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Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

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Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is an anime adventure television series developed by Bryan Lee O'Malley and BenDavid Grabinski for Netflix. The series is based on the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels written and drawn by O'Malley, with the entire main cast from the 2010 film adaptation, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, reprising their roles for the English voice cast. The series was released on November 17, 2023, to critical acclaim.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
Release poster
Genre
Based onScott Pilgrim
by Bryan Lee O'Malley
Developed by
  • Bryan Lee O'Malley
  • BenDavid Grabinski
Written by
  • Bryan Lee O'Malley
  • BenDavid Grabinski
Directed byAbel Góngora
Voices of
Music by
Opening theme"Bloom"
performed by Necry Talkie
Country of origin
  • United States
  • Japan
Original languagesEnglish
Japanese
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producers
CinematographyHikari Itou
Yoshihiro Sekiya
EditorKeisuke Yanagi
Running time26–29 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNetflix
ReleaseNovember 17, 2023 (2023-11-17)

Unlike the film, which is a largely faithful adaptation of the comics, Takes Off features a different plot, wherein the titular Scott Pilgrim disappears in the first episode; the remainder of the series follows his love interest Ramona Flowers as she tries to find out who was responsible for his disappearance, all while other characters within the story work on a fictional adaptation of Scott's life.

Premise

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The series, set in Toronto, Canada, serves as an alternate retelling of the original Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series and movie. Like in the original series, Scott Pilgrim, a bassist in an indie band, falls in love with Ramona Flowers, a mysterious delivery girl, attracting the attention of Ramona's seven evil exes. Things take an unexpected turn when Scott loses his battle against Ramona's first evil ex Matthew Patel and is seemingly killed. As the trajectory of everyone's lives, including those of Ramona's evil exes, changes drastically as a result, Ramona learns that Scott may still be alive and investigates his disappearance.

Voice cast

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See also: List of Scott Pilgrim characters

All of the main English-language cast reprise their roles from the 2010 film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

English

Japanese

Episodes

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No.TitleDirected byStoryboarded byOriginal release date
1"Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life"Abel GóngoraAbel GóngoraNovember 17, 2023 (2023-11-17)
Scott Pilgrim is the unemployed bassist of the Toronto band "Sex Bob-omb" and is dating Knives Chau, a 17-year-old high schooler. At a party, Scott meets Ramona Flowers, a girl who has repeatedly appeared in his dreams. He orders a DVD from Netflix when he learns Ramona works there as a courier and asks her out when she arrives. They get along well, unaware that they are secretly being monitored by Gideon Graves, leader of a group of Ramona's ex-partners called the League of Evil Exes, whom Scott has to defeat in order to date her. Gideon sends lowest-ranked League member Matthew Patel to kill Scott at a Sex Bob-omb show. Matthew interrupts them at the show's beginning and obliterates Scott early in their battle.
2"A League of Their Own"Tomohisa ShimoyamaTomohisa ShimoyamaNovember 17, 2023 (2023-11-17)
Ramona rejects Matthew despite his victory over Scott, blaming herself for his death. Realizing this contradicts the League's rule promising the victor's right to date Ramona, Matthew summons the six other League members to a meeting in New York City, during which Gideon reveals the League's true purpose for him to monopolize Ramona's affection. Matthew challenges Gideon for leadership of the League over his deception, which Matthew wins after a lengthy battle, forcing Gideon to relinquish control of his massive media conglomerate. Meanwhile, following Scott's funeral – which is disrupted by his ex-girlfriend, pop star Envy Adams – Ramona hears Scott's voice in her dreams and realizes he may still be alive.
3"Ramona Rents a Video"Moko-chanMoko-chanNovember 17, 2023 (2023-11-17)
"Young" Neil Nordegraf, the roommate of Sex Bob-omb's vocalist Stephen Stills, attempts to write a screenplay after Scott's death reminds him of the fragility of life but fails to get anywhere. He wakes in the night to see a mysterious figure using the computer and finds a completed script credited to him on it the next morning. Ramona reviews security footage of the night Scott was killed, discovering that he was pulled into a portal just before Matthew struck him. Stephen's ex-girlfriend Julie Powers points her toward Sex Bob-omb drummer and Scott's ex-girlfriend Kim Pine, whom Ramona removes as a suspect when Kim expresses respect for her pursuit of Scott. Ramona is suddenly attacked by Roxie Richter, one of the Evil Exes. During their fight, Ramona apologizes for the callous way she broke up with her, and the two reconcile. A despondent Gideon approaches Julie, revealing his identity as her old classmate Gordon Goose, and she warmly welcomes him.
4"Whatever"Akitoshi YokoyamaAkitoshi YokoyamaNovember 17, 2023 (2023-11-17)
Ramona visits Evil Ex and famous actor Lucas Lee to ask if he had anything to do with the portal. Lucas has been cast in the titular role in a film based on Neil's screenplay, Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life, which theorizes what could have happened if Scott beat Matthew; Scott's roommate Wallace Wells is cast as himself. Lucas and Ramona are attacked by the paparazzi when he is discovered to be dating the actress playing Knives. After a long battle that wears Lucas down, he and Ramona make up, and she sneaks him out of the studio. As his agent drops him, he confirms to Ramona that he has nothing to do with the portal. Evil Ex Todd Ingram, Envy's bandmate and boyfriend and superpowered vegan, arrives by portal to audition for Scott, leaving Ramona suspicious.
5"Lights. Camera. Sparks?!"Rushio MoriyamaRushio MoriyamaNovember 17, 2023 (2023-11-17)
As Ramona is cast as Envy's (playing Ramona) stunt double, Wallace seduces Todd. Envy makes Ramona fight Wallace's stunt doubles while he informs Todd that their affair was only a fling and he does not care about him, causing him to listlessly break the "vegan code" and lose his powers. As Envy and Ramona try to talk sense into him, the latter shows them the footage, and Envy concludes that the portal was not Todd's. Matthew, the studio's new owner, shuts down production and reveals to Ramona that Gordon is dating Julie.
6"Whodidit"Takakazu NagatomoMari MotohashiNovember 17, 2023 (2023-11-17)
Gordon befriends a jobless Lucas. Ramona confronts Julie, who explains that Gordon has been too depressed to plot anything against Scott, and as they come back to Julie's house, a robot that has been following Ramona runs out. Stephen and Knives give Matthew the idea to turn Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life into a play with himself playing Scott. Ramona realizes that Evil Exes, the Katayanagi twins, created the robot to be vegan and had it create the portal. Sex Bob-omb informs her that Neil didn't write the screenplay and that the file information reveals it was written fourteen years in the future. Scott turns up on Ramona's doorstep, validating her theory but claiming to have set the whole thing up himself.
7"2 Scott 2 Pilgrim"Kenji MaebaKenji MaebaNovember 17, 2023 (2023-11-17)
During the fight with Matthew, Scott is taken into the future by his future self, who explains that, after defeating the League,[a] he and Ramona got married but later divorced. He started a band with the twins, who had the robot pull Scott into the future. Aiming to erase his past pain, Old Scott refuses to take him back until he gives up on Ramona, and Scott watches Ramona's journey of trying to save him through the robot. He approaches old Ramona, who reveals that she took old Neil's memoir he wrote about them, adapted it into a screenplay, traveled back in time, and planted it on his computer. With both of them moved by Ramona's efforts, old Ramona takes Scott back to the past. After explaining this, Scott apologizes to Knives and tries to kiss Ramona, but they find a force field between their lips. Suspecting the League, they head to Matthew's play, Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Musical.
8"The World vs. Scott Pilgrim"Takuya Fujikura & Takakazu NagatomoAbel Góngora & Mari MotohashiNovember 17, 2023 (2023-11-17)
Scott and Ramona determine that none of the Evil Exes are behind the field. During the play, a deranged Even Older Scott teleports Scott, his friends, Ramona, and the League away, revealing himself as the one who created the field. Since Scott refuses to give up on Ramona, he intends to kill them all. The group fights him, but everyone is sent back except Scott and Ramona. The fight is interrupted by an older Ramona, who reveals that she still loved him when they separated but is disgusted by his current state. Ramona decides she is done running from what she loves and embraces her older self, merging and becoming "Super Ramona," who sends older Scott back to the future and successfully kisses Scott. They are returned to the play, where Gordon and Julie are caught trying to bomb the stage, but Matthew instead returns his properties, tired of the stress they cause. Matthew continues work as a stage actor, Lucas takes up work as a barista with Scott's sister Stacey, Roxie helps Todd train to maintain his vegan powers, the Katayanagi twins continue to work in robotics, Wallace finds a boyfriend in Paris after taking a vacation with his film money, Knives joins Sex Bob-omb as a keyboardist with Envy occasionally collaborating with them, and Ramona continues work as a stunt double. In a mid-credits scene, Gordon and Julie seemingly plot against Scott and Ramona.

Production

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Development

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Bryan Lee O'Malley created the graphic novel series and serves as co-showrunner

In 2018, Jared LeBoff had reached out to Edgar Wright asking if he would be interested in working on a new Scott Pilgrim project. Then, in early 2019, LeBoff approached O'Malley about doing a Scott Pilgrim anime with Science Saru. O'Malley was uninterested at the time, as he didn't want to do a straight retelling of the graphic novels and had "no story or motivation". In 2020, O'Malley and Grabinski pitched a story which starts as the same story, but deviates at the fight with Patel. Universal Content Productions and Netflix greenlit the idea.[2] In January 2022, it was reported that Netflix and UCP were developing an anime series based on the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels by Bryan Lee O'Malley;[3] at the time, Netflix had ordered several other anime and animated projects based on popular properties.[4] O'Malley was announced as showrunner, writer, and executive producer alongside BenDavid Grabinski, with animator Abel Góngora directing. Edgar Wright and Michael Bacall, who directed and wrote the 2010 live-action film adaptation, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, served as executive producers. The animation was provided by Science Saru.[3] In March 2023, it was announced that the series had officially been green-lit,[5] with Wright noting that it expanded the Scott Pilgrim universe.[6]

Casting

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See also: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World § Casting

On March 30, 2023, Netflix released a cast announcement video, confirming that the cast of the 2010 film would reprise their roles.[7][5] Wright had assembled the actors for the film and helped convince them all to return for the anime.[8] He reflected that casting and working on the film was "one of the proudest and most enjoyable achievements of [his] career".[8] They had previously reunited for 10th anniversary events, with the team reportedly excited to have another project in the Scott Pilgrim universe to create.[8][9] Shota and Keita Saito, the actors who portrayed the Katayanagi twins in non-speaking roles in the film, were not mentioned in the cast announcement;[6] it was subsequently announced that Julian Cihi would voice both twins.[10] The production confirmed that further cast members would be announced later.[11]

Writing

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When O'Malley and Grabinski began writing the series, they wanted to capture the spirit of the comics and movie. However, they still update things in the nearly two-decades since the comic's original publication. Some of these changes include changing Ramona's job from a delivery girl for Amazon to delivering DVDs for Netflix and also expanding on the backstories of the evil exes.[12]

Music

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Further information: Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (soundtrack)

The series' music is composed by Joseph Trapanese and Anamanaguchi, the latter having previously composed for the film's video game adaptation.[8] The show's opening theme, "Bloom" was performed by Japanese rock band Necry Talkie.[13] Other songs include "What's a Girl to Do?" by Cristina, "Breathless" by X, "A-Punk" by Vampire Weekend, "You Wouldn't Like Me" by Tegan & Sara, "United States of Whatever" by Liam Lynch, "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash, "If You Could Read My Mind" by Stars on 54, "Sharp Dressed Man" by ZZ Top, "Kidnapped by Neptune" by Scout Niblett, "Scott Pilgrim" by Plumtree, "Police Truck" by Dead Kennedys, as well as covers of "I Will Remember You" by Sarah McLachlan, "Konya Wa Hurricane" by Kinuko Oomori and "Techno Syndrome" by The Immortals, are also in the show.[14] The soundtrack album was released on November 17, 2023, by Lakeshore Records.[15]

Release

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Wright posted on social media that its release was "imminent" on March 30, 2023, while discussing the cast.[6] Netflix announced in August of that same year that the series would be released on November 17 and would consist of eight episodes.[16][17]

Reception

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 50 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "Retaining the heart and wit of the original movie while also carving out a fresh path for itself, Scott Pilgrim takes off in the animated medium and soars."[1] On Metacritic, the series has a score of 82 out of 100, based on 20 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[18]

Rendy Jones of RogerEbert.com praised the show saying it "shatters expectations" and "cleverly reexamines its entire story with a profound twist without sacrificing any pieces of its identity."[19] Alison Herman of Variety magazine said it "successfully combines the innovative style and comic charm of its predecessors with a new spin that corrects for the tropes we can now see with hindsight" and notes that the show is not for children but "is meant for former kids revisiting an old favorite through more grown-up eyes."[20]

Maya Phillips from The New York Times expressed dissatisfaction with the work, specifically targeting its narrative and humor. Phillips described the storylines as "bland" and the jokes as "lackluster".[21]

Accolades

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Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
ACE Eddie Awards March 3, 2024 Best Edited Animated Series Keisuke Yanagi (for "Ramona Rents a Video") Nominated [22]
Astra TV Awards August 18, 2024 Best Anime Series Scott Pilgrim Takes Off Pending [23]
Critics' Choice Awards January 14, 2024 Best Animated Series Won [24][25]
GLAAD Media Award March 14/May 11, 2024 Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series Nominated [26]

Future

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In an interview with Rolling Stone, O'Malley said of the series' future that there are no current plans for a second season, stating "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."[27][28]

Notes

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  1. ^ As depicted in Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010).

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Scott Pilgrim Takes Off: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  2. ^ Vary, Adam B. (November 21, 2023). "Inside 'Scott Pilgrim Takes Off': The Makers and Stars Explain Their 'Alternate-Reality Sequel,' and Why They Kept It a Secret". Variety. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Kit, Borys (January 7, 2022). "Scott Pilgrim Anime Series in the Works From UCP, Netflix (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. PMRC. Archived from the original on October 10, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  4. ^ Otterson, Joe (January 7, 2022). "'Scott Pilgrim' Anime Series in Development at Netflix". Variety. Archived from the original on April 14, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Rice, Lynette (March 30, 2023). "Netflix Orders New Anime Series Based On 'Scott Pilgrim'; Original Cast From 2010 Movie To Voice". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c Travis, Ben (March 30, 2023). "Scott Pilgrim Anime Series Is 'Imminent' With Entire Cast Returning, Confirms Edgar Wright". Empire. Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  7. ^ Scott Pilgrim The Anime | Cast Announcement. Netflix. March 30, 2023. Archived from the original on September 19, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023 – via YouTube.
  8. ^ a b c d Otterson, Joe (March 30, 2023). "'Scott Pilgrim' Netflix Anime Series Reunites Film's Cast, From Michael Cera to Chris Evans". Variety. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  9. ^ Parkel, Inga (March 31, 2023). "Edgar Wright announces original Scott Pilgrim cast to reunite in anime adaptation". The Independent. Archived from the original on April 7, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  10. ^ Tinoco, Armando (October 14, 2023). "'Scott Pilgrim Takes Off': Netflix Drops Full Trailer Of Anime Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  11. ^ Monroe, Jazz (March 30, 2023). "Scott Pilgrim Anime Series Coming to Netflix, Voiced by Original Film Cast". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on August 18, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  12. ^ Collis, Clark (September 13, 2023). "Go behind the scenes of 'Scott Pilgrim Takes Off'". EW.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  13. ^ Scorziello, Sophia (August 16, 2023). "We're in Lesbians With the Scott Pilgrim Takes Off Theme Song". Vulture. Archived from the original on October 31, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  14. ^ Campbell, Kambole (January 2024). "Comic Genius!". Animation Magazine. Vol. 38, no. 1. pp. 36–37. ISSN 1041-617X.
  15. ^ "Soundtrack Album for Netflix's 'Scott Pilgrim Takes Off' to Be Released". Film Music Reporter. November 16, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  16. ^ Eddy, Cheryl (August 16, 2023). "Scott Pilgrim Takes Off in First Look at Netflix's New Anime Series". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  17. ^ Scorziello, Sophia (August 16, 2023). "'Scott Pilgrim Takes Off' Teaser: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and More Original Cast Return for Anime Series". Variety. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  18. ^ "Scott Pilgrim Takes Off Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on November 17, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  19. ^ Jones, Rendy (November 17, 2023). "Netflix's Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is a Phenomenal Stand-Alone Anime Addition". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
  20. ^ Herman, Alison (November 17, 2023). "Netflix's 'Scott Pilgrim' Anime Series Puts a Fresh, Self-Aware Spin on the Cult Classic: TV Review". Variety.
  21. ^ Phillips, Maya (November 19, 2023). "'Scott Pilgrim Takes Off,' Almost". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
  22. ^ Erik, Pedersen (January 25, 2024). "ACE Eddie Awards Nominations: 'Oppenheimer', 'Barbie', 'Anatomy of a Fall', & More Vie for Editing Prizes". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  23. ^ Tai, Anita (July 9, 2024). "Astra TV Awards Launch 'Best Anime Series' Category for 2024 Show". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 9, 2024. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  24. ^ Pedersen, Erik (December 5, 2023). "'The Morning Show' & 'Succession' Lead Critics Choice Awards TV Nominations". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  25. ^ Shanfeld, Ethan (January 14, 2024). "'Oppenheimer' Leads Critics Choice Awards with 8 wins, 'Barbie' Scores 6 — Full Winners List". Variety. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  26. ^ Pedersen, Erik (January 17, 2024). "GLAAD Media Awards Nominations Revealed". Deadline. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  27. ^ Colbert, Isaiah (November 20, 2023). "'Scott Pilgrim Takes Off': Inside an Animated Spinoff for the Ages". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 20, 2023. (subscription required)
  28. ^ Tinoco, Armando (November 25, 2023). "'Scott Pilgrim Takes Off' Creators On Season 2: "We're Not Working On It. We Have No Official Ideas"". Deadline. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
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