Solo Leveling - Season 2: Arise from Shadow (2025)
[δΏΊγ γγ¬γγ«γ’γγγͺδ»Ά Season 2 -Arise from the Shadow-]
[λ νΌμλ§ λ 벨μ ]
Director: Shunsuke Nakashige
Studio: A-1 Pictures
Starring: Taito Ban, Reina Ueda, Daiki Hirakawa
Episodes: 12
Synopsis:
As Jinwoo flexes his new powers, it becomes more and more difficult for him to keep his reawakening a secret.
Impressions:
I enjoyed the first season quite a bit and was looking forward to this, but with Jinwoo getting more and more powerful, the challenge level goes down and we end up with more of a dime-a-dozen power fantasy, which is disappointing. Once Jinwoo surpasses the S-Rank Hunters, it's pretty much done. At very least, we can hope for some flashy fights, but even those get truncated at several points. There's some interesting stuff going on with all the wrangling behind the scenes, but it's mostly relegated to the periphery. There's also the introduction of the Japanese, er, the DFN, which brings in an interesting meta element of how the Japanese production of a Korean work with an unflattering portrayal of the Japanese would handle things. Now, I knew there were two different Japanese dubs, one that preserves the Korean names and one that turns all the Koreans Japanese. I was amused to have the localized Japanese dub with subs that reflect the Korean to make for some fine dissonance with bilingual processing. As for how the Japanese are handled, it's about what I'd expect from one of their neighbors. Take it or leave it.
Production values haven't taken a hit, so when we actually get full-length fights, the visuals are worth it. Storywise, however, my investment has dwindled significantly. I'd still say this is worth a watch, but temper your expectations a bit.
Rating:Watch It