Why Solo Leveling’s English Dub is a Must-Watch Masterpiece

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Summary

  • Solo Leveling Season 2 excels with an outstanding English dub cast, led by talented voice actors for an epic storytelling experience.
  • Aleks Le shines as Jinwoo Sung, portraying the character’s transformation with subtlety and grand emotionality alike.
  • Director Caitlin Glass sets a high standard in English dubbing, thriving on collaboration between the director and performers.
Title Solo Leveling: Arise from the Shadow
Director Shunsuke Nakashige
Studio A-1 Pictures
Premiere Date 01/05/2025

Warning: The following contains minor spoilers for Solo Leveling, now streaming on Crunchyroll.

A tale’s worth lies in its presentation, whether it’s through animation, soundtrack, or acting, and the storytelling of Solo Leveling has stood out during the Winter anime season. While discussions about the show abound, there might not be enough praise for its English dub, which could rank among the finest in recent years.

Season 2 of Solo Leveling: Emerge from the Shadows has certainly taken things to a new level since its release a month ago, with increased mystery and fight scenes that are even more impressive. Additionally, a talented English voice cast is back, eager to deliver top-notch performances once again, with Caitlin Glass (known as Winry Rockbell in Fullmetal Alchemist) leading the way as both ADR Director and voice actress.

A Big Show Demands a Big Cast

This anime has been skillfully adapted from its widely popular source material, boasting numerous factors that contribute to its success as a power fantasy. For example, it’s no surprise that Hiroyuki Sawano was chosen to create the score. With his impressive portfolio including the music of Attack on Titan, Blue Exorcist, Kill la Kill, and many others, he is synonymous with grand, epic storytelling. In an anime centered around power, his unique sound perfectly fits the bill.

In addition to being merely music, sound carries significant weight. To effectively convey this narrative, the performances needed to match the intensity of the score. The English Dub has indeed pulled out all the stops in this regard. For those who have been following anime for over a decade, this is an exceptional ensemble. Christopher Sabat, John Swasey, Ian Sinclair, Trina Nishimura, Patrick Seitz – these are familiar faces if you’ve been watching anime for more than a decade; they’re the stars of shows like Dragonball, My Hero Academia, and Attack on Titan, among others. The combination of veteran and new talent in this cast is impressive, even without exceptional direction.

Example: To illustrate, Aleks Le stands out as Jinwoo Sung, an actor whose performances they couldn’t risk botching. Over the past few years, he has skyrocketed in fame, portraying the lead in Persona 3 Reload, Zenitsu in Demon Slayer, Luke in Street Fighter 6, and more recently, Jiji in Dandadan. With his extensive range and deep understanding of the fanbase, he is not only a gifted voice actor but also a living internet sensation (in a respectful manner). In many ways, Jinwoo seems tailor-made for him.

The Perfect Leading Man to Play Jinwoo

In the narrative where the lead character undergoes a dramatic change, numerous elements contribute to making this transition believable, but the actor’s portrayal takes center stage. As a voice artist, Le is tasked with conveying both the initial shy and timid Jinwoo and the self-assured, charismatic hero he evolves into across Season 1. The shift from hearing his later character in Season 2 to revisiting the starkly different sound of Episode 1’s Jinwoo in Season 2 was a captivating experience.

Instead of just a higher pitch, it’s more about his quiet tone and the careful manner he adopts when discussing sensitive topics in conversations. Jinwoo is deeply aware of his vulnerabilities, yet generally well-respected by those around him, so he prefers not to disturb others, especially friends like Joohee. It’s these nuances that truly set Le apart, making the role uniquely his own.

When the tension rises, so does Le’s voice, and both his fear and pain are acted incredibly well.

In a nutshell, being “loud” in acting doesn’t necessarily mean it’s “good,” but exaggerated emotions can indeed be quite captivating. It speaks volumes about Le’s talent that he masterfully handles both understated nuances and more dramatic emotional outbursts. Particularly noteworthy is his ability to infuse Jinwoo’s dialogue with a laid-back, even self-assured tone that makes him relatable yet somewhat arrogant, as Jinwoo’s power level grows increasingly immense throughout the storyline.

The Model For English Dubs

Often, the argument over subtitles versus dubbed versions mostly boils down to individual taste. However, there are valid points to question English dubbing, especially with the growing popularity of anime. The quality of acting, direction, and scriptwriting is just as crucial during the localization process as it is in the original production. Any perceived flaw in these areas can leave viewers feeling that something is amiss. This is one reason why exceptionally well-done dubs generate a lot of excitement within the community.

In the previous year, Game Rant conducted interviews with both Le and Glass regarding the production of the dub. These conversations provided insights into the cooperative atmosphere that contributed significantly to its success. For crucial scenes such as Jinwoo’s death scene from Episode 2, particular focus was given to evaluating Taito Ban’s Japanese performance, and determining the optimal way to translate it effectively.

At the LA premiere of Solo Leveling, following our viewing of the initial two episodes, we exchanged a warm embrace. I jokingly remarked, “Now that I’ve heard it again, I believe we should revisit this.” Given her accommodating and open-minded nature, she replied, “I’ll see what can be arranged.

Yet, translating is a creative pursuit rather than an exact science, and Glass skillfully struck a balance between preserving the essence of the original and giving it a distinct new character. Certain artistic liberties have been taken with the script to ensure natural flow – something that some purists might underestimate – yet these rarely deviate from the original intent. The dubbed videos shared on Crucnhyroll’s YouTube channel are useful for comparison as subtitles cannot be disabled.

Does It Surpass the Japanese Version?

In the same way that exceptional English dubs are recognized for their subtle details, it’s those tiny nuances that truly shine, such as following Jinwoo’s battle against Barca, when his normally composed self falters and he reprimands Iron. Le’s portrayal adds an extra layer of humor to the scene, not only due to the rewritten dialogue but also because of the way his voice pitch increases dramatically in an attempt to prevent his shadow from causing a fuss. Moments like these demonstrate how a dub can surpass the original, and it underscores the depth that Le’s voice adds to the character. To be honest, I find Jinwoo much more captivating in English compared to Japanese.

A significant portion of this analysis focuses on Aleks Le’s portrayal of Jinwoo Sung, but it must be emphasized that the entire ensemble delivers exceptional performances. As Season 2 expands the focus to include more of the supporting cast, their talent shines even brighter. It’s noteworthy how much effort is put into even minor roles. Daman Mills’ brief appearance as Barca in just two episodes leaves an indelible impression and cements him as one of our most memorable villains to date.

The director, Caitlin Glass, and the cast of Solo Leveling have delivered outstanding performances thus far. Without resorting to exaggeration, this production serves as a benchmark for English dubbing, regardless of personal feelings towards the series. The actors and technicians not only possess remarkable talent, but their teamwork reflects an ideal standard for all future dubbed productions. It’s unfortunate that the dub is delayed by two weeks compared to the Japanese version, but astonishingly, it might just be worth the patience required.

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2025-02-24 18:34