If you watched this anime adaptation of Solo Leveling, you likely did so because you were already a fan of the popular Korean manhwa series, or you were intrigued by all the hype surrounding it. Regardless, you probably had rather high expectations going into it. The secret to fully enjoying Solo Leveling Season 1 is - don't expect much.
There are a few key reasons for this. While the beginning was solid and promising, effectively introducing the power level system, after the first couple of decent episodes, the show starts to lose momentum. It becomes clear that aside from the main protagonist, the rest of the characters are essentially irrelevant to the overarching story and have virtually no impact on the main character's journey. As a result, there is little opportunity or incentive for the viewer to become invested in any of the side characters. The mother's initial illness fails to garner much sympathy, the sister's role is negligible for the entirety of season 1, and this pattern holds true for almost every other character. Even the graphic violence lacks impact since we don't form connections to any of the characters, including the protagonist himself.
This flaw could potentially be overlooked if the animation quality was exceptional, but unfortunately that is not the case. The visuals remain mediocre and messy until the finale, where there is a modest improvement, but it comes too late to salvage the season.
The repeated emphasis on the protagonist being the "weakest hunter" comes across as heavy-handed, seemingly a contrived attempt by the author to amplify and oversell the extent of the main character's eventual power growth and evolution. To me? It just felt forced.
Overall, Season 1 falls into the familiar trope of "a initially weak main character gaining immense strength, ostensibly to boost his ego and snatch the noble goal of saving someone beloved". While not particularly noteworthy, it provides a reasonably entertaining experience. I would rate it a 7 out of 10 - not necessarily a standout recommendation, but the season did pique my interest enough that I may pick up the original manhwa to see where the story goes next.
