As Solo Leveling concludes one of the best anime adaptations from a manhwa (Korean Webcomic), its biggest rival back in its heyday, is now seeing its rise to fame, but unfortunately, its first episode may burn its reputation down before it even gets a chance to succeed. adapted into an anime late last year and, while fans were initially hyped, that enthusiasm soon dwindled upon the realization that the studio adapting it didn’t have the same connection Solo Leveling was lucky to get.

It should be said that a studio shouldn’t be judged before the product is delivered to the consumer because there are always new surprises that await around the corner, whether there is a strong backer or volunteers ready and willing to hop onto the project. Unfortunately, The Beginning After the End didn’t receive a ‘Hail Mary’ and that much was revealed upon its first inside look at the first episode back in March, which did less to assuage fans’ initial fears.

Solo Leveling and TBATE Have Had a Long-Standing Rivalry

Often Competing as Webtoons in Their Rise to Popularity

Solo Leveling and The Beginning After the End have been competing way longer than their anime have been around with the later manhwa, TBATE, even souring past Solo Leveling in popularity especially in the West. The manhwa has thrived in the US because it caters to that whimsical fantasy that’s seen in The Lord of the Rings while still keeping to its Korean roots of an intricate power system and zero-to-hero narrative without any extra gimmicky cheats.

It's surprising to see that the reception to their anime announcements couldn’t have been any more different. But that could have to do with the fact that they both received offers from two extremely contrasting studios. Solo Leveling has A-1 Pictures to back them, known for its exceptional work on Fairy Tail, Your Lie in April, Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, and many more. Meanwhile, TBATE received an offer from Studio A-Cat who has produced similar isekai genres, and the real gap in studio quality is revealed in the very first episode.

The Beginning After the End’s First Episode is Looking Rough

It’s First Trailer Had Fans Worried For a Reason

The Beginning After the End’s first look at the anime back in March was received with mixed reactions from the fanbase with some expressing major disappointment at the first 40 seconds and others erring on the side of caution with hope that the anime’s opening is just warming up. The anime’s first episode was released exclusively on March 29, 12:00 p.m. PDT for YouTube, and then on April 2 for Crunchyroll to a wider audience, revealing that fans had every right to be concerned.

When not in motion, the anime appears to be fine on its own with competent artwork and a fair faithful adaption to its original source. But The Beginning After the End can hardly be called an animation when a majority of its first episode is primarily made of static images that the camera pans over. The fight scene with King Grey is perhaps the most animation fans get to witness because afterward, as it delivered back in early March, the rest of the episode is primarily still shots of Authur’s first formative years in his new life.

Mushoku Tensei, which had a very familiar beginning, did more with its animation and movement than The Beginning After the End.

Much of the motion comes from the CGI post-production edits where the magic is overlaid on the characters, and there aren’t enough frames to create a fluid motion on the slim chance the cast is moving. And while there have been sneak previews of Sylvie who looks to be rendered beautifully, CGI cannot save this anime if there is no actual movement being portrayed.

TBATE had a lot of expectations riding on this first look at what the anime would bring and while there isn’t much excitement in Arthur’s first leg of his journey as a child, it’s also an area the studio could have taken creative liberties with in making it more interesting. Mushoku Tensei, which had a very familiar beginning, did more with its animation and movement than The Beginning After the End, so there’s room for argument about the direction that could have been carried through to the manhwa’s adaptation.

Resources Could Have Been Allocated to Other Scenes

TBATE’s Anime Could Improve In Later Installments

The Beginning After the End has only started, so it’s entirely possible that A-Cat is withholding resources to allocate them to better scenarios seen later, such as the bandit scene on the cliffside, Sylvie’s introduction, or quite possibly the slave traders in the forest. It turns into a question of 'why would they?' when the success of an anime is on the line. While TBATE could get better in later installments, most fans are relegated to the fact that it is almost better to reread the manhwa itself.

Not only does it have a better cohesive art style that is fully rendered and only gets better over time through its added seasons, but it also delivers on subtle animations and occasional music drops to add to the whimsey of a webcomic. The Beginning After the End may not have started strong as an anime, but the original source material created by TurtleMe is worth checking out and may even provide a better experience.