Scott Pilgrim creator addresses fans after divisive anime changes
NetflixNetflix’s 2023 anime Scott Pilgrim Takes Off debuted to positive reviews. But that hasn’t stopped fans commenting on some noticeable and divisive changes.
Netflix’s Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, based on Bryan Lee O’Malley’s popular comic book series, debuted on November 17, 2023, to critical acclaim. However, as every creator knows, you can’t keep everyone happy.
Why? Well, if you weren’t already aware, the eight-part anime series is a little different from its source material. It doesn’t follow the same arc as the books or the movie, but instead uses them as the starting point of an original story, which was enough for some fans to voice their disapproval.
With fans taking to Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Reddit commenting on the “shock twist” and “confusing” script, O’Malley took to his IG story to address their concerns.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, and fans complain
Referred to by some as the ultimate bait-and-switch, the new anime is describes as a progressive reimagining of the cult comic book. But with a shocking twist and deviations from the source material, many fans were delighted, but some had less than glowing reviews.
So, what went wrong? It’s clear to see that many felt mislead into thinking that the series was a remake of beloved comic book. When in reality, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Without giving any spoilers, the series contains all the characters that you loved from the movie and the comic book, but it opens with a shocking twist that sees the plot heading in a totally new direction. Basically, it’s a Scott Pilgrim spin-off, instead of an anime remake.
Scott Pilgrim’s creator addresses fan concerns
Following the negative response from some die-hard fans, On November 19, Scott Pilgrim’s creator, Bryan Lee O’Malley, took to Instagram to answer fan queries on his story. You can read the full post on Reddit here.
To address complaints that the story no longer resembled what fans previously loved about Scott Pilgrim, in his post he said, “I personally wrote every script with @bdgrabinski. I constantly rewrote the dialogue to make it ‘feel more Scott Pilgrim.”
He also discussed fans’ concerns about the marketing, clarifying that the anime exists on its own and isn’t a remake of the comic book or Michael Cera film: “I think the anime timeline is its own thing,” he says. “It comments on the book and the movie, but it isn’t meant to replace them … I know it’s pretty different and that might come as a shock, but it’s all intended in the spirit of fun.”
Regardless of your opinion about the changes to the series, O’Malley continues to say, “if you’re confused or want more information, you can always read the books or watch the movie.” And concludes his statement with, “if you don’t like it, I still appreciate you.”
The fan disappointment over the direction the new anime series took isn’t surprising, especially considering the marketing choices. However, with rave reviews and a unique story line, it’s definitely worth checking it out before writing it off.
Check out our other Netflix coverage here, and our Anime coverage here.
