The Scott Pilgrim franchise has had a long history of related projects, including this 2023 animated spin-off from Netflix. The first season of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off has found a devoted audience, and follows the titular character’s quest to win the heart of Ramona Flowers, while battling with her seven exes. Based on the series of graphic novels by Bryan Lee O’Malley, the story has previously been made into a cult classic movie starring Michael Cera and directed by Edgar Wright and combines comedy, fantasy, and adventure. Already, the question that fans are asking, is, of course, what happens next, so let’s take a look at the anime’s renewal possibilities and weigh up the potential of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off Season 2.
Has Scott Pilgrim Takes Off Been Renewed for Season 2?
At the time of writing, there has been no official confirmation of a second season of the show and it sounds as if the show’s creators have no immediate plans for one. So, no, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off has not been renewed for Season 2. Not yet, anyway.
The creative talent behind the animated project feels that the series has told the story that they wanted to tell, and they have no plans just now for another season. As reported by GamesRadar, quoting from an article in SFX Magazine, showrunner BenDavid Grabinski had the following to say:
“This season is a story that has an end. But I love this world, the cast and the characters. If Bryan and I sat down one day and started brainstorming and thinking of other stories to tell, and the cast wanted to do it, then great, but I put 10,000% of my brain into this season and I think it has a great ending.”
What could Season 2 of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off be about?
With such a likable lead and a style and tone that has resonated with readers of the original story for twenty years now, there could be more mileage from the property and would have to follow a similar premise to the original material.
There are six volumes of the series so there is a rich lore there, but for a sequel to work, it would need input from the creator of the graphic novels. Some fans have already been surprised by how much of the source material the first season leaves on the table:
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off really skips A LOT of the graphic novel series content. Feels like it’s a speed run abridged series that dropped some of the best jokes from the graphic novels in just the first episode. I was expecting 1 season covering maybe 2 of the books.
— Jean-Paul Bartolomei (@ultimablackmage) November 17, 2023
In our in-depth ending explained article, we detailed how the mid-credits scene potentially sets up another season:
The mid-credit scene implies that Gideon is back with his evil plans now that he has his empire, which will likely form the premise for a second season.
Despite Grabinski’s comments above, it does seem like there is some artistic justification for another season, even if it isn’t on the immediate radar of the show’s creators right now.
We imagine that a sequel would further explore the world of Scott Pilgrim, and perhaps focus more on his life as he moves into adulthood.
Is Scott Pilgrim Takes Off a sequel?
The animated version of the story is more of a retelling than a sequel to the film version, and leans heavily into the style of the graphic novels, embracing the original format in a way the live-action film couldn’t.
However, with the original cast of the film reprising their roles in the animated show, the connection between the two projects is palpable.
The animated version comes from the Japanese studio Science SARU and makes every effort to recreate the style and tone of the graphic novels, making this a very different approach to the story, providing a brilliant new interpretation of the much loved graphic novels.
With eight episodes of the animated show, varying in length, it means that there is more time for the creative team to focus on the characters, so thankfully this adaptation gets to flesh out the world, and the characters, involved with Scott and manages to give more depth to the story than the film did.
For fans of the graphic novel, this animated show has plenty to excite and delight, and despite the current news about a second series, we should just be happy that this series exists at all.
