I was all prepared to do a review/List of Six this week on the second season of Loki. It was a good season, and despite the failure of The Marvels at the box office, I remain a diehard MCU fan. But then I watched Scott Pilgrim Takes Off over the weekend and I just need to tell you about it!

TV Show Review: 10/10 – Fantastic!

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is now playing on Netflix, so go and watch it! The show is produced by original comic creator Bryan Lee O’Malley, with assistance, and it’s so damn good! I don’t want to give anything away in this opening blurb. I was always going to watch this anime, because why not? But now that I have seen it all, I’m going to sing it’s praises as much as possible, because it’s such a damn fun show! And a damn fine follow-up to the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World movie from years ago, which I did and still do love completely. I’m not a major fan of the comics, but all the adaptations have so far been stellar!

Join me after the jump for my review/thoughts on Scott Pilgrim Takes Off! Expect FULL SPOILERS for the whole show. And feel free to share your own thoughts in the comments below.

6. A worthy follow-up to Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

I’m going to spend this entry not spoiling the story, just to be a little safe. So yeah, I didn’t much care for the original Scott Pilgrim comics, but I absolutely love the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World movie from 2010! That thing is a masterpiece of style, humor, geekery and more. Director Edgar Wright was already a master of his craft before that film, and he really hit that thing out of the park. That it bombed at the box office is a crime against humanity. It had verve. It had energy. It had fun characters, great character development and was just an all around enjoyable experience.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is the exact same way! It has verve, it has its own unique energy and style, both of which are sublime. All of the fun characters are back, and now they get even more, and very different character development! Everything we thought we knew about these characters beforehand is, for the most part, flipped on its head in this new project. The story is a delightful whodunnit mystery, all building to some pretty insane and then pretty epic twists and finales. The anime fights throughout are excellent. The animation is pristine, especially during the action. And the voice acting is solid, with many welcome returns from the movie.

5. That twist is everything (SPOILERS!)

Alright, spoilers now. That twist at the end of the first episode is such a damn fun idea! I didn’t even see it when it happened, because I’m an idiot. I thought that Scott Pilgrim Takes Off was just going to be an adaptation of the comics/remake of the movie. Isn’t that what was advertised? Like, they were just gonna do it again, but animated like an anime. And the first episode is a fairly accurate recreation of the movie, with a few changes, which could be expected. So I was half-checked out, probably looking at my phone or browsing the internet on the other screen. I missed the twist…until I didn’t. And from episode 2 onwards, the show is something else!

Matthew Patel wins the fight. Scott Pilgrim is dead! The world will never be the same, and the show becomes it’s own bigger, better thing!

4. Love the new focus on the Seven Evil Exes

Probably my favorite thing about Takes Off is the new use of the Seven Evil Exes. They were just throwaway joke characters in the movie, fulfilling their purpose and then leaving the stage. But now they are their own people, with their own wants, desires, quirks and goals. The confidence Matthew Patel develops by defeating Scott Pilgrim sends him on a quest to unseat Gideon Graves and get his empire. The first, lowly ex topples the Big Bad! Lucas Lee goes on a whole journey of self discovery. The scene where Lucas and Gideon (Gordon) just hang out and play at Julie’s house is a hoot!

And beyond the new roles they play, they all get new closure. The Roxie episode is especially touching, as we actually delve into her relationship with Ramona and the feelings they both left on the table. Their fight is as epic as it gets, and the emotional epilogue is one of the best scenes. And even then, it’s not just a series of Romana fighting her exes and getting closure. I don’t think she ever even confronts the Katayanagi Twins. Instead, they get a whole separate storyline where they form a band with Scott in the future, and then invent time travel. The show just gets more and more creative with how it reuses characters.

3. Love the new focus on Ramona

A lot of discourse has been discussed since the movie came out about Ramona Flowers being regulated to a prize to be won. I’m not smart enough to engage in that discourse, but it was clearly there. So I really enjoyed how Takes Off makes Ramona the protagonist and explores her character. We learn more about her faults, which were evident in the movie, and see her grow and explore relationships as the main character. It is a great way to focus the new series, especially with the whodunnit angle. And Ramona’s interest in Scott is just plain cute. Now their relationship feels more two-sided, and that’s better for the overall Scott Pilgrim story experience.

2. Knives Chau’s role is especially great

I really, really enjoyed the journey Knives Chau got to take. Her grief towards Scott leads to the discovery that she’s a musical prodigy! And she joins the band and has a whole subplot with Steven Stills! She’s not pining for Scott or hung up on Scott at all and it’s super cool for her. She still gets a scene with him at the end, when he comes back, and she still gets a chance to put on that bitchin’ scarf and fight with some vibro-knives in the grand finale, so that’s great too. But I just loved how she got to have her own thing in Takes Off, and is still with the band in the end .

1. I don’t need a second season, but I’m sure it would be great

I would have said I didn’t need a sequel after the first Scott Pilgrim movie, and I’m saying it again now. I just…I dunno; I don’t feel like I need more of this story. But at the same time, how cool would it be? How much more could they pull off? Maybe they don’t even focus on Scott and Ramona in a second season. Maybe they become just a cute background couple/supporting characters, and we instead focus on…Stacey Pilgrim? She didn’t get a lot of screentime in Takes Off. Maybe Gordon and Julie’s next evil scheme? Could be anything. The possibilities are endless.

Would it really be so weird to just have ongoing adventures around the Scott Pilgrim cast of characters?

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