Solo Leveling: From Webtoon to Anime

Projektitachi (00:22.246)
What is up everybody? Welcome back to another week of the GZ Chop Shop podcast. I am your host, Project Itachi, joined by my good friend and co-host, Warnurse And this week, we're gonna talk about solo leveling. But before you guys get too excited and we get into the episode, a little bit of announcements. Warnurse doesn't like when I say housekeeping, reminds him too much of the Navy. So announcements.

Daniel (00:31.15)
Alright.

Daniel (00:45.344)
I hate that phrase.

Projektitachi (00:49.648)
So if you guys have not been keeping up with us, first of all, what are you doing? Click that subscribe button right now. If this is your first time with the GZ Chop Chop Podcast, thank you for spending some of your time with me. If you're watching on YouTube, hit that like button, click subscribe, turn on notifications. That way you guys know when we put out these episodes. And if you're listening on your favorite podcast platform, click subscribe. That way you also know when we put out new episodes. But we have just launched, well actually it's...

probably been a couple weeks, but this is the first time we're mentioning it on the show. Our newsletter, the GZ Chop Shop press play newsletter.

Daniel (01:27.19)
Ha

Projektitachi (01:31.57)
Why?

Daniel (01:35.234)
I'm sorry. Newsletter is like a triggering word for me for like three years now. It's just, and every time you say it's the way you say newsletter and every time you say it the way you say newsletter, I feel like you're kind of like, it's a slight towards me. Like I can feel you like you're saying it at me and like kind of a shitty way. Like, Hey, remember that time you, you totally screwed that up.

Projektitachi (01:36.324)
Is this your trauma because it's a newsletter? Yeah.

Projektitachi (01:53.466)
You

Projektitachi (02:01.724)
Grewed up the newsletter.

Daniel (02:03.32)
So every time you say newsletter, the way you say it, don't like it. Anyways, whatever, go ahead.

Projektitachi (02:06.876)
You

So yeah, we have launched our newsletter, the GZ Chop Chop Press Play newsletter, where you can get pretty much an update on our latest episodes, news articles, and you can figure out how to get some of these game keys when they come our way. We might be issuing out game keys for you, the listeners. if you are... Yeah, yeah, I don't give them any game keys. I keep them all.

Daniel (02:16.033)
aware of it now.

Daniel (02:34.766)
This is lucky because he doesn't give me any game keys.

Projektitachi (02:40.166)
So you guys will get game keys before Warnurse does. I'm just saying, I'm just saying, but you got to subscribe to the newsletter. This is what happens when you mess up the newsletter. You don't get game keys.

Daniel (02:44.59)
It's ridiculous.

Daniel (02:52.215)
I hate newsletters.

Projektitachi (02:53.106)
But you can you could sign up on our website jzchopchoppodcast.com it is absolutely free and if you're curious what it looks like before you subscribe you can check out our newsletter page right there on the website and it will show you our previous issues all in one place so go check it out everything you want to know about the podcast future projects etc etc will all be in that newsletter

All right. Before Warner's has a breakdown over the word newsletter, let's roll into one of our favorite anime of all time. Actually, we were both readers of it before it became an anime. know Warner's you've been like really involved in it even more so than I have. So let's talk solo leveling. man.

Daniel (03:49.624)
Man, let me tell you, okay? So I had read the monowall after you had introduced me to it long, long while back. And at the time, it wasn't even finished in English. I had to search the web to get that. Eventually came out in English, I bought them all, reread them. And then I had heard, so I had heard mixed things about the light novel.

Projektitachi (03:56.784)
Mm-hmm.

Daniel (04:19.266)
Like mix things across the board about the light novel. I have recently read the light novel. I went, I bought the light novels. They're all in English now. I read them. and, going into season two, reading the light novel after reading the model, I got to say, they're tripping. The light novel is the best version. Okay. Now, if you're wanting the, you know, like the, picture painted for you of what's happening, there's not, obviously there's not like panel per panel. Right.

but it's written like a novel, right? And it's very descriptive and there's a lot of like little things, little bits and pieces that are in more detail explained, like reasons why certain things happen or feelings and emotions. just like the way things are described, there's just in much more detail and certain parts that are missing from even the model. and I just thought it was really cool.

Especially when it comes to like, like how Jinwoo is feeling as he's changing throughout his, his journey here and he gets more and powerful and he starts learning more about what he can do and his shadow soldiers. It's not, it's portrayed in the model, but it's not, not as intensely as in the light novel. He's feeling like levels of fear and anxiety.

through this whole thing. And there's times where he's like, you know, why am I nervous? He like touches his chest. He's like, I feel anxious or I feel excited or whatever the case. So I just thought that stuff was kind of cool. The light novel just kind of touches on that.

Projektitachi (06:07.474)
I will say I am one thing I do like about solo leveling that you don't usually see in many other stories of a, you know, similar thread is when the main character comes into a lot of power and the only two other two characters I've seen this with and they literally, you know, were no longer human.

is Remaru and Ainz is the change as they lose more of their humanity to become this new being and

Daniel (06:45.581)
Yeah.

Daniel (06:49.102)
Which I had pointed that out in the overlord novels is something that's not pointed out in anime is how it explains how he's slowly losing his humanity and he's aware of it.

Projektitachi (07:03.588)
And I think you get to, you you see that in in solo leveling. And I think the anime has been doing a decent job of portraying it. You know, usually the other ones with Man was Mank and and mangas and anime. When you see the characters react a certain way. You know, especially for the anime only watchers when.

the characters eyes glow or they have a powerful moment. We just get hyped up and you're just like, yeah, oh yeah, he's he's he's about to whoop some ass. It's about to get serious. You don't realize what's happening behind the scenes that would add that adds extra layers to what's going on. You just see like Sung Jin Woo just coming out and it's like, oh, so I'm going to lose on the scene. It's about to get real. Not realizing that. Yeah. On the outside, he stepped on that scene like a bad ass.

But what he's really thinking is, hmm, this actually might be a tough fight. You know, this S class hunter actually could give me a run for my money. You know, I'm not quite where I need to be. And all that adds, you know, more understanding to him as a character overall. And for time, obviously, you know, enemies can't show every single thought he's having, but I think that.

Daniel (08:26.37)
Yeah, yeah. Yeah. I'm yeah, I'm not bashing the anime all the animes fine. I have no problem I don't expect animes or movies to Translate every single little detail of a bike. I don't expect perfection Just just copy and paste like best you can and give us get bring it to life, know And that's what they're doing. They're bringing it to life. I Really like they do a good job. I think I've heard some hate but I think they do a good job of

Projektitachi (08:36.892)
Yeah.

Daniel (08:55.764)
of the contrast of like the serious moments and him feeling, you whether it's fear, anxiety, or like a piece of him is dying and some of his humanity is going, like he's losing more of his humanity as he gets more powerful and some other human tries to kill him, right? And they contrast that really well with little moments of like just goofy shit. Now,

They're not putting it in the anime quite as much as the manga, but I think we're going to start seeing that come out a lot more as stuff starts picking up soon. cause as you know, and if you, don't, if y'all have not watched it or read it, I would just stop right here because I don't, I don't want to ruin anything for you guys. so, you know, spoil alert, I guess. yeah, whatever. but, you know, he's at the part.

Projektitachi (09:46.118)
Yep, spoiler warning.

Daniel (09:52.758)
Right now where he's he's about to get fang. Okay, and when this episode drops he's gonna have fang right he's but I gotta say when he The whole time I laughed about it in the in the manga or in the manawa I laughed about it Watching anime the whole time. He's in the back, right? He's in the back and You know like he's He's it brings us up a lot in the novel

The light novel explains it in great detail how basically the member one, when the original team left him, right, to die. And this team ends up not doing that. They end up like, Hey, you need to save yourself. You know, they, they protect him, right. And he didn't expect that. He's like, what? Like it's the first time that he's like, wait, you, you give a shit about me. And he hadn't really experienced that yet.

Projektitachi (10:29.722)
Mm hmm. Yep.

Daniel (10:49.154)
so it's, actually a major turning point in the story that I feel like it's not really picked up on a lot. So I people pick up on that. But what cracks me up, right? He's in the back with his fucking looks like he's going camping. He's holding everyone's stuff and he's just like,

Projektitachi (11:00.163)
his backpack.

Projektitachi (11:06.162)
You

Daniel (11:07.832)
Just no emotion, watching the orcs show up and start whooping everyone's ass. it's like, nobody, nobody was like, like they had to have looked over at some point and then like, where the fuck is he? Did he just leave? Like, and it's kind of like a couple of the characters like after the fight are like, he must think we're stupid that we didn't notice what he just did. And they just kind of like leave it be.

Projektitachi (11:10.48)
He's just at the ready.

Projektitachi (11:32.26)
Right, the mage, yeah.

Daniel (11:35.98)
But I just thought it was funny that the whole time and the fact that like after that, when it after that initial fight and those like first like 20 orcs or whatever are finally dead and they're going back to the portal to like get the fuck out of there. He Jinwoo is just in the back again, like nothing just fucking happened. Just walking like, yeah, you guys are doing great. Basically, your stuff safe. Got your stuff back here. I just thought it was funny.

Projektitachi (11:53.798)
Mm-hmm.

Projektitachi (12:02.672)
Yep.

Yeah, and it was in it and in the manwa they added a little bit of humor. A little bit of humor was written into it, whereas the anime made it more straight life or death with like that one. Even the part where the you know, the mage was like, did he really does he really think we're all a joke? Did he really think not a single one of us was going to notice that he totally turned invisible?

and took out all the orcs and like it We're just gonna act like we didn't see that But in the you know in the mama it was a it was a good chuckle moment where at the anime it was more like almost dead serious Like he really thinks we're a joke But I'm not gonna say anything

Daniel (12:39.286)
And they just said, know what, just, let's just go home.

Daniel (12:54.614)
Yeah, yeah. And I'm hoping as the anime goes on, they add a little bit more of that humor because I think there's not a lot of complaints about the anime, but one of the only like kind of little pieces of tiny complaints would be it's a little too serious and there's not quite as much like goofy shit. But I mean, they did add stuff like the mages cheering and stuff, but they could add a little more. It's all right.

Projektitachi (13:05.521)
Mm-hmm.

Projektitachi (13:15.26)
Mm-hmm.

Projektitachi (13:19.366)
Yeah.

Daniel (13:24.674)
But I'm pretty hyped because what Jinwoo does when he realizes, and that's why I think this is one of the most important parts of the story, because it's such a turning point. Because like I said, he realizes that another party, another group of people that doesn't know him actually gives a crap about him. And they're like superstars. They're like A, B ranks, like people that so far from his perception treat

Projektitachi (13:49.543)
Yeah.

Daniel (13:52.874)
E-Ranks and D-Ranks like garbage because that's his experience when they get up there and The orcs start they take their their captain and they start You know throwing them all over the place with that. I forget the ability it was but you know, they're slamming them up and down and then Jen Wu He hates this like he's mad, right and he specifically waits and he by the way in the novel he verbalizes feeling guilty about

Projektitachi (14:10.139)
Yeah.

Daniel (14:22.67)
about waiting for the captain to almost be killed. But he did it on purpose because he wanted, he knew that from his experience that the A-rank captain was not about to just be like, yes, help us go kill them unless he was on his death bed. And then he turned around to make a point to do the same thing back to them because he wanted to make them feel fear.

Projektitachi (14:52.71)
Yup.

Daniel (14:53.357)
I just think that's hilarious.

Projektitachi (14:56.614)
That song Jinwoo, he you got to remember how he got his start and why he does some of the things that he does. Like at times it seems like it's like, man, you could just end this. Like, why are you playing with your food? But it's to make a point. It's you know, it's he wants to test the extent of his his limits. He's

And since he's basically a necromancer by trade, lot of, you know, the model always has to remind us and him that he's a necromancer mainly because he was over here powerhouse and in dual wielding daggers that he didn't even have. He had to remind himself. He's like, what? I'm a magic class. Oops. Like, let me put points in magic then.

He's to build his army. He needs to see the full extent of his opponents And he's he can't see that if he just kills them immediately like he's always looking to make himself and his army stronger So he has to push his enemy to a point to see like are you worthy? Of my army. Are you worthy of my time? you know because To this day egress is his top dog like

Daniel (16:20.418)
You know another scene that always cracked me up is When he and and again guys if you have not read this far in to the ma the manga or the the monologue Back off a little bit if you don't want spoilers because this this is later on in the story. Okay? Hey when he realizes that if his his different soldiers can get to the rank of general

Projektitachi (16:21.212)
Eager's is the top dog.

Daniel (16:48.418)
that he suspects they might be able to speak. And he summons Ygris and he acknowledges, like, I've had Ygris the whole time. He's my top dog, you know? And he's like, Ygris, are you able to speak or whatever? then like, Ygris just doesn't even do anything. He stands there and Jin Mu's like, all right then, I guess not. But.

Projektitachi (16:51.396)
Mm-hmm.

Projektitachi (17:04.518)
doesn't even just looks at them.

Projektitachi (17:12.347)
You

Daniel (17:15.502)
I've been laughing all week, man, you know, about that, damn mining.

Projektitachi (17:20.66)
man and the memes.

Daniel (17:22.028)
with the mining thing from what's that movie for?

Projektitachi (17:29.042)
yeah, with Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson. The name escapes me right now. Yeah. Doolander.

Daniel (17:32.653)
you

Daniel (17:36.398)
Zoolander. It's from Zoolander. But yeah, with him and the that I have watched that so many times. And I was like, man, if they do a live action, that would be I just want to say model Jen Wu just modeling down down the freaking cave.

Projektitachi (17:50.802)
Like it has to be the

Speaking of live action real quick, what are your thoughts on that?

Daniel (18:01.976)
I'm okay with it and here's why. I'm okay with it because an American studio is not touching it. Okay. And I'm okay with it because it was made in Korea. It was written in Korea by a Korean author and a Korean studio is doing it and Korea delivers. Even on their like horror and thrillers that we get on Netflix that are kind of a little bit cheesy, they're still like well written and fun enough that you don't care.

Projektitachi (18:31.108)
It's you know, I agree because even their cheesy stuff is better than some of our A class stuff.

Daniel (18:33.154)
So.

Yeah. So like I, don't, I don't care anymore if a movie is $400 million and has the best actors because it seems like that doesn't matter. No matter how much money they pump into it, they just give us crappy movies that aren't, aren't from the source. So they change everything. They do what they want. So I'm kind of, I'm, I'm feeling a bit more hopeful that if a Korean studios, the one doing it, that they'll

do it justice. And even if it's a little cheesy, like I said, I won't care. I mean, I'm not like, yeah, still a lovely movie. I think it would make a great movie. I think it's a move, a doable movie to make as far as animes go. Cause you know, I forget there's a terminology for it, but basically the more fantastical a world is, the harder it is to bring it to live action, which is what made one piece so tricky.

Projektitachi (19:12.145)
Yeah.

Projektitachi (19:31.91)
Yeah.

Projektitachi (19:35.408)
Yeah.

Daniel (19:36.11)
and, even that has some like controversy there. but it's why so many animes fell though. It's very difficult to bring something so fantastical to live action on top of live action writers and, or, you know, writers in general thinking that they can write something better than the original author, which that's a whole other topic. Netflix, Netflix really gets on my nerves with that one.

Projektitachi (19:41.222)
Yeah.

Projektitachi (20:02.726)
And I will say it is extremely ambitious because Soul Leveling has some points in there that even like with animation could get crazy because I'm wondering, you know, as a series, obviously the first season is going to be pretty easy. They're probably not even going get into his shadow army deep enough in that first season.

Daniel (20:23.214)
I I read, I believe it was a credible source. I don't remember where I read it from. Unfortunately. Maybe it's not credible, but yeah, it's from trustmebro.com. I believe, my understanding is five seasons and probably a movie.

Projektitachi (20:30.856)
Trust me, bro.

Projektitachi (20:41.308)
five seasons and probably movies. that movie might be what? Gigi Island?

Daniel (20:49.285)
Maybe it juju. I only could be a whole movie by itself probably but I don't know. I mean we'll see but I think like there's eight I think eight volumes Yeah, eight volumes in the light novel and then what's the monologue like? 13 13 or something

Projektitachi (21:04.792)
Yeah, because it's like two to 200 chapters that the man was story actually ends at Chapter 179 and it goes up to the epilogue is from 180 to 200.

Daniel (21:18.188)
Okay, so don't hate me for this people. I'm just I'm using anime math. Okay, so I'm using anime manga math here demon slayer, right is I think it's 201 chapters or something and It's gonna get about what five I think five seasons total and with a movie Something like that. So I I think solo leveling if my anime manga math is But demon slayer also got

Projektitachi (21:22.098)
And a math.

Projektitachi (21:34.363)
Yeah.

Daniel (21:45.07)
Their first season was like straight up 20, like 20, what 24 or 25 episodes.

Projektitachi (21:49.52)
Yeah, something that yeah, and we have the fact that it's a shown in the thing for that, like a, you know, I don't want to say high performing, but we've been in the era now of like 12 episodes max and then two to three year gaps.

Daniel (22:06.47)
Yeah. You know, my thing with that is like, you know, growing up, I think we got a lot of animes that did come out 50 episodes at a time. It seemed, but I think less animes were being made. And the animes that were being made were on mongas that were actually for the most part already done, except for like Naruto and one piece. the, one, yeah, the ones you see with insane fillers, those are the ones that.

Projektitachi (22:19.195)
Yeah.

Projektitachi (22:27.524)
Dragon Ball. Dragon Ball Z.

Daniel (22:35.054)
Obviously, they weren't complete. They were just filling in the blanks until they caught up. But I think there's a positive side to this. Now, we get anime maybe in more organized fashion. We're not getting anime like...

Projektitachi (22:50.906)
Mm-hmm. Did you have an accent just now? More organized fashion? You could... It's organized.

Daniel (22:55.502)
Organize, I don't know. I'm tired. It's possible Organized fashion gangster anime talk But yeah, you know more organized whatever you know set to 12 13 I but then again like you think if they do that they could at least like add in more shit from the mangas and like You know, mean, I don't know but it is nice to not have to tune in like we were talking about before

Projektitachi (23:18.162)
Mmm.

I'm not gonna lie.

Daniel (23:25.494)
back like a week ago, you know, growing up, it's like you tune in on, know, on a Saturday to finally watch that episode and then it would leave you on a cliffhanger and you're like, okay. And then you'd come back the next Saturday and it started the entire arc over. So you had to rewatch the whole arc. Through three months and then gets back to that cliffhanger and then proceed. Or if it did come on after school every day, same thing.

Projektitachi (23:41.955)
Yep.

Yep.

Daniel (23:53.922)
but out of order for no reason, know, whatever. So.

Projektitachi (23:55.462)
Yeah.

Looking at you, Tsunami.

Daniel (23:59.608)
Time to be, I love Toonami, damn them for giving me random episodes.

Projektitachi (24:04.37)
I think I also think I mean and it's it's other reasons but but you know for me one reason it was hard for me to get into one piece and I know burn and I had talked about he was like yeah, you know, I mean was pretty bad about this was how many times they restarted the alabaster are

Daniel (24:10.092)
Yeah, yeah, yeah,

Projektitachi (24:25.242)
And I was, I got into it and they, they started from the beginning. They got to alabaster and then they would just stop and start over again and then stop.

Daniel (24:35.618)
Look, you were being indoctrinated onto the cruel crimes that was Crocodile.

Or Luffy's mom.

Projektitachi (24:51.396)
Okay. No.

Daniel (24:52.578)
You ever heard that fairy? You ever heard that crocodiles actually loopy some- I realized that on my- he doesn't know. Yeah, that's like a whole theory that's been going on forever. Obviously it's ridiculous, there's a lot of- you know, I've seen stretches in animes before when it comes to theories, but One Piece takes the cake when it comes-

Projektitachi (24:56.818)
No You saw that made my brain just lock up I was

No.

Projektitachi (25:09.158)
Yeah.

Daniel (25:19.8)
to stretch is because they will make the biggest stretch on a theory and be like, they're connected. You like, no, that was a painting that kind of looked like that painting. and that guy's shirt from 900 episodes. It's not that what, like they would just connect the most.

Projektitachi (25:36.518)
yeah, I have seen like the skits and memes going around, like the entire One Piece community trying to decipher paintings in an episode.

Daniel (25:44.303)
A recent one was I forget the chapter. It was like I think it was like 900 something or whatever but Like someone's sunglasses, fuck what's his name the guy with the The ex-navy admiral that can freeze shit. I cannot believe I Can't believe I forgot his name This is why we should do podcasts after I've been awake for 20 hours Yeah, but like that that emu

Projektitachi (26:06.289)
Yeah.

Projektitachi (26:10.02)
You

I'm sorry, did you say he would been away for 20 years?

Daniel (26:15.79)
20 hours, what did I say?

Projektitachi (26:18.45)
I swear you said been away for 20 years Maybe I'm trippin maybe I'm trippin guys. Did he say he that that's what happens when you've been away for 20 years

Daniel (26:31.992)
I've had a very long night guys, okay? A very long night and here we are doing a recording at nine in the morning.

Projektitachi (26:38.551)
my gosh. When I asked you before the episode, how awake are you? This is what I'm.

Daniel (26:45.164)
You want to know which version that's hired I was gonna get.

Projektitachi (26:48.132)
Yeah, 20 years tired apparently.

Daniel (26:51.886)
It's been 97 years. Apparently there's two versions of me that's tired. One where I'm like, I can't talk. And the other one where I'm just a huge asshole. don't understand it any more than you do.

Projektitachi (27:01.831)
Mm-hmm.

you

Projektitachi (27:10.908)
But yeah, okay, so.

Daniel (27:14.68)
But yeah, so the leveling absolutely amazing. Read the light novel. It's worth, it's actually really good. People are tripping. It's amazing.

Projektitachi (27:21.328)
Now the only thing and this is going to be my final thought on it because we could talk about this for forever and if you guys would love an extended episode on solo leveling where we probably start breaking down the episodes and breaking down the mon when the light novel more Let us know and we will put up an episode over on our patreon page patreon.com for slash osed media where we'll really get into depth about soul level because we both love it so much. The only thing that I I didn't not

Like it I just was wondering why they decided not to dive into it a little bit more was when jing woo Converted the hunter that tried to kill his party when they went against the ice elves and in the manwa There was an actual whole fight between the elf the hunter and him and All you you pretty much saw the whole thing from the moment

that hunter lost his shit and tried to kill Jinwoo and him and Jinwoo going at it to the moment Jinwoo killed him and the whole process of make, you know, arising him and how arising another human into his army, what that's like. I saw that they glazed over that in the anime completely. Yeah.

Daniel (28:36.076)
Yeah, it made him feel some way. Like he wasn't exactly proud of doing that to a human. It kind of made it look like he was like, that's what you get kind of attitude. But, he actually felt he didn't know how to feel about it, but he didn't feel good. And that actually gets addressed later on on Juju Island. And it gets addressed very, they do it very well. Cause, cause later as the story progresses and he is more popular and he's, he lets himself.

Projektitachi (28:44.016)
Yeah

Projektitachi (28:50.097)
Yeah.

Projektitachi (28:53.722)
Yep. Yeah with the they do a very well

Daniel (29:04.27)
be known, like he stops hiding. More like his humanity starts kind of returning to him a little bit. And y'all will hopefully they showcase that in the anime because some important things are gonna happen and it's gonna allow him to show a little bit of humanity towards other people and show that he still cares about other people.

Projektitachi (29:23.633)
Yeah.

And diving into where his powers come from who's orchestrating everything the system the architect and all that so Really really looking forward to the the future of solo leveling? anime But what are your guys thoughts on it? Are you enjoying so leveling if you haven't started already? What are you doing? Go over and start so lovely right now so you can take part in the conversation We would love to hear from you guys which you can leave

your comments on our website, gzchopshoppodcast.com. There's a little voice note feature in the lower right hand corner, little red microphone. You just click on that. You can submit your voice clips directly to the show and we might play it on a future episode or on our Patreon episode where we will dive more in depth into some of the topics we are covering. Also guys, don't forget to sign up for the GZ Chop Shop press play newsletter where you can get a

nice little synopsis of the latest gaming and anime news, our blog articles, as well as everything that we have coming out in the future. So make sure to go and check that out. Once again, thank you for spending some of your time with us. If you haven't already hit that subscribe button wherever you are watching or listening to this podcast. Take care of yourself and each other and we'll catch all you wonderful people on the next episode.