Critiquing Solo Leveling: Unveiling the Dark Side of Anime Fandom
Solo Leveling faces criticism for its filler episodes, shedding light on a prevalent issue within the anime community.
Despite the positive reception of Solo Leveling's anime adaptation, the recent backlash towards its special episode #7.5 sheds light on a negative aspect of the anime fandom. The series, loved by fans of the manhwa as well as newcomers, faced criticism from the very fans who once praised it. This reaction to a recap episode exposes the hypocrisy within the anime fandom.
Episode #7.5 of Solo Leveling, titled "How to Get Stronger," has garnered a significant amount of negative feedback on Crunchyroll. The episode summarizes Jinwoo's journey thus far and has accumulated nearly 70 thousand dislikes on the platform. Many disappointed fans have expressed their feelings in the comments section, leading to it becoming the lowest-rated episode on Crunchyroll. Even prominent YouTuber MrBeast joined in criticizing the episode.
Twitter article posted by Dexerto
Fans were disappointed to wait a week for a new episode of Solo Leveling, only to find out it was a recap or filler episode. These types of episodes have always been criticized in the anime community. However, with growing concerns about the working conditions in animation studios, maybe it's time for fans to reconsider their views on filler and recap episodes.
Solo Leveling Gets Backlash For Filler Episode
Solo Leveling episode #7.5 "How to Get Stronger", produced by A-1 Pictures, based on the web novel and webtoon by chugong
Choi from Solo Leveling sitting with his fingers crossed - Solo Leveling episode #7.5 "How to Get Stronger", produced by A-1 Pictures, based on the web novel and webtoon by chugong - Solo Leveling Gets Backlash For Filler Episode
Anime fans often don't like filler episodes and recaps, even if they're necessary. Episode #7.5 came out instead of episode #8, possibly because Taito Ban, who voices Jinwoo, was sick. He revealed he had COVID-19 in February and there were rumors he coughed up blood while recording episode #4 of Solo Leveling.
Some anime fans should start being more open to episodes like this and appreciating the effort put into the production. Solo Leveling has stayed true to the source material, with every episode maintaining high quality. The decision to release a recap indicates that the studio values quality over rushing out a subpar episode.
Sung Jin-Woo fights in a dungeon after his reawakening in Solo Leveling. - It's also significant that most fans were quick to support the criticism of MAPPA due to the poor working conditions of the animators working for the studio, and rightfully so
It's important to note that many fans quickly supported the criticism of MAPPA for the poor working conditions of the animators. However, some fans are disappointed about having to wait an extra week for a new episode of their favorite show, without considering the bigger picture.
Despite the lower ratings of episode #7.5, it doesn't reflect the overall quality of Solo Leveling. Hopefully, this won't discourage new viewers from giving the series a chance. Jinwoo's journey is progressing quickly, and the upcoming episodes are expected to be just as amazing.
Solo Leveling is available from Crunchyroll.
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Sources: Dexerto (X)
