REVIEW: ‘Solo Leveling – ReAwakening’ Primes Fans For Season 2

Solo Leveling ReAwakening from A-1 Pictures and Production I.G. recaps the events of season one of the popular anime while also giving fans their first look at what challenges and threats await Sung Jin-woo (Taito Ban) in season two by combining the first pair of episodes with the recap in a smooth, theatrical cut.

The bulk of this two-hour package is the season one recap. Like most recaps of this style, the veritable highlight reel touches on the biggest moments of Jin-woo’s journey thus far while lacking a lot of context for the events themselves. This makes Solo Leveling ReAwakening a great thing for existing fans to check out, though it may leave newcomers hoping to catch up scratching their heads in places.

Beginning with a season two banner, the last forty minutes deliver new content. We learn that Hwang Dung-soo (Jun’ichi Suwabe, My Hero Academia) has finally arrived in Japan to seek out the two men he holds responsible for the death of his brother. The writing, voice acting, and visual presentation all do a great job of establishing a sense of menace around the S-Rank hunter.

The viciousness that he projects makes the viewer believe that he could pose a substantial threat to Jin-woo. And it seems like our protagonist isn’t the only character this new villain will likely clash with, as his hot-headed arrogance rubs all around him the wrong way.

Characters grow in the Solo Leveling movie, getting you up to speed for Season 2.

But Dung-Soo will be a problem in the future. Solo Leveling ReAwakening pits Jin-woo against more immediate problems. In the hopes of convincing his sister’s friend, Han Song-yi (Miyu Tomita, Dan Da Dan), to step away from hunting, he gets a friend to allow them to tag along on a training raid. But shortly after the group enters the dungeon, the gate turns red, locking them in. Now, they must struggle to survive, unknowing of what heightened dangers may await them.

The back half of Solo Leveling ReAwakening features unknown threats that provide a flavorful element to the story. With Jin-woo’s ever-expanding strength, wondering whether or not he will overcome a threat is a non-issue. However, implementing so many unknowns into the latest scenario manages to distract somewhat from the foregone conclusion most viewers will expect to play out.

The film also crafts some solid side characters for Jin-woo to interact with during this stretch. With some good personalities and some bad, the supporting cast further brings flavor to the scenario that is sometimes absent from Jin-woo’s frequent solo adventures.

When the fighting starts, the film is quick to show that it hasn’t lost any of its brutal touch. Bones crumble, limbs are severed, and plenty of blood paints the dungeon’s ground. While the visceral nature of the combat will be familiar, Solo Leveling ReAwakening starts to increase the scale of Jin-woo’s conflicts.

As the first battle Jin-woo has fought since he gained his necromancer class at the end of the last season, fans would be surprised if he didn’t bring his new ghostly minions to the fray. To accommodate the protagonist’s undead allies, the battle shifts in style from most of the major fights in the series.

The animation always shines in Solo Leveling ReAwakening.

Rather than feature one monstrous boss, a less towering boss brings a unit of his own, creating a full-scale battle. While the main focus is always on Jin-woo’s personal fight, seeing the growth of the conflicts brings a new angle to the series.

The sleek visual style the series became known for in season one delivers fast-paced combat and copious bloodshed. Everything from lightning-fast dash attacks to the billowing auras of powerful fighters is animated brilliantly. As the battle builds to its crescendo, the animation never fails to keep pace, ensuring the power of all the combatants comes through beautifully.

While combat is the visual star of the new content in Solo Leveling ReAwakening, the animation also comes through when delivering the emotions of the supporting cast. Rage and madness play out in a couple of spots, and the visuals work hard to bring the intensity of the emotions front and center.

Solo LevelingReAwakening delivers all that one can ask for from this style of project. It provides a refresher of the previous season’s events while also giving fans a look at the excitement to come. If you reached the end of season one cheering for Jin-woo, what the new content here showcases should leave you with plenty to look forward to when the new season fires up.

Solo Leveling Season 1 is streaming on Crunchyroll, and new episodes of Season 2 air every Friday.