Winter 2024 Impressions: Solo Leveling, Tales of Wedding Rings, A Sign of Affection, Tank Isekai

Solo Leveling

Short Synopsis: 10 years ago portals, and those with the abilities to combat that which came out of them called hunters, appeared in the world. This is the story of the weakest hunter.

So I’m cheating a bit, in that I’ve already read Solo Leveling front to back. I know where it goes, what it does and if it’s any good. And trust me, it doesn’t go anywhere great. For now though, this early on? It looks like a solid adaptation. I really like how Solo Leveling still looks like a Manwa, it hasn’t been super anime-ified or anything. Overall it looks nice. On top of that, it’s changing things up just enough, introducing characters and plot points early, so that it actually feels like it’s building up towards something. That’s something the original Manwa didn’t have for a long time. Makes it feel like some effort is being put in to tighten up the story, which is appreciated. It’s still held back by just how uninspiring the setting is, what with ranks, power levels, goblins and such. But so long as it can nail the action I don’t see why it can’t be a fun weekly popcorn show.

Potential: 45%

Tales of Wedding Rings

Short Synopsis: Isekai protagonist gets powers from marrying and collecting girls. Proceeds to create a harem.

It’s an isekai ecchi harem series with blown out lighting and that weird “blushing boob” thing so many series like to do. What I’m saying is, there’s absolutely nothing here beyond a harem of different girls with unique hair/body type/personality combinations for our lead to marry and then sleep with to gain power. There’s nothing unique or interesting about it in the slightest. Need I say more? I don’t think so. Easy skip.

Potential: 0%

A Sign of Affection

Short Synopsis: Deaf girl falls for local world-traveled tall boy, it’s very wholesome.

This was pretty cute. Affection is straight forward, not really doing much new that I can see, using a lot of classic tricks like “Mysterious world-traveled boy”, “Save them from the random foreigner” and “Pull them out of the way of something”, but it does them all rather well and never goes to far. I appreciated that the foreigner was just a normal dude asking for directions and not some creeper, or that the guy actually seems pretty normal without any excessively dark issues, that sort of stuff. Add on how the Female Lead is a cute, very expressive deaf girl and how she’s able to express herself with her full body while still selling her shyness? It’s pretty good. I’ve been told that the Male Lead gets kind of toxic later, but having not read the manga myself I can’t really comment on that. For now at least, I’m going to keep watching and hope Affection stays a solid, wholesome romance. Hopefully it goes better than Koe no Katachi did for me.

Oh also it looks kinda nice. Yeah.

Potential: 65%

Saikyou Tank no Meikyuu Kouryaku: Tairyoku 9999 no Rare Skill-mochi Tank, Yuusha Party wo Tsuihou Sareru

Short Synopsis: Tank gets kicked out of an adventuring party because they don’t understand how important tanks are, proceeds to create his own adventuring party with Black Jack and Hookers. Ok not really, but that would have been better.

So it’s an MMO style fantasy series in every way, including stats and party compositions and such, except for actually just calling itself an MMO? And we have a stereotypical asshole coming in and kicking out the lead and taking his stuff because… why not? This is literally just a Walmart brand Shield Hero, in that the guy got kicked down by terrible people, or BOFURI, watching a tank use their abilities offensively. Even its production is pretty weak, unable to look good at… well any point in the episode at all. I just don’t see why you would watch this when you have so much stronger fantasy, isekai or MMO fare in this very season.

Potential: 0%