Netflix has resurrected the cultural phenomenon of Scott Pilgrim with an anime series which is already a global hit within just a few days of its release on the streaming platform. The show gives Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novels a different treatment than the Edgar Wright-directed movie from 2010. Now the question remains: is Netflix’s new Scott Pilgrim anime worth your time? Let’s find out and learn more details including plot details and voice cast.
Warning: Mild spoilers ahead.
What makes Scott Pilgrim Takes Off different?
Netflix’s Scott Pilgrim anime takes a different narrative route from its source material. The original creator Bryan Lee O’Malley alongside BenDavid Grabinski have tweaked the story and its events focusing more on Ramona Flowers than the titular character himself.
Contrary to the graphic novels and the movie, Scott vanishes during his battle against the first of Ramona’s seven Evil Exes. As a result, the series shifts towards the love interest and her personal romantic journey.
What we have are eight episodes of fresh and unpredictable adventures that even introduce time travel and yet remain rooted in the original graphic novels’ off-beat tone. Ramona’s character gets a whole new perspective and we experience the Scott Pilgrim universe in a different light.
The reimagined anime treats viewers to deeper themes like relationships, self-discovery and even how the past can have consequences on seemingly harmless canonical events.
Plot details of the Netflix anime
The plot of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is set in the video game-inspired world of the graphic novels and it opens with how the titular character disappears when he confronts Ramona’s first Evil Ex, Matthew Patel. This sets up the rest of the show with an interesting premise: the world of Scott Pilgrim without Scott Pilgrim in it.
From comics, to live action, to anime — this is the Scott Pilgrim multiverse.
Scott Pilgrim: Takes Off is now streaming! pic.twitter.com/O2ZdRRdcyd
— Netflix (@netflix) November 17, 2023
His girlfriend Ramona Flowers goes on a quest along with Scott’s friends to uncover what really happened to him. Featuring groundbreaking 2D animation from the Tokyo-based Science SARU and directed by Abel Góngora, the show’s anime tone is spot-on.
Longtime fans can notice interesting Easter eggs in episodes that pay homage to the graphic novels. Interestingly, almost all of the cast members from the 2010 movie have reprise their roles as voice actors in Netflix’s new anime.
Complete list of voice actors
- Michael Cera as Scott Pilgrim
- Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Ramona Flowers
- Satya Bhabha as Matthew Patel
- Kieran Culkin as Wallace Wells
- Chris Evans as Lucas Lee
- Anna Kendrick as Stacey Pilgrim
- Brie Larson as Envy Adams
- Alison Pill as Kim Pine
- Aubrey Plaza as Julie Powers
- Brandon Routh as Todd Ingram
- Jason Schwartzman as Gideon Graves / Gordon Goose
- Johnny Simmons as Young Neil
- Mark Webber as Stephen Stills
- Mae Whitman as Roxie Richter
- Ellen Wong as Knives Chau
- Finn Wolfhard as Teen Scott Pilgrim
- Will Forte as Old Scott Pilgrim
The ensemble cast from the movie played a crucial role in making it the celebrated transmedia cult classic it is today. Surprisingly, Scott Pilgrim vs the World bombed at the box office when it first came out. The reception for the new anime on Netflix is far from it.
