A problem that usually exists in the adaptation of any source material, be it video games, literature or manga, is that it has to ‘trim down the fat’ to make it palatable for the mainstream audience. A lot more people indeed consume live-action content than animated, who are in turn more than those who read comics, who are in turn even more than those who read books.
It is for this very reason that fans are much more open to things being adapted as animated series rather than live-action. Such is also the case with Solo Leveling, which is receiving an anime, which puts it ahead of one problem that plagued Netflix’s One Piece adaptation.
The one criticism of Netflix’s live-action One Piece
While being credited with breaking the curse of live-action anime adaptation, there was still one criticism that came for Netflix’s One Piece. Despite all the praise that it got (thanks to a dedicated cast and crew), the show was criticised for how much it condensed into the eight episodes that comprised season one for the show.
The adaptation ended up condecing some 100 chapters of the manga into 8, 40-minute episodes, trimming a lot of fat. For comparison, when adapted into the anime, the East Blue Saga came up to a whopping 61, 20-minute episodes.
This is where the Solo Leveling adaptation has an edge over the live-action One Piece series. Given that Solo Leveling also has its fair share of lengthy arcs, an estimated episode count has put fans at ease. It is possible to adapt the story, or even improve it, to allow for the story to breathe while it is consumed.
Also Read: After Anime and Live Action, Solo Leveling Prepares for its 1st Game Adaptation
Solo Leveling Season 1 could have 25 episodes
According to the official website of the show, 4 volumes have been listed, each DVD containing three episodes, which brings the current total number of episodes of the season to 12. There is no confirmation on how many volumes there will be of the DVD, putting the total number of episodes for the first season at 12.
However, there seems to be an online rumour gaining steam that the first season of the show will have 2 cours, one with 12 episodes, and the other with 13, bringing the total number of episodes up to 25.
If true, we can look at similar adaptations to deduce how much of the manga the first season would cover. Jujutsu Kaisen, whose first season had 24 episodes, covered the first 60-something chapters of its manga. However, Tower of God, another anime the source material of which is a manhwa, covered about 74 chapters in just 12 episodes. However, given that Solo Leveling is a hugely popular piece of media, the producers know better than to condense fan favourite moments into short episodes.
