“Japan is shown as a bad guy in Solo Leveling” was described as one of the major reasons why the hit manhwa series will never get an anime adaptation, however, this was proven wrong when Crunchyroll announced during the Anime Expo in Los Angeles that manhwa series is getting an anime adaptation. Of course, not all Japanese fans were on the same page for a work to be adapted into anime where Japan is shown as an antagonist. Some of them took to Japanese social blogging websites to express their concerns.
Why Solo Leveling Is considered anti-Japan by some fans? Simply put, Solo Leveling is a Korean series and Japan is shown as a bad guy who consistently tries to back stab Korea whenever they get the chance to do so. For example, at one point in the light novel series, a Joint operation was launched by Japanese and Korean hunter association in order to eliminate a big threat. However, Japan’s plan was to let the Korean hunters die, so they will be dependant on Japan in the future. Of course that didn’t happen, but somewhere down the line, majority of Japan’s hunters got eliminated and Japan suffers heavy losses.
Also Read: Solo Leveling Game Announced
Solo Leveling has a different version in Japan? The Japanese version of Solo Leveling manhwa series is slightly different from the original. The main character, Sung Jinwoo is changed to a Japanese man, and Korea is changed to Japan. The ‘bad guy Japan’ country from the original series is changed to a fictional country.
Solo Leveling Is Popular In Japan? The manhwa series ‘Solo Leveling’ has been not just popular in Korea but all over the world. Even if someone has not read any manhwa, they surely have heard the name of Solo Leveling. Worldwide popularity means Japan is no exception. In fact, there is a yearly event in Japan where fans vote for the manga series they want to see animated, and Solo Leveling has been consistently making the Top 10 list despite not being a manga series.
Why some Japanese are not happy with Solo Leveling anime announcement? In today’s world when it is so easy to access information, it wouldn’t be impossible that some Japanese readers are not reading ‘Japanese version’ of Solo Leveling but the original series. It would be understandable that some of readers won’t be happy to see their country as a bad guy. Here are some of the comments criticizing this anime adaptation (source at the bottom):
A Japanese animation company animating a Korean manga, with anti-Japanese descriptions, I ask the original author, why did he allow to have an anime produced by a company in a country he doesn’t like?
I have heard that it is based on an anti-Japanese story. I wonder what is the intention of A-1 Pictures in making an anime of such a thing in Japan. Well, I don’t care because I don’t watch this kind of anime.
Does Sony take into account the risk of a storm of negative reviews from Japan?
Another user pointed out that a Japanese series “Nidome no Jinsei wo Isekai” which was supposedly getting an anime adaptation was cancelled when alleged messages from the author, speaking ill of Korea and Japan surface online.
There was a previous cartoon production that was canceled because the original author complained about China and Korea. This is how the animation industry has become
Now the real question arises that whether A-1 Pictures will adapt the Japanese version of Solo Leveling or the original version of the series and risk getting negative reviews from Japanese fans.
