This New Anime Could’ve Been the Next Solo Leveling, But It Lacks One Crucial Quality

The anime adaptation of The Beginning After the End is based on TurtleMe’s light novel of the same name. Considering the light novel and the manhwa’s popularity, fans had high expectations for the anime. However, the anime adaptation falls behind in several aspects, prompting them to sign a petition to cancel it altogether. The studio behind the anime, Studio A-CAT, isn’t widely popular, unlike MAPPA, Madhouse, Toei, etc., despite being around since 1996. It has created underrated series such as She Professed Herself Pupil of the Wise Man, The Strongest Magician in the Demon Lord’s Army Was a Human, etc, but a truly high-profile trending series like TBATE was going to be a test for sure. The studio has a reputation for inconsistent animation quality in past series, which is all the more reason fans were upset that the author chose this studio in particular.

As a result, it hasn’t been well-received by fans. The controversy grew so extreme that TurtleMe had to write a long explanation on Reddit. He clarified that while making decisions regarding the anime, he had the best intentions in mind. Long story short, despite the series’ popularity, the anime only upset fans because of its animation. Despite the controversy, The Beginning After the End is one of the best web novels-turned webtoons ever, and deserves just as much recognition as Solo Leveling.

The Beginning After the End’s Lore and Worldbuilding Is One of the Best of all Webtoons

The series begins with the reincarnation of King Grey, a ruler known for his immense power and strategic prowess. Unaware of the cause of his death, he is reincarnated in the world of Dicathen as Arthur Leywin. Having a second chance at life in a loving family, unlike the lonely life he experienced as King Grey, Arthur plans to live his life to the fullest. He soon discovers the world is full of magic, mythical creatures, and powerful warriors, and even shows talent as a mage prodigy at a young age.

We witness Arthur’s journey as he becomes one of the strongest mages in the world. However, the journey is far from easy as he faces countless struggles and losses without losing sight of his goal. His past life constantly influences how he thinks, acts, and leads, while also creating a contrast between his past and present lives. He also gets his way around in a world full of dungeons, dragons, war, racism, politics, and so on.

The story takes time to build up as we follow Arthur from his reincarnation to adulthood. The series is a perfect mix of action, emotion, and good storytelling. If you’re keen on reading the webtoon instead of the light novel, then the art in the initial chapters may not be much, but it keeps getting better as the story progresses.

[RELATED: Over 50k The Beginning After the End Fans Sign Petition to Cancel the Series]

Solo Leveling’s Anime Adaptation May Have Set the Bar Too High

Solo Leveling’s success is groundbreaking, especially as a light novel/manhwa adaptation. Both anime seasons have broken several streaming records, and the series still continues to gain popularity. Although the light novel and manhwa had a massive fanbase even before the anime debut, the incredible adaptation by A-1 Pictures played a huge role in its success. A-1 Pictures is best known for critically acclaimed series such as Your Lie in April, Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War, 86, From the New World, and so on. Solo Leveling is one of its biggest projects that gained massive popularity worldwide. Everything from the animation, storyboarding, casting, and OSTs, the series is just incredible. Even dedicated fans can barely find any complaints with the way the studio handled the series.

However, this also means that the upcoming anime adaptations based on light novels, webtoons, and manhwa will naturally be compared to Solo Leveling. Solo Leveling Season 2 aired in Winter 2025 while TBATE debuted in Spring 2025. Fans couldn’t help but talk about the vast difference between the two anime. Additionally, series like Tomb Raider King, Gosu, Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, etc., are also confirmed to have anime adaptations by different studios. As the rise in manhwa and webtoon adaptations grows, we might even get an anime just as good as Solo Leveling, or maybe even better than. Sadly, The Beginning After the End had more than enough potential, but the average adaptation held back its incredible storytelling.