Scott Pilgrim takes off . . . literally

Plot

I can sense your thoughts: "I'm familiar with this plot; I've seen the movie and/or read the books." However, despite the recognizable title, this anime offers a complete reimagining of the narrative. Consider the title, 'Scott Pilgrim Takes Off,' quite literally. The story unfolds in the expected manner – Scott meets Ramona, swiftly falls in love, and confronts challenges from the League of Evil Exes. Yet, the plot takes an exciting twist when Scott loses the initial fight, bowing out of the spotlight. Now, it's Ramona's turn to lead, steering us through an entirely fresh storyline. Ramona's mission? To track down that one guy she went on a date with that one time – Scott Pilgrim.

Casting

Netflix impresses by reuniting a significant portion of the original cast for their iconic roles. Michael Cera makes a comeback as Scott Pilgrim, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead returns to her role as Ramona Flowers. Notably, Kieran Culkin (Wallace Wells), Ellen Wong (Knives Chau), and all seven of Ramona’s evil exes also make a return to their respective roles.

While this alone would be sufficient to capture my interest, Netflix goes the extra mile by adding a delightful touch with a multitude of guest appearances and unexpected castings. To name some of my favorites Old Scott (Will Forte), Young Scott (Finn Wolfhard), Security Guards 1 & 2 (Nick Frost & Simon Pegg).

Review

At first, like many others, I approached this Netflix anime adaptation with certain expectations, the primary one being that Scott would remain the central character. So, imagine my surprise when Scott Pilgrim was 'killed' in the initial encounter with Matthew Patel. I was taken aback by the complete departure from the source material that the show had already taken. Don’t get me wrong—I anticipated some differences (like Ramona delivering Netflix DVDs instead of Amazon packages, a humorous touch); however, Scott's demise was completely unexpected.

 Yet, to my astonishment, as the show unfolded, I found myself completely engrossed in this entirely new narrative. The decision to have Ramona take the lead turned out to be an exhilarating direction for the story. Her character was developed in ways not explored in previous iterations, resulting in enjoyable interactions throughout the series. Previously, most interactions involved Ramona briefly recounting how she met her exes and why they broke up. With this fresh direction, viewers are treated to lively dialogue, zany antics, and new facets of all of Ramona’s exes. For instance, Todd falls for Wallace, Gideon, surprisingly, is a local and forms a connection with the beloved foul-mouthed Julie, and the twins turn out to be rather stand up individuals.

It's not just Ramona’s exes who received revamped storylines. Young Neal contributes to a major plot point by crafting a movie script titled 'Scott Pilgrim’s Pretty Little Life.' What's particularly fantastic is that the movie being made is the original story of Scott Pilgrim taking on all of Ramona’s evil exes, a delightful homage to the source material. Knives Chao undergoes a complete transformation in this show, quickly mastering bass and joining forces with Stephen Stills to create music. Instead of being predominantly a jealous ex of Scott, she plays a significantly different role in how she aides in the takedown of the new League boss, Matthew Patel.

Without delving too deeply into specifics (leaving some room for imagination), I can genuinely say I enjoyed every episode. Every aspect of this reimagined tale, including the writing, voice acting performances, and quirky animation, deserves attention. Netflix has done an admirable job in putting this together, and I believe that approaching this with an open mind will reveal elements for all fans to enjoy in this refreshing story.

Head on over to Netflix and see for yourself.