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Like Chainsaw Man, Solo Leveling has established itself among the most hyped anime of the year and has lived up to that reputation, at least so far. The two are similar in some aspects and both feature stunning visuals, a trend that has been becoming popular with modern-day anime.
Chainsaw Man ended its first season on a high and has viewers eager for the next. On the other end, Solo Leveling has released three episodes and looks to be right on track. When considered together, A-1 Pictures has chosen to tread cleverly and follow in the footsteps of the Chainsaw Man anime.
Solo Leveling and Chainsaw Man build upon the respective manhwa/manga
Solo Leveling's animators at A-1 Pictures seem to have taken a page out of the Chainsaw Man's anime book and so far, it has worked splendidly. What is being referred to here are the studio's efforts to enhance the source material. The studio seems eager to build upon what is available and add in little bits here and there.
Not to mistake, it is adapting the original work as it is. But with it, the studio has taken artistic liberties and is adding extra scenes at different points to improve the overall impact of the story. Although these scenes are minor and last a couple of seconds to a minute, they hugely boost the anime's storytelling aspect.
To be more specific, in Solo Leveling, there have already been a couple of scenes that have been added to the anime but are absent from the manhwa. For instance, when Sung Jin-Woo disappeared from his hospital room, nurses came in to check on him, which did not happen in the manhwa.
Again, Lee Joohee was part of the group that raided the D-rank Dungeon, which later turned awry. Her role was that of a medic and following its events, she was traumatized. However, when she heard of Jin-Woo regaining consciousness, she visited the hospital with a flower basket. This was absent from the Solo Leveling manhwa.
As for Chainsaw Man, the biggest anime-only addition that left fans buzzing was Aki Hayakawa's morning routine. It stood out for its sharp and crisp animation. Particularly, the shot of Aki splashing water on his face garnered a lot of attention as his face got larger in the reflection.
Referring to another, there is an adorable and gush-worthy slice-of-life moment between Aki and Denji. Following the fight against the Bat Devil, the next morning, Aki went about his morning routine while Denji prepared breakfast. They then sat together, showcasing a moment of humanity that proves the importance of the little things.
Fans delighted with the studio's efforts at worldbuilding in Solo Leveling
The addition of anime-only scenes was noticed more so by the readers of this manhwa. While it wouldn't make much of a difference to those who haven't read the manhwa, those who have were delighted with A-1 Pictures' attempt to breathe life into the story. Adding in such scenes not only enhances their appeal but also contributes to worldbuilding.
Not to mention, Chainsaw Man director Ryu Nakayama's influence in this regard seems to have rubbed off here too. The two anime adaptations, as mentioned earlier, possess extra scenes that do well to improve upon the source material.
A comment by an X user further explained just how important tiny details such as these turn out to be. While the source material focuses solely on the main character, incorporating extra bits to shift the spotlight onto the supporting characters really adds relevance to them and broadens the anime's horizons.
Final thoughts
When executed properly, anime-only scenes can be a visual treat. For all the reasons listed previously, studios tend to take creative liberty to do so. So far, A-1 Pictures has done a fantastic job in bringing Chugong's Solo Leveling to life.
Presently, the wait continues for the fourth episode of the anime. Sung Jin-Woo entered an Instant Dungeon and found himself face-to-face with a Steel Fanged Lycan. Ordinarily, he would likely have been dead by now. But this time, he has the System's backing, so it is intriguing to see what happens next.
