Highlights
- Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim series has become a transmedia phenomenon rooted in various aspects of popular culture.
- Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is an 8-episode Netflix Original Anime, produced and written by O’Malley and showrunner BenDavid Grabinsky, featuring the entire cast from the 2010 live-action movie.
- Science Saru, the studio behind the anime, is known for its expressive and diverse storytelling and is led by director Masaaki Yuasa, known for his work on Devilman Crybaby and Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken.
Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim series is one of the greatest transmedia properties in the cultural zeitgeist, with an identity that’s distinct yet rooted in so many facets of pop culture. What started as a comic became a feature film by one of the brightest directors, a video game from one of the biggest developers, and now an anime from one of the most visionary studios in Japan.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is an 8-episode Netflix Original Anime and the newest take on the story, produced and written by O’Malley alongside co-creator and showrunner BenDavid Grabinsky. It also sees a reunion of the entire cast behind the 2010 live-action movie and even director Edgar Wright returns as an executive producer.
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Such a grand reunion was undoubtedly a big draw for this new adaptation, but the studio behind it, Science Saru, is just as worthy of excitement. Founded by famed animator and director Masaaki Yuasa (Devilman Crybaby, Inu-Oh, Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken, and more), this studio has been a pioneering force for expressive, diverse, and authentic stories in animation. This is nowhere clearer than the director behind this new take on Scott Pilgrim.
The Director
Any anime fan unfamiliar with the name Abel Gongora will surely be familiar with their work. At the start of 2020, he was the director of the opening title sequence in Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken, a viral hit that spread like wildfire, inspiring no shortage of variants. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it one of the most popular OPs in years.
Gongora spoke to Crunchyroll to share how he created the OP, using Adobe Flash, Animate, and After Effects, to bring it to life in all its zany glory. Just hearing him describe its making and how he managed to achieve the effects speaks to not only his out-of-the-box approach but also the simplicity behind some very effective techniques.
One could imagine some aspiring young animators picking up very useful insights from this opening and its behind-the-scenes footage. Not only was this super on-brand for Eizouken, but it’s the kind of creativity that Science Saru thrives on. For Gongora to have gone from being primarily an animator and storyboard artist to a series director in such a short time is astonishing. Judging from the reception to Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, his time as a director has just begun.
The Animators & Designers
This series has a stacked cast of animation talent, but a few of the bigger names stand out for their past work and, in one special case, how they inspired O’Malley. First and foremost, the chief animation director is Masamichi Ishiyama. He’s worked with Science Saru in the past, as well as Studio Trigger on BNA and Little Witch Academia, and David Productions, where he served as AD on six episodes of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 5.
In addition to being chief AD for the series, Ishiyama is credited as one of the character designers, alongside Shuhei Handa and Shoko Nishigaki. Trigger fans will recognize Handa’s work from Little Witch Academia, where he was the main character designer and a prominent animator. Nishigaki is also an experienced animator, but previously designed the characters for Science Saru’s Tatami Time Machine Blues.
For a series as vibrant as Scott Pilgrim, getting the color design right is a no-brainer. Science Saru enlisted Satoshi Hashimoto and Narumi Konno, two people who have had a hand in some very big (and very pretty) anime over the years. They both worked on Attack on Titan while it was still being animated at WIT Studio, and Hashimoto recently lent his discerning eye to Spy x Family, Vinland Saga, and Trigun Stampede.
One credit on the staff list is particularly heartwarming if one is familiar with the origins of the Scott Pilgrim comic. One of O’Malley’s biggest inspirations was 1989’s Ranma 1/2, the character designs of which were done by industry icon Atsuko Nakajima. She’s been an animator and character designer since the early 80s and continues to pop up in anime today, such as last year’s anime adaptation of Komi Can’t Communicate.
It is especially sweet to see Nakajima lend her talents to this new series. She’s credited as an animator, animation director, and character designer for a segment of the sixth episode. The sequence may be brief in the grand scheme of things, but it’s no less delightful. It’s one of those rare instances where the inspiration and the inspired come full circle.
Conceptually, all of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is the IP coming full circle. This comic started as an homage to shōnen anime, albeit one that collided with a love of alternative rock and gaming subcultures. Almost 20 years later, it’s no longer just an homage at all, thanks to the overwhelming outpouring of love from audiences and critics who reexamined the franchise and helped propel it to new heights.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is available to stream on Netflix.
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