Dec 5, 2023

Scott Pilgrim, Taking Off: How a fusion of Western and Eastern influences produced the most distinctive animated series of the year.

Netflix has posted a video showing a behind-the-scenes look at "Scot Pilgrim Takes Off". In the video, showrunners Brian Lee O'Malley and Ben David Grabinski, who created the comic and series, visit the Japanese animation studio Science Sal.

In the video, O'Malley talks about his excitement when Netflix approached him with the idea of adapting Scott Pilgrim into an animated series.

"Animation had a huge impact on me; from the age of 17 to 20, animation was my favorite thing. I was obsessed with anime." I went to a lot of conventions. I was a fanboy."

Although he was an avid fan when he was younger, O'Malley never thought he would be involved in an animation project.

"It wasn't even a dream, it was beyond a dream, an impossible dream. 'Now here I am, in Tokyo, working with Science Sal. ...... It's hard to believe, but it's true."

For O'Malley and Grabinski, Science Sal felt like a perfect fit from the moment they joined the project. The studio has worked on feature films such as "Luover the Wall" and "The Dog King," as well as series such as "Devil Man Cry Baby," "Star Wars: Vision," and "Adventure Time."

"They have a very cinematic approach to animation. They don't want to be generic and clichéd," says O'Malley.

"I feel that way about my art too, so they fit us very well."

According to Grabinksi, he has been a fan of Science Monkeys ever since he saw the Adventure Time episode "Food Chain."

"I thought it was pushing the boundaries of what a commercial, accessible animated show could be," he explains.

"When I learned they were interested in the show, it felt like the most exciting thing I could do with this property."

A significant portion of the behind-the-scenes video is devoted to examining how the unique fusion of Western comics and Japanese animation studios created something fresh.

In the video, Abel Gongora, director of "Science Monkey," says, "I think the style is very special because it's based on comics, but also has touches of anime and Japanese designers. It's a very beautiful mix of both. Of course, the comic is not similar to other anime projects, because it is a Western one."

Character designer and chief animation director Masamichi Ishiyama is surprised that there have not been more crossovers like this in the past." When I heard that Science Sal was producing 'Scott Pilgrim,' I thought, 'Oh, we're finally doing an American comic book.'"

He added, "I'm not sure how long it will be before I get to do an American comic book."

Moko-chan, who directed the show's third episode, added, "I was really surprised by the innovative fusion of Japanese anime-like expressions and American comic expressions. The characters are cute and the movement style is interesting. I thought it would definitely be something interesting to animate in Japan."[31