Scott Pilgrim Takes Off Netflix Anime Opening And Banger Theme Song Revealed

By Kevin C. Neece | Published

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, the new anime adaptation of the Scott Pilgrim universe, premieres later this month. But fans can get a sneak peek of the show’s opening titles and hear the theme song right now. Netflix just dropped the opening sequence for the anime series, which you can view below.

Of course, music has always been essential to the Scott Pilgrim universe and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is no different with a brand new theme song that is energetic, bright, and catchy. It’s also in Japanese, so we’re still waiting for a translation of the lyrics, but we expect there might also be an English language cover at some point. Until then, we can enjoy the crunchy guitars and poppy melody for all they’re worth.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is a brand new direction for the franchise, which began as a Canadian graphic novel series that ran from 2004 to 2010. Created by Brian Lee O’Malley, the graphic novel series actually bears a striking visual resemblance to the new anime, which is done in a bright chibi style. While the original graphic novel featured taller, less cartoonish characters, the overall aesthetic is similar.

But Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is perhaps connected more directly in some ways with the 2010 movie adaptation of the graphic novel, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. The film was a success for star Michael Cera, who recently discussed how deeply he missed working on the film and how special the relationship he had with his cast members was. Cera experienced something of a dream come true with the new anime series as he was able not only to return to the role of Scott Pilgrim, but to do so with many of his cast mates for the film.

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Michael Cera in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

As an animated series, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off probably recorded most of its actors separately, but they have at least gotten to collaborate on this new project as many of the original actors from the film have returned to voice their characters in the anime.

The cast of the new series includes not only Michael Cera but also, as is seen in the opening titles, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Satya Bhabha, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Anna Kendrick, Brie Larson, Alison Pill, Aubrey Plaza, Brandon Routh, and Jason Schwartzman. The number of cast members who have returned for the project is impressive, indicating that the film was perhaps special to them in much the same way it was to Cera.

What is also impressive about the cast list of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is that many of these actors are much bigger stars than they were over a decade ago when they appeared in the film. Their return for the anime provides a consistency across media, as does the new series’ similarity of visual style with the original graphic novels. But the most important connection the new series has to the rest of the Scott Pilgrim universe is in the area of writing.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off was not only developed by Bryan Lee O’Malley with BenDavid Grabinsky, but was also written by the pair. This means that O’Malley has been able to retain a remarkable amount of creative control over the Scott Pilgrim IP as it has been translated from one medium to another. While we can enjoy the opening title sequence now, we’re looking forward to being able to watch the series itself when it premieres on Netflix on November 17.