SPOILERS FOR SCOTT PILGRIM TAKES OFF. WATCH THE FIRST EPISODE AT LEAST BEFORE PROCEEDING
Scott Pilgrim getting an anime was certainly a surprise in a year full of surprises but hey here we are. Recently released on Netflix and having a lot of time on my hands due to being sick in bed, I watched the whole thing in one sitting and goddamn this might be my favourite entry in the series. Watching this alongside reading the graphic novels and/or watching the movie makes for such a sweet experience. The presentation is top notch, even on my poop 720p quality stream. Science Saru ("The Night is Short, Walk On Girl") did the animation based on the credits, and every frame is so good and crisp it is sublime. With Anamanaguchi making the music, you just know it fits (shout out for using some themes from the video game). Special mention should be given to the many nods between the original graphic novels, movie, and even the video game. The actors reprising their roles is another delicious frosting on this wonderful cake and they do a good job voicing their characters too. Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Ramona is especially great carrying the emotional weight of the story, making parts that are insane even for the story's standards sound solemn and serious, making you invested into her story. And that is important since Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is essentially A Ramona Flowers Story.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is such an odd title for an adaptation of an established graphic novel series (nothing is named as such in the series) until you finish that first episode. Admittedly, it has been a while since I've watched the movie or read the comics, but even still watching the first episodes something in the back of my head is just telling me something's... Off. Like I know the thing happened but that is not exactly what happened right? Like...
We start with the first Subspace Highway scene? (Ramona's first?? appearance in the story is important, but the first thing we hear in the comics and movie is "Scott Pilgrim dating a high schooler" as a major story beat and if a supposedly straight adaptation doesn't start with that then huh? Btw they do still bring up and address Scott dating a high schooler in the story)
Young Neil has a Game Gear now? (I remember it being a Game Boy in the movie to play Zelda sounds as sound cues, which is Edgar Wright's style)
In Ramona and Scott's first meeting at Julie Powers' party, he starts talking to her about... Sonic the Hedgehog? (No awkward Pac Man talk? Could be chalked up to updating it for the times? At this point something was really bugging me)
Scott orders from Netflix, which is where Ramona works now. (not much of a surprise, this is a Netflix show, but I do miss the "whats the website for amazon dot ca" joke and this is still a slight change)
At the Rockit, while Scott is looking at the crowd from the stage, sharp viewers can see a robot in the crowd? (Players of the game will know this as Robot 01, made by the Katayanagi Twins and fought in their stage. Still, an early appearance, what the hell?)
And then the biggest change of all: Crash and the Boys not playing before Sex Bob-omb. Now this was the biggest change up to this point of the show, and one where I was going to start asking questions.
One change was fine, 2 could be okay, but all this? Something was very wrong.
Then the first Evil Ex fight happens.
Scott Pilgrim loses. He dies. And leaves behind coins. Call it poetic justice for all he killed for coins in the game.
Thus begins Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, where he just... takes off. Ramona takes center stage as the person dedicated to solving the mystery of Scott's death and getting some well deserved character development. Whereas the graphic novels and movie focus on Scott as a character, this show is all about Ramona. This makes her a much more interesting and well rounded character and one who I can definitively see Scott is willing to fight for. While the original story didn't lack development for her, it was nothing compared to what she gets here. And what she gets is enormous. Delving into implications from having seven exes left behind, all of them willing to literally kill the one you currently date, the show goes to great lengths to show Ramona's own flaws that weren't explicit in the original. Not having Scott to fight them for her, she has to face them herself and learn about the wake when she leaves people behind without proper closure. Ramona is shown as a person lacking in communication with people and just leaving with important things unsaid, which all piled up and lead to the creation of the League. By having said closure with her exes, she comes to terms with her own failings and grow as a person, much like Scott was at the end of his journey. If anything, this series solidifies that Ramona does really love Scott even after just one date, enough to face her past to save him. And her facing the past leads to her reconciling with her exes. We get to see the exes having to live with the aftermath of Ramona leaving them for another or playing with their feelings (except Todd, Todd's a dick). Having her deal with the consequences of her actions is great, as this causes an outcome where most of the time the two parties do not have to fight to resolve their problems. Most of the time, they actually talk. About their past, and how it meant to them, how it felt... It feels liberating seeing these people talking with each other about what they meant and apologizing for making mistakes. It also serves as A Day in the Limelight for each of the exes, as we get more of a look into their lives though some greater then others (Matthew Patel and Lucas Lee) and some not so much (Katayanagi twins and Roxie). Gideon also has his story shown, and serves as a secondary villain this time around. All in all, it shows that these Evil Exes aren't evil but as people dealing with pain from a breakup. Though not to be outdone, Scott also gets some development of his own through Old Scott. Coming from a possible future (maybe even the original story eh?), Old Scott is separated from Old Ramona due to issues and is attempting to dissuade his younger self from interacting with Ramona in the first place preventing these painful events from happening. Horrified, Regular Scott rejects this him. The fact he tries to carry on with Ramona despite being shown a bad future in their relationship shows that he really is ready to try with her no matter how painful it gets. Regular Scott seing his Ramona work out his disappearance in the past just steels his resolve. Writing this now, it is clear how and why Scott and Ramona really do love each other.
After all these years, Scott Pilgrim still stands as a great story, with plenty of romance and action to keep you satisfied. Nearly 20 years on, it is still compelling. Bryan Lee O'Malley and BenDavid Grabinski could've just wrote a direct adaptation of the story. That would've been good for me. But instead they took the opportunity of fleshing out all the other characters in the storyand make a more emotionally resonant story about dealing with relationships and reconciling with others while still being an incredibly entertaining series. As an extension of a story that defined a generation, it is a pretty darn good.
Also it has the funniest funeral scene ever and is a joke nearly 20 years in the making ever since Bryan Lee O'Malley showed what happens when people die in this universe, I swear to god I laughed for 30 seconds. Thanks.
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