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When fans heard that theSolo Levelingmanhwa would be getting animated, it seemed likea dream come true. Long before the announcements, some fans had taken matters into their own hands to promote the manhwa with spectacular fan-made art and YouTube teasers that brought even more awareness to the story.
With 12 episodes in the first season and 13 in the second,and high chances of a third season on the way, the anime adaptation has already broken records and drawn in millions of fans across the globe, introducing new slang and meme material such as “Arise.” The show is doing excellent in the market, and more often than not, shows with this much hype can easily be dragged out by the studio to make as much revenue from the franchise.
What Exactly Is This Trap?
Completed Story Vs Its Animated Adaptation
The manhwa,Solo Leveling, adapts thelight novel, with the main story ending at chapter 179 in volume 13.The story grows in complexity after the Jeju Island Arc, and it’s in these parts of the story, where proper explanations are needed for what is to come, that studios tend to extend the series unnecessarily.
In many popular shows, there are trends like this, where the show is stretched out in ways like:
These additions often prioritize profitability over storytelling. What the fans want to see and how much the studios want to make become clashing ideas, with the fans' satisfaction on the line.
Why This Is A Problem
Consistency
So far, the story’s adoption has been just as fast-paced as it is in the manhwa, providing a satisfying progression, and that has become one of its strengths, keeping viewers glued to their seats every week during the release of a new episode. Attempts to change the flow or ruin the momentum of the show would be noticed quickly and open the series up for backlash from viewers, and may even reduce the interest and hype amongst fans.
Impact On Fans
When fans have to pay extra to watch a single arc in theatres, that is strongly tied to the progression in the next season or to the completion of the previous season; it’s all too easy for them to feel manipulated. In addition to feeling pressured, many fans may also find theatrical releases inaccessible due to location, cost, or timing. As a result, some fans might feel left behind, unable to follow the story in real time and excluding them from the hype.
“Milking Gone Wrong” In Anime Adaptations
It’s Always The Blockbusters
It’s usually great shows with a huge fanbase that get into this trap. For instance, theDemon Slayeranime took the world by storm. Using theDemon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Trainto continue the story and introduce a new arc was fair, and most fans didn’t mind. But the studio has now decided toadapt the final arc as a movie trilogy to be released theatrically. It is more or less clear that the studio is not considering their fanbase and the story with this decision, but the box office returns.
They didn’t observe from another anime that tried a similar approach and received backlash. The series is in comparison withAttack on Titan’s endless final season parts. Originally pitched asAttack on Titan: The Final Season, most fans expected a consistent, satisfying conclusion to the show. Instead, they got a multi-year rollout:
What was supposed to be one powerful season was turned into the ultimate milking project, leaving some fans dissatisfied with the overall show that had started in 2013 with massive promise.
Ways To Expand The Franchise Without Ruining The Story
The Easiest Route
There are golden ways to make the most out ofSolo Levelingwithout affecting the story. The popularity of an anime has a huge part to play in a lot of these options, but that’s something theSolo Levelinganime already has. Some of the options are:
All these options don’t affect the original story’s progression and have good chances of succeeding at bringing in more viewers to the anime and more love for the entire franchise.
Why This Matters ForSolo Leveling
WithSolo Leveling’s adaptation being so impactful in the anime world and having a fast-paced story progression, fans are hoping for a faithful adaptation, not one that splits arcs across movies or adds unnecessary screen time and cliffhangers to drag things out. The anime has hype, but it also has responsibility:do not follow the path of milking success at the cost of the experience.Creating a balance between aura farming and revenue farming, as one would assume, is not entirely such a difficult decision to make.
Solo Leveling
A-1 Pictures' Solo Leveling is an anime based on Chugong’s popular web novel. Set in an unforgiving fantasy world where hunters explore dungeons filled with monsters, the vulnerable Sung Jinwoo gains a significant power boost after he is picked to be a solo player by the System.
