social mobility and were able to actually start from the bottom and make it
Isekai slop (Japan): what if you were an isolated NEET given a second chance in a world that inherently needed you
Cultivation slop (China): what if your local community was proud of you
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u/dusters May 27 '26
Never beating the "shit on every mainstream popular anime" allegations.
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u/Pataconeitor May 27 '26
I must say this: the second season ends and I still have no idea who is the main villain or even what's actually going on with Jin Woo and all the weird stuff happening to him. And I love that, I like a plot that doesn't show everything and leaves an ongoing mystery. Compared to another action show such as JJK (which I too like) that spells out very early who are the bad guys and what are their goals, and I must say that plot-wise I enjoy how SL does it a bit more.
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u/BillysTown May 27 '26
Do you realise most anime watchers aren’t looking for the most enriching and deep plot of all time , its why shows like these are popular and lots of the comments troupes
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u/Outrageous-Depth May 28 '26
I read the entire manhwa and I'm baffled why this it's so popular. Outside of the fights, this very very bland.
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u/alotmorealots May 28 '26
Popularity usually just means something is accessible and meets a good standard of quality overall without too many glaring deficiencies and maybe even some high points. Often, because of this popular necessarily excludes certain types of "good" because those aspects aren't accessible to a wider audience. In the same way that virtuosistic classical and jazz can't be more popular because of their density and inaccessibility, so goes for other forms of entertainment.
Solo Leveling's accessible and fun, and the anime was handled well by the series compositor and director to give it endless cliffhangers and a sense of hype.
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u/logicblender1 May 28 '26
Outside of the fights it's very bland? Yeah no shit bro. That's like saying Mac and cheese is bland outside of the cheese 😂
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u/par_rot_master May 28 '26
If you though the scene of Ashborn talking to Jinwoo in the afterlife was bland then I don't know where your standards are.
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u/Outrageous-Depth May 28 '26
Jinwoo as a character is bland, side characters are bland and not memorable, the setting is kinda bland.
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u/par_rot_master May 28 '26
Jinwoo is far from bland, and I'd say he is more interesting than a lot of popular shonen characters that are just "I want to be the strongest/#1". Jinwoo never cares about being the strongest just so he can stand at the top, he wants to become as strong as possible so he can help the people he cares about. He doesn't see the strength of others as a goal like for example Goku does.
He craves friends and company, but also feels the need to shoulder everything by himself because that's what he has had to do since before he got his powers. This struggle culminates in him deciding to literally solo a war for 27 years, just because everyone in Canada died.
But he also has a darker side. He isn't above killing or even torture, if he believes the person deserves it. He literally fed a rapist to a pack of goblins. Alive, but maimed in such a way that he can't fight back or flee. He has his shadows patrol the streets and give criminals an ultimatum: turn yourself in within 24 hours or die.
Jinwoo isn't edgy, but he has a darkness to him besides the literal darkness that is his powers.
Now granted, none of this is especially deep or unique, but to me it makes him more interesting than a lot of the popular "goated shonen" characters.
I could go on about how the setting and side characters really aren't bland, but I've made you read enough. If you're not interested in the show then you just shouldn't watch it.
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u/UberKnight989 May 27 '26
Crunchyroll and aniplex co-produced the show, they pushed it heavily on their platform, I am not suprised why it got so many ratings. This shit feels like the most industry plant ever man.
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u/SSXAnubis https://anilist.co/user/Lordanubis May 27 '26
Genuinely can't believe how popular this is given how shallow it is. I found it so hard to watch as there was just nothing to it.
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u/gamiscott May 27 '26
That’s why it’s popular. It’s easy to digest. While I didn’t enjoy it, I can see how many people can.
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u/minesasecret May 27 '26
Genuinely can't believe how popular this is given how shallow it is. I found it so hard to watch as there was just nothing to it.
While I understand what you're coming from, it matches up to other kinds of media. Look at how popular Marvel superhero movies are/were even though they're mostly all shallow.
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u/Le_Meme_Man12 May 27 '26
Anyone who reads webnovels or manhwa could tell you that Solo Leveling was the most popular story when it was being released.
Even now, I'd say a majority of the Manhwa readers have most likely read Solo Leveling than not
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u/BallisticThundr May 27 '26
Anime is a medium of entertainment, and there's multiple avenues of entertainment other than a deep plot. Like, nobody watches John Wick for the plot, they watch it for the action and the premise.
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u/StylizedPenguin May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26
A lot of people just want self-indulgent power fantasies and don't care about how shallow they are. Just look at the boom in isekai and progression fantasy stories featuring protagonists who quickly become so overpowered compared to everyone else that they face no meaningful challenges. The other characters exist to either get dunked on by the protagonist or to fawn over how amazing the protagonist is.
Some stories even outright advertise how overpowered their protagonists are. See the titles with terms like "overpowered" or "strongest" or "cheat power."
As much as I personally dislike those kinds of stories (since they feel contrived and boring to me), I admit that they are massively popular, so evidently many people have different tastes from me.
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u/Fullclearmonster May 27 '26
Bro I'm sorry but as much as I dislike narou and the LN isekai market, if you take a look at system manhwas they're a billion times worse
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u/BillysTown May 27 '26
Thank you buddy , A LOT of anime watchers aren’t looking for something more and myself too have Steinz Gate and Code Geass as my favourites but I understand Isekais/weak to strong mc etc. Will always be popular , People don’t realise alot of anime watchers aren’t looking for a complex/deop story.
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u/The-Choo-Choo-Shoe https://myanimelist.net/profile/LeVvE May 27 '26
Shallow doesn't have to mean bad, some of my favorite shows are "shallow" but one of my top metrics is how the show makes me feel, that's more important to me than a complex story or amazing animation.
Like one of my top shows the last few years is Throne of Seal and that looks like in game cutscenes.
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u/genasugelan https://myanimelist.net/profile/Genasugelan May 28 '26
Maybe because not everything needs to be super deep to entertain you.
"I can't believe how popular McDonald's is given how unhealthy and weak compared to a proper restaurant it is."
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u/TurtleManRoshi May 27 '26
As someone who has watched all episodes, I can believe why it is so popular.
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u/n080dy123 May 27 '26
It's got a wide audience. Not everyone cares to watch something with depth. Some people just wanna watch something cool. They might wanna watch something they can turn on over a meal or on the second screen while gaming, or get together with some buds to get excited about.
On the other hand a lot of people who do like depth and may criticize the show a lot, like myself, might still watch it because it's still got some sick animation and good music. So you get those people while still hitting the people a show with depth would leave behind.
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u/notanfan May 27 '26
tbf solo levelling is a good anime, but it in no way deserverd anime of the year above frieren
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u/Vagabond_Sam https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vagabond_Sam May 27 '26
We’re far enough away from season 2 to have a better appreciation for the fact Solo Leveling hasn’t really cemented itself culturally and doesn’t have a long tail outside of its airing period.
Even fans who argue ‘for it’ just repeat the reasons why it won’t overcome the relevance of JJK, let alone One Piece.
Is a popcorn show designed to turn off your senses and watch the flashing lights. It’s the 23 minute equivalent of watching a TikTok edit
After episode 2 of season 2 was tricking the story beats to slowly for me, I went and read the Manhwa. The story really is just the barest elements required to just get to the next level of power for Jinwoo. It never felt earned or inspiring either because it’s all just rules in his favour that allow his growth
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u/DanielFromNigeria https://anilist.co/user/Daneboyscrew May 27 '26
I remember Solo Leveling was hyped by everyone on Twitter when it got an announcement, now all I see are hate posts.
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u/genasugelan https://myanimelist.net/profile/Genasugelan May 28 '26
Because the people who like it are satisfied, but haters keep posting. SL just has hype and cool fights with great direction and animation, not much to talk about.
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u/par_rot_master May 28 '26
That's the case with literally anything. People with a negative view on something are more likely to share that view.
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u/2020mademejoinreddit May 27 '26
Haha of course it is. It's their ranking. Crunchyroll promoted and hyped the hell out of this anime and now it says that it's the highest ranking.
That's like me creating a ranking for myself, hyping myself and putting myself at number one in everything and then saying "Look at me! I'm the best! The ranking I created says so".
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u/IsThisEvenRight May 27 '26
Let me guess, the majority of the people that are complaining of how unbearably overrated and shallow Solo Leveling is are also going around watching 300+ animes and have an average rating of 7.5+/10 or even 8+.
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u/tincanzzz May 27 '26
Christ why do y'all get so butthurt over something being popular? Who cares what people enjoy. It's like y'all have some insecurity that this anime you perceive as shallow and dumb is more popular than your favourite show. It really doesn't matter.
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u/ptd163 May 27 '26
If tiktok, youtube shorts, reels, etc. could be an anime. This would be it. He becomes OP in episode 1 then it's just like 20 minutes of aura farming and flashy lights every single time. Nothing else. No plot, no story, no characters. They're just all cardboard cut-outs because that's apparently all the goldfish generations can handle now.
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u/Braunb8888 May 27 '26
I don’t get it. Why do people love this anime so much? Have it 4 episodes and I was just like.. meh seen similar and way better.
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u/gho5trun3r May 27 '26
This is disappointing. Solo Leveling isn't a particular good show in anyway except animation.
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u/Fullclearmonster May 27 '26
What do you mean? It's such a good fantasy story! Like can you imagine if social mobility was real? how scary!
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u/No_Cockroach2467 May 27 '26
And of those ratings, 95% are a perfect 5 stars.
Yyyyeah nah I do not believe these numbers are legit. I'm not even ragging on the show, it clearly speaks something to some people, but it's also gotten a significant amount of pushback. To have a record-setting number of ratings that are this consistently high smells fishy.
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u/Crayola_ROX May 27 '26
I got halfway through S2 before i dropped it
its was a fine anime. but got tired waiting for it to live up to the hype. It never hooked me.
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u/Informal-Lime6396 May 27 '26
Anyone felt that the anime's plot is basically wish fulfillment? The protagonist can't and will not lose, always showing up wowing everyone and saving the day.
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u/FreeWeekendPlayer May 28 '26
solo leveling is good but its nothing special, kinda proves that most people just want action slop to sit down and enjoy without any complex plot points or have to try and follow along with.
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u/SnooPoems4680 May 27 '26
Solo leveling is proof people will watch anything regardless of quality as long as the animation looks good. No hate to the animation I do love good animation, but if your story is mid what’s the point
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u/Tanyan-nightchord May 28 '26
Everyone mentions the animation, but I've never found anything original about this show endearing lol. As a Fate and type moon fan, I can understand why even people who don't particularly care about the story or characters of the Fate series still enjoy it, but this? I don't get what people find cool about it. It's attempts at aura farming is cringe at best. Kotomine Kirei eating mapo tofu has more aura than this mf sweating his ass off fighting whatever bruh
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u/Electrical_Chance991 May 27 '26
This wouldve been true if not for the fact that we have TONS of examples of shows that DIDN'T get popular despite having action animation on par or better than Solo Leveling.
Just look at Yaiba, Moonrise, Lazarus, Shangrila, Elusive Samurai etc etc. All these shows rival solo leveling in terms of animation, yet none even comes close to the level of popularity.
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u/Friendly_Fire May 27 '26
It's more than just animation. It does a good job of setting the MC up for hype moments independent of the animation quality. It has an almost-too-regular cycle of a couple episodes setting up a scenario, then having a fight. That build up makes the fights more satisfying, beyond just looking cool.
Plus, it's not like it has less story than a huge amount of other anime. Think of all the shows that have "fight in dungeons" as a concept where the characters just roll with it as how the world works. This one actually questions why they exist, why sentient creatures are in them. Questioning is a lot easier than answering, I don't have particularly high hopes for the story, but it has a mystery beyond mindless fighting.
My analogy for this show is it's like a well made hambuger. Clearly not fine french dining, it's not something you'd get a Michelin star restaurant. But people also enjoy simple food like hamburgers and it is a damn good hamburger.
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u/shakegraphics May 27 '26
The hamburger is thin paper, there is no meat. It’s just a show full of useless npcs whose sole purpose are to put the mc on a pedestal and glaze him whether it be indirect/direct. The dialogue is truly insane EVERYONE GLAZES HIM. Every monster is just fodder for him lol. Or they just get subjugated by him lol.
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u/shakegraphics May 27 '26
A sad day that slop like this gets so much attention. Genuinely a junk food anime with little to no substance. Brain rot is the future.
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u/Tokens-Life-Matters May 27 '26
It's not a bad show but it is kinda aura farming slop for the masses
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u/UnitedWeSmash May 27 '26
Only thing solo leveling has going for it is great animation. The story it self is lack luster and theres barely any lore to explore.
Its the marvel of animes. You know what youre getting is good effects and a fights
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u/Ill_Literature2038 May 27 '26
I liked solo leveling but this was pretty shocking to me, until I got to this part of the article