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A review by bunniebooks
Solo Leveling, Vol. 1 by Chugong
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
I actually read this volume plus some of the second volume, so my thoughts on both are mashed together here. I think if you're not familiar with this genre (Lit-RPG, gate-fiction), you'll have a bit of fun with this first volume. If you're already familiar with this kind of genre, this is very generic.
Anyway, maybe this is because it's a translation, but I found Solo-Leveling to be pretty boring, with very simple language. Initially, it starts off pretty interesting, but once the MC figures out how to game the system with his new skill, any character development or narrative tension/stakes slowly dies off. You basically get to a point where you expect him to just breeze his way through any obstacle, and it's just a matter of how cool he is when he does it.
Basically, this is your standard male power fantasy, where a "loser" character gains OP cheat skills and never has anything go wrong for him. Ever. He gets a minion that's super loyal/rich, kills OP monsters, finds super rare items, and never looks uncool or has anything go wrong for him. I'll admit that the leveling-up gimmick is interesting, but as someone who reads stories more for the characters, this was just boring to me. I honestly can't remember anything remarkable about the MC, other than that he's smart enough to figure out how to level up efficiently. Other characters just exist to prop up the MC, and have very one-note personalities. Maybe the webtoon is better, because I can't really see the hype behind this series.
Anyway, maybe this is because it's a translation, but I found Solo-Leveling to be pretty boring, with very simple language. Initially, it starts off pretty interesting, but once the MC figures out how to game the system with his new skill, any character development or narrative tension/stakes slowly dies off. You basically get to a point where you expect him to just breeze his way through any obstacle, and it's just a matter of how cool he is when he does it.
Basically, this is your standard male power fantasy, where a "loser" character gains OP cheat skills and never has anything go wrong for him. Ever. He gets a minion that's super loyal/rich, kills OP monsters, finds super rare items, and never looks uncool or has anything go wrong for him. I'll admit that the leveling-up gimmick is interesting, but as someone who reads stories more for the characters, this was just boring to me. I honestly can't remember anything remarkable about the MC, other than that he's smart enough to figure out how to level up efficiently. Other characters just exist to prop up the MC, and have very one-note personalities. Maybe the webtoon is better, because I can't really see the hype behind this series.