Solo Levelingrecently won Crunchyroll’s prestigious Anime of the Year award, and there’s a decent portion of fans who think that it shouldn’t have. All things considered,Solo Levelingwent up against some of the stiffest competition in the award’s history, competing against several instant classics.
Solo Levelingbeat five of the best anime series of this generation:Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Kaiju No. 8, Dandadan, The Apothecary Diaries,andDelicious in Dungeon.Each of these series had a considerable chance at taking home the top prize,but even they couldn’t surpassSolo Leveling.
Solo Leveling is a smash-hit that nobody saw coming. Itbroke a ton of records, featured some of the most exciting moments in shōnen anime, and did it all in less than 15 episodes. Sure, each of the five seriesSolo Levelingcompeted against could have won, butSolo Levelingdeserved its anime of the year award.
There Was Heavy Competition
Solo Leveling Beat Some of the Best Anime Around
There has never been a lineup as stacked as this year’s for the Crunchyroll Anime of the Year award. Each of the six series competing for the award are titans of the industry in their own right, andit was hard from the very beginning to predict which would come out on top.
Frieren: Beyond Journey’s Endis a standout hit and easily one ofthe best anime series of all time. As soon as its last episode aired, the fantastical tale took the number one spot asthe best anime series ever madeon MyAnimeList.com, beating massive series likeOne Piece, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood,andSteins;Gate.
Dandadanis one of the freshest series around. It’s wonderful premise is only made better by the top-tier characters within the series, as both main and side characters add a lot to the show. One of the main characters, Okarun, is one ofthe most adorable characters in anime, and his relationship with Momo Ayase makesDandadana must-watch.
Delicious in Dungeon, Kaiju No. 8,andThe Apothecary Diariesare all great anime series as well.The Apothecary Diariesfeatures an incredibly intelligent lead and deep themes covering morality, identity, and what it means to fight for what you believe in. They’re all amazing series that more than deserved to compete for the title, but even they didn’t have whatSolo Levelingdid.
Solo Leveling Stood Out in an Oversaturated Genre
There Are Tons of Boring Shōnen, but Not Solo Leveling
Shōnen is easily the most popular genre of anime in the West. It’s a series defined by high-flying actions, main characters that will never give up, and some of the best fights ever brought to screen. While it’s an amazing genre filled with hits, a lot of the anime series within it aren’t great.
Because shōnen is so popular, it’s become oversaturated over the years.Every anime series wants to be the nextDragon Ball, Bleach, One Piece,orNaruto,but few can bring the same magic to the table. These series make the genre look worse as a whole, and that’s whereSolo Levelingshines.
Solo Levelingstood out in a genre filled with boring series witheven worse tropes. It showed that shōnen series can still be fresh, unique, and exciting.Solo Levelingrevitalized the genre for those growing bored with it and gave newcomers to anime one of the best entry series to watch at the same time.
Crunchyroll Posted All the Best Fights Online for Free
It’s an Amazing Marketing Move
Most anime series want to hide their best moments behind a pay wall. It’s not the worst move, as a lot of streaming services are worried that once a viewer sees an amazing fight, they won’t feel inclined to watch the rest of the series. Ina genius marketing move,Crunchyroll did the exact opposite.
Instead of hiding the best fights inSolo Leveling,they posted them all for free on their YouTube channel. The videos they’ve posted show off the best bits ofSolo Levelingin fantastic quality. Crunchyroll even included the entire fights online, showing their faith inSolo Levelingas a series that is so much more than its action sequences.
The fights that Crunchyroll has posted on their website have amassed over 50 million views. It’s an amazing figure that didn’t lead to a drop in viewership in the slightest, as the people who saw clips ofSolo Levelingonly wanted to see more.
Sung Jinwoo Is the Perfect Protagonist for the Series
He’s the Right Amount of Edgy
The word ‘edgy’ has a negative connotation surrounding it. Too many anime series want their main character to be dark, mysterious, and incredibly powerful all at once. They want their characters to be the coolest person in the room, and it rarely works out that way.
Most of the time, these edgy wannabe characters come off as unrelatable, uncomfortable, and entirely unreal.Solo Levelingproves that not only is edgy not cringe, but it can be amazing. Sung Jinwoo is the first edgy character in anime to do the trope right,bringing it back to shōnen in the best way possible.
Jinwoo radiates aura like the Sun radiates light. He can’t help but be one of the best aura farmers of the new generation of anime, and it makesSolo Levelingsuch an enjoyable watch. He thrives where other main characters falter, which is another reason whySolo Levelingdeserved to win anime of the year.
Solo Leveling Is a Once-In-A-Generation Hit
There Aren’t Many Shōnen Anime Series Like It
Solo Levelingwon Crunchyroll’s Anime of the Year award for one simple reason: there is no other series like it. While each of its contenders brought something great to the table,Solo Levelingflipped the table upside down.It’s spearheading major changes in the shōnen genre, reinvigorating the tired section of anime dedicated to action.
Solo Levelingdoes so many things right that it’s hard to believe. It adapts the manhwa amazingly, features ridiculously good animation (thanks to A-1 Pictures), and tells a wonderfully unique story that anyone can get hooked on immediately.
Solo Levelingis one of the best anime series both for anime veterans andbeginners to the art form. It’s a work of art that dominated the charts when it first premiered, and somehow, the second season was even better than the first. WhileFrieren, The Apothecary Diaries,and the rest of the contenders were excellent,Solo Levelingabsolutely deserved to win Anime of the Year.
