“Why are we doing this now?” is an understandable question when hearing about the new Netflix anime “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off,” or even during most of the first episode. There are lines and visual jokes identical to those in “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” and with the film’s entire star-studded cast returning here in voice roles, it seems like it’s pretty faithful to the series ( but admittedly stylish retread of Edgar Wright’s 2010 cult classic.
Then the episode ends with a completely different choice, and the show goes uphill from there.
The non-spoilable version: The first episode doesn’t correspond to the rest of the series at all. Instead, it’s an elaborate bait-and-switch that prepares you for a completely different twist on the Scott Pilgrim story you think you know. Trust what I say here and you’ll be rewarded with one of the best new shows of the year.
Image: Netflix
The Spoiler-Light Version: Starting in Episode 2, “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” takes its name quite literally and makes it a story about Ramona Flowers, not Scott. The series focuses on her breaking up with her evil exes, rather than Scott defeating them all to win her affection. And that is to his great advantage. Scott has often been the least interesting character in his own story, and leaving him out gives all the other great characters in the world more airtime and depth, building up the unique version of Toronto they inhabit.
It is rare that an artist is given the opportunity to alter one of their signature works. That’s not unusual – a completely different example: Michael Haneke remade his Austrian thriller “Funny Games” in English with Hollywood actors – but most of these projects are glorified shot-for-shot remakes and are clearly possibilities seem to be making money in a new market rather than reinventing history. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off takes this opportunity and uses it to create a stronger story while remaining in direct dialogue with the original work. It’s clear that creator Bryan Lee O’Malley put a lot of thought into how previous Scott Pilgrim stories have portrayed the two main characters. Now he (and the rest of the crew) can come back to this story and make it even better.
So don’t let the first episode of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off scare you away from one of the smartest, funniest and most surprising shows of the year. It’s more than worth it.