Last thing about Scott Pilgrim I swear
Scott Pilgrim: Further Reading Etc.
Hello everyone! This is the first installment of a series I’m calling Further Reading Etc. where I talk about adaptions and fanfictions about a previous book/series I have reviewed and give mini-reviews on them! I don’t think this series will happen that often cause I am very depressed and I also can’t publish these on my schools newspaper like my other reviews but we’ll see
Let's get into it with Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)
The film reflects the comedy, comic art style, and surreal pacing of the original comics. So much so that I can see why people who didn’t read the comic wouldn’t like the movie. The first half of the movie where it covers the first 3 volumes almost copies the volumes exactly, a bit more compacted. In fact, the movie was in development since the first volume was completed so they were constantly influencing each other. This ended up with some of the dialogue feeling more awkward in the film whereas it felt witty in the comic because of how they are formatted respectively.
The movie also follows volumes 4-6 more loosely with a different ending compared to the comic. When it comes to characters I feel that Scott had a lot more focus compared to the minor characters. Of course, he is the main character, but the end of the movie focused more on Scott becoming a better person rather than him AND Ramona becoming good people together. As well as putting Knives final development where she moves on from Scott at the very end of the film after Scott told her he cheated on her. And Stephen and Kim’s development (along with Kim’s importance to Scott) is absent from the film. I understand the limited time frame of movies compared to comics but I do feel this is the main area where the movie is lacking compared to the comic series. The message of becoming a better person for the people you love and growing with them was stronger in the comics compared to the self-respect message of the movie, which felt like it ignored its message until the very end. Speaking of Ramona, although she does still love Scott she is colder in the movie compared to the comics. Which still fit her character but it did make their relationship feel less enjoyable to watch.
In conclusion, the movie is an enjoyable watch for fans of the comics, but the comics' better-executed dialogue and character development make it arguably better than the movie. That being said I would definitely recommend any movie fans to read the comics as well.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World the Game:
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World the Game is a 2D slide scrolling beat ‘em up published in 2010, got de-listed in 2014, then got re-released in 2021 with the DLC already installed. It follows the same plot as the comic series with the exception of getting to play different characters and each character has its own ending.
This game is only $15 to buy which is a really good price for the amount of replay value this game has. And it has an excellent soundtrack by the chiptune band Anamanaguchi…which I did not realize until I finished the game and looked it up for more information. Realizing I missed out I am currently listening to the soundtrack while writing this review and man I really missed out. The main flaw of the game is that it is pretty glitchy, not so much that the game is unplayable but I personally encountered 3 on my first play-through. The first time I beat Lucas Lee the game froze, and for the other 2 I got stuck in a shop and was unable to exit to the map. I found many posts about glitches while seeing if there were fixes to these issues and I’m surprised that Ubisoft did not fix any of these glitches for the re-release. Also, I didn’t like how many of the female sprites were animated as their breasts had exaggerated movement which I found objectifying.
The game isn’t a must-play even for fans of the series since it doesn’t add much besides adding a bit more to Kim and Knives' relationship since Kim’s ending does end with them getting together and Knives assist to Kim is a kiss that heals her and stuns enemies. Which would’ve been cute if their relationship was explored more in the comic but it feels cheap here. On the bright side it does make Kim and Knives seem more sapphic and like their kiss in the comic wasn’t just a drunk mistake, so at least fans can’t doubt that they are queer. Overall I would suggest the game if you’re a fan of the series, of beat ‘em ups or want a new game that is cheap. But It’s not a necessary play and you're going to encounter quite a few glitches.
sleep in the heat (and repeat)
Sleep in the heat (and repeat) is a 20k word Wallace Wells/Scott Pilgrim fic posted by jetpacks on AO3 about the development of Wallace and Scott's relationship and an exploration of Scott’s mental health after he broke up with Envy Adams. The story is single-chaptered but told in twenty vignettes. This fic had a realistic depiction of a break-up and depression as well as a sweet love story with slight conflict and witty banter between characters. It’s a perfect mix of fluff and angst that can be hard to achieve. And its depiction of depression was something I really appreciated as a depressed person as someone who has depressive symptoms. How much Wallace wanted to support Scott during his darkest hour was really heartwarming, although they have some struggles Scott and Wallace’s relationship is really healthy and I think people could learn how to support depressed people from this fic. It also contains talks about having feelings for a previous partner in a way that is realistic to what people would feel in a real-life monogamous relationship but isn’t amatonormative. The author’s depiction of Scott and Wallace was true to cannon and you could feel why they fell in love with the character's descriptions of their partner. I’m personally not a big Wallace/Scott shipper but I still really liked this fic so I would recommend this fic to any other Wallace/Scott shippers. The fic does start with some vomiting and it includes the f slur in a reclaimed way so if that triggers you, I wouldn’t recommend this fic. But other wise it was a really sweet read.
Kim Pine’s Precious Little Knives
Kim Pine’s Precious Little Knives is a 65k Kim Pine/Knives Chau fic on AO3 that takes place a year after the events of the cannon and is told from Kim’s perspective. Since Scott left Kim to have his happily ever after with Ramona, Kim’s life has been pretty bland. That is until she is reunited with Knives Chau who becomes determined to become her friend. And what starts out as tolerating the company developes into feeling incomplete with out Knives. They do get together after a few chapters but then the story isn’t over yet because Kim needs to learn how to be in a relationship. Capturing the comedic vibe of Scott Pilgrim in a fic is difficult due to it being a comic that relies on the comic style heavily to tell jokes but this fic captured that energy in a new Pine way perfectly, It feels like it could be a real sequel to the series with its tone and exploration of characters. This fic also contains Knives being a trans girl and both characters questioning their sexualities after falling in love. This fic does address these pretty interestingly, Kim’s reaction to Knives’ Identity is realistic for a lot of cis people. She is really surprised but she loves Knives no matter what and tries to learn how to be a good ally for her, but she makes a lot of mistakes while learning. By the end of the fic she basically has it down but it is a bit hard as a trans person to have to read the transphobia, even if its shown as bad and the character is growing from it. And there is a scene that is a continuation of the makeout scene in vol.4 where Kim does do some sexual stuff with a still 17 year old Knives while both were drunk and says some insensitive things during it. What happened is referred to as bad and they grow healthy boundaries and understanding from reflecting on this but it can be difficult to read and possibly triggering to readers. They do question their sexuality and some of what they say/think well questioning is a little bit homophobic but still realistic for someone struggling with internalized homophobia well questioning. They both say they are bisexual by the end of the story but it is in the final smut chapter. Also the tags include ‘asexuality spectrum’ which refers to Kim questioning if she is ace since she would be fine dating Knives if they never had sex and referring to Knives as quasi-asexual because she doesn’t know if she wants to go all the way with Kim. No one explicitly says they are ace and Knives identity is a bit up to speculation. I am not going to review the smut scenes/chapters but I will say there are three light smut scenes in two chapters in the main story and a bonus smut chapter at the end. None of them have penetration and they also kinda contain foot fetish which isn’t tagged. I would recommend this fic if you wish Kim and Knives were explored in cannon, if you want to see realistic sexuality questioning and if you want to see a realistic Trans/cis relationship. But I wouldn’t recommend if you could get triggered by the slight transphobia and dubious consent certain chapters.
