i did expect the adaptation to be as un-unique as the webtoon carried by above average animation (and i was right), but i did not expect them to fuck up the premiere this badly.
half of the episode is just dialog and lore dumps presented in a boring way. we got unnecessary character introductions that are clearly fan service because there is no anime-only will give a shit about them.
AND THEN it just ended out of nowhere. like, why? i'm willing to bet 99% of people read Solo leveling because they got hooked by the intro, and we only got half of the intro in the anime for some reason.
is this what the anime adaptation is? just fan service for existing fans? how are anime-onlys supposed to be hooked by that mediocre premiere?
from my limited exposure to the anime fandom, the general reception to the episode has been quite positive, despite all my complains.
because i am being unfair to Solo Leveling. all things considered, it's a pretty decent first episode, with animation that most anime wouldn't dream of having.
BUT, i think my complains are justified, because it's fucking Solo Leveling, the king of all webtoons, as mainstream as a webtoon can be. it has enough existing hype to be the next demon slayer as long as the adaptation is on par with that, and i want to see that happening.
i'll admit that i'm judging it a bit too early. we won't know how good it is until more episodes come out. but it definitely failed the first impression. i wish they went for the oshi no ko route where they go all out for the first impression.