In retrospect: Scott Pilgrim vs. 19 years of fame

For those who frequent online fandoms and communities, the name Scott Pilgrim is almost guaranteed to ring a bell. After nearly two decades of publicity, the "Scott Pilgrim" series still enjoys widespread fame and major pop culture influence. As a quick disclaimer, there will be spoilers for the series in this article!

The "Scott Pilgrim" series was created by Canadian cartoonist Bryan Lee O’Malley and debuted in 2004 with a set of six comic books following protagonist Scott Pilgrim as he faces the seven ex-partners of his love interest, the mysterious Ramona Flowers, in order to date her. Ramona’s “seven evil exes” come in all shapes and sizes, but have all united to prevent Ramona from moving on to a new partner; from her middle school short-lived boyfriend Matthew Patel and college roommate-turned-girlfriend Roxie Richter to musician twins Kyle and Ken Katayanagi (whom she cheated on with the other) and most recent and controlling ex Gideon Graves, Scott must fight every last member of the “League of Evil Exes” in order to win Ramona’s hand.

Throughout his journey to win over Ramona, Scott learns that he must also come to terms with his own faults. In his attempts to woo Ramona, Scott breaks the heart of 17-year-old Knives Chau – whom Scott’s friends disapproved of him dating due to their age difference. Because of his inability to confront Knives about his new love interest, he continues his relationship with her as he starts his relationship with Ramona. Knives informs Ramona about Scott’s cheating, leading Ramona to abandon him. Scott’s unwillingness to confront his own mistakes manifests into the bizarre figure Nega Scott, a spitting image of Scott apart from a monochrome color scheme and red eyes. However, after a stern talking to from bandmate and ex-girlfriend Kim Pine about his need to acknowledge his mistakes, Scott and Nega Scott merge as Scott comes to terms with his flaws and ambitiously works to win Ramona back.

Since the series’ debut, "Scott Pilgrim" has amassed a cult following and has made a remarkable impact on pop culture. Despite its general failure at the box office, the 2010 film “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” starring Michael Cera as Scott has cemented itself as a classic film with a dedicated fanbase.  Scott’s story was brought to the realm of video games the same year through the beat ‘em up game “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game”, which is available on the Nintendo Switch, Playstation, and PC. Outside of the film and game, "Scott Pilgrim" has created a large influence on the music industry in particular. For example, rapper Lil Uzi Vert’s album “Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World” takes direct inspiration from "Scott Pilgrim", with the album cover being a recoloring of a comic panel featuring Scott and Ramona and the title inspired by that of the second comic and film “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.” Similarly, the indie band Mom Jeans features a track titled “Scott Pilgrim vs. My GPA” in their 2016 album “Best Buds.” Such large influence on popular creators and forms of media in turn transforms "Scott Pilgrim" into an even more recognizable piece of media – one that nearly anyone with some degree of online presence is at least aware of.

The "Scott Pilgrim" series will be making its return to screens worldwide after 13 years with the release of the Netflix anime series "Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” Nov. 17.  “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” is animated by renowned animation studio Science SARU and features the original film cast reprising their character roles. While still remaining incredibly loyal to the original plot and character designs from the comics, Science SARU has taken some artistic liberty in regards to their portrayal of the "Scott Pilgrim" cast. In one trailer for the anime, Ramona is seen sporting red and yellow hair, a fresh hair color never before seen on the character; I personally think it suits her very well, and I am excited to see more of it!

Although I have been familiar with the series for several years, it was only this past summer where I truly started to delve into it more. Right before I left for Duke in August, I watched the movie as a joke and expected not to enjoy it in the slightest; instead, watching the movie drove me to learn more about the series, and I soon found myself having read all six of the comics in under 24 hours. Despite Scott and Ramona’s relationship having its fair share of notoriously questionable dynamics, I still find it quite enjoyable to watch them grow not only as a couple, but as separate people. Ramona realizes that she cannot keep running away from her problems, and Scott recognizes that he has faults he must come to accept in order to become a better person and partner. The interactions between the characters in the "Scott Pilgrim" universe are rather realistic and possibly relatable for some, which in my eyes plays a large role in the series’ success. Although – in my opinion – nobody should actively want to relate to a character from "Scott Pilgrim", I do believe that some readers may see various aspects of themselves in these flawed characters that they relate to and perhaps would like to work on. 

Fans across the world are growing more and more excited as the release date for “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” creeps ever closer. Such a series has been a dream of many a "Scott Pilgrim" fan for years, and the trailers are certainly living up to fans’ expectations. Personally, I am very much looking forward to seeing how the anime pans out and where the series goes from here. Here’s to 19 years of fame, "Scott Pilgrim!”