ANIME WITH MANGA DETAILS
### Blog 1 of 11:
So this entry is damn right, yeah, the new one has more details and some other events but generally in fights the manga is much superior and then comes the anime amplifying the manga fights that were already improved. So dude, there's no way not to appreciate this. People, we're back with the weekly impressions of Solo Leveling, the story of the weakest hunter of humanity who, after an event at the beginning of the story, changes his life completely, including appearance and personality.
In episode 11 of the anime, we arrived at one of the most anticipated events by those who know the original material: The Battle Against the Igris. This battle is a great milestone in the beginning of the story and damn, it looked beautiful in the Anime. They really showcased the imposing nature of this opponent, which was deserved. Although some will have complaints about a little bit of protagonism, and of course, there's also a big discussion going on among fans about the extras that the anime is putting in. This episode was filled with extras, and you can also notice why they kept pausing to put these extras. So I'm already getting annoyed with that.
In this post, I will comment on that as well as the parts that caught my attention in the episode and a little bit of comparison with how it was in the original. Since there were several improvements in the fight against the Igris, as well as always.
So let's go, in this episode, it already starts with the protagonist entering the dungeon and facing several Knights...
### Blog 2 of 11:
He goes inside and finds out that the easiest method is not to use his dagger because he can't pierce the armors. But they are susceptible to impact damage and he also tears off parts of their bodies until when more opponents appear, it's not such a big challenge for the protagonist. But there's an interesting part which is the armor he gains, it's something that many people have been complaining about. "Oh, there's no armor for him to use and such", his friend buys all these absurd armors and such, damn expensive because he can't get one by defeating these bosses and such. He only managed to get that weapon until now and he keeps fighting in regular clothes. Yeah, on one hand he just got a lot of equipment. So this RPG aspect that many people like appeared finally a little in this episode, but at the same time, the equipment appears. So those who wanted to see him with armor and such, some cool items and changing, evolving the armors won't see it. It's even practical in this case. For sure, for the guy who draws the manga, drawing him always in the same clothes rather than with a detailed armor there, imagine how annoying that should be. But there are equipments in solo level. But you can even change his in this case, he did it more than once until this episode, it didn't detail the name of the equipments like in the manga. Look, in the manga they detail the name, everything correctly, the attributes, etc. while in the Anime it's more distant, just showing that he managed to get equipment to put on his entire body, which was very useful. Surely he would have died flying in the next fight that happens if he hadn't gotten this equipment and the equipment doesn't just give him defense, it increases attributes, has special effects, in fact, one of the special effects was what saved his life. I'm going to comment on that because the anime didn't show it. In the case, the anime shows that there's something in his hand but didn't specify the effect that it
### Blog 3 of 11:
...and that thing was in his hand, that's what saved him there, so I'll comment on that a little further ahead. But well, the big draw of this fight is the igris, when it shows up it already seems like a very imposing being and also this visual there for those who have played Dark Souls is clearly inspired by Dark Souls, I believe that fans of the franchise, even those who don't know the original, must have noticed that. I've already seen similar armors to that somewhere, where could it have been inspired from? And speaking of armor, one of the fears of many people is that the igris would be made in CGI because usually in Anime nowadays when there are armors they use CGI because it's more practical but they didn't make it all in 2D, major respect here for the original. I really liked that, it really surprised me and well, his imposing presence in this case going to fight against the protagonist was absurd, he gets there and destroys half of the scenery. So this entry of his is damn right, yeah, there I got excited, there's no way not to, if you remember the original how it was, it didn't show him destroying everything behind, it was a much closer close-up there, so that scene there, his entry, was very impactful, oh my goodness. So besides having a cool look, the guy already exudes an absurd power at the beginning of the fight, so it seems like there's no chance, in this case, he's just running away, running from the igris like crazy, and in the original, it's very fast. This part here, he quickly gives up fighting with his dagger, while in the Anime they expanded a bit with this part, the fight has several sequences that didn't exist in the original material and they did this throughout the whole fight, it's full of extras and I really appreciate that, they've been doing it since the beginning actually, in fact, the whole fight they...
### Blog 4 of 11:
...improved so dude There's no way to haven't appreciation for this but well, they fought for a while there, the protagonist was blatantly taking a beating and couldn't penetrate the igris armor, which is more important than adant him using the dagger. If every time he hits the igris with the dagger it does nothing to his armor, the igris seeing that he stopped using the dagger decides he won't use his sword either. So you want a mano a mano fight, cool, let's go. He doesn't even speak but just him doing that, wanting a fair fight, if you're not going to use a weapon, I won't either, just him doing that you already feel the respect for the opponent and that always enhances the fight. If you care about the opponent, you care more about the outcome of the fight, or you have a lot of hatred for the opponent, you also care for sure, or else you have some kind of respect or you even like the opponent, whether one or the other has a positive effect for you to enjoy the fight better and get excited about it. When the protagonist fights against the opponent that you don't give a damn about, it's just a Random boss, it doesn't have the same effect. When he wins, you're like "Oh cool, it was a challenge but that's it", so that's really cool today, it's a very simple thing, for the igris to pick up and drop his sword and take off the cape, but it adds a plus to the fight, but well, it didn't help, the protagonist keeps getting beaten, the igris teleports in front of him and keeps punching him and well, this beating that the protagonist suffers was also expanded, it's worth mentioning, in the original it's much shorter, he suffers much less damage there, oh my God, Igris wiped the floor with him, but it looked cool in this case, can't say it didn't, but it was fluid, it was very well done, and I was amazed at how they handled this fight, so it was something I was expecting obviously, it was the most important fight in this first season, obviously what's going to happen in the next episode will be ...
### Blog 5 of 11:
...also cool but this one is more important, so I wanted them to really invest, they invested in fluid animation non-stop, a good fit of the soundtrack, and well, it seems like the protagonist lost, he was thrashed there by the Igris, then he was thrown all messed up on the throne there and then the igris lowers his guard, it seems like he's going to finish Jin-Woo off, but the protagonist was there pretending to be dead on purpose to catch him off guard, so much so that he stops the Igris' sword, and this is a moment that is better explained in the original because look, this glove of his had an effect there that his hand couldn't be hurt, so when he grabs the sword, his hand isn't destroyed because of that, which wouldn't be possible normally, so it's the item that allows him to do that, to grab the sword. They even show that he has armor on his arm in the Anime, but they don't detail the effect of the armor and that it's the armor that saved his skin there, although they do mention in the Anime that the armor in this case saved him several times there because he would be dead if he received all those blows without the armor that he had put on, it was absorbing a lot of damage. So at least they mentioned that the armor was useful for him to have put on, and then comes the closing of the fight, he hits the Igris there who was caught off guard, the protagonist already was, and hits him right in the eye. So it affected him there and conveniently he gains a skill where hitting critical points he deals critical damage, which usually deals double damage in RPG, and well, he keeps hitting a bunch of those on the igris. So that's how he ends the igris's life very quickly because the igris was still full of life, he didn't do almost anything to the igris, and the Igris pulverized him, he had taken a lot of life from him, so him killing the igris like that when it was still full life seems a bit forced really, but the excuse there is that he hit several...
### Blog 6 of 11:
...successive critical attacks, quickly draining the igris's life. They even show this critical attack, it has the name of the attack there that appears, so a screen pops up multiple times, meaning he was hitting a bunch of these critical attacks non-stop. The only difference there from the anime to the manga is that the anime only shows the name of the special attack that gives a critical hit, it doesn't explain that the attack is critical, but the manga details there below that exactly that special attack that is appearing there does, and it was basically like that he won, caught the Igris off guard, slammed him against a wall, and started stabbing him several times there with the effect, and even showed this in a stylized animation there, it was pretty cool, clearly they tried to make this moment there more grandiose, the music also carries you along, and then right, a well-directed fight, it really got me excited. They truly respected this important moment that many fans valued from the original. But there's a little problem, it seems like the protagonist won by chance because the creature was much superior to him, and then he only won because he caught the guy off guard there, that's basically the idea. He himself says he won by luck because if the guy hadn't lowered his guard there when he was about to execute him for him to hit the dagger on him, he would never have won, the guy was much superior to him both in physical strength and combat experience, it was another level there. The funny part is that there's more information about this fight much further ahead in the story when you discover the extra information, it's quite interesting, but I can't comment on it here because it would be a spoiler. But for those who still don't understand why a character who appeared so little was so beloved in the original, because the greater duration here is by the igris, not so much by the protagonist in this fight, so you'll understand better his significance in the upcoming episodes, so I won't say much more than that because almost anything I say...
### Blog 7 of 11:
...ahead, so stay tuned. But yes, for those who want to swap luck, as the protagonist mentioned, for protagonism, feel free. He was battered from one side to the other, took a beating, and still won in the end by a stroke of luck, so more protagonism than that is difficult, for sure. But many people may have already noticed that this is actually a test that this system managing him did, which changed his appearance and personality. In this case, this system, which is something of his, because it's messing with a bunch of things, creating dungeons for him, and so on, so there might be more behind all this we're seeing, even in terms of protagonism. It's just that it's not so obvious. You can think there, right on the spot, because the system blocks a bunch of things in this deal, you can't use this or that, your skills, and so on, just because we want it like that. So the system even mocks him in the end, saying "good luck" to him, so clearly there's something behind all this power he's gaining at the same time as what's happening around him in terms of dungeons to strengthen him. This is worth mentioning, it's one of the mysteries, it's intentional, to begin with, there's something strange here, so in the next episode, there will be another scene that's very strange, and you'll increasingly wonder what the heck this system that gave him powers, which is his, is all about, and there will be answers to that, but much later in the story. So feel free to come up with theories because it really is something that is meant to be a mystery for now in the story. But well, in terms of protagonism, the protagonist managed to finish off the Igris, but the challenge isn't over. He got new items and such, great, but now a bunch of soldiers start appearing, and he has to hold out for as long as possible. Several waves will now appear non-stop...
### Blog 8 of 11:
...of adversaries for him. So the system isn't satisfied just with him defeating this guy, it wants more from him. So it ends with a certain tension, which is really cool. Well, let's wait now, the last episode must have some really cool scenes as well, including a much-awaited scene by fans. They already give some hints about it in the preview of the episode, even the title of the episode. So clearly, the anime staff understands the fans.
While the battle was very cool, many didn't appreciate the pauses in it because every now and then there was a pause to show something else happening while that fight was going on. So it showed a little bit of that, showed that one of the leaders of that guild, the White Tiger, is obsessed with that Ant Island, something that was shown at the beginning of the story, he's doing a lot for Shadow for it, mainly because he lost many comrades on that island. And it ends with them going there to check on the situation, so clearly, this will serve as a hook for the next season, since the grand final climax of the first season of the story is on that island. Just understand one thing, this here might confuse some people because people are thinking that the complete first season is these 12 episodes of the anime. No, this anime already has rumors that it has two parts, probably there will be a three to six-month break, and then it comes back with the second part still of the first season. And then, in the second part of the first season, at the end of it, it would reach the end of the first season of the manga, which was divided into two parts. And then, at the end of this first season...
### Blog 9 of 11:
... of the manga, the final climax there is against this Ant Island. So that's why they are focusing so much on this part one and adding so many extra scenes because it's a very important thing. It will be very important in the end of the second part of the first season, if it exists. Everything indicates that it does, but it's not 100% confirmed yet. Treat it as a rumor, a very likely rumor, but until they officially announce it, it's not guaranteed. But the point is, it's full of extra scenes, a bunch of foreshadowing for the Ant Island and such. So I think even for those who don't know the original, it's pretty obvious that this will be relevant. So it should end with them looking at the situation on the island, and it's chaotic and everything, and already serves as basically a little hook for part two of the first season of the anime, whenever it comes. But if there was a need to keep cutting the fight against Igris, pausing the fight to show this, look, have you ever heard of the thing that too much of anything is bad? So they got obsessed with putting extra scenes of what was happening with other characters that will be relevant in the story all the time, throughout the whole anime. While I appreciated this in moderate doses, a little here and there, I thought it was cool, they started to overdo it a bit and keep interrupting the fights, and you're there all pumped up and excited, and then, bam, comes a scene that's not exciting at all, it's just chitchat and everything, then it goes back to the fight, and you're all hyped up again, and then it cuts the fight again. So it's like that all the time, so I didn't think that was the best idea in the world. I'm totally in favor of some extras, especially to complement the original material or improve the original material, but for example, if more than half of the episode is extras, then it's almost turning into filler, right? And if you put extras that interrupt the fight, pause it for a...
### Blog 10 of 11:
... "Oh, for heaven's sake, it's not a brilliant idea." So why didn't they just let the fight flow normally against Igris? At least the fight against Igris, the pauses before the fight started, okay, no problem, but once the fight against Igris started, it should have gone until the end. He defeated Igris, okay, he defeated Igris, then show a bunch of extra scenes that they had about the people neurotically monitoring that island and everything else, okay, and then back to the protagonist, some knights appear there, so there's a final hook, and it cuts. I think it would have been better than constantly pausing the fight against Igris, showing a snippet of a scene, then back, showing another snippet of a scene, then back. So I found that unnecessary, the way they did the extras themselves isn't bad. So that's my opinion about it. Many people are already criticizing these extras because in several fights, they are pausing the fight to do this. This idea of pausing the fight, I don't think it's a very bright idea, to be honest. In the original, there weren't these pauses. I think it's pretty obvious to most people that in the original, the fights flowed continuously. In fact, there wasn't an extra part like what they added in this episode outside of the dungeon in the original. So all of that in the anime was invented to complement it. But the extras in the fight against Igris, I loved them. They made the fight even more exciting than it was in the original. Some might argue that one thing or another could have been better, but my goodness, considering that this director had never directed anything like this level before, the only anime he directed before this was a romantic comedy, and then they threw at him an anime 100% focused on action, and he's handling it very well. And the more episodes, the more seasons, the better he'll get. So he's surprising me, he's doing much better than I expected. He's actually outperforming several directors who...
...have been making action anime for years and can't deliver the same level that he's achieving here. Although, of course, he doesn't compare to those genius action directors who, when you put something in their hands, they turn it into something more epic than you've ever seen. Still, I'm impressed by what he's doing overall for his first work in this genre. Excellent job. But well, that's my opinion. Comment and let me know what you think about this episode. Comment below. That's it, folks. I'm done here.
Comments
Post a Comment