Scott Pilgrim is one of my favorite franchises of all-time. It tells the story of a dorky guy becoming a better person through fighting for his love and confronting his past— told originally through graphic novels and then expanded into a cult-classic film and beat-em-up RPG.
The latest addition to the series is Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, an anime with the star-studded cast of the film that expands on the pre-existing universe. Even Anamanaguchi, who composed the music for the game, returned for the soundtrack and score. This news was exhilarating to me. Scott Pilgrim vs The World was one of the early roles that brought the likes of Chris Evans, Brie Larson, Jason Schwartzman, Anna Kendrick, and Kieran Culkin into the spotlight, and all had so much fun on set that they were willing to reprise their roles.
I was incredibly excited to see Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, but did it live up to all of my expectations?
This review will contain spoilers.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off follows the same basic plot of all iterations of the franchise. Scott (Micheal Cera) meets Ramona (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), falls in love, and has to defeat her seven evil exes in order for them to date. He also has to confront his past, breaking up with his seventeen-year old girlfriend Knives (Ellen Wong) and reconciling with his exes Envy (Brie Larson) and Kim (Alison Pill). However, the anime takes a different course than the original timeline when Scott disappears, his death staged during his fight with Matthew Patel (Satya Bhabha). This leads Ramona on a whodunnit mission, confronting her exes and any possible suspects to find out who kidnapped Scott and why they did it.
I was pleasantly surprised by the plot of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. It kept me on the edge of my seat, eagerly awaiting what came next. The fact that it was so different from the films, graphic novels, and game made it all the more engaging than if it was just a word-for-word adaptation.
This diverted timeline allows for more character exploration, especially of the evil exes. Roxie (Mae Whitman) and Ramona’s relationship is explored and not just used as a punchline that feeds into the stereotypes of the bisexual community. Todd (Brandon Routh) discovers his sexuality through his short-lived relationship with Wallace Wells. Lucas (Chris Evans) and Gideon/Gordon (Jason Schwartzman) become best friends after losing everything. Julie (Aubrey Plaza) starts dating Gordon and her evil side comes out. Patel’s theatre kid side comes out. Knives becomes a songwriter! Young Neil (Johnny Simmons) gets a golf cart! Ramona gets further characterized and serves as an excellent female lead. The expanded characterization adds an additional dimension to the Scott Pilgrim universe, making it all the more interesting.
All actors did an incredible job reprising their roles. They were able to adapt their performance to the cartoon setting beautifully. Although some were taken aback by the voices of the a-list actors, I felt they were able to utilize their voice in a way that felt authentic to the characters they were portraying. The only voice that threw me for a loop was Mae Whitman as Roxie, but that’s probably because I’m so used to her voice as Amity from The Owl House.
The animation is fantastic. I liked that it had an equal balance between the graphic novel’s art style and the video game feeling. The character designs, animation, and fight scenes were all so well done and a pleasure to look at. I especially enjoyed the Ramona hair dye sequences, and just how satisfying the different hair colors were. The sparks between characters who fit together romantically were also a great touch.
The soundtrack is so-authentically Scott Pilgrim. It blends punk rock, 8-bit, and well known alternative music that accentuates every scene and fits the vibe of the franchise perfectly. I especially loved Anamanaguchi’s cover of “God Only Knows” in the epilogue, perfectly describing the love between Scott and Ramona and the connection between all of the characters. The opening “bloom” by Necry Talkie is unskippable and an absolute bop.
I also really loved the comedy of the series. It maintained the same quirkiness of the film while having its own sense of humor that could only be done through animation. The “lines in your trailer?” scene and the McDonalds joke were some of my favorites.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is more enjoyable if you are familiar with the rest of the franchise. There are tons of easter eggs, between the song based on the iconic “bread makes you fat” line, Knives’ catchphrase, “Black Sheep” by The Clash at Demonhead, the fourth game cutscene to end the intro, the 8-bit Universal intro song from the movie, the episode titles inspired by video games, Scott being an absolute video game nerd. There’s also the shock value of being new to the franchise and learning that Scott is a twenty-three year old dating a seventeen year old. They do make sure to explain that this is not okay, though, and do not glamorize their relationship. Scott is only dating her to serve his ego, after a breakup that absolutely wrecked him. It only serves to get across the fact that Scott is not a great person and pave the way for his improvement.
Watching the film, reading the comics, and playing the game gives Scott Pilgrim Takes Off an additional flair that may be foreign to new watchers. However, it can still serve as a great starting point for the franchise, as long as the watcher keeps in mind it takes place in an alternate timeline.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is a very enjoyable watch. Its voice acting, writing, soundtrack, animation, and geeky-nature are a well-needed addition to the Scott Pilgrim franchise, and prove that the story lends itself well to animation. If you have four or five hours to spare, I would highly recommend giving it a watch.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is now available on Netflix.
