heckbrain

I apologize for the exaggeration; it's really not that bad. I bring up the CW comparison only to highlight the fact that nearly all the changes made to the source material are simplistic and generic, seemingly made to follow in the steps of the dystopian Young Adult boom that exploded in the decades since the book was penned. The crazy thing is that I haven't even read the book. I could just tell when something was changed, because the story would go from interesting and well-written to...well, not that.

On a positive note, the casting is great. The actors truly bring a lot of passion to the mixed bag of material they're given. The effects are pretty good too, as the sterilized aesthetic of their society communicates the tight construct that the characters are meant to participate in. Overall, this isn't a bad show. Despite the missteps, I was invested in each of the characters and their ever-changing relationships. It's a shame there won't be second season, especially considering the big narrative swings taken towards the end.

Warning: what I'm about to say next is going to make me seem like the biggest hater on the planet, but I want to clarify that I do think this show is impressive and I'm ultimately glad it exists.

Here's my problem: At no point in the two seasons was I convinced that the writers knew where this story was going. I'm fully aware that I sound exactly like the type of person that this show is critiquing (specifically in the first season), but the mysteries that the writers lay out and the bits of lore that it chooses to share with the audience are quite often contradictory or forgotten between seasons, and no amount of Brit Marling charm is going to gloss that over for me. I can absolutely admit that this is a personal hang-up for me, as plenty of people can ignore imperfect plotting for strong characters, which this show has plenty of, but in a show that's so meticulously (slow) paced, I would have preferred to see a better mystery-to-payoff ratio that what we got.

If these seem like the ramblings of a nonbeliever, let me present my smoking gun: Season 1 sets up a pretty tight mystery unfolding in two timelines, and ultimately leaves the audience wondering if you can trust the narrator on what was real or not; just as the supporting characters have been wondering throughout the season. Clever, right? Season 2, on the other hand, begins with about 5 new mysteries and completely abandons the sense of ambiguity that Season 1 so carefully built. There is a marked improvement in presentation, but the connective tissue between the seasons hangs by a shred of sinew.

In a perfect alternate universe, the OA would have five full seasons to tell its story to completion, but we ain't in that universe. If you want strong characters and an engaging romance, you should absolutely check out the OA. Honestly, the creative team did a fantastic job with both of those. If you want your "mystery box" questions answered in a satisfying way, maybe watch a different show.

At this point I think we all know the big twist that happens at the beginning of the series, but I'm going to do my best to remain spoiler-free regardless. Unlike a lot of the more reactionary, incel-adjacent (yeah I said it) negative reviews of this show, I actually whole-heartedly support the decision to flip the narrative in this way.

We already have three great versions of this Canadian coming-of-age story, did we really need another straightforward retelling? The answer is no. If you want the classic Pilgrim story then go read the graphic novel, now available in gorgeous color. Go watch the Edgar Wright movie that is way better than it has any right to be. Hell, go play the video game with a couple of friends over the weekend. It's been done, and done well. Considering the fact that nearly two decades have passed since this story came out, using the basic framework of Scott Pilgrim as a means to converse with its own legacy was an inspired approach. My problem is not with the idea, but with how it was executed.

Disclaimer: I watched this show in English. I have to start with this because after watching a few clips in Japanese, I genuinely feel like it was the intended viewing experience. The jokes land with more consistency and the Japanese voice acting much better fits the expressiveness that animation studio Science SARU brings to the table. This is a shame, since one of the original selling points was all the English actors from the live-action move returning for this adaptation, and I imagine that many people also watched this inferior version as a result.

While the awkward English voice acting and pacing definitely affected my overall score, my main issue is with the exploration of the side-characters, which is unfortunately the main draws of this reimagining. You've been reading for this long so I'll just get to the point: I don't feel that the characters are represented in a way that meaningfully adds to or develops the original story. The balance between abstract video game logic and heartfelt character moments that worked so well in the original comic is just completely off here, leading to an unfocused story that never reaches the comedic heights of the movie or the emotional depth of the comics. Ramona's character is probably the most successful, but even her story lacks the clear definition of Scott's original character arc.

Long story short, whatever magic that bound together the disparate ideas of the original story into an impactful experience are missing here, and given the intention, it's a darn shame.