The internet loves a good gatekeeping session. If you’ve spent five minutes on a forum lately, you’ve probably seen the firestorm: is Scott Pilgrim Takes Off an anime, or is it just a "cartoon" wearing a Japanese suit?
Honestly, the answer depends on who you ask and how much they care about technicalities. If you’re a purist who thinks it only counts if it’s adapted from a manga by a Japanese creator, you’re probably leaning toward "no." But if you look at the actual production credits, the line gets incredibly blurry.
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Let’s get into why this specific show is such a headache for people who like neat little boxes.
The Science SARU Factor
You can’t talk about this show without talking about Science SARU. They are the powerhouse Japanese studio behind Devilman Crybaby and Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!. Based in Tokyo, they are about as "anime" as it gets.
When Netflix greenlit the project, they didn't hire a Western studio to mimic a Japanese style. They went straight to the source. The show was directed by Abel Góngora, a long-time Science SARU veteran. While Góngora himself is Spanish, he’s been working within the Japanese industry for years. This isn’t a case of "American showrunners telling Japanese artists what to do." It was a collaborative bridge.
The animation pipeline followed the standard Japanese industry workflow. We’re talking about the specific way frames are timed and the "limited animation" techniques that give anime its distinct rhythm. If it looks like an anime and it’s drawn in a studio in Kichijoji, most people are just going to call it an anime.
The "Western" Problem
Here is where the "no" crowd finds their ammunition. Scott Pilgrim isn’t a Japanese property. It was created by Bryan Lee O'Malley, a Canadian cartoonist. The original graphic novels were heavily inspired by manga—specifically the "slice of life" and "battle shonen" genres—but they are definitively Western indie comics.
The showrunners, O'Malley and BenDavid Grabinski, are North American. The script was written in English first. The voice acting was recorded by the original Hollywood cast before the Japanese dub was even a thing. In the traditional sense, anime is usually produced for a Japanese audience first and then exported. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off was a global play from day one.
Why the Definition is Shifting
The old-school definition of anime was simple: "Animation made in Japan." By that logic, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is an anime. Period.
But as the industry evolves, that definition is falling apart. We now have:
- Netflix Originals: Often funded by American money but produced by Japanese staff.
- Co-productions: Like Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, which is based on a Polish game but made by Studio Trigger.
- Style-mimics: Shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender (not anime) or Castlevania (made by Powerhouse Animation in Texas).
Most fans now use "anime" as a shorthand for a specific aesthetic and cultural vibe rather than a literal geography lesson. If you look at the opening credits of Takes Off, featuring the banger track "Bloom" by the Japanese band Necry Talkie, it feels indistinguishable from a seasonal hit on Crunchyroll.
A Remix of Genres
The show itself is a "remix." It’s not a straight adaptation of the books. It takes the tropes of a Japanese "isekai" or a "reincarnation" story and applies them to a Canadian slacker comedy. Because the creators are so deeply embedded in Japanese pop culture, the DNA of the show is a hybrid. It’s a Canadian story, told by American showrunners, through the lens of a Japanese visionary studio.
Is it a cartoon? Sure. Is it an anime? Also yes.
The Verdict for Your Watchlist
If you’re arguing with someone on Reddit, you can tell them that MyAnimeList (the gatekeeper of all gatekeepers) actually refused to list the show for a while because the "primary creative drivers" weren't Japanese. They’ve since softened on some of these rules, but the debate remains.
For the rest of us who just want to watch cool art, it doesn't really matter. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is a technical marvel that proves the "Western vs. Eastern" divide is basically dead in the streaming era. It’s a high-budget, hand-drawn project that respects the medium's Japanese roots while staying true to its Toronto indie-rock soul.
Practical Next Steps for Fans:
If you want to experience it the "most anime" way possible, try switching the audio to the Japanese dub. The legendary Fairouz Ai voices Ramona Flowers, and it completely changes the energy of the show. You’ll see very quickly how well the animation fits the Japanese voice acting, proving that Science SARU knew exactly what they were doing with the timing.
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Also, keep an eye on upcoming "Western-owned" projects at Science SARU and other Japanese studios. This isn't a one-off; it's the new blueprint for how international animation is going to look for the next decade.