Scott Pilgrim Takes Off: Review
By Sioph LealScott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) dreams of his perfect woman, Romona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), and after they spend the night together and discovers sparks, he finds out he must defeat her seven evil exes to date her. Reimagining the beloved cult classic, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off gives twists and turns completely new to the series in a mystery-packed journey.
At the centre of the mystery is Scott, who only appears in the first episode until the sixth, with Ramona taking on the lead role as she tries to uncover the Scott Pilgrim mystery and must confront her seven evil exes as well as Scott’s friends and ex, Envy.
Shifting focus to Ramona and the evil exes is a good move, creating a deeper story that’s fun and showcases the different villains’ personalities. With each ex taking centre stage in their own episode, it takes on a new genre each episode, but still with the mystery at its core. Ramona suspects one of her exes is the cause of the mystery and investigates, but in doing so, she explores herself and them, so we see different sides to them all. It’s a great move and creates many fun and absurd (in a good way) moments that stay true to the vibe and style of the source material. It's an ensemble show, spending time with the exes and digging deeper into their lives and motivation. Each ex and their voiceover artist add a new depth to them, allowing the show to mix things up.
For those that have read the comics, only seen the film, or played the game will enjoy the anime version, which has a few surprises and character interactions that they normally wouldn’t. The exes make the series a fun ride, except for Maty Patel (Satya Bhabha), who plays a strong part in the first episode but is the least interesting of the exes. Perhaps one of the biggest additions is the relationship between Todd (Brandon Routh) and Wallace Wells (Kieran Culkin), which is a huge deviation but one of the most fun changes that carries through long past their episode.
With a short run of less than 30 minutes per episode and an 8-episode run, the series manages to pack a lot in and never waver on pacing. Every episode is a fun ride that enhances the mystery and keeps you guessing who the culprit is, and even the most devout comic readers may not get it. Each ex is poised to be the character responsible for the main mystery and the one that reveals itself in the last episode, but they all interlink.
The anime style is perfect for Scott Pilgrim, creates many over the top moments people will enjoy and makes for a visually pleasing watch to tie in with the fun nature of the story and characters.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is a fun time with moments reminiscent of the movie and comic in a brand-new style. The central mystery propels the narrative and creates an opportunity to explore the evil exes as well as Ramona’s history with them as she explores her relationships to solve the mystery of the series. The returning cast from the movie gives the series a nostalgic hit, and everyone brings their top game to the anime.
Scott Pilgrim releases on November 17th 2023 on Netflix.