For a certain group of people, life can be divided into two eras: before Scott Pilgrim and after. Whether their entry point was cartoonist Bryan Lee O’Malley’s fantastic series of graphic novels or Edgar Wright’s 2010 feature-film adaptation, fans of the series have found themselves transfixed by this very funny, very Canadian, very fantastical saga. The story of a video game- and indie rock-obsessed, twentysomething loser fighting for the right to date the girl literally of his dreams, Scott Pilgrim took us on an unexpected, hilarious, heartfelt, and deeply relatable journey over the course of six volumes and a 112-minute film.
The comics’ greatness lay in their fearless commitment to the bonkers premise, which appealed directly to readers around Scott’s own age. O’Malley created a world in which Super Mario-style power-ups actually exist; a burnout bassist is also commonly regarded as “the best fighter in the province;” veganism is a superpower; and a woman’s exes will join together to form a supervillain team, determined to stop her from ever dating anyone else again.
O’Malley’s series of graphic novels was, by every measure, a singular work for a very specific, grateful audience. So it shouldn’t have been a shock that the film flopped at the box office—despite satisfying most fans and capturing new ones, drawn in by the hyper-stylized world, action, and non-stop jokes. While many of us celebrated that a film with such a wild aesthetic was even produced, Scott Pilgrim was perhaps too animated a story to fully work in live action, let alone become a crossover hit.
It took 13 years to test that theory, but Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, which premieres on Netflix Nov. 17, confirms it: This series begs to be animated. The eight-episode anime is a perfect encapsulation of what made the comics so captivating. It’s a daring, expressive, original cartoon, translating O’Malley’s art and writing into a new medium without missing a beat. Produced by acclaimed studio Science Saru and co-created by BenDavid Grabinski, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off breathes even fresher life into an already vivacious story. For the person who already loves the property, the anime will deepen that love; for the uninitiated, or those overwhelmed by the movie’s high-speed pacing, it’s a great entry point—an incredibly entertaining, touching action-comedy.
To say much about the premise of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off could spoil the fun, but know this: This isn’t another direct adaptation of O’Malley’s graphic novels. The premiere follows familiar story beats, right down to borrowing much of the comics’ and film’s dialogue and framing: Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera, one of the many returning cast members) is your typical mediocre-if-charming 23-year-old white dude, lacking in skills, goals, or a job. Everything changes when, one night, a blue-haired woman rollerblades through his dreams; the next, he finds out that she’s real, and immediately sets about scoring a date with her. This is hard enough, considering how much cooler she is than him, but it’s made even more so by the fact that she has seven evil exes he must overcome in order to earn her love.
But then a major twist happens in the last minute of Episode 1. Instead of winning the fight against Ramona Flowers’ (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) first evil ex-boyfriend, Matthew Patel (Satya Bhabha), Scott (Michael Cera) loses. He explodes into a barrage of loonies and toonies—in Toronto, humans become coins after losing a battle, apparently—and is assumed dead.
Yes, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is a literal title, as Scott promptly disappears from the show. (For how long, we dare not say.) The focus shifts away from the dim-witted-but-lovable boy to the brilliant cast of characters around him, finally given their time to shine. Ramona isn’t convinced that Scott’s really gone, and she becomes the de facto main character. As she searches for Scott, she also wrestles with her own personal demons—how did she get to a point where all her exes would want to ruin her dating life for good? And while Ramona quests for answers, Scott’s friends chart new courses too, now that they don’t have his problems dominating their lives.
With Scott out of the picture, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off seizes upon the chance to playfully deepen and reimagine O’Malley’s original material as something new. The soft-spoken Young Neil (Johnny Simmons) pursues a career as a screenwriter, to incredible effect. Knives Chau (Ellen Wong), predominantly defined in the original series as Scott’s “high school girlfriend” angling to fight Ramona for Scott’s affections, indulges new passions and develops a renewed sense of self. And having defeated Ramona’s new boyfriend, even the evil exes sworn to destroy him have to redefine themselves. How each character evolves is surprising and hilarious, proving the premise’s infinite potential for expansion.
In some ways, the show works as an improvement upon the source material. As Ramona pursues the disappearance of Scott Pilgrim, she contends with and deconstructs the archetypal “boy gets the girl” storyline that defined the original series, sometimes to its detriment. The show sensitively reconsiders its female characters both in relation to the men and to each other, rendering some strong emotion along the way.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off blends a compelling central mystery with expertly choreographed action sequences, which were a crucial element of the comics. Without the restrictions of the page or real-life limitations, the anime stages incredible, over-the-top fight scenes. Ramona battles an ex through an array of shifting, movie-inspired settings; Lucas Lee (Chris Evans)—one of several characters elevated from one-off to standout—takes on hordes of paparazzi with dizzying, hilarious effect. Science Saru’s reliably fluid animation grants each of these sequences a stylishness that enhances the viewing pleasure.
The show is a delight to behold, full of frames you’ll want to screenshot and pore over. They’re stuffed with sight gags nestled among small, gorgeous details, and in true anime fashion, movement, bodies, and expressions are wonderfully exaggerated. The script works in tandem with the visual humor, chock full of lines you’ll want to rewind to hear again. It’s all made funnier by the actors’ incredible performances; Evans, Kieran Culkin (as Wallace Wells), and Jason Schwartzman (Gideon Graves) are particularly great in expanded roles.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off demands repeat viewings and will transform viewers into proselytizers. But as much as it’s a dream-come-true for myriad fans, it’s purely enjoyable catnip for any discerning TV viewer. This isn’t just a great cartoon—it’s fantastic, unforgettable, rare television.
