Because at this point there is the new Netflix anime series, the live-action movie, the video game, and the original graphic novel/manga. All of which vary a bit in their details. Whatever your Scott flavor I’ve got you covered for Pilgrim-like content.
This one is going to mostly check the punk aesthetic box. Stab, Yuki, and Una are kind of losers like Scott, but they also want more and are willing to go the distance to get it. Pay careful attention to the art and details in this one for funny background events or pop culture deep cuts. There is substance here with a still developing mystery, but it’s very clear that Space Trash puts style first.
Mall Goth keeps it strictly grounded as the protagonist Liv Holme is at least somewhat based on the author’s real-life experiences, but there’s also no doubt that Scott on some level resembles his creator. Goth culture is more next door to the punk/indie vibes of Pilgrim, but it has the same pop culture love going for it and acknowledges the role that the media we consume plays in contributing to who we are. Romantic relationships past and present and the tangles they can cause us are all important plot points as well.
”Black Sheep” is the song most associated with Scott Pilgrim and Metric are the originators of that track. Though in the case of the movie, it’s performed by Brie Larson. That said it’s not on this album, it actually took a while for “Black Sheep” to make its way onto a proper Metric album. So, why Synthetica? This album is the one where Metric, for me, goes from a can listen to a must listen. I’m no music critic, but this is the album where it feels like the vibes finally coalesce into something bigger than any one song. The angst and struggle of self-discovery would still pair perfectly with a reading of the original source material.
I could put any Gorillaz album up here because even though no Gorillaz tracks have appeared in any Scott Pilgrim adaptation (so far) they occupy a very similar headspace. Starting off as its own indie rock/rap fusion thing, Gorillaz is at its heart a pop culture commentary. A fully synthetic band living in “the real world.” Gorillaz is at that same point on the axis as Scott Pilgrim as a fusion of reality and unreality. They clearly live in a crazy-pants universe, but it fits them like a glove, just like Scott is the ideal person to reside in his own unique take on reality.
Okay, I saved the true successor for last. Grand Slam Romance is in so many ways a spiritual successor to Scott Pilgrim, but make no mistake it stands on its own two legs. Mickey Monsoon lives in a world where the most important thing in the universe seems to be women’s softball. Oh, and there are Magical Girls, which everyone just kind of accepts as a thing that exists much like the fight scenes that Scott Pilgrim is famous for. Art is top-notch, humor is great, and there’s some real heart to be found here. If you want more Scott Pilgrim, this will give you a heaping helping with sides to boot.
