Scott Pilgrim Critique (And Why the Show Succeeds)

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Voice Actors
Scott - @sebastienbiggs | www.sebastienb...
Kim & Lisa - @aferalsunflower | vivianreedva.com/
Roxy - @Parkinart | mparkinb.wixsi...
Ramona - @TigerSextonVA | tigersextonva....
Stephen - @detlefthedwarf | / detlefthedwarf
Knives - @AriBVoice | / aribvoice
Kyle K - @andybonkerson | / andybonkerson
Ken K - @MattJohnVO | mattjohnvo.com/
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Music
1. Old Sharlayan Night Theme - Final Fantasy XIV | • Old Sharlayan Night Th...
2. Iwatodoi Dorm - Persona 3 | • Persona 3 OST - Iwatod...
3. Downtime - Hi-Fi Rush | • Hi-Fi Rush OST Downtime
4. LONER - 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim | www.youtube.co...
5. Maki Ya - Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game | • Maki Ya
6. Subwoofer Lullaby - Minewest Emo | saddyowner.ban...
7. In the Doldrums - 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim | • 1-04 In the Doldrums -...
8. Just Because - 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim | • 2-11 Just Because - 13...
9. Ennui Vibes - 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim | • 2-16 Ennui Vibes - 13 ...
10. Route 133 - Pokemon Ruby Sapphire Emerald | • Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/...
11. Subboss Theme - Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game | • Subboss Theme
12. Like a Dream - Persona 4 OST | • Persona 4 - Like A Dre...
13. 3 A.M - Animal Crossing New Leaf | • 3 A.M. - Animal Crossi...
14. Bittersweet Sorrow - 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim | • 3 A.M. - Animal Crossi...
15. Forty Winks - 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim | • 2-09 Forty Winks - 13 ...
16. BGM 050 - Persona 4: Golden | • BGM 050 - Persona 4 Th...
17. improv demo 1 - Mayde | • BGM 050 - Persona 4 Th...
18. YiiK - Alex Eagelston | • YIIK (OST) - Alex Eagl...
19. Peaceful Sleep - Nier: Automata | • 穏ヤカナ眠リ
20. A Sky Full of Stars - Persona 4: Golden | • A Sky Full of Stars - ...
21. Time Drain - 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim | • 3-08 Time Drain - 13 S...
22. Alone - Persona 4: Golden | • Persona 4 OST - Alone ...
23. Clark - Minewest Emo | saddyowner.ban...
24. Title Theme - Scavengers Reign | • Scavengers Reign Main ...
25. Radio Loop - Portal | • Portal OST - Radio Loop
26.Deadly Premonition - Whistle Theme | • Deadly Premonition (Wh...

[@logicaloverdrive8197]

Smart to put the "Not Really" in the first 30 seconds, but holy shit, that's a BRAVE title.

[@xandermagne2141]

Urick you're the only one I trust enough to click on a rage clickbait title

[@LatestCreatureFeature]

same

[@vrygon0]

real

[@-king-1230]

Oh god the comments will certainly not gonna be pretty

[@burritomaster6000]

hi king!!!

[@YourMomsHousehold]

You dropped this king 🪦

[@CalebRazzleberry]

Too soon……. 😔

[@NeoVault_]

Cave Story + King pic. Based.

[@zephshoir]

43:10 I think that part of this criticism is because they used the movie's actors for voice acting, and while some did a good job, it is obvious they aren't actual VA's. I also watched the show with the JP dub as well, and they NAILED it!

[@BlueGamingRage]

Do you know Japanese? If not, you may like it better because it's far easier to stomach cheesy/cringe dialogue when you don't hear them out loud. It's why I tend to enjoy subs more for schlocky genres like action shonens or romantic comedy

[@thehermit8618]

My favorite part of Takes Off is that it isnt quite an AU as much as it is a sort of future-past sequel to itself. The show's good bits only work as strongly as they do if we read the graphic novel and have context, it is working with the franchise's rough disjointed set up from the novel rather than against it and kinda embraces its mistakes. As a show, it basically goes "your got the neutral ending, now you gotta do it again playing as Ramona for the True Ending" by recognizing commitment alone isnt enough to make a relationship work for people like Scott and Ramona who need to communicate and keep improving as people, and what would happen if they - as unfinished as they were at the end of the novel- actually got themselves into a long-time commited relationship without addressing their fundamental flaws. Takes Off works best as an add-on for the movie and the novel because together they create this sort of "augmented narrative" where you could more or less fuse the different interpretation of the characters to flesh them out into a single monolith of a person who's more well-rounded than they would be otherwise; kinda like piecing a story from the different PoV's to have a tridimensional understanding of the events described.

[@NOTFaithy]

Damn, that Scott Pilgrim VA is crazy good! Sounds just like the little virgin degen I imagined in my head!

[@ethantaylor9613]

The show is very good on its own merits, but it’s sort of feels like a flanderization of the books. The books are very subdued to the point where you get the impression that you don’t have to take a lot of the anime fight stuff literally, it could very easily represent more cerebral aspects of Scott grappling with his past and immaturity. The show felt like a great sendoff to the series and that it felt like there was nowhere left to go after they did such an extreme version of the story. EDIT: also the fact that literally nobody in the story, including Scott’s sister cared at all that he died felt weirdly mean in a way that didn’t match up with the rest of the show in my opinion.

[@thewitchdoctors749]

Yeah I had the exact same feeling while watching the show it honestly it felt like they dumbed down almost everyone to the point where they aren't even identical, especially the third ex (why the hell did they make the womanizer gay)

[@LaZodiac]

@@thewitchdoctors749 Because it's taking a look at his behavior (constantly jumping around to other women, searching for the right one without any care for the others) and asks why someone would actually do that? Todd was hurt by Ramona, and it turned him into someone that does to others what Ramona did to him, and yet it doesn't seem like he's aware of that? So why is he like that? Why is he constantly bouncing from one woman to another? Is he just an oblivious yet power-hungry asshole? The comic had it that way, but that's boring. So instead, it turns out he's like that because he's not aware of what he actually needs- a much more thematic answer that makes him an existent character, and not just a cardboard cutout to punch.

[@thewitchdoctors749]

@@LaZodiac yeah but they could've done it without making Wallace look like a complete Piece of shit

[@LaZodiac]

@@thewitchdoctors749 Wallace is a catty gay that loves drama. He has good points but this was true even in the original comic.

[@pabloinz382]

I agree with the fact that no one really cared about scott's death. That really weirded me out when I watched the show. Like, they are his friends?? They clearly do hang out with him?? Why would everyone be so indifferent to his death??? And why would Ramona be the only person to want to investigate further about it?? Even if the connection between Scott and Ramona is justified in the show because "there were sparks when we kissed", it just doesn't make sense to me that this girl who Scott JUST MET would be the only character to care enough to uncover what's really going on I really enjoyed the show, but this is one of the things that annoys me about it

[@animalkid4001]

DUDE! The aesthetic is so good!!! Love the editing! And the voice acting is PHENOMENAL

[@banditoftheeast7488]

I like how you kept some of your old editing style but still combined it with some time saving edits. You kept it interesting while also helping make the video faster. Good work!

[@SpicyChedderJack]

While I understand narratively that Scott and Ramona’s future selves being screw ups that service the plot of this show, by showing what will happen if they don’t change, I don’t like that it is essentially an assassination of their comic characters in their continued willingness to keep following the same patterns they resolved to avoid at the end of the comics. Makes the journey feel pointless and feels kinda wonder why they should even bother trying to change, when after everything that went right it still wasn’t enough to change them. While the point of the comics feels like it’s trying to say people can change, the show is saying, “but they probably won’t and you should hold that against them”

[@variantgamer9885]

That’s only if you think that future scott is comics scott which he is not as O’Malley confirmed

[@TheM8]

The future scott has the Nega Eyes, which means its not comic Scott. People believe its movie Scott

[@lovemachine5151]

That all goes out the window tho when future scott references the twin's robot, a thing that only happened in the comics. Brian Lee genuinely doesn't know what he's talking about half the time anymore. It's like J K Rowling, but instead of wine, it's his own farts

[@Nick.Name5181]

I think part of the aim here is to show that it's not always gonna be a simple 'happily ever after' kinda thing. Real life is messier than that and people CAN backslide into old habits.

[@TableCloth.]

Good to see you’re still doing these video essays with the graphics on the forefront. That video you posted last summer saying your channel was doing poorly due to the KZbin algorithm coupled with all the effort you put into editing and adding visuals made my heart sink. Glad you’re still doing the same stuff while ALSO gracing us with your beautiful face, Mr. Urick!

[@variantgamer9885]

My jaw dropped when I saw the title. Well played Edit: He changed it

[@bingoblackdynomite]

35:35 using Everything Everywhere All At Once and a 2018 Mickey Mouse cartoon to illustrate your point in a Scott Pilgrim video is just one example of why this is one of my favorite channels on KZbin. Peak taste

[@stellar2926]

I'm so glad you remembered Lisa!! She's literally one of my favorite characters but everyone forgets about her.

[@anormaluser5750]

PLEASE make a second season of the anime with lisa, stephen stills reveal, knives and kim, and everyone else, I love them so much and I'm so sad that we didn't get to enjoy their charm on the anime.

[@roopehavu]

I have always loved the comic more most likley because it was the first interraction with Scott for me. Even as a young’un. I didn’t even know there was a movie until like 4 years ago.

[@kyu7206]

I had the entire oposite experience, I read the comic before watching the film and I expected a silly grounded personal young adult drama and when the first shonen fight happened I dropped the comic for years until I watched the film

[@UmTois]

7:00 Kinda disagree with this honestly Even if the exes didn't have something about them the fights did have a narrative going on, like Envy Adams confront, Scott and Ramona self doubting their love in Roxie's fight and with Lisa meeting, or Nega Scott that was the main thing in book 5.

[@Moedade100estrelas]

*Book 6

[@otakuamerican5190]

I still remember reading the comic back in middle school and I would have the hot take of if they killed Scott all the characters would have more room to do their own thing. Ending of the first episode of the anime had me losing my mind

[@DrawciaGleam02]

Oh wow, that must have been amazing for middle school you!

[@notgenericusername]

31:02 Actually it's kind of implied during the fight with Gideon in Volume 6 that he himself altered Scott's memories through the subspace highway, hence why Scott's memory makes Simon Lee look more like Gideon, since he may have actually been there to "spice up some old high school memories" by playing the role. Unfortunately this kind of goes against your point of Scott being a simple character and altering his own memories to maintain that, willing or otherwise, but I think it may have been the intent.

[@Captoverkill]

Love the video! The montion comic parts were awesome. I vote for you to do the next adaption of the comics.

[@Yunone]

I'll admit rereading some portions of the books, I couldn't help but hear the voices of Chris Evans, Mae Whitman, Julian Cihi, and Jason Schwartzman as their respective exes, same with Cera, Elizabeth Winstead, and many more as Scott, Ramona, and friends. And seeing as Bryan is uninterested in retelling the story faithfully in animated form anytime soon, I feel that the closest thing to adapting the books and bringing back the cast to reprise their roles once more is an audio drama or a motion comic. Or even, maybe a fighting game a la Smash, Mortal Kombat, and Street Fighter. Though I would prefer all of the above. :P

[@notswty]

I find it funny how in the comics Stephen and Joseph date and then in every adaption out of it they never interact with one another in any shape or form. Takes Off could have been a great moment with the two characters seeing as the movie didn't have Hollie and Joseph while takes off places Hollie in a least some position (not really narratively, but she's not just a simple cameo that was Lisa and Joseph in the background of the musical performance). I understand that they wanted to pair Stephen up in more of a mentor/older brother figure to Knives in takes off with what we were shown of the two of them together, but overall, I would've still liked to see at least an adaption of characters that deserve some limelight. Edgar Wright even stated during the movie he would've loved to have Hollie and Joseph in some form of spotlight, and while it's nice to see Hollie get some attention, we still haven't seen a proper adaption of Joseph or Lisa for that matter. I feel like if they were to do a season 2 of Takes Off, I would like to see the characters that weren't really expanded upon or just appeared for brief cameos while delivering on a narrative that could be just as impactful, if not more, than the comic, film, and first season of the show.

[@TiefseeToaster]

already loved that you put several persona series songs/sounds in here, but love the hiimdaisy bit at 30:15, thanks!

[@melloncollien]

the thing about the comic vs the anime is that the anime fleshes out what the comic didn't, but leaves out the things the comic DID flesh out. e.g. the exes are not explored at all in the comic (except gideon) but the anime does explore them, scott and the rest of the main cast are fleshed out in the comic, but not much at all in the anime (except ramona).

[@apensivenerd]

45:26 I know this video is about Scott Pilgrim but I'm curious to hear your thoughts on Nana if you're saying you have issues with it. I personally think Nana is amazing (although I've only watched the anime). I doubt you'll be making a video on it, but I feel like it'd be pretty interesting to hear from someone that doesn't label it as a "masterpiece" and hype it like most people have

[@Necrapocalypse]

Yeah Scavenger's Reign was so good. But also I'd like to see a season 2 of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off because I think it can probably only get better. They obviously set it up to have potential for one.

[@cinderoo]

hey uricksaladbar! i watched your video all the way through and personally i forgive you for the clickbait title because you have managed to thoroughly dissect and also analyze the goods and bads of both the scott pilgrim comic, scott pilgrim film, and scott pilgrim takes off. the video editing and video effects are top notch as always and i think it's refreshing to have more of you on-camera explaining your points : ) there were many points you made, such as how much the OG comic relied too much on scott's POV to the detriment of his exes *and* ramona and the way the story should have explored more friendships/character dynamics on-screen without scott's involvement, which i agreed with. can't help but notice a few editing mistakes in the text displayed on-screen, like at 5:17 when you mislabeled a panel from YuYu Hakusho as Inuyasha and at 44:12 when 'segment' was misspelled into 'seg,emt'. it wasn't too bad to take me out of the video completely, but i don't remember previous videos having these many mistakes. cheers!

[@itosaihara]

I absolutely love ur work so much dude. Glad to see a new vid after so long :) Still midway thru this one I notice theres been a LOT of persona in ur recent videos, and this one turned it up to 11. Didnt expect to even see a hiimdaisy p4 reference :O I would do ANYTHING to get a persona related video from you one day. Anything persona really, just love ur content

[@i.themagician8559]

love your content man, it is so well made. even if I disagree with many things you said, i know it is because my own interpretation of Scott Pilgrim... by the way you said u r gonna low the quality of your videos cause they werent profittable.... man or u r cheating what u said or idk a fcking 50 min video wth all animations and stuff, u are crazy passionate and i love that

[@gale1243]

I personally feel like an ideal version of Scott Pilgrim would be the style of the movie with the Scott of the comic and the supporting cast of Takes Off. Also I disagree with the idea that the Scott in the show is the one of the comics. In my opinion i got the vibe that it was the Scott from the movie who, since he didnt learn the lessons comic Scott did, never went through the growth he did. So it makes sense why Movie Scott would completely collapse into Older Scott

[@myonwontstfu]

Oh wait this isn't that old one I thought I was rewatching an oldie here but it dropped 40min ago

[@roach590]

I was ready to write a really long and angry comment after reading that title

[@RjGoombes]

Ah noooo he changed the title.

[@larisaazimova184]

Fr

[@Eee24790]

Wait, what was the original title?

[@RjGoombes]

@@Eee24790 "The Scott Pilgrim comic sucks"

[@MarvinPowell1]

I made it past the rage-click title enough to see where you're coming from. While I can respect where the show is coming from and trying to be different, it was _very poorly_ marketed, deceptive, and most of the show is about Ramona. While the show does an excellent job fleshing out the evil exes backstories and motivations, the story itself is absolute crap and you can't really understand the show without knowing the original story already. So it feels more like DLC or a New Game+ to the canon Scott Pilgrim story, rather than an alternate timeline, let alone a "superior" one. It's also weird to have the movie actors voice-act the comic book characters, as the movie was kind of a product of its time and for the most part, horribly miscast, especially Ramona and Scott. Had they marketed the show as a "What If?" or alternate retelling of the original story, most people wouldn't have had a problem with it. But they hid all of that in the marketing and pretended like it was a canonical faithful retelling of the comic book, which is different.

[@yurifairy2969]

It's not a what if. This is essentially the sequel.

[@voiceunderthecovers]

Ramona and Scott are brilliantly cast, nobody else could play Scott especially.

[@CityofChaoss]

Imo i think the show also mischaracterized a lot of characters too and the whole “future” counterparts were done horribly, probably too strong of a word but idk i definitely wouldn’t say that the show is better than the book

[@RjGoombes]

The story was not crap, I'm not sure what you're getting at with that. But I do think you're right that the show isn't as good if you don't already know the main story.

[@voiceunderthecovers]

@@CityofChaoss nowhere near as good as the comic like this guy thinks, especially with how stilted a lot of the comedy feels in the first few episodes and how horribly future Scott is portrayed.

[@apredator4gb]

As a teen, the film to me was "wow, silly romance? film with good actions" and now as an adult each piece of the media by itself feels incomplete. This leaves me feeling like you honestly need all 3 forms of the media in order to make even 1 form of the story feel "complete". That's also putting aside my thoughts on the netflix show feels derivative to the modern netflix writing "drama" binge.

[@Yipper64]

4:48 well I think the problem is that that is Ramona's story now. I mean... actually now I think I get why, its not *just* a DEI thing (though I have a hard time believing that had nothing to do with the decision) but really if you want to get that concept out, doing it through her does make a lot of sense. 15:00 and she's lying about it too, as the comic is showing. Oh my goodness that is some interesting characterization. "I know he wouldnt do it for me but he'd do it for her" 16:45 what do you mean "that's amazing?" XD Oh goodness. Scott Pilgrim is definitely not something for me. 22:45 yeah thats.... another reason im not so into it. Which if the show *improved* on the concept... I mean I guess I was wrong to assume its not a good show. Its just different from what I would have expected, but I was never even that huge of a Scott Pilgrim fan anyways. And if all of what you are saying is true, I feel like any Scott Pilgrim fan actually *would* like the show. And the more I hear about this show in this video the more thinking about actually watching the show just kind of... makes me queasy? Like, even the comic. I dont think any Scott Pilgrim stuff was for me ever. Maybe the movie is ok, but that's it.

[@imthecoolestguyalive]

Truly baffled at the comment section. Guys... This is no more of a "clickbait" title, than the videos on Life Is Strange, Detroit: Become Human, etc. Maybe it helps that I'm not the biggest fan of any of these medias, despite liking various elements from them, hence why I don't feel as defensive of them, as... Quite a few people are, from what I'm seeing. So cathartic to finally hear someone else ask why people like Scott anyway, though. I've only seen the movie and the show, and even _those_ are kinda subversive of the original story. I don't think I could've sat through this comic.

[@diegogutierrez7149]

YOOO delicious in dungeon!!! just finished it, or caught up. idk dude your editing style if fucking maazing. It's been so long since I've seen someone frame shots like you. I'm only 3 minutes in & have to go to work so hopefully I get back to this one. umm Oh yeah. At 1:05 that composition, framing, positioning, golden ratio jazz (Idk film dialogue) whatever you're doing it good.

[@muffinslawl]

Urick this video is so goood!!! Animations and talking points are fire as always!!!

[@doorbell8132]

46:16 uh oh somebody forgot to insert the thumbnail!!!!! Well that was 46 minutes of my life wasted, unsubscribed.

[@doorbell8132]

Obviously kidding this kicked ass

[@dignelberrt]

I think it's strange that they gave Old Scott the Sub-boss Theme from the game, instead of something like "The Dark One"

[@estebanrosa8635]

DUNGEON MESHI REFERENCED!!!! 🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣 AUTOMATIC UPVOTE!!!!!!

[@MadamSpades]

Didn't read the comic yet, but I feel like Future Scott/Ramona are meant to be the movie counterparts!

[@nanometer6079]

slick editing on this video!

[@Gbug-tm3qe]

When I read Scott pilgrim when I was younger and my favorite character was Wallace too, funny quoinki dink

[@wa6488]

I love the editing here so much

[@kvltovpersonality6290]

The first four lines: "The Scott Pilgrim comic SUCKS!" "No it doesn't...!" "Alright, it doesn't..." "But as a kid, I remember as a kid kinda finding it fairly underwhelming..." Immediately pulling a near 180 in the first 10 seconds with THAT ragebait title is certainly a choice. Also it hasn't even been a year and we're already at the "we have to validate the show by saying the source material sucks" phase. I get what the video's going for, saying the OG story had underdeveloped side characters (which I agree with to an extent) and finds scott uninteresting (which I disagree with), and that O'Malley now is very different to O'Malley when he first made the comic (which is true, for multiple reasons). Netflix show was good but the comic & live action movie are better IMO, sorry

[@JusterinoSan]

Seeing the pacing in a preview with Julie and Scott talking about Ramona REALLLY irked me and made me not want to try out the show. I need to finish the show but the pacing is really dreadful to me.

[@laxmo5504]

I love the show! Tho i wasn't the biggest fan of time travel

[@Tuskbumper]

Scavengers Reign MENTIONED! Great show, would love to see you cover it.

[@CalmTrickster03]

5:17 How did you mess up? That double-page spread is from Yu Yu Hakusho, not Inuyasha. Show some respect.

[@hiarus8850]

Prepare for the nuclear toxicity blast

[@gabrielchasecanceladosinap3959]

... I used to respect you

[@PorterNetwork]

This is so interesting considering James Woodall has a video with essentially the opposite thesis....

[@TaterPurrito-ig6ox]

i can watch a spinoff just about kim

[@MaryamMohammed-z7p]

Your commentary never misses.

[@the_guy_with_orange_glasses]

THANK YOU ! I was wondering if I was the only one with this opinion on this subject. Thanks to this video, I feel much less alone. Thanks again for this video Urick ;)

[@TheAnonyomusGuy]

Something else that could have been interesting is bringing up how Scott was on his own path to creating a group of evil exes. Envy, Kim, knives, ramona (based on takes off)

[@AmbientRainfall]

Very good video! I saw that you have seconds up on your shelf, do you mind telling me what your thoughts are on that?

[@Trashedaccount123]

Lol that’s how my first experience was reading Scott Pilgrim as a kid years back

[@aradiati0n]

ive been watching you for a long time but this might be the first time ive ever seen your face and all i have to say is whoa you kinda look like wallace

[@MichaelTheMexicanAmerican]

I'm glad I finally trusted this video. Not what I expected, but in the best way possible.

[@Birdyboys]

VERY bold title Edit: fantastic video

[@CloseingStraw97]

Lets see how that play goes out for him

[@felixdaniels37]

It's a perfect summation of the target audience for the anime: people who never actually cared for Scott Pilgrim but want to hop on the current NEW THING anyway, even if said new thing is a sanitized, flanderized version of its source material.

[@dignelberrt]

@@felixdaniels37 watch the video

[@kayaplaaya9875]

​@@felixdaniels37 Tf are you on about?

[@ryswick1064]

I feel like if everyone takes the nostalgia goggles off, it's not really that controversial. The show is great, and the comic is inherently 'Catcher and the Rye'-esque. You identify with it heavily as you were younger but as I get older, Scott just becomes more and more insufferable. Being a comedic oaf loses it's charm quickly when you're the center of romantic distress for everyone around you. Having the show center around Ramona had to have been the best switch they could've made, Scott doesn't overstay his welcome and they actually spend time putting some depth and weight behind the Ex's relationships with Ramona.

[@mrbanks456]

I'd recommend every version of Scott Pilgrim. They each have strengths that make up for the other's weaknesses.

[@kyrohowe3156]

Agreed 👍

[@antoniozangrandi210]

Couldn't have said better myself. They're all unique in how they approach the same story, and that's great!

[@ravenfrancis1476]

Except for the movie. Having a man beat a canon lesbian by giving her an orgasm so good it kills her is...not great.

[@Eliagiulio]

The thing about the Netflix show that imo is always gonna keep it as an inferior to the comic (or at least an accessory to it) is the fact that without knowing the comic, Scott and most of his friends are barely touched upon as characters and developed, becoming more gags than anything else. The show is more of a sequel as it explores the parts of Scott Pilgrim that the comic didn't touch or just left unsaid: Ramona can be just as bad as Scott (granted that is a part of the comic, but we rarely see her proper POV) and the exes are real people

[@LaZodiac]

Yeah, this much feels very true. While it's entirely possible to go into the series without reading or watching the previous two works, it definitely helps.

[@umarthdc]

You are right the friends are pretty shallow in the series, but the exes and MCs aren't, so it is very much enjoyable without previous knowledge. My wife and I enjoyed it without reading the comics, it might be just us.

[@Eliagiulio]

​@umarthdc That's fair. Just keep in mind, if you read the comics you usually have the same perspective but flipped. Yeah the exes aren't super deep, but the supporting cast really shines. Imo that is more important and "Takes off" is a nice addition to fill the gaps of the comic. And I say that as someone that watched the show first. The supporting cast of Scott Pilgrim is so fun and interesting and it's a shame to see them reduced to bit roles in the anime

[@Johnmrobinson-vb5vd]

That's my one complaint scott isn't nearly as developed in the show as he is in the comic which is kinda sad considering he is the title character

[@samuellandin]

I just watched the show and barely knew of the characters (besides Jackisboy video prior to that) and I didn’t get this feeling you guys are talking about. That may be something you're having because of nostalgia and emotional attachment to the original comic cuz the characters are pretty much fleshed out and probably will get more time to shine in another season

[@9000DeadRats]

39:43 It's interesting to me that you interpret future Scott as Comic Scott, it felt more like future Scott was the movie version to me. The show references the movie heavily with the entire subplot of recreating its events in universe as a film, from the memories of future Ramona, who already saw it play out And, in my opinion, movie Scott does not learn the same lessons his comic counterpart does, due to the condensed run time. Movie Scott and Comic Scott even gain different "powers" that help them beat Gideon, in the movie Scott only gains self respect, in the comic, understanding, which to me feels to imply a stronger growth. A small thing really but I thought it was interesting.

[@snorange14]

i mean the fact that it could be movie scott is fucked by the existence of robot 01 and the comic interpretation of the twins being shown.. i think they just didnt figure out a good reason for why scott should be the bad guy they just made it up without thinking why

[@variantgamer9885]

Bryan already confirmed that future scott isn’t comics scott Edit: I should also note that future isn’t movie scott either. He’s an entirely different scott who never got the proper character development. Every iteration is a different universe.

[@stephensmith7327]

​@@variantgamer9885I always interpreted him as Video Game Scott, especially since his ending is Ramona leaving him and Scott trying to create a Mormon Style Polygamous(Polly for me and not for thee) style relashonship with all his other exes. The last line hinting at a empty feeling he has despite "living the dream". Ramona's ending is the Comic Ending, I feel this reflects the idea that Brian always had the Cartoon's storyline in his mind but had already gotten too far into the series to change direction that drastically. The comic I definitely Feels like he's just getting his footing as a writer. The difrence between the Cartoon and the Comic is like the difrence between Ziggy Stardust and The Man Who Sold The World. The Man Who Sold The World is great, but it's very uneven. Ziggy is a cohesive concept album with no fat.

[@topcat59]

It honestly sucks that the twins didn’t really get any character depth in the show but hey at least they became Scott’s future Bros.🐱

[@mrconroy4672]

Here’s hoping they do a sequel series or season to takes off.

[@mckenafountain6664]

Deadass tho. I was super disappointed when they hardly got any screen time in the show.

[@lumulu]

Lisa finally getting mentioned in a video essay that wasn't just a "oh Lisa not here haha go read comic" IS SO CATHARTIC LIKE DAMN FINALLY SOME TALKING ABOUT HER ROLE AND IMPORTANCE

[@IfritBoi]

I like Lisa's arc in the comics, too :) but what place would Lisa have in Takes Off? Genuine question from someone who saw the movie and the show with tidbits of comic lore, I have no idea what part of Takes Off she could be in unless it's a small cameo or smt

[@ChileconCoke]

24:20 But SHE DID ask about her! It was the start of the glowing, Scott and Ramona were in bed together and she asks about if he cheated on her with Knives! Scott is awkwardly forced to answer that he didn't cheat on her with Knives but He cheated on Knives with her. I'm shocked you don't remember the scene. It's super important

[@qw3rtypounc3s]

He uses a panel from that very scene at around 4:27. It's very confusing imo

[@ooliekitty]

that was book 5. lisa was book 4.

[@Mina-bt5yh]

i think that seeing more of ramona's pov was actually kinda cool. altough the trailer did make the mistake of not telling us that the show was going to be like that.

[@logicaloverdrive8197]

That actually was my favorite part of the whole experience. They pulled a The Suicide Squad and misled with the marketing, and when the twist of what the show actually was gonna be happened, it made me more engaged since this was new Scott Pilgrim stuff.

[@furfixer]

Wasn't the false marketing the entire point

[@fruitloops2058]

​@@furfixer yeah but it's also not a great thing to do and turned people off when advertising it as a New Game+ would have still made people interested.

[@Fanatic4500]

I loved it, I thought it was an excellent narrative choice. If I wanted the original story, I'd read the graphic novel.

[@javonyounger5107]

I feel like it was a bait-and-switch done primarily for marketing reasons, as they knew fewer people would have watched it if they had known what it was actually about.

[@IDKLOL-qj7sl]

I think the Scott Pilgrim anime actually completes the story in a really interesting way, because the Scott Pilgrim comic is more about Scott, and the anime is more about Ramona. this sounds obvious, but that means that the fights with the exes aren't about the exes at all... they're about our POV character's perception of their role, in relation to the exes. to me, it makes sense for the comic evil exes to be underdeveloped, or to come off as weird, randomly mean assholes, and to have them just sort of poof out of existence as soon as their involvement with the conflict around Ramona ends... because that's how Scott sees them. he doesn't know their backstories... Ramona does. he doesn't know why Ramona ever found these guys appealing enough to date... Ramona does. the exes know why they broke up... sometimes they want her back, sometimes they're over her, but it was typically Ramona that did the choosing when the relationship began, so it all does kind of fall back on her. but Scott certainly doesn't know this, nor is he asking questions. Scott's lack of knowledge is also why he fits Ramona's type perfectly. Ramona tends to go for people who already have her up on a pedestal. she likes people who come off as pathetic or insecure, and are willing to believe that she's the best thing that ever happened to them. it's flattering, and secure for a person who maybe doesn't have the kind of confidence she pretends she does. and this reflects in the reasons why the relationships end. for some, they were too clingy and overbearing, and Ramona either found them annoying or became legitimately stifled and put upon. but for others, Ramona might've started feeling like they might actually be good enough to leave her. and because the possibility of being rejected or accused of her own flaws scares her, Ramona would leave first. Scott is a person who is endlessly willing to put his partner on a pedestal, because to him, any pretty girl who gives him the time of day is worth fighting to keep. regardless of how much sense it makes, or whether he can win, or if he actually has beef of his own with his opponent... he'll do it. and the idea that his partner might've been in the wrong? that never crosses his mind. he's simple, sometimes to the point of completely deluding himself. anything to frame the world as a saturday morning cartoon style beat-em-up narrative, with a tournament arc structure, where everything is simple, he's the good guy, and the good guy wins. Scott is willing to mischaracterize Ramona in the most flattering of ways, and Ramona is willing to let him. if Scott is willing to do that for someone he's supposedly in love with, then he'll absolutely do it to the exes. they come off as underdeveloped villains because Scott doesn't need them to be anything more than that, and their depth specifically requires Ramona to face things that she is trying to bury. that's why the anime is required, as the other half of the story. Scott's perception of events will always be lacking something, because he's new to the situation, and he's committed to being a stupid idiot boy. he doesn't know anything. one of Scott's major strategies for making it in life is to keep not knowing anything. Scott uses ignorance as a way to make people stop pestering him. don't even bother trying to make him understand, Scott will just go walleyed and put on his brain's screen saver for 20 minutes if you try to explain anything complicated. it's a waste of time to even try. he gets free rides from his friends on a LOT of stuff this way. Scott is an easy conduit for Ramona to be just as avoidant as Scott is. and if Scott were to improve himself at all, then Ramona might start to worry that he'll realize he's too good for her someday. so Scott's stagnation is comfy... and if nothing breaks that pattern, it takes the two of them a very long time to realize how unfulfilling things are, when all Scott does is LARP as a shonen protagonist who knows nothing but fight-for-her-honor chivalry, and all Ramona does is let him because it strokes her ego. they're not good for each other if Ramona is allowed to slot into her pattern with Scott. something has to shake things up. the anime is great, because "killing" Scott shakes things up immensely. Ramona's investigation leads her headlong into the issues of her past, and now, we're seeing the exes from a POV character who actually knows them. we're getting more of Ramona's honest thoughts, and importantly, we're seeing her begin to commit to someone. dedication is the thing Ramona always lacked. she always relied on her partner being pathetic enough to need her... she could never genuinely wish for their improvement, or believe they could do it. she has to learn to want a good person. not just someone who is good for themselves, but someone who is good for her. she's never really had that before. and accepting a string of people that were only appealing to her when they were failing meant that she'd never really dated anybody nice. not without getting scared and leaving preemptively. I think the idea that a lot of Ramona's exes turned into "successful assholes" was fueled by this sort of bitterness at people who succeed... especially if they overachieve. it makes someone like Ramona feel small. and the thing that made some of them eager to date her in the first place was the fact that they were massively needy people. it makes sense that a lot of them had aspirations of being a celebrity, loved by the masses. a lot of their careers are giving them the huge amount of attention that suits them these days, and it benefits Ramona to be able to see her exes doing alright, even while she still isn't the right puzzle piece to fill in for what they need. Scott just isn't the main character with the knowledge to access these stories... but I think we needed the comic's version of the story to contextualize what these people look like from the outside. and specifically, from the POV of a guy who is getting sucked into the same trap that the rest of them did, and is struggling to find his way out.

[@neutralraff5078]

The comic is better overall. It's a giant warning against "Main character syndrom." Life is underwhelming. You put in the work to be better, or you waist seasons, flanderising characters that made you famous decades ago.

[@kaelmic7476]

Oh man the moment the yiik theme kicked in i could feel my emotions spiral

[@-StockingAnarchy-]

DUNGEON MESHI MENTION!!!! Another banger as usual.

[@bryophyticmass]

i dont think the show would hit as hard without the comic canon. i think whats missing a little here is that the majority of the comic is taking place from scott’s perspective. there’s also a subtlety about the interpersonal drama in the comic that i didn’t really need explained to me. i liked the way there were implications in the comic more than fully fleshed out storylines, but if you want a drama like scott pilgrim with more character storylines, check out octopus pie by meredith gran! that might stick with you better.

[@windy6587]

Im pretty sure this guys been contemplating dropping this for A WHILE

[@JaceAce22]

Probably cuz it's almost feature length, he worked on it for quite a while

[@FemboyJoe]

I still think the marketing was questionable. "its a bait and switch thats the point" you see i get that? But SP fans have been fucked over once with the game already? I dont think a second fucking over was appreciated in terms of deception. Also in this day and age where no love is being put into adaptations being hella prevalent and borderline insulting. It really did feel like a marketing ploy because they knew people wouldn't watch it if they showed a sliver of that adaptation bs weve become accustomed to in this unfortunate era so i feel the upset fans are kinda justified JUSTT this once. Urick doing the same thing with that thumbnail IS BOLD AHAHA but i personally am still gonna say the comic is better. The clunkyness off it's narrative kinda makes it feel like how real life can go. Its never going to go as planned, wrenches could get thrown into the works. I dunno i like that it didn't feel narratively consistent? No one ever really just gets that change they want from themselves right off the bat and scott definitely doesn't either. The show WHILST BEAUTIFULLY animated just didn't have that. It felt... "clean" like the mess of relationship drama wasn't there as much (the frustrating parts of it anyway) but ill be damned if i say the show isnt good because it was! More Kim = Happy Me.

[@DrawciaGleam02]

I'm a Sailor Moon fan. And I've seen my fellow fans RAGE over Crystal because it closely followed the original Sailor Moon manga. So I'm fine with Take Offs being an alternative story to the original comic.

[@Jdudec367]

What was wrong with the game though? Besides the movie was already a adaptation...that already happened. I mean I thought the mess of relationship drama was clearly there and that Scott was still a mess.

[@wallace25859]

I really have to break character and disagree, Takes Off is not better and fails even more in some places. I really, really, really clearly like Wallace a LOT, my internet presence now is just "that Wallace parody account from Twitter." I am dedicated to the bit. I really love Wallace. I also really like Lisa, Stephen and Joseph. But for some reason, Wallace gets dumbed down into a homewrecking asshole and gets drawn looking like a baby with a giant forehead and his very queer relationship with Scott feels removed entirely in Takes Off. Lisa just isn't there despite the purpose she serves as one of Scott's many exes (YES "EXES" INCLUDES WALLACE), and isn't there to maybe show the real nature of Kim and Scott's relationship or contribute to Ramona's investigation or even put a dent in the Scottmona relationship/make Ramona question her perception of Scott. Stephen's queerness getting erased by every adaptation including Takes Off was very infuriating, and Joseph also isn't there either to help him explore it and even make them less boring in people's eyes. Lisa not being there even removes the parallels between her and Wallace and how they affect Scott's life and relationships. So much gets removed that I can't say Takes Off is any better than the comics beyond a few things that shouldn't have happened in the first place, like Kim kissing Knives. It also really struck me as being weird how you brought up OFMD and clearly do like queer stories, but I barely heard about Scott Pilgrim's queer relationships beyond Roxie's in this video. Do you like, have another video about it? Are you planning a video about it?? I'm really curious.

[@mirulei]

gotta say urick i swear you could post the most god awful take ever and i'd still watch it all the way through for your editing style these video essays from you are my favorite fucking things ever

[@kupipha]

I don't think Scott is a bad character because a load of girls like him for no reason, even when he hurts them; because I have a friend who basically is Scott pilgrim down to the damn anatomical structure and he is a walking enigma on the face of this earth. There is nothing special about him, he's a cute forgetful goof who can be a bit of a jerk because of that. Somehow he still effortlessly picks up girls like it's no-one's business. This may come off as jealous, (while yes I am definitely jealous) I just genuinely cannot understand what it is that makes his mc-chicken slinging, adhd toting, thoughtless lifestyle attractive to women. ...

[@MDComix]

I'm sorry, other way around. (Yes I watched the video.)

[@GregorTheScot]

The worst thing about the show for me is the CAMERA SHAKE they added in this artificial camera shake to like every other shot and it doesn't look good it doesn't match the limited art style its so distracting I can't stand it. I wish they'd just been confident in their art style and not done it Anyway really good video, alot more in depth with critique than me lol

[@funnyaccountname5763]

Off topic, but I love that you’re using shots of yourself in the video now! It’s always fun to see and I’m sure it makes the process easier while still letting you deliver the absolute banger quality videos you always do. I do wish you touched on the ending of Takes Off a little in this one when you talked about the comic ending, as I thought it was the only thing bringing it down from being a near perfect Scott Pilgrim experience, even if it wasn’t what I initially expected.

[@JaceAce22]

If the Scott anime gets a continuation, I'd like an exploration of Gideon's character, how people would engage with his past. Seeing as he's still evil and Julie, as I interpret, is mostly along for ride, just to be an asshole WITH Gideon and not so much antagonize with as much intent as he does. Julie is an asshole, but I don't think she's ambitiously evil towards others. If he gets more exploration as he does whatever he's gonna do, I think it'd be interesting to see how someone like Julie, who constantly called out Scott for his shitty treatment of women, confronts the outright criminal things Gideon has done to women. If Gideon had some form of control over all the women he dated, his fall might come down harder on him if Julie were to put her foot down on the cryogenic kidnap situation.

[@Gogito4]

Dungeon Meshi references spotted. Video is instantly peak.

[@lemonconsumption]

your editing is legitimately the best i have ever seen.

[@dignelberrt]

One of my favorite movies, games, comics, and anime all in one. Scott Pilgrim has its issues in each medium, but damn I love it so much.

[@eel5618]

I love your videos man your a really good reviewer :)

[@WididoR]

I believe that is very subjective to say that the "show is better", i for example, have the oposite opinion and this is fine, it talks about the diversity of perspective that different people have. In my point of view, is not a bad choice that the comic revolves around Scott, he is the main character and the focus of the history, in real life you can only see things in your own pespective and what you can see of other people is limited to that perspective. The comic knows that and the overall tone of the comic and his characters are twisted by Scott bias, like our own perspectives of the world and people around us are. That is the reason why most of the evil exes of Ramona are portrayed in a cartoonish maneer, beacuse Scott in his own inmaturity and bias perceive them that way. The comic expose the flaws in Scott pespective when Kim challenge his memories about they relationship , but we see his world by his eyes and by his flawed perspective, we grasph in this moment his wrongs in his relationship with Kim and Envy. Scott unconsciously forget about his wrong doings because he is an irresponsible person and is more easy for him that way, he see the asian guy that liked kim as a villain that kidnaps her and literally beat the shit out of him, Kim point at this and tell him that this guy was harmless. All of the history at this point is challenged beacuse Scott flawed pespective. I believe that is a great history about how bias and irresponsability can turn you into a bad person, is the case with Scott and Ramona, both of them are irresponsable and in the end, both of them decide to work they faults together and stop running away. In the other side, a lot of characters feel a lot more cartonish in the tv show. Ramona becames a responsible person out of nowhere and start fixing her past beacuse the show need it, never we are show why she have that suddent change, in the comic she is comically irresponsible. Is her good relationship with Scott the thing that pushes her to comfront her past, because her past becomes an obstacle between the two. In the show she have a "nice date" with Scott and suddently, she changes as a person, is a really weak reason taking into account who she is. Wallace was comical, but he was also a supportive person with Scott, he cares about how he feel and he even push Scott to do the right thing with Knives. Where this Wallace go?, because in the show he is the stereotipical gay-full-of-himself character. Kim is non existent in the show, Gideon is streaped of almost all his manipulative and evil traits, he is almost erased of Ramona past (in the comic she have a hard time forgeting him and in the series this trait does not exist). The tv show is striped of almost all the drama that the comic has, Scott fucking die, Envy sings and everyone forgets about him, this work in a comedic aspect but destroy all chances of a dramatic story. The only instance where i feel that the show do a good work in this regards is in the fight between Ramona and Roxy, but this is not what happen with all her evil exes, she never adresess her mistake with the twins, or her situation with Gideon, the series start and Ramona is already a different person. This is the reason why Kim have so little space in this show, because she is a tragic character, she try to help Scott, she still feel for him, but she tries to overcome him in her life. The tv show was a great idea that sadly fails in execution. But this is only my point of view.

[@lunarin649]

You are 100% right.

[@DanielParisi-pt6xi]

I agree, the books just have more character interactions and fleshing them out as people. I don’t hate the show but the book just did it better in my opinion

[@SilkBone]

oh i wholeheartedly agree, especially with the Gideon aspects of character assassination (also with Wallace, changing drastically for simplification i guess?) but the video also has incredibly good critiques of the comics, both are good takes

[@birtadjdjdj]

scott and ramona barely interact with eachother in the show lol

[@f45411]

you hit it on the nail; good essay

[@Kreschnav]

As someone who was a lukewarm fan of both the comic and the movie, and was only mildly interested in an adaptation of the comic, I LOVED the bait-and-switch. It massively increased my interest in the show, and I ended up binging it in one sitting. 8/10, imo.

[@CitruKori]

I’m glad I watched the show before watching the movie or reading the books because I was able to understand that the show isn’t supposed to replace or be the “new shiny” Scott Pilgrim. The show is meant to expand off the world and characters in a new light, and I think it does a great job in doing that. I’m not sure which of the three renditions are my favorite, but they’re all good. Most videos I’ve seen on the show vs the comics/movie have been dissing the show on it not being what the people wanted (a faithful recreation) but this video showed the pros and cons of both and was presented very well. Great video.

[@pkliskiki1800]

dude I feel like your complaints against the comic and praise to the series are VERY superficial, you're constantly talking about "drama" missed opportunities but you're missing the very important slice of life aspect of Scott and it's very realistic relationship depictions, it's like O'Malley said once (paraphrase) that at some moments Scotts life is a 1 to 1 adaptation of his life, people sometimes contradict themselves or miss opportunities to do something and I feel like it's going against the comics spirit to criticize for "missing drama opportunities"

[@pkliskiki1800]

and to go a little deeper, I think that's awesome of the comic, there's a genuine feeling of I don't know what the next scene is gonna be about, you get to know the characters and can predict precisely the feeling of what they're gonna do or say but candy predict exactly what's gonna be (like a rea person) which makes what they say funny - you're IN the joke with them but it's still unpredictable - while the show does the opposite and what the characters do and say (and they turn to) feels very forced by the mechanical stiff plot.. the joke is in the show but not with the characters.. while the comic has a week done slice of life feeling the show feel very much a WRITTEN show FOR TV for you to ENJOY... which... misses the point... and it sucks

[@pkliskiki1800]

I'm sorry the Nana comparisons are ridiculous, if you're underwhelmed it's on you and it might not be for you

[@javsandarts]

​@@pkliskiki1800 The author literally said It was inspired by nana

[@pkliskiki1800]

@@javsandarts what I meant is: just because the author said he got inspired by whatever, doesn't mean you should get your expectations up that the new thing is supposed to hit the same beats and scratch the same itch of the ""original"" thing, that's a stupid expectation and a bad faith comparison ... O'Malley got inspired by nana, sure, doesn't mean he was trying to be nana

[@pkliskiki1800]

if you like nana better, sure that's fine, but just say that

[@HoodBodega]

3:14 Delicious Dungeon mentioned OOOOOORAHHH‼️‼️‼️

[@12DAMDO]

as someone who lowkey liked the movie, i do not agree with people who complain about the show deviating from it, because the show is 10x better (and also funnier if you watch it with the movie in mind.. like, having seen one does NOT ruin the experience for the other, it enhances it)

[@titaniumvortex8901]

I will beg on my knees for you and your voice acting and editing team to make a scott pilgrim graphic novel dub. It would be stellar.

[@LatinaCreamQueen]

Thank you for shitting on that Falling in Reverse guy. I hate him soooo much. :]

[@AnInkStick]

As much as I like this show, the big issue I have is I kinda felt to fix some of the previous issues new ones were made. Namely, in that in order to build up other characters, other characters development round up getting cut short . Namely Envy. at the same time, though I do like how this version of Ramona actually does learn her lesson. As much as I liked the old Ramona in the comics, I’d be lying if I said, I wasn’t a bit bothered by the fact that it did feel like she was just pushing her problems onto other people to deal with them and didn’t really take any accountability for her own actions. (especially when it’s shown that for a lot of the exes she was a really shitty girlfriend. )

[@chip1464]

NOOO YOU CHANGED THE THUMBNAIL

[@STdoubleDs]

The game is one of my favorite beat em ups of all time. Super underrated.

[@U.Inferno]

Watching this is all interesting as someone who's been personally throwing around a comic idea inspired by Scott Pilgrim that's also about unraveling the personal lives of shounen protags. You're break down of the fights is something I thought of myself. Where a personal rule I've established is that if I can turn an argument into a fight, I should. Write it one way as a purely verbal debate then restructure it into a physical altercation. If it's boring as a debate, it'll be boring as a fight.