[DISCLAIMER! I'M REVIEWING BASED ON MY KNOWLEDGE OF SCOTT PILGRIM AS A HARDCORE FAN AND WILL BE USING THE BOOKS, GAM, AND MOVIE SOMETIMES FOR REFERENCE! IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED ON THOSE, DON'T READ THIS! Then again, I don't know why you would start with this given there's three other ways aside from this to experience the proper story.]

The Story:

By far the most divisive thing about this anime overall (at least in my and a few other peoples' opinions.) You see, going in, I thought this was going to be an anime adaptation of the Scott Pilgrim books given Edgar Wright was saying on Twitter during its pre-release phase that it was going to 'expand on the world and characters' and things of that nature, which got me really excited to watch it. Weeelll...here's a thing, he wasn't technically wrong, but he wasn't fully right about that either. What we got is a story that I personally think has its good moments, but is also fundamentally flawed because Wright also said they wanted to 'tell a different story this time around cause we're tired of telling the same story over and over again' and while I respect the idea to try and do something different for once...this story was an overall mixed bag for me. I won't go into the character stuff just yet, that'll be for the next section, but story-wise, this anime feels pretty rushed in some places. The whole thing with Gideon (or rather Gordon as he's called after being defeated by Patel in Episode...2 and onwards, I think) and Julie is definitely one of those things cause...well, it doesn't exactly feel like she has a reason to be there other than her finding Gideon attractive with his villainous vibe. I'm not sure how to feel on it, but given the show's ending strongly implies there's going to be more, both in terms of the series and them being together, they might do something with this, but I truly don't know if I see them being a dynamic duo together just yet because as of now I feel like she's forced to be there with him. As for things like Young Neil becoming a writer and (failing) to make a movie and Matthew Patel inheriting Gideon's business empire and going off to make a musical alongside Stephen and Knives...I think they're neat concepts, but I feel like both were just used as excuses to shoehorn in some references from the books/movie (depending if you get them or not, if at all.) At the very least, these ideas give way to some fantastic action pieces like Lucas Lee and Ramona's fight with the Ninja Paparazzi and the (admittedly cool) final fight with Even Older (Future) Scott and Everyone. That segways into the main issue I have with this show: The Time Traveling, at least in my opinion, is kinda stupid. Now, I don't hate the idea of seeing where everyone ends up in the future, but the way it was executed here just feels really..weird. I think the main issue is just Older Scott being an entirely unlikeable character and me not really being able to see the bits of good that present Scott has and he feels like an entirely different, unrecognizable character, which, in turn, makes his plan to go back into his past feel really immature and lame, he's like a manchild. Now, I think the whole thing of the past (or rather present) Scott & Ramona seeing how their relationship goes in the future is done well enough and it does seem to actually influence their actions for the last part of the series, which is good...but that doesn't save it from (again, in my personal opinion) being kinda schlock. One thing I will say was great was the idea of having Ramona actually confront her exes herself and bury the hatchet with them while figuring out what happened to Scott, because it does feel like both her arc and the actual narrative of the show progresses nicely along together. Also, Scott being gone for most of it when he's...well, the titular character kind of stings too, especially when in this incarnation (cause this is not an adaptation of the books or anything of the sort like the marketing and some people may try and make you think), he seems more likable and seems like he could've had some awesome moments if he was present...guess the title of the anime is accurate. All in all, everything after the first episode feels almost...fanfiction-esque. I get what they were going for, and granted there are some good moments throughout the show that I did really enjoy, but quite a bit of it realy does just come off overall as someone's fan work of Scott Pilgrim rather than something that came from the people who worked on the film adaptation of the original source material.

Overall...probably C+ to B- at most for the story. It just feels like they tried to give everyone (especially Ramona, which I actually really liked) something to do and it works to mixed results and hurts the experience a bit...and also makes this anime something only hardcore fans (as in you read the books, watched the movie, and played the game before watching this like I did) could really enjoy if they wanted to fully grasp the show and understand the signifigance of some changes they made to the story and characters (again, more on that in a minute) and its good parts, and get the references and charm of it.

The Characters:

Alright, I'm just going to say this now, the rest of this review is entirely positive, maybe some minor nitpicky stuff here and there, but everything else overall here is good. The characters in the anime are...GREAT! Just like I did in the books, I really enjoyed the characters and seeing what kind of hijinx and drama they would all get into. Ramona and the Exes especially really got some good development and...expanding (like Wright actually advertised) that they deserved. Seeing everyone off and doing their own thing was kind of what I really wanted to see from this anime, honestly and I'd say we got a nice amount of that here. Sure, some characters definitely get more screen time than others, but if we're going to go under the assumption (and high possibility) that we're going to be getting some kind of second season or follow-up of some kind, this may be remedied and this point may end up a little moot. That's all I really wanted to say, really, they all act exactly how you'd expect and they're still very much themselves, except now some of them have more going on than they did before and it's great to see the exes do more than just fight. I sort of mentioned Gideon and Julie already in the story, so again, there's some character dynamics that may need more time in the oven to be fully realized, but Scott and Ramona caring about each other and being a genuinely believable couple, seeing characters like Kim and Roxy and Wallace and Envy interacting with each other (who never really got interactivty anywhere else with each other, as far as I remember) was a real treat for a big fan like me.

Overall, A-grade characterization. They're all pretty accurate to their counterparts everywhere else and they're just as entertaining to watch here, no complaints really.

The Visuals:

Asides from the robust characterization and the sound design, this is probably my favorite aspect of this anime. Science SARU absolutely nailed the style of the books one to one and it looks incredible in animated form. The world of Scott Pilgrim has never looked so interesting. The visual gags, the small background details and references, and especially the fight scenes, ooooh boy, it's all top-notch. The creativity especially in the fight scenes is great (with my personal favorites being Ramona Vs. Roxy with them going through the different movie worlds and the Ramona and Lucas Lee taking on the Ninja Paparazzi), the movement of the characters, the way they all fight wildly differently from each other and the fluidity of the animation made this show amazing to watch. When I'd heard about the initial announcement of the anime being made, I was genuninely worried SARU would try and make some sudo-realistic style for the anime based around the movie or something along those lines, but upont the first bits of footage for it a while later, all of my worries vanished instantly. It truly, in my opinion, is one of the most stylish-looking anime of the year (though that's not saying much coming from me given I haven't watched anything from the current year except for this, but I do see what stuff comes out each season and I think can still say this with certainty.) It's clear a lot of hard work, passion, and genuine honest effort went into this anime and it shows with flying colors. I can't really explain it in words, so I honestly would just recommend watching it if you haven't already and if you have, just be like me and obsessively watch clips of the show over and over just to gush over it.

Truly A+ stuff, easily one of the best parts about the show.

The Sound Design:

First things first, the voice-acting for both the Japanese and English dubs are both excellent! I personally watched the show in dub (why wouldn't I? After all, they brought back everyone from the movie's cast and they, in my eyes, literally are those characters to me) and it truly was a magical experience. It was great hearing everyone come back and ham it up as their characters after all of these years and still nailing it. It's crazy too cause I'm not sure who in the cast has done dubbing before of any kind, but they all do a really great job regardless and clearly had a lot of fun making it. Now, as for the music and sound design...also wonderful! Anamanaguchi and Joseph Trapanese absolutely with all of the original music, you've got grunge, orchestral, ambient, and it all works so well and elevates the experience and really sells the Scott Pilgrim vibe. The sheer amount of music they did for this anime is pretty mind-boggling given how short this anime is at only eight episodes (which is criminal, by the way) The licensed music chosen for this anime as the intros, outros, and some fight scenes also work really well in the context they're used and add some extra hype to this show. There's not a single song in the entire show's music collection overall that I dislike in any way, it's all pretty great (at least to me, your opinion may vary given your music taste.) The actual sound design rocks, every instrumental sound, punch thrown, roll of skateboard, all of it is solid. Seriously, the punches and kicks alone are meaty and really make these fights all the more hype. It's the little things you gotta appreciate too when watching, y'know?

All around A+ stuff. The dubs are solid and entertaining, all of the music is awesome and adds to the watching experience, and the sound design is robust and elevates the anime even more. What else can I say?

The Conclusion:

Overall, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is a great (albeit narratively flawed) anime in my opinion. Sure, the story isn't exactly my cup of tea, but it did keep me glued to my seat until the very end (which has to count for something, right?), but everything else about the show saves it from being being total garbage and the story does have its great moments. The animation, the sound design, and some (but not all of) fan service are really what kept me invested in it for me. I'd say if you've already experienced everything else Scott Pilgrim-related, this anime's for you, you might get more out of it than I did, but I can't give anything more than an eight out of ten and even that's pushing it for me, it hurts to dislike parts of something I really love. That's about it, honestly, I just hope if they are making a follow-up for this, everyone working on this show listens to the feedback from this anime and try to make up with what they messed up on this season somehow with round two.