Solo Leveling Studio Removed After Heavy Backlash By Koreans
Crunchyroll’s newest show based on the popular South Korean web novel, “Solo Leveling” is taking center stage each week. The anime has caused an uproar in the community with its beyond-expectation animation quality and catchy opening song. But, recently, the series found itself caught in a storm of criticism and heavy backlash from Korean fans.
The outrage began when viewers in Korea found out that Studio PPURI was involved in the Solo Leveling anime production. Seeing the displeasure of fans and the controversial track record of the studio, it was promptly removed from the anime’s credits entirely, leaving fans stunned by the move.
Reason Behind Studio PPURI’s Sacking
Studio PPURI, which is responsible for animating the viral Solo Leveling opening theme song “LEveL”, faced the heat due to allegations of incorporating ‘anti-men’ gestures in its works and its links to the feminist group Megalia who have garnered a negative reputation in certain parts of Korea due to its strategy of exposing misogynistic behavior online.
Megalia’s movement is centered around degrading Korean men on the size of their penis and Studio PPURI was accused of sneaking this gesture into numerous works, including the Solo Leveling anime opening, resulting in their expulsion. However, this only affected the domestic Korean distribution of the series.
The decision to remove Studio PPURI from the credits was speculated to be driven not only by fan criticism but also by financial concerns. The move was likely motivated by Solo Leveling’s publishers, D&C Media who witnessed a significant drop in stock price, with a more than 10% decline in a single day.
How It Will Effect Solo Leveling Anime?
Studio PPURI’s departure from the series won’t affect the production of the anime at all. The only change will be in the post-credit scene of the anime, where the studio will not be credited anymore for its work. The anime opening which has grossed over two million views on YouTube is still available to stream on multiple platforms.
Many business insiders are calling it another discriminatory move by the Japanese industry which seems to be against foreign outsourced companies, such as the Korean Studio PPURI. Anyway, Solo Leveling anime continues its journey on Crunchyroll and fans can tune in every Saturday to watch new episodes.
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