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After Rewatching Solo Leveling, I'm Certain It Shouldn't Have Won Anime of the Year Over This Hit Show

By Hannah Diffey

Published 1 day ago

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Custom Image by Diana Acuña

The 2024 anime awards season stirred more controversy than most, especially when Solo Leveling took home the coveted Anime of the Year title. For many fans, the decision was baffling, not because Solo Leveling was a poor anime, but because another series towered above it in of emotional depth, narrative strength, and artistry, and that was Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. After rewatching both series, I can say with certainty that while Solo Leveling dazzled with spectacle, Frieren lingered in the soul long after the screen faded to black.

This is not a reactionary take meant to dismiss the popularity or technical merits of Solo Leveling. It delivered high-octane action and a strong protagonist arc that captivated new and longtime fans alike. However, Anime of the Year should be reserved for a title that does more than entertain; it should push the medium forward, resonate thematically, and offer a complete artistic experience. Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End achieved all of that, and its loss highlights a growing disconnect between flashy popularity and storytelling excellence.

Frieren Masterfully Explores Time, Grief, and Legacy

How Frieren Captured Hearts Without Constant Explosions

Frieren and her original party

At its core, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is a meditation on time, loss, and the quiet ache of memory. The series opens not with a grand quest, but with its aftermath, where the hero party’s triumph over evil has already occurred, and Frieren, an immortal elf mage, is left to grapple with the brevity of human life. This setup alone subverts the typical fantasy structure and invites viewers into a slow, introspective journey of emotional discovery.

Frieren Beyond Journey's End and Komi Can't Communicate looking shocked next to each other

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Rather than relying on battles or loud emotional climaxes, Frieren excels in the subtle ways it conveys its themes. Through conversations, silences, and quiet reflections, the show examines how relationships evolve, or do not, across decades. Frieren’s regret over not knowing her comrades deeply until they are gone is a uniquely melancholic thread rarely explored in anime, especially within the fantasy genre. It is deeply human, despite the show’s fantastical trappings.

This emotional resonance is what makes Frieren so beloved by fans and critics alike. The show does not shout its importance; it whispers it, gently urging viewers to contemplate their own relationships and the age of time. These themes are timeless and universally affecting, allowing Frieren to transcend genre conventions and connect with audiences on a profound level. It is storytelling that lingers, and that is what makes it worthy of Anime of the Year.

Solo Leveling Shines in Style, But Lacks Narrative Substance

Why Solo Leveling Did Not Stick the Emotional Landing

Solo Leveling — Custom Image by Ana Nieves

To be clear, Solo Leveling is a thrilling watch. Its animation is fluid, the combat scenes are dynamic, and its protagonist, Sung Jinwoo, has one of the most satisfying glow-ups in recent anime history. From a production standpoint, the series is polished, modern, and easy to binge. But upon rewatching the first season, it is hard to ignore the story’s predictability and lack of emotional nuance compared to Frieren.

The progression of Jinwoo from weak to overpowered is entertaining, but it follows a well-worn formula with little deviation. The emotional stakes rarely change; characters outside of Jinwoo often feel like plot devices rather than fully realized people. While that does not make the show bad, it does limit its ability to truly resonate beyond surface-level thrills. There is little time spent on quiet reflection or emotional evolution, because everything moves forward at breakneck speed.

In a year when Frieren: Beyond Journey's End invited viewers to sit with their emotions and contemplate life’s fleeting nature, Solo Leveling simply entertained.

More importantly, Solo Leveling does not leave much to ponder once the credits roll. It is fun in the moment, but it lacks the emotional aftertaste that truly great anime leave behind. There is no deep thematic core or artistic risk-taking. In a year when Frieren: Beyond Journey's End invited viewers to sit with their emotions and contemplate life’s fleeting nature, Solo Leveling simply entertained. That difference matters, and should have mattered more in the final voting.

Frieren Excels in Art, World-Building, and Character Development

Why Every Frame in Frieren Feels Like a Painting

One of Frieren’s most overlooked strengths is its world-building. The show is not packed with elaborate political systems or overly complex magic hierarchies, but instead uses its setting to quietly reinforce emotional beats. The towns Frieren and her new companions visit are not just stops on a journey, they are filled with echoes of the past, each location tethered to memories and ghosts of those long gone. It is deeply poetic, and the background art (which deservedly won awards) plays a crucial role in that.

Where Solo Leveling relies on hyper-stylized fight sequences to wow viewers, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End uses light, color, and composition to convey mood and age of time.

The animation itself is understated yet breathtaking. Where Solo Leveling relies on hyper-stylized fight sequences to wow viewers, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End uses light, color, and composition to convey mood and age of time. Snow gently falling on a quiet village, the golden hues of dusk on a grassy field, these small visual moments hold immense emotional power. It’s artistry in service of storytelling, not spectacle.

And then there are the characters. Frieren’s emotional evolution, as she learns to cherish bonds she once overlooked, is a slow but immensely rewarding arc. ing characters like Fern and Stark add new emotional textures to the story, each with their own histories and subtle growth. There is no need for explosive reveals or dramatic betrayals; the drama comes from lived-in moments and emotional honesty. In every way, Frieren demonstrates maturity and grace that few anime achieve.

Fan Sentiment and Critical Recognition Tell a Different Story

Fans Knew Frieren Was Special, So What Happened?

Frieren of Frieren: Beyond Journey's End floating in a stream in her white dress

While Solo Leveling claimed the top prize, Frieren did not walk away empty-handed. It earned accolades for Best Background Art, Best Drama, and Best ing Character, which are clear indicators that its quality was not lost on voters entirely. But the fact that it did not win Anime of the Year feels like a case where style won over substance. For many fans, it was a disappointing snub of a series that had touched hearts far more deeply than its competitor.

On social media platforms like Reddit, Twitter, and YouTube, fan sentiment leaned toward Frieren. Posts praising its emotional weight, its quiet brilliance, and its timeless appeal made amazing arguments that Frieren should have been the winner. Many fans expressed confusion or frustration at the final result, suggesting that the awards may have prioritized hype and global reach over actual impact and storytelling craft.

While Solo Leveling topped popularity charts, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End topped “best of” lists.

Even critics largely favored Frieren in year-end retrospectives, and Frieren: Beyond Journey's End even won Anime of the Year in Japan. Reviews from anime-focused publications and YouTube analysts repeatedly pointed to Frieren as one of the year’s most affecting, beautifully told stories. While Solo Leveling topped popularity charts, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End topped “best of” lists. That should count for something. If the Anime of the Year title is meant to honor not just buzz but brilliance, Frieren was the obvious choice.

A Timeless Masterpiece vs. a Flashy Crowd-Pleaser

The Anime We Will Long After the Hype Fades

There is nothing wrong with loving Solo Leveling. It is fast, flashy, and undeniably entertaining. It offered a solid production and captured attention with its slick aesthetic and power-fantasy execution. But being popular or visually impressive isn't the same as being the best. The best anime should move people, make them reflect, and offer something more than just weekly excitement. And that’s where Frieren soared above the rest.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End is not just a fantasy tale, it is an elegy to what is lost when we live too fast to appreciate the people around us. It is about the beauty of slowing down, the pain of ing, and the courage to open one’s heart. That is what gives it staying power. Years from now, Frieren will still be discussed and loved. I am not so sure the same can be said for Solo Leveling.

Anime of the Year - The Apothecary Diaries' Maomao next to Sung Jinwoo from Solo Leveling next to Frieren

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So yes, Solo Leveling took home the trophy, but in the hearts of many anime fans, Frieren was the true winner of 2024. And after rewatching both series, I’m more convinced than ever that Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End should have been crowned Anime of the Year.