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Scott Pilgrim is a franchise you’ve probably heard of online. Whether it was from the comic, the movie, or the video game, Scott Pilgrim has covered media on all grounds.
In March of 2023, Netflix announced a new Scott Pilgrim anime adaptation titled Scott Pilgrim Takes Off.
For long-time fans, this was exciting news. Along with the story of Scott Pilgrim and his adventure of dating Ramona Flowers, many fans were excited to finally see the Scott Pilgrim art style transformed into animation.
Not to mention, the whole original cast from the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World movie would be returning to voice their characters in the anime – and yes, that means Chris Evans is back to fill his role as Lucas Lee.
Scott Pilgrim was first introduced to the world in a comic released in 2004, which was written by Bryan Lee O’Malley. The comic itself now has over 1 million copies in print, and that’s only the North American Oni Press edition.
The Scott Pilgrim comics were released for six years until the volumes ended in 2010. However, despite the comic run ending, that saga was only the beginning for Scott Pilgrim.
Just one month after the comic ended, fans were given The Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game on August 10th and the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World movie on August 13th.
The movie skyrocketed Scott Pilgrim into mainstream pop culture. With an amazing cast of stars, including Michael Cera, Aubrey Plaza, Anna Kendrick, Chris Evans, and more, the movie was a must-see for everyone.
Since the release of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, the movie has only gotten more and more famous, with the cast rising to even more fame. Brie Larson’s version of Black Sheep, which she performed in the movie, blew up on social media, and the movie has become more well-known over the years.
On November 17th of 2023 – thirteen years after Scott’s debut on the silver screen – Scott Pilgrim Takes Off was released, and it feels like a rejuvenation of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.
Fans loved the anime right off the bat. Without giving too many spoilers, the anime took a spin that deviates from the movie and the comics.
Currently, the series has a 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes average Tomatometer and an 86% average audience score.
The anime gave Scott Pilgrim fans something new and different but still enjoyable. The twist left fans wondering what would happen next and on the edge of their seat, wondering just how different it would be from the movie and game.
Fans lingered after watching the eight episodes, wanting more and wondering if there would be a season two. However, there are currently no plans for season two.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Bryan Lee O’Malley said:
“It’s self-contained for now. We loved what we did. We put it all in there. We don’t have any ideas lying on the floor. We pretty much put them all in. I never say never, but right now, it seems like it would take about 50 different miracles simultaneously for another season to happen. So we’ll see.”
In the same interview, BenDavid Grabinksi said:
“We’re not working on it. We have no official ideas. We put everything we had into this, and we think it has a really great ending that we’re proud of.”
Despite no concrete plans for Scott’s future, the Scott Pilgrim universe has so many different pieces of media to revisit and enjoy.
As a Scott Pilgrim fan, I would say the anime is worth sitting down and watching all eight episodes.
The animation is fantastic, the jokes are different but just as funny, and seeing the original cast return to reprise their roles was like watching a reunion.
Despite being a short show, Netflix turned the cult classic into an animated hit perfectly.
