When “Scott Pilgrim Vs The World” was released in 2010, it was released amid the kind of sea of sequels, adaptations and remakes that continue to saturate theaters today. There’s no doubt that Edgar Wright’s film was based on the graphic novel by Bryan Lee O’Malley, but it reveals a breathtaking originality in its execution. By combining video game and comic book aesthetics, it remains a unique film that no other effort can replicate to this day. Despite performing poorly at the box office, “Scott Pilgrim Vs the World” is now a cult classic, having spawned a video game and now, an anime series on Netflix which reunites the movie’s entire cast just to voice their initial characters, despite most of them having gone on to become bigger stars, whether it’s Michael Cera, Anna Kendrick, Chris Evans or Kieran Culkin (this list goes on). 

Conceived by Mr O’Malley and BenDavid Grabinski, “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” is not an adaptation of any of the original comics. Rather it expands the universe of the franchise and mines the depths of the characters,  including Scott Pilgrim’s as he pursues dyed hair girl Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), which undermines his relationship with high schooler Knives Chau (Ellen Wong).  

“Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” begins exactly as its title suggests and it’s hard to write about this without further spoiling the series, especially for those who enjoyed “The World.” The first episode repeats some of the events from the movie; for Scott to keep dating Ramona, he has to defeat her seven ex-boyfriends, also known as the League of Evil Exes. But this bait and switch allows us to explore the limitless depths of these characters. 

We see the members of the League now challenged without the presence of Scott Pilgrim. Lucas Lee (Chris Evans) and Todd Ingram (Brandon Routh), a meathead skateboarder and vegan rock star respectively, have to contend with the pitfalls of fame. Gideon Graves (Jason Schwartzman), a media mogul and the League’s leader attempts to adjust to normal life with Scott’s nemesis, Julie Powers (Aubrey Plaza). Chau, whom we previously viewed as a victim of her boyfriend’s antics in the film, becomes involved in Scott’s rock band Sex Bo-Omb and forms a creative friendship with Stephen Stills (Mark Webber). Flowers becomes more fascinated with Scott, exploring his disappearance and what he can be. The Netflix series asks not who Scott Pilgrim is, but what he is as a concept. 

This removes a barrier to entry for many of Scott Pilgrim’s detractors. Whatever detestable aspects these characters have, there remains a disarming charm that one cannot resist. It shows that the core of the Scott Pilgrim franchise has been its characters’ growth into mature people, rather than turning into caricatures. There is a place for that, and it is found wonderfully in Mr Wright’s original movie.

It’s a cliche to say that the animation in “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” allows the franchise to explore many possibilities to execute its story, compared to its live-action predecessor. Its fight scenes are as fierce as those in film, but they have many quiet sequences to make these developments possible,  such as the one-night stands of Scott Pilgrim’s roommate Wallace Wells (Kieran Culkin) or Young Neil’s (Johnny Simmons) breakthrough as a screenwriter. 

The best anime is often frenetic, yet incredibly textured in its visuals, allowing the medium to communicate its ideas on the human condition with much grace. Say whatever you want about Netflix (and its faulty creative gambles), but as of this writing, it offers some of the best Japanese animation for a wider audience. Examples include “Vinland Saga,”, the historical series that meditates on violence committed by Vikings or “Pluto,” a noire-ish retelling of “Astro Boy” that dwells on the limitations of artificial intelligence and war. “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” is far more interested in being slice-of-life anime, bringing together caustic romance with many moments of deadpan humor.

“Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” does not overcome some of the limitations of anime. The medium is slower than Western animation (even “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” is far more hyperactive) and “Takes Off” is not immune to having bits that feel stodgy in places. This also means that the voice performances have to be stilted to match how the characters move their mouths. However, this is a tradeoff one is willing to make.

By bringing back the original cast, who are far more experienced than many professional voice actors, Netflix allows them to add more personality to their beloved characters. Mr. Evans becomes goofier, yet more charismatic, while Mr. Cera is far more convincing as the animated Scott Pilgrim than he was in the live-action version.  

Fans of “Scott Pilgrim vs The World” will find something rewarding about the series, meaning that the nostalgia factor becomes less noteworthy when the characters now have a bigger potential to be human. Viewers new to the franchise will look at “Takes Off” as a great entry-level series, now in a medium that’s beginning to dominate the globe. Overall, it shows that franchises do not have to be creatively redundant if they want to reset themselves. And that means passion and love conquers all.