Aquila: I’m already looking forward to the next season.
K: It really manages to make the entire idea of video game mechanics compelling. We don’t just get to see Sung Jin-Woo discover he’s suddenly a player character in an RPG, we see the impact it has on his life.
A: It’s a pity he just isn’t that smart about it.
K: He does seem to have survival instinct issues.
A: Who’s talking about that? I’m talking about the fact that his entire world is a simulation.
K: I suppose there’s an argument to be made for that...
A: More than just an argument, Kasumi – his entire world is a video game! Just think about the setup: gates open and RPG monsters show up. People start gaining video game powers that break the laws of physics. And then Jin-Woo gets the ability to level up, regrow limbs while he does it, and put points into attributes – there’s no other possible conclusion than that his entire world is a video game!
K: Okay. I’ll buy that.
A: And what does he do about it? He just plays the game!
K: It’s not like he has much choice in the matter. If he goes off-script, the level system literally punishes him for it.
A: He absolutely has a choice – he could hack the system.
K: With what, precisely?
A: A computer. That’s kind of obvious.
K: Um...
A: I mean, it’s not like you can hack a computer program using the nearest tree. You need to be able to type.
K: Wouldn’t the system have security measures in place to prevent somebody doing that?
A: Oh, not this one. They’re clearly counting on nobody figuring out that their reality is a simulation, and it’s been effective enough that they’ve never had to try anything else.
K: And what makes you say that?
A: Nobody has figured out that their reality is a simulation and tried to hack it.
K: Right...I walked into that one.
A: You sure did. And the first person who figures it out will become a god...or very rich...or end up collecting very odd things for no apparent reason. Actually, probably that last one – hackers don’t tend to wealthy or megolmaniacal.
K: So, what do you think of the cosmology?
A: I think it’s all incredibly unjust.
K: Well, the world has had a bunch of gates that spew out monsters inflicted on it.
A: I’m not talking about that – I’m talking about the monsters. They’ve got a really raw deal!
K: Not sure I follow you.
A: Look at it from their perspective. They’re living their lives, raising little baby monsters to be productive members of society, and then a gate opens up nearby. And what do they have to do? Abandon their family, file into a dungeon, and become cannon fodder against humans with insane powers.
K: Okay...
A: And do they get anything out of it? No! They have their world turned into a dungeon theme park for murderous humans! And then once the gate closes, those poor baby monsters have to live the rest of their lives without a daddy.
K: I see.
A: There’s only one solution.
K: Hack the system to shut down the gates?
A: Kasumi, you have to be logical. Have you seen a monster who looked like they could use a computer? No...the monsters need to unionize and strike!
K: ...strike.
A: Absolutely – they need to man the picket lines and refuse to go into those dungeons! Let’s see what happens when the “hunters” arrive through the gate and find the dungeons empty!
K: And if whoever runs the system just forces them into the dungeons anyway?
A: Then they’ll just have to strike harder!
K: Okay then...finishing up, who is your candidate for best girl?
A: Lee Joo-hee.
K: What, the hunter who is a healer?
A: She’s the only hunter with a working survival instinct - she gets out!
K: Alright...summing up, we liked Solo Leveling, and apparently monsters need a union...
A: Monsters of Solo Leveling unite!
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