On the whole, the Scott Pilgrim series is really just one big satire of the video games of past generations. While the characters and the actions these characters take to enhance the plot are very interesting and far above other satirical works, the world that these characters inhabit and the base plotline is nothing more than a Super Nintendo game. The very concept isn’t really that much more deep or intellectual than a bad beat-em up game, but how these events are used to express the inner personalities of the characters is subtle and brilliant.

The first volume is the expository section of the story. While it does have some good jokes and introduces the circumstances that the characters have to deal with very well, there really isn’t much in here to dwell on. The sudden shift from a John Hughes style story into an epic, rhyming Street Fighter battle is a shocking twist for the end of the volume that leads into the rest of the series and is absolutely hilarious. It flies at you like a punch in the face and is just accepted by all the characters, which adds to the comedic element of the situation.

The second volume does more in establishing the back stories of the characters. It opens up with a memory from Scott’s high-school life and sheds more light on his relationship with Kim and her character in general. The foreshadowing done with the Clash at Demonhead and Envy Adams is very well put together and doesn’t feel that forced from the main plotline, or that it comes out of nowhere, especially with the tie in to the seven evil ex-boyfriends at the end of the volume. We learn more about Ramona’s unfaithful personality and what exactly Scott is getting into with these boss battles. We start to see Ramona more as a person, and not just as a prize for Scott to win at the end of the series. In a similar light, we start to see Scott as a real person as well, learning more about his past and little tics that start to construct him into a well-rounded character. We see that he’s not just some generic hero and he’s dealing with some actual baggage, which is how he can relate to Ramona on a deeper level and wants to fight for her. We understand his drive and want him to succeed, which is very disappointing when we see the struggles he goes through later in the series.

The third volume is really Envy’s volume. Well, at least Envy and Scott’s volume. The first time I read the back story for their relationship, I could relate to it so much. The element of the girl becoming more and more distant to the guy as time goes on has been used and reused in countless stories, but the way it’s written in this combined with the pacing gives such a great feeling of realism to the entire story that just made me cry like a baby. (Which, if you know me, isn’t really saying much because I’m a massive pussy. But still, that has to count for something). I also love the karmic revenge that Envy gets at the end of the volume. This volume in particular shows the amazing pacing of the entire series. While things do happen very quickly and the events in the plot build up faster than a pile of cheetah vomit, it never really feels rushed. Everything flows very smoothly which is very comforting to the reader in that, while it is unusually unexpected where the plot is going, it’s never jarring.

The fourth volume is a return to the slice of life feel that the beginning of the first volume had. While the fight scenes with Roxy are very visually interesting and comically golden, the real focus of this book is the real problems that Scott, Ramona, and the rest of the main cast have to deal with throughout. This volume is about the past coming back to haunt you, really echoing the feel of the last book. The title also rings true in the fact that Scoot really is getting it together. He finally uses “the L-word” with Ramona, he gets a job, and Sex Bob-Omb starts to record an album. This volume provides a new hope to Scott Pilgrim which was absent during the previous books.

If Scott Pilgrim Gets it Together is the New Hope of the Scott Pilgrim saga, then Scott Pilgrim vs. The Universe is the Empire Strikes Back of the series. This is the most down-trodden and depressing volume in the series. But, like most of the series, the sudden change in tone isn’t very shocking and feels like it fits well with the rest of the volumes. Ramona having an existential crisis while also dealing with the reveal that Scott cheated on her with Knives, the restlessness that the band is going through while recording an album, and having to fight two evil ex boyfriends at once all coming down on Scott really makes us sympathize with him while also revealing more of his asshole side, which makes him a more well-rounded and realistic character in the process. This is the low point in the Scott Pilgrim series, and not in the way that it is the worst in the series. It’s just the saddest.

So now, we have finally come to the end of the Scott Pilgrim series. The 6th volume. The last in the epic saga. AND… it was meh. That’s all I really have to say about it. While this and the Scott Pilgrim film cemented Gideon Graves as one of my all time favorite villains, I never really liked Finest Hour as much as the other volumes. It was a good ending to the series, and the last few pages are freaking beautiful, but it just felt rushed and like not a lot of effort was put into the ending of it.

Scott Pilgrim is an amazing series, which I would recommend to anybody who wants a good comic to read, or even a good first comic to read. This is just a theory, but if you would want to start reading comics as a huge manga/anime fan, I think that this would be an amazing series to start with, since, in the words of dream Scott, “It’s cool like anime”. Amazing series. Buy It Right Now!

Peace; Love; Empathy,

~Alaska

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