Solo Leveling - ReAwakening Review

Recap films are one of the few phenomena I feel are exclusive to anime. The idea of watching a condensed version of a show you’ve already seen just to get a sneak peek at the next season is something I will never understand—even as an anime fan. This sentiment is especially true when the first season was merely okay, as is the case with Solo Leveling. The first season was fun—something I enjoyed watching—but I never felt the urge to recommend it or revisit it. It was fine. However, the conclusion of season one took a turn I never saw coming, leaving me groaning out loud at the thought of having to watch season two.

Solo Leveling: ReAwakening is a glorified recap film for the first hour and fifteen minutes. But when it finally shifts focus to the first two episodes of season two, that’s where the magic happens. Those episodes hooked me completely, leaving me hopeful—and slightly nervous—that the show won’t drop the ball moving forward.

For the uninitiated, Solo Leveling takes place in a world where mysterious portals, called dungeons, have started opening across Korea. These portals release monsters, and it’s up to hunters to defeat them and close the gates. Hunters are ranked, with S being the strongest and E the weakest. Sung Jin-woo is widely known as the weakest hunter of all, a level E. However, after a dungeon mission goes catastrophically wrong, he gains the ability to level up and grow stronger—something previously thought impossible in this world, as hunter rankings are considered fixed.

Solo Leveling is a quintessential power fantasy. Watching our once-scrawny protagonist level up to become a super-muscular, unstoppable warrior is the show’s primary appeal. We see him face increasingly tough enemies, overcoming impossible odds to emerge victorious. That simplicity is likely why the recap portion of the film trims much of the earlier content. Instead, it focuses on the three major fights of season one: Blue Venom-Fanged Kasaka, Giant Arachnid Buryura, and Blood-Red Commander Igris. These battles are the highlights of season one, so it’s nice to see them revisited. However, much of the story is cut to make room for these scenes. There’s no mention of the punishment zone, the daily challenges are skipped, and while the system’s training dungeons appear, they’re never explained. As a result, the recap feels rewarding only if you watched Solo Leveling when it first aired and remember it well.

This film would have been forgettable if not for the first two episodes of season two, which adapt the Red Portal arc from the source material. These episodes are fast-paced, thrilling, and far more engaging than anything in season one. We finally get to see more of Sung Jin-woo’s necromancer abilities, which were briefly teased at the end of season one. Now fully showcased, these powers are nothing short of badass every time he uses them.

While the animation isn’t exceptional, it gets the job done. The English dub, however, is fantastic. Aleks Le is outstanding as Sung Jin-woo, bringing immense range to the character. The transformation in his voice—from fragile and hesitant to strong and confident—is remarkable.

At worst, Solo Leveling: ReAwakening is a glorified teaser for season two. At best, it’s the perfect product to hype you up for what’s to come. I just really hope the rest of season two lives up to the promise of those first two episodes.