Summary
Crunchyroll announced an upcoming documentary centered onthe rise ofSolo Levelingfrom its conception as a webcomic to the major anime phenomenon it has become in recent years. With the highly-anticipated anime series hitting the right notes with fans, Crunchyroll’sTHE LEVELING OF SOLO LEVELINGdocumentary will explore the journey of the prolific series from conception to the international screenings of the first episodes of the anime.
Crunchyroll’s announcement of theSolo Levelingdocumentary formed part of the week-long IGN Fan Festival 2024, which kicked off on February 19.THE LEVELING OF SOLO LEVELINGdocumentary will explore the various iterations of theSolo Levelingstory, and is being produced by Crunchyroll and Paris-based production company, AllSo. No release date is available yet, but Crunchyroll has released a trailer to tease the upcoming documentary.
What Can Fans Expect?
A Story in Two Parts
The documentary will be shot at locations in both Korea and Japan, featuring interviews of at least 20 people including fans of Solo Leveling. The first part, titled “A Hunter Rises” will follow webnovel and webcomic publisher D&C Media, before heading over toRedice, the biggest webtoon studio in the world, responsible for the conversion ofSolo Levelingfrom webnovel to visual masterclass.
It’s no exaggeration to say thatSolo Levelingpioneered the international webtoon market.
The second part ofTHE LEVELING OF SOLO LEVELINGis called “Second Awakening”, and will be based in Japan, where producers from Aniplex and A-1 Pictures, as well asSolo Levelingdirector Shunsuke Nakashige (Director,Sword Art Online: Alicization), will take viewers through the production process of the anime adaptation. The second part will also feature interviews with staff working at Crunchyroll’s Marketing and Production to discuss how they can helpSolo Levelingreach even greater heights.
As previously mentioned, Crunchyroll has not yet provided a release date or window for either part of the upcoming documentary. The documentary will take viewers through every part of the Solo Leveling franchise, leading up to the series premiere which took place in Seoul, Los Angeles and Tokyo.
What Does This Mean For The Anime?
Will There Be a Full Adaptation?
Fans who saw the trailer from the IGN Fan Festival have speculated that this undertaking is indicative of the producers' understanding of just how much attention and hype the series has garnered over the years, and for some, this documentary is a clear indication that theproducers wish to take it all the way, rather than adapt a small part of the original story. With less than ten episodes of the anime out at the moment of writing, and huge parts of the story teased in parts of the opening and the anime itself, fans will be more than excited at the possibility of having a complete anime adaptation of theSolo Levelingstory.
While this exploration into the rise of the Solo Leveling IP is welcomed by some, others see it as a waste of time and resources, with one Crunchyroll user saying “Only casual fans or new to manga/anime/etc [sic] wouldn’t know how this became big”. Part of the disdain also stems from the fact that the mostrecent episode ofSolo Levelingwas a recap, an element for which series producer Aniplex has gained immense notoriety. Crunchyroll will roll out more information aboutTHE LEVELING OF SOLO LEVELINGdocumentary as it becomes available. New episodes ofSolo Levelingare released every Saturday, with episode 8 expected on March 2.
