Solo Leveling was the breakout show of the Winter 2024 anime season, and for good reason. The story was gripping, the characters were outstanding, and the animation was gorgeous. So it’s no surprise that soon after the first season wrapped up, a second season was announced soon after. But that is still a little ways away, and we needed something to satiate our need for more Solo Leveling goodness. Solo Leveling -ReAwakening- is a compilation film that recaps the entirety of Season One and includes the first two episodes of Season Two. But what if you’ve already seen Season One? Should you watch something that you’ve already seen most of? Can you just watch this and jump right into Season Two? I’ll answer these questions and more now.
Similar to the recent Demon Slayer theatrical outings, half of this film is a recap of what has come before. Unlike Demon Slayer, which only has the last episode or two of the previous season, Solo Leveling -ReAwakening- condenses a season's worth of content into its first half. It does a decent job of giving you a cliff notes version of the first season to either give you a refresher or get you up to speed. It has all the same excellent performances from the show, with a few new lines of dialogue thrown in to make this shortened version flow a bit better. I watched the film in English, and I still can’t get over how much of a fantastic job Aleks Le does as Sung Jin-woo alongside all the other stellar performances.
My only issue with this first half is that it cuts out a lot of the quieter moments that fleshed out the characters and their relationships in the first season. The recap mostly consists of the major fights and the pivotal character moments, which is fine enough if you’ve already seen the series but less so if this is your first experience. I can see why they did this because who wants to rewatch an entire season of anime in one go at a cinema? But I wouldn’t recommend this be your only experience with Season One, even if you really want to see the new stuff.
The main reason people would go and see this film is for the sneak peek at Season Two, and it’s a bigger peek than I expected. Instead of the first episode or a little snippet of what’s to come, -ReAwakening- has the full first arc of the new season! Normally, in films like this, you’d only get the first episode and never a full-on arc, so that alone already got me super excited. It picks up right where Season One left off, with Sung Jin-woo finishing his class quest and returning home. After meeting his sister’s school teacher, he is asked to help show a rookie hunter (who is friends with his Sister) how dangerous the profession can be. Sung Jin-woo takes her on a C-Rank raid with a few other rookie hunters, but things don’t go quite according to plan.
I really enjoyed the second half of -ReAwakening- and it’s got me way more excited for the second season. Without spoiling too much, this first arc is everything I wanted in a Solo Leveling continuation. There were funny moments, heartfelt conversations, tense stare-downs, and fight scenes that looked incredible. A-1 Pictures knows how to make an excellent show, and this will undoubtedly be another banger. The credits for this film also included the new opening song for Season Two by Lisa and Felix from Stray Kids!!! It’s an absolute bop, and I can’t wait to listen to it every week once Season Two starts airing in January.
So now the big question: was this film worth the time? Personally, yes, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with -ReAwakening-. Getting a recap of Season One didn’t excite me all that much, but it still looked amazing, and the condensed version of the story was as entertaining as ever. For me, the sneak peek at Season Two was worth the price of admission and then some. I loved being able to see the start of Season Two on the big screen in all its glory and will gladly watch it again when it starts proper. But I wouldn’t recommend this to be someone's first introduction to the series. The recap is fine for someone like myself who’s already seen Season One, but I don’t think it would work as well for newbies. I would highly suggest watching Season One, and if you enjoy it, consider checking out this film before Season Two airs early next year.
Solo Leveling -ReAwakening- is one of the better recap films I’ve seen. The overview of Season One is brief and action-packed, while the new look at Season Two has me super excited. It’s not the best entry point for newbies, but for any fan of Solo Leveling, it’s well worth the money and time.
Have you seen Solo Leveling -ReAwkening-? What did you think? Have you watched Season One? Let us know in the comments where we can talk all things Solo Leveling.
