Tag: Dubu

Review – Solo Leveling, vol 3

Posted August 14, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments

Review – Solo Leveling, vol 3

Solo Leveling

by Dubu, Chugong

Genres: Fantasy, Manga
Pages: 313
Series: Solo Leveling #3
Rating: four-stars
Synopsis:

Thus far, Jinwoo has managed to keep his rapid evolution hidden from his fellow hunters. When he arrives at his latest assignment, though, he is greeted by a group of familiar faces-Joohee, Mr. Song, and the other survivors of the double dungeon are gathered for the raid, and his comrades can’t help but notice Jinwoo’s drastic change in stature! Jinwoo intends to act the weakling he was before, but when their party is joined by a group of criminals and their association minder, Jinwoo may have no choice but to push his newly acquired skills to the limit if he and his friends want to get out alive!

It feels like each successive volume of the Solo Leveling manhwa gets a bit darker. In volume three, Jinwoo ends up reuniting with the other survivors of the incident during which he reawakened, ends up in another situation where the system makes him kill, and gets… a job change quest! I continue to enjoy the use of common gaming mechanics, though I was surprised by the job that Jinwoo eventually gets offered…

About which I won’t spoiler, though plenty of reviews do! It’s an interesting turn, in any case, and I’m curious how it’ll go. I’m also curious if Jinwoo is right that the System needs him for something, and what that will entail if so.

I’m interested to see whether Jinwoo keeps losing emotions as the system shapes him, too. He’s definitely becoming colder and more pragmatic, and it’s not clear whether that’s really good for him. I’d like to see more of his sister and his life outside hunting, to be honest.

It’s wild how much Jinwoo has changed in style, though. We see a bit of a flashback to the old Jinwoo in this volume, and it really highlights the differences.

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)

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Review – Solo Leveling, vol 2

Posted July 14, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review – Solo Leveling, vol 2

Solo Leveling

by Dubu, Chugong

Genres: Fantasy, Manga
Pages: 300
Series: Solo Leveling #2
Rating: four-stars
Synopsis:

Ever since he woke up in the hospital, Jinwoo's been thrown into a world of cryptic messages, daily quests, and strange dungeons overflowing with creatures he's never even heard of. As he tests out his new abilities, it starts to sink in that he is no longer the Weakest Hunter of All Mankind. Maybe he can finally attain what he’s always wanted — enough power to protect himself — but a run-in with an unexpected foe forces Jinwoo to consider just how far he's willing to go to obtain it!

I found volume two of the Solo Leveling manhwa really fascinating. It adds a bit more about the new “system” which is helping Jinwoo level up, which feels rather familiar as a long-term gamer, and then plunges into another dungeon with a new set of characters. I rather liked Jinho, even if he seems like a bit of a nepo baby, and I’m curious to see whether he’s a recurring character — my guess would be yes.

The plot does stay pretty dark, this time with the system forcing Jinwoo to kill (not just incapacitate) some people who’ve betrayed him. We also get to see that from outside, with Jinho’s interpretation of events, which was pretty cool and added to the depth of the worldbuilding.

I really liked the bit where Jinwoo goes faster and faster trying to run enough to hit his daily goal, so he can use the reward to fully heal; it’s one of those things you can leverage in some games, and it’s neat to see that played out in this setup.

I ended up getting the next two volumes because I’m definitely pretty into this right now! Looking forward to digging into those.

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)

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Review – Solo Leveling, vol 1

Posted May 28, 2025 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Review – Solo Leveling, vol 1

Solo Leveling

by Dubu, Chugong

Genres: Manga
Pages: 320
Series: Solo Leveling #1
Rating: three-stars
Synopsis:

Known as the the Weakest Hunter of All Mankind, E-rank hunter Jinwoo Sung's contribution to raids amounts to trying not to get killed. Unfortunately, between his mother’s hospital bills, his sister's tuition, and his own lack of job prospects, he has no choice but to continue to put his life on the line. So when an opportunity arises for a bigger payout, he takes it… only to come face-to-face with a being whose power outranks anything he’s ever seen! With the party leader missing an arm and the only healer a quivering mess, can Jinwoo some­how find them a way out?

Someone I follow online has been super enthusiastic about Solo Leveling for a while, so when I found volume one of the manhwa in the local indie bookshop, it seemed like a sign (especially as it didn’t seem much like anything else they have in stock). I liked the art okay, though I didn’t always keep track of who was who very well, probably in part because they were a bit “cannon fodder” ish — this book is really an introduction, and ends with Jinwoo’s first solo instance.

I enjoyed it, though it really does feel like just reading a prologue. It sets up the world and the basics pretty well (it helps for me that I’m familiar with gaming, admittedly), and it gives us a solid feel for who Jinwoo is and what he wants/needs out of life.

I’m curious to see where it goes, and I might check out the light novels as well. It’s hard to say whether it’s for me just from this first volume, because it feels like things could turn out really different once it gets into the meat of the story. We’ll see!

Rating: 3/5

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