They Were More than Roommates: An Analysis of Ramona’s Growth in Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023-)

Fig. 1 - Ramona and Roxie in Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023-).

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023-) is an anime adaptation of the original graphic novel by Bryan Lee O’Malley and directed by Abel Góngora, released in November 2023. One of the many adaptations of the original story, Góngora’s retelling shifts its focus to its female lead, Ramona Flowers while featuring a new narrative of forgiveness and reconciliation with past relationships. However, each adaptation’s portrayal of the story features the same central message, that of growth in the face of life’s challenges and imperfect people making questionable or wrong decisions, but later growing and taking responsibility for the consequences of these decisions. The narrative of forgiveness makes for a beautiful message that better reflects reality than most other romance series, and it is these qualities that make Scott Pilgrim Takes Off so unique and well-loved for drawing connections with its audience. In this blog post, I focus on how the development of Ramona’s character in Scott Pilgrim Takes Off supports the overall narrative of the animated series, focusing specifically on how the themes of reconciliation and accountability for past actions are supported by visuals and music within certain scenes from episode three (titled "Ramona Rents a Video"). I also delve into how the handling of Ramona and Roxie’s relationship is presented across the anime series as a reflection of reality, and how this is further supported by the portrayal of Ramona’s character and her approach to her past relationship (Fig. 1). As the only queer relationship Ramona had been in out of her six other exes, Roxie stands out above the rest, and the characters’ interaction will be compared to the original graphic novel and earlier movie adaptation to show how the series noticeably start to address Ramona’s relationship with Roxie Richter, her fourth ex.

Video 1 - Scott Pilgrim meets Ramona Flowers.

In the series, much like several of the other adaptations, the story begins with the protagonist, average bass player yet strangely great fighter, Scott Pilgrim meeting a beautiful and mysterious girl in his dreams, Ramona Flowers, claiming she is in fact the girl of his dreams too (Video 1). After meeting in real life their romance ensues. However, this is also where the story’s main conflict begins as Ramona’s exes arrive on the scene to take back her love in a series of videogame style street fights. After Scott supposedly dies after losing his first fight to Ramona’s first exe, Matthew Patel, the spotlight shifts to Ramona, as she steps out on a gut feeling and a dream to both find who kidnapped Scott confronting her main suspect (the evil exes).

One of the ways that this story expand on the messages of the graphic novel is by focusing on its female lead Ramona Flowers, peeling back the emotional and behavioral layers that she does not freely display. The exploration of these elements of her character was a creative choice well supported by O’Malley and brainstormed with other creator BenDavid Grabinski, who noted in an interview that “The idea of Ramona having to interact with the past that she’s run away from, and figuring out more about herself and the decisions she’s made through that process, was something that felt dramatically interesting” (qtd. in Wilkinson). Grabinski also stated that this adaptation’s main purpose was to turn the spotlight and allow Ramona that space to learn and grow, “Because when she’s on the sideline and Scott’s fighting her ex, and then the ex is defeated, how much can she grow from that? Centering Ramona in those conflicts felt like a great device to use a mystery structure, and to ultimately have her learn more about herself” (qtd. in Wilkinson). This latest Netflix adaptation thus addresses something that many fans have made comment about before, namely the lack of exploration of her character.

Video 2 - Ramona explains that she was "college roommates” with Roxie.

Video 3 - Ramona reveals she is "a little bi-curious" in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Edgar Wright, 2010)/

Meanwhile, the character of Roxie is sympathized with by the audience for the immediate dismissal of her relationship with Ramona in every version of the story, with Ramona minimising the value of their relationship in every encounter with Roxie’s character. In the series Ramona’s explanation for knowing Roxie is “We were college roommates” and reluctantly revealing that they were more than that with Roxie’s objection in the episode (Video 2). Roxie is the first ex to be reconciled with, as the conflict between the two of them represents the relationship that the world has with homosexuality, more specifically queer relationships between women. Ramona views her relationship with Roxie as purely a form of experimentation saying that she was “a little bi-curious” in the 2010 film adaptation (Video 3), a dismissal that recalls how the media’s “frequent portrayal of heteroflexibility may foster the relationship stereotype that lesbianism is merely an “experimental phase” rather than a valid relationship” (Annati 2020, 8). Though not often spoken about in such direct terms, this description of lesbian relationships is extremely unfair to the other party. The reconciliation of Ramona and Roxie’s past relationship - unlike the series’ other adaptations - directly addresses this way of thinking and shows what Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is all about in its themes of personal growth and forgiveness.

Video 4 - Roxie makes her case.

Video 5 - “That is so unfair! You’re just impossible to talk to!”

Before the fight between the warring exes begins, Roxie attempts to make her case about why she should win Ramona’s love back, as this is the main reason the exes all chose to fight Scott. This scene is accompanied by water falling from the sprinklers much like rain (Video 4) as if to signal the calm before the storm, and this is further supported by the somewhat eerie and quiet music as a cue to the brewing tensions. As Roxie states her claim to being better equipped than the other exes for her emotional intelligence, Ramona makes a comment that she is as clueless as the boys. Roxie then retorts that, “That is so unfair! You’re just impossible to talk to!” (Video 5). This exchange draws parallel to Ramona’s behaviour in the original graphic novel whenever she falls into conflict with Scott. She avoids talking about the issue and her feelings in favour of silence, whereas the 2023 animated adaptation makes Ramona confront more emphatically her mishandled relationship with Roxie instead of treating it like a passing fling.

Video 6 - Roxie asks Ramona if she is going to run away again.

Video 7 - The tearful fistfight.

The vicious fight that ensues after this discussion is serves as metaphor for the frustration and hurt feelings held by Roxie, which are emotions revealed at the climax of the fight where Roxie asks Ramona if she is going to run away again (Video 6). The music shifts from the Western showdown-style meant to symbolise Roxie’s frustration to a sombre song as Ramona reflects on what was said and her relationship with Roxie, and it is at this apex of musical symbolism that the fight falls into a tearful fist fight between the two of them (Video 7). The scene changes and the viewer are led into a literal falling action as a plane engine blowing up signals the start of Ramona making amends for how she mistreated Roxie in the past. A sad melody then accompanies the flashback of Ramona leaving Roxie without a word (Video 8). This is again something that the original novel and other adaptations never touched on, and it is instead left as a mystery to the viewer despite the implication of lingering feelings to some degree from both parties in the fourth novel, where there includes leading gestures of affection.

Video 8 - The flashback of Ramona leaving Roxie.

Video 9 - Ramona apologises to Roxie.

The music that plays in this sequence adds to the remorse that Ramona feels for leaving the way she did. She apologizes and attempts to express her feelings with Roxie explaining her own fears of facing Roxie in the end (Video 9). In comparison to how Ramona played with Roxie’s feelings in the fourth novel, this is a major moment for both the story and Ramona by allowing the two characters to find closure. It is a touching scene that cannot be found in other versions of the series, one that allows Ramona to become a better person by seeing the way she has hurt Roxie, and later calls upon these moments of realization and healing to treat others and herself better in the future.

Fig. 2 - Ramona and Roxie.

In a fantastical fight packed with so many emotions, what could possibly be viewed as catty and comically serious in another medium in animation allows the scene to be a moment of understanding for the viewer to see the growth of these characters in a way that earlier adaptations fell short. Displayed in its symbolism and expressive action that would otherwise be difficult to depict from a tonal standpoint, animation bridges the gap of believability, meaning that the topic of Ramona’s continued dismissal of her previous relationship with Roxie can be explored and the series can allow Ramona to see and realize that she has hurt Roxie. Along with the animated visuals, the dialogue becomes the backbone of this story since it allows characters like Roxie to express how they got to this moment in time instead of villainizing them. The sequence also demonstrates that the relationship between the two characters went wrong with equal amounts of blame, allowing the audience to find meaning in their connection and understand their emotional link on a deeper level. It is moments like this one that properly portray the struggles and moments of growth that can be found in everyday relationships that make this story so successful.

**Article published: June 7, 2024**

References

Annati, Arienne. 2020. “The Frequency of Stereotypical Media Portrayals and Their Effects on the Lesbian Community,” Bridgewater State University (May 12, 2020) available at: vc.bridgew.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1312&context=honors_proj.

O’Malley, Bryan Lee. 2013. Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together. Portland, Oregon: Oni Press.

Wilkinson, Amy. 2023. “All About Ramona Flowers, the Real Hero of ‘Scott Pilgrim Takes Off.’” Netflix (November 17, 2023), available at: https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/scott-pilgrim-takes-off-ramona-flowers.

Biography

Jada Carter is a student at the University of Texas at Dallas, Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology. Her focus is on Lighting & Composition and Audio, but she is also a contemporary artist and writer that loves to make art in its various forms. Earlier versions of this text were developed with the help of Dr. Christine Veras and peers from the Animation Studies course.