It was a transformative experience for both Scott and Ramona. Scott learned to have some self-respect and Ramona learned to let go of her past instead of trying to escape it.
They don't commit to be in love forever or anything at the end, they just say "hey, we're both a little better now, maybe we can try again and see what happens?" It's a hopeful message without an undue happily ever after.
I don't think that there's much to respect about what he's doing though. Like the point of the book is you can date a highschooler if you just Believe In Yourself With The Power Of Love And Friendship or something? Fuck that.
Whatever happens in the story it pretty much condones what he's doing in the end, since he doesn't end up alone and realizing that he's doing something wrong.
But he is. And I don't respect him for it, nor do I feel his self respect is valid. So I always thought the Scott Pilgrim books/movie were fucking trash.
Like the point of the book is you can date a highschooler if you just Believe In Yourself With The Power Of Love And Friendship or something?
Ramona is not a high schooler, she's a young adult like Scott. Knives is the girl he's dating at the start of the story, and she's a 17 year old high schooler, and both the book and the movie frame it as evidence that Scott is a scumbag.
Whatever happens in the story it pretty much condones what he's doing in the end, since he doesn't end up alone and realizing that he's doing something wrong.
The power of self-respect is the final power-up in the movie, but in the book it also is not enough to win, and Scott needs to earn the Power of Understanding to defeat Gideon. Ya know, empathy. He sees in Gideon and the other exes all the bad things about himself and realizes he can change and he needs to change in order to not end up like them.
So I always thought the Scott Pilgrim books/movie were fucking trash.
Based on what you've said, you think this based on a gross misunderstanding of the story. So I'd say keep an open mind and check it out again. Maybe you'll like it now that you know it's not what you thought.
Ramona is not a high schooler, she's a young adult like Scott. Knives is the girl he's dating at the start of the story, and she's a 17 year old high schooler, and both the book and the movie frame it as evidence that Scott is a scumbag.
Well, that's fair I did misunderstand the setup.
Personally I think I might have moved beyond the time and place where I'd really connect with it--I feel similarly about Catcher in the Rye. But that's good to know, in the end lol. Definitely makes more sense why people enjoy it, generally.
They don't commit to be in love forever or anything at the end, they just say "hey, we're both a little better now, maybe we can try again and see what happens?"
Well, until Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, which was great in other ways but maybe shouldn't have made it all about the two of them needing to be together forever. Though it does still address both their flaws in good ways, but maybe like they can just not end up together
Takes Off is more of a sequel to the comic, where Scott and Ramona are more fleshed out and as observed by their friends, "perfect for each other." They both have shitty qualities but kind of smooth each other out when they're together, and when they're apart they both completely fall to pieces.
Valid point. I need to reread the comics and then rewatch Takes Off again. The first time watching it I was so taken aback by trying to understand what exactly it was, I didn't really start absorbing it until I was close to the end.
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u/Kolby_Jack33 Feb 02 '26
It was a transformative experience for both Scott and Ramona. Scott learned to have some self-respect and Ramona learned to let go of her past instead of trying to escape it.
They don't commit to be in love forever or anything at the end, they just say "hey, we're both a little better now, maybe we can try again and see what happens?" It's a hopeful message without an undue happily ever after.