Who knew the title was literal? Not me, but it's a pleasant surprise. Scott Pilgrim, in all its forms, will always be eternal. But this is a fun sequel and rehash of what could have been if Scott Pilgrim wasn't itself. What if the series wasn't about wacky fights against evil exes? What if Scott Pilgrim, quite literally, took off?
What if Scott wasn't such a butthole and philanderer? What if Ramona wasn't the manic pixie dream girl? What if everyone resolved their issues and lived happily ever after? Those are all fun questions, and the show results in some fun answers. The ability to ask those questions is fun, and allows the narrative to explore things about all the characters that can't get explored in an action movie setting, or in the framing of Scott as the penultimate protagonist. Scott Pilgrim vs The World is his story; Scott Pilgrim Takes off features Scott taking off, and leaving the story, allowing everyone else to shine. The set-up and framing of the series allows the series not to tread over already trodden ground, so it never feels like the show is being unoriginal or just going through the motions.
Does that make the series good? That's harder to say. The reason Scott Pilgrim is good is because all those original facets were part of the core narrative. Scott is the hero, but he isn't a good person. Ramona is the heroine, and is also not a good person. Fighting isn't the right way to resolve emotional conflicts, but it's fun and exciting, and makes a streamlined narrative. The original narrative is awesome because it's murky, and has no clear resolutions, and the reality of having two not-great people trying to figure things out is far more compelling than a happy ending.
Changing all the dials on the narrative makes something that is old into something that is novel again, but it also changes what made the original great and memorable. And it's fun to see. But the people who want those sorts of remakes are a smaller audience than the core, so the resulting changes will always result in something more niche. It's why this is distinctly a sequel, rather than a remake; if you haven't seen the original, the lack of the shows history will leave you confused at the pace and presentation.
At very least, that presentation is a homerun. Everyone reprising their roles is STELLAR. You can really tell all the actors are having a good time. Studio Saru are a fantastic animation team, and really captured the comic book, blocky style of O'Malley while bringing their own flair to things. The sakuga scenes are beyond amazing, and blend perfectly with the naturally cartoony style of the source material.
The show does drag a bit. Each of the episodes feel a bit clunky and like its dragging its heels with unnecessary dialogue that's filling time. It's usually fun, but you can definitely feel the slower pace compared to either the original film or the comics, which were much more intentioned. It's also VERY dialogue heavy, which is not something the graphic novel and film lingered on. O'Malley always prefers fun visual art over rambles, and Edgar Wright's version was known for its equally beautiful visual style and fast-paced, quippy dialogue and editing. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, by contrast, just seems a little bloated, like Scott himself, like it's still trying to be cooler than it has the energy for.
But that's the core of it all, isn't it? The source material is very intentioned, but so is this weird deviation. This isn't trying to be the source, and it's not trying to be a remake. It's trying to be its own thing, and in that, it definitely succeeds. Only because it has such a fantastic pedigree is why such judgement comes into play. But how can you fault a good thing for being good simply because the things before it were great? Sometimes, things can just be neat.