'Scott Pilgrim Takes Off,' the latest addition to the 'Scott Pilgrim' franchise, has been highly acclaimed in its adaptation into an anime format. This series, streaming on Netflix, follows the story of Scott Pilgrim, a slacker bass player in the indie rock band Sex Bomb-omb, and his encounters with his new girlfriend Ramona Flowers' seven evil exes. The series has been praised for its fidelity to the original graphic novels by Bryan Lee O’Malley, while introducing a bold new take on the story.
A key aspect of the series is its high-quality animation, crafted with hand-drawn detail by the Japanese-based studio Science Saru. The director, Abel Góngora, is commended for his blend of expressional humor and action, reminiscent of his work on 'Star Wars: Visions - T0-B1' and 'O.K: KO Let’s Be Heroes.'
One of the most notable changes in the series is the shift in focus, placing Ramona in a more central role and exploring her character more deeply, a move seen as a response to previous critiques of the character's portrayal. This reconfiguration of the story transforms it into an action-noir, with each episode giving specific focus to each of Ramona's exes in surprising and often humorous ways.
Notably, the character of Knives Chau, voiced by Ellen Wong, receives significant development through an independence arc, with the entire cast praised for their vocal performances, capturing the zany style of the anime. Mary Elizabeth Winstead's portrayal of Ramona is highlighted for bringing a new depth to the character, embodying the spirit of the source material with a blend of humor and emotion.