[Hollywood to Anime] Like Scott Pilgrim vs. The World? Watch These Anime!

9:00 AM May 11, 2019

Anime Recommendations [Article Category]
Comedy Anime, Shounen Anime, Romance Anime, School Anime, Seinen Anime [Genres]
Saiki Kusuo no Psi nan (The Disastrous Live of Saiki K.), Koi wa Ameagari no You ni (After the Rain) [Anime Title]

Honey’s Anime Pickup,

Joshua M

Saiki-Kusuo-no-Ψ-nan-dvd-225x350 [Hollywood to Anime] Like Scott Pilgrim vs. The World? Watch These Anime!

Based on the graphic novel series by Bryan Lee O’Malley, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World tells the tale of Scott Pilgrim, an average 20-something living in the mysterious land of downtown Toronto in a basement apartment with his roommate named Kevin. Life seems normal and bland, he plays in a band called the Sex Bob-ombs and has a steady high school girlfriend named Knives Chau. All of this changes when he meets the colorful Ramona Flowers at a house party. As he and Ramona begin dating, Scott must face the uneasy reality that he must defeat Ramona’s seven evil exes if he wants them to truly be together. In the spirit of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World’s colourful and awkward nature, we wanted to highlight two anime which exemplify these same qualities.

Like Scott Pilgrim vs. The World? Watch Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.)

Episodes: 120
Aired: July 2016 – December 2016

Saiki Kusuo wishes to lead a normal and perfectly boring life like everyone else while going to high school. Despite his desire for normalcy, he is cursed to have been born with spectacular psychic abilities that make the impossible possible. These incredible powers attract incredible circumstances and strange individuals. Saiki must reluctantly take on these daily challenges while continuing to keep his powers hidden.

Major Similarities Between Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and Saiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.)

1. The Ridiculous and the Unexplained

In Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Scott is faced with various powerful exes with unexplained and over-the-top abilities like summoning demons, creating a twin-headed dragon from music, or rock stars harnessing psychic powers fueled by a vegan diet. While Saiki may not face the same problems as Scott, Saiki’s life is just as over-the-top and cartoonish as his. When you have the ability to teleport anywhere, move objects with your mind, read people’s thoughts, and fly, all with absolutely no explanation for any of it, that is a bit ridiculous.

2. Soft-spoken Protagonist Who Minds His Own Business

Scott Pilgrim is not a very extroverted individual, he doesn’t have a life-of-the-party attitude and normally keeps to himself, his girlfriend, and his band. The same could be said in some respects for Saiki, who doesn’t appear to speak at all, instead resorting to some form of telepathy to communicate. Much like Scott’s conflict with Ramona’s Exes, Saiki wants nothing to do with the several strange figures and idiots that keep popping into his life.

Like Scott Pilgrim vs. The World? Watch Koi wa Ameagari no You ni (After the Rain)

Episodes: 12
Aired: January 2018 – March 2018

Former track star Akira Tachibana spends her days floating through high school, staying away from interested boys, and working a part-time waitressing job. All seems normal except that she harbors a huge crush for her manager who happens to be a 45-year-old divorced man named Masami Kondou. How will Akira circumvent the difference in age and take a step toward admitting her true feelings? How will Masami react once he knows the truth?

Major Similarities Between Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and Koi wa Ameagari no You ni (After the Rain)

1. Strange Relationship

Ramona Flowers, while the focus of the story, is not the only love interest in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. There is also a girl named Knives Chau who happens to be 17-years-old in high school. While the age difference between Scott and Knives is not as big as the age difference between Masami and Akira, one can’t help but raise an eyebrow about the appropriateness of a relationship between a minor and an adult. A point that Scott’s bandmates don’t let him forget and one that Masami is all too aware of.

2. Self-actualization Through Romance

Akira and Masami’s relationship is one born out of either a need or curiosity to fulfill a certain part of oneself. For Akira, it appears to be satisfying an infatuation for the qualities that Masami has, particularly his kind and gentle nature not seen by many boys Akira’s age. In regards to Masami, he is well aware of the age gap and feels a sort of melancholy longing for his youth seeing Akira as a testament to that which he no longer has. In a similar regard, Scott Pilgrim falls in love with not simply the mysteriousness of Ramona Flowers, but her self-confidence as well. Only at the end of the film do we see that what saves Scott Pilgrim in the end is when he discovers his own self-confidence and self-respect.

Final Thoughtsn

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is a peculiar film filled with strange characters and an even stranger premise. We hope the anime recommended here are able to encapsulate the colourful and dynamic themes that make Scott Pilgrim vs. The World such a modern cult classic.

Writer

Author: Joshua M

I’m an avid anime fan and writer born and living in Toronto, Canada. When I’m not watching or writing about anime, I write poetry and short stories. I’m currently working towards my Post-Graduate Diploma in Publishing and work in the child and youth mental health sector. I thoroughly enjoy Fantasy RPGs and other story driven games, comics, and I’m a big fan of Dungeons and Dragons.

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