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Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is an anime adventure television miniseries developed by Bryan Lee O'Malley and BenDavid Grabinski for Netflix. The series is based on the graphic novel series Scott Pilgrim 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.

While both the film and Takes Off are inspired by the comics, this anime miniseries 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. After the animated series was not renewed for a second season, a sequel video game, Scott Pilgrim EX, was released on March 3, 2026.

Premise

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

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

English

Japanese

Episodes

Production

Development

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.[1] 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; at the time, Netflix had ordered several other anime and animated projects based on popular properties.[2] 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 greenlit,[4] with Wright noting that it expanded the Scott Pilgrim universe.[5]

Casting

On March 30, 2023, Netflix released a cast announcement video, confirming that the cast of the 2010 film would reprise their roles.[6][4] Wright had assembled the actors for the film and helped convince them all to return for the anime. He reflected that casting and working on the film was "one of the proudest and most enjoyable achievements of [his] career". They had previously reunited for 10th anniversary events, with the team reportedly excited to have another project in the Scott Pilgrim universe to create.[7] 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;[5] it was subsequently announced that Julian Cihi would voice both twins.[8] The production confirmed that further cast members would be announced later.[9]

Writing

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.[10]

Music

The series' music is composed by Joseph Trapanese and Anamanaguchi, the latter having previously composed for the film's video game adaptation.[11] The show's opening theme, "Bloom" was performed by Japanese rock band Necry Talkie.[12] 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, and "Police Truck" by Dead Kennedys. The show also features covers of "I Will Remember You" by Sarah McLachlan, "Konya Wa Hurricane" by Kinuko Oomori and "Techno Syndrome" by The Immortals.[13] The soundtrack album was released on November 17, 2023, by Lakeshore Records.[14]

Release

Wright posted on social media that its release was "imminent" on March 30, 2023, while discussing the cast.[5] Netflix announced in August of that same year that the series would be released on November 17 and would consist of eight episodes.[15][16]

The series was released on Blu-ray on March 24, 2026.[17]

Reception

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."[18] On Metacritic, the series has a score of 82 out of 100, based on 20 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[19]

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."[20] 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."[21]

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".[22]

Accolades

Sequel video game

In an interview with Rolling Stone, O'Malley said of the series' future that Netflix was unlikely to renew the series 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."[30][31] He confirmed in November 2024 that the series would not continue on Netflix.[32]

In an interview with CBR in February 2024, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Ellen Wong expressed that they would be happy to reprise their characters in any future Scott Pilgrim adaption, including a hypothetical sequel series to Takes Off. Winstead added that "if that creative spark is back, I think we would all be ready to tackle it again."[33] Consequently, O'Malley began developing a sequel video game to the Takes Off, entitled Scott Pilgrim EX, was ultimately released on March 3, 2026.[34]

External links

References

  1. Adam B. Vary. Inside 'Scott Pilgrim Takes Off': The Makers and Stars Explain Their 'Alternate-Reality Sequel,' and Why They Kept It a Secret Variety, 2023-11-21, retrieved 2023-11-21^
  2. Joe Otterson. 'Scott Pilgrim' Anime Series in Development at Netflix Variety, 2022-01-07, retrieved 2023-04-01^
  3. Borys Kit. Scott Pilgrim Anime Series in the Works From UCP, Netflix (Exclusive) The Hollywood Reporter, PMRC, January 7, 2022, retrieved January 8, 2022^
  4. Lynette Rice. Netflix Orders New Anime Series Based On 'Scott Pilgrim'; Original Cast From 2010 Movie To Voice Deadline Hollywood, 2023-03-30, retrieved 2023-03-30^
  5. Ben Travis. Scott Pilgrim Anime Series Is 'Imminent' With Entire Cast Returning, Confirms Edgar Wright Empire, 2023-03-30, retrieved 2023-04-01^
  6. Scott Pilgrim The Anime Netflix, March 30, 2023, retrieved March 31, 2023^
  7. Parkel, Inga. Edgar Wright announces original Scott Pilgrim cast to reunite in anime adaptation The Independent, 2023-03-31, retrieved 2023-04-01^
  8. Armando Tinoco. 'Scott Pilgrim Takes Off': Netflix Drops Full Trailer Of Anime Series Deadline Hollywood, October 14, 2023, retrieved 2023-10-15^
  9. Jazz Monroe. Scott Pilgrim Anime Series Coming to Netflix, Voiced by Original Film Cast Pitchfork, 2023-03-30, retrieved April 1, 2023^
  10. Clark Collis. Go behind the scenes of 'Scott Pilgrim Takes Off' EW.com, September 13, 2023, retrieved 2023-09-27^
  11. Joe Otterson. 'Scott Pilgrim' Netflix Anime Series Reunites Film's Cast, From Michael Cera to Chris Evans Variety, 2023-03-30, retrieved 2023-03-30^
  12. Sophia Scorziello. We're in Lesbians With the Scott Pilgrim Takes Off Theme Song Vulture, 2023-08-16, retrieved 2023-08-16^
  13. Kambole Campbell. Comic Genius! Animation Magazine, January 2024^
  14. Soundtrack Album for Netflix's 'Scott Pilgrim Takes Off' to Be Released Film Music Reporter, November 16, 2023, retrieved January 14, 2024^
  15. Cheryl Eddy. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off in First Look at Netflix's New Anime Series Gizmodo, 2023-08-16, retrieved 2023-08-16^
  16. Sophia Scorziello. 'Scott Pilgrim Takes Off' Teaser: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and More Original Cast Return for Anime Series Variety, 2023-08-16, retrieved 2023-08-16^
  17. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off: The Complete Limited Series Blu-ray retrieved 2025-10-04^
  18. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off retrieved February 6, 2024^
  19. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off Reviews Metacritic, retrieved November 17, 2023^
  20. Rendy Jones. Netflix's Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is a Phenomenal Stand-Alone Anime Addition RogerEbert.com, November 17, 2023, retrieved November 25, 2023^
  21. Alison Herman. Netflix's 'Scott Pilgrim' Anime Series Puts a Fresh, Self-Aware Spin on the Cult Classic: TV Review Variety, 17 November 2023^
  22. Maya Phillips. 'Scott Pilgrim Takes Off,' Almost The New York Times, November 19, 2023, retrieved 2023-11-25^
  23. Pedersen Erik. ACE Eddie Awards Nominations: 'Oppenheimer', 'Barbie', 'Anatomy of a Fall', & More Vie for Editing Prizes Deadline Hollywood, January 25, 2024, retrieved January 25, 2024^
  24. Anita Tai. Astra TV Awards Launch 'Best Anime Series' Category for 2024 Show Anime News Network, July 9, 2024, retrieved July 9, 2024^
  25. Chike Nwaenie. An Anime Wins Critics' Choice Award's Best Animated Series for First Time in History CBR, January 26, 2024^
  26. Erik Pedersen. 'The Morning Show' & 'Succession' Lead Critics Choice Awards TV Nominations Deadline Hollywood, December 5, 2023, retrieved December 6, 2023^
  27. Ethan Shanfeld. 'Oppenheimer' Leads Critics Choice Awards with 8 wins, 'Barbie' Scores 6 — Full Winners List Variety, January 14, 2024, retrieved January 15, 2024^
  28. Erik Pedersen. GLAAD Media Awards Nominations Revealed Deadline, 2024-01-17, retrieved 2024-01-17^
  29. Alex Mateo. Crunchyroll Anime Awards Reveals 2025 Nominees Anime News Network, April 3, 2025, retrieved April 27, 2025^
  30. Isaiah Colbert. 'Scott Pilgrim Takes Off': Inside an Animated Spinoff for the Ages Rolling Stone, November 20, 2023, retrieved November 20, 2023^
  31. Armando Tinoco. 'Scott Pilgrim Takes Off' Creators On Season 2: "We're Not Working On It. We Have No Official Ideas" Deadline, November 25, 2023, retrieved November 25, 2023^
  32. x.com X (formerly Twitter)^
  33. Bryan Cairns. INTERVIEW: Scott Pilgrim Takes Off's Mary Elizabeth Winstead & Ellen Wong CBR, 2024-02-28, retrieved 2024-12-11^
  34. Matt Patches. Scott Pilgrim returns to games in chaotic new retro brawler EX Polygon, 2025-06-06, retrieved 2025-06-06^