Scott Pilgrim Takes Off: Where Does he Go from Here?
Josh B.
I am a fan of Scott Pilgrim. I have been for over a decade now. I’ve read and reread the comics, played the video game, and thoroughly enjoyed the film. However, in all the time that this series has existed, I felt there was a medium it was made for, but never quite reached – an animated series. There was a brief animated short, Scott Pilgrim VS. The Animation, broadcast on Adult Swim to promote the film and adapt a small part of the books that would have otherwise been ignored by the movie. It was excellent and retained the actors from the film! (For a time, I actually believe Michael Cera performed better as a voice actor than he did onscreen!) So, this short was a promise of what could be – or at least, that’s what I thought. But over ten years passed, and nothing more came. Yet, just as I was prepared to leave the idea behind, Netflix and anime studio Science Saru (famous for Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!) rose to the potential and promise of that short with a full-fledged anime – Scott Pilgrim Takes Off.
The most immediately striking thing about Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is its production value. The entire cast of the 2010 Hollywood film has returned to reprise their roles, even those that have rose to superstardom like Chris Evans and Brie Larson. More than that, none of them have missed a beat – they all fit back into their roles as if they never left. In fact, time seems to have only amplified their performances – this is especially true for Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s portrayal of Ramona Flowers (Pic Right), who in the film comes across as distant. Here in the anime, Ramona is guarded, but deeply affectionate to those she cares about – exactly like she is in the comics. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off expands on the characters in its universe, particularly Satya Bhaba’s Matthew Patel, the first Evil Ex. In both the comics and the movie, Matthew is a starting point for Scott, someone to be defeated and discarded. But here, we’re presented with a person with wants and dreams and real aspirations. It’s a shocking amount of depth that can be found not only in Matthew, but every single character in the series, as Scott Pilgrim Takes Off presents a bold, alternative telling of the story we’ve seen told three separate times now. I’d elaborate more, but if you’re a fan of the series and its characters, you owe it to yourself to experience this as blind as possible.
The voice acting isn’t the only thing that stands out about Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, far from it. The series also benefits from an absolutely incredible original soundtrack, performed by chiptune band Anamanaguchi. They were the group responsible for the music in Scott Pilgrim VS. The World: The Game, and by extension, responsible for tracks that have lived in my head rent free for more than a decade now. Needless to say, it’s a thrill and a delight to hear their sound again, punctuating the emotional journey the series takes you on. I’ve already found myself listening to the soundtrack by itself on car rides – it’s that good.
Finally, there’s the animation – this is everything I wanted from a full Scott Pilgrim series and then some. Science Saru has outdone themselves, effortlessly recreating the thick, heavy lined character designs Bryan Lee O’Malley created all those years ago, and bringing them to life in a way the original Scott Pilgrim VS. The Animation could only dream of doing. The action scenes are fast, frenetic and at their best, reminiscent of modern shonen action like My Hero Academia, while the slower, more character centric moments play out with great care, stopping and expressing even small changes in the characters’ attitudes. This is the kind of effort people have come to expect from Science Saru, a company that’s exceptionally selective about the projects they choose to work on, but every time they do, they create a phenomenon. In that way, its safe to say that they’re one of the Rockstar Games of the anime industry and they’ve pulled out all the stops for Scott Pilgrim Takes Off.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off Developers: BenDavid Grabinski & Bryan Lee O’ Malley
As someone who has wanted this for over a decade, I can say that Scott Pilgrim Takes Off delivers on every level, including several ways I didn’t actually expect it to! If you’re reading this and you have any interest in Scott Pilgrim, do yourself a favor and binge the seven-episode series – you’ll be glad you did.
Sidenote: All right, now that was your spoiler-free review. Once again, if you want to go in without any spoilers, here is your chance to exit the article and remain fresh. However, for readers who have finished the series, or those curious to know my full, unrestrained thoughts, read on.
Review
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is one of the most unconventional adaptations of media I’ve ever experienced. It’s both a sequel and an alternate take on the original source material. Differences trickle in slowly at first, like a conversation about Pac-Man is suddenly about Sonic the Hedgehog but build overtime until all of a sudden Matthew Patel appears – and he defeats Scott Pilgrim. The next episode is Scott’s funeral – Yes, this is real. They actually killed Scott Pilgrim. The series then shifts perspective to Ramona, who spends the rest of the series trying to figure out who killed Scott, and why, and if there’s any way to undo it. In going on this journey, Ramona meets with her exes, and (in most cases) rather than fight them, has mature, adult conversations with them, learning things about them and herself that she, and we, as the audience didn’t know. It feels like a far more mature approach to this initial concept of “boy fights for girl”. Instead, it’s become “girl fights for what she wants”, and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off feels uniquely powerful for that. Without Scott in the mix, the characters of his universe are allowed to grow, change, and develop. It’s fascinating honestly. As my buddy Alex said, “it’s like playing the Scott Pilgrim video game, only no one is playing as Scott.”
Review of Scott Pilgrim Animated by Science Saru
Taking over ten years break and coming back to tell this story feels deliberate. It feels to me like Bryan Lee O’Malley, who wrote both the original series and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, is using this series as a way to explore the characters of his universe in a way he couldn’t before, so that he can close the book on them. After all, what is Scott Pilgrim as a series but closure on unfinished business? Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is a phenomenal series, and a fantastic final word for this Toronto tale. I give Scott Pilgrim Takes Off five out of five stars.
