Scott Pilgrim: Takes Off, The new Netflix series, Provides a new take on the beloved cult classic. Scott Pilgrim started as a beloved comic book, written by Bryan Lee O’Malley, about a 23-year-old video game lover (Scott) and his quest to fight the Seven Evil Exes of his new love interest, Ramona Flowers. Since its release in 2003, this book has been adapted into Movies, Video Games, Board Games, and now Anime. And after binging the whole series in under two days, I can confidently say this may be the best take on the story yet.
To start, there are a few things very unique about the world of Scott Pilgrim. While at first glance, Scott’s world (Toronto Canada) appears to be the same as ours, we are quickly introduced to over-dramatized fight scenes straight from video games, intense graphics, and subspace highways (which are never quite explained). It is important to note, that these are not hallucinations or a by-product of an unreliable narrator, this is just how their world operates. While some may find this style to be a lot, it is where a majority of the uniqueness comes from and is a large contribution (along with the franchise’s sense of humor) to why people love Scott Pilgrim so much.
The plot of the original Scott Pilgrim book and Movie, are almost exactly the same. Scott, (played by Michael Cera in the movie) begins dating a 17-year-old, when suddenly he stumbles into Ramona, a girl that he has met before only in his dreams. From here he breaks up with his 17-year-old girlfriend, after cheating on her. And begins to pursue the girl of his dreams: Ramona Flowers (Played by Mary Elizabeth-Winstead in the movie). Except, dating Ramona isn’t as great as Scott first thought because in order to date her he must defeat the League of her Seven Evil Exes. Now, both the movie and book provide us with a great character arc for Scott, as this journey, and the battles that come with it, help him realize how to respect himself and those close to him. It also teaches Scott to fight for the ones he loves. However, The new show makes a major change.
The first episode of Netflix’s Scott Pilgrim: Takes Off follows the book and movie almost exactly, up to the very end. But, Instead of winning the first of many of his fights with Ramonas Exes, Scott loses and disappears, and is thus presumed dead. From here, the story completely branches from its original path. And, instead of focusing on just Scott’s growth, we get to see all of the other characters grow and get past their baggage on their own. The highlight of which, involves Ramona. Instead of Scott going through and fighting each ex, Ramona seeks all of them out and ends up dealing with their past one-on-one and getting through it. This allows each ex to get past her and actually develop as a character. This was such a genius idea for a Scott Pilgrim show as it shows us a different perspective on the same themes with the same characters and it’s executed wonderfully.
Aside from the plot and overall concept, There are two other things that shine from this show. Firstly, is the cast. This show actually keeps the entire cast from the movie. Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth-Winstead, Chris Evans, Kieran Culkin, Brie Larson, Aubrey Plaza, Jason Schwartzman, and many more all reprise their roles. But a whole new layer is now added because their characters are all much less two-dimensional, and we actually get to see their full ranges.
The final, and probably best thing about this series, is the art. Everything from the character designs to the color palettes is ripped straight from the book, and it looks stunning. The animation is smooth and vibrant and it gives the show such a unique voice that can only be Scott Pilgrim. And as a fan of this world previously, this show only built my love and appreciation for it.
Overall, I would give this show a 4.5/5, but with caution. If you haven’t seen/do not like the source material, you will not like this show. It breaks down what makes that world and its characters so loveable and dives into it fully. But if you are a fan, I recommend you watch this show immediately because this was the perfect Scott Pilgrim show. I credit this partially to the fact that both the movie director, Edgar Wright, and the original writer Bryan Lee O’Malley, were heavily involved. All in all, I loved this series, and I’m desperately hoping for a second season.
