On it's surface the plot is a basic anime revenge story but it's told in really mature way. The characters are some of the deepest most will developed characters I've ever seen in ( the first season) an anime. It's also probably the most feminist (action) anime I've watched. It deals heavily with the place of women in feudal Japan and the women navigating it are great complex characters. The other main character is a disabled guy who while funny isn't played for jokes and is incredibly resourceful.
My only complaint with the show is sometimes the art is a little weird and there's a couple of scenes where the plot armor is a little heavy. Seriously give it a watch.
idk if they labeled scott pilgrim as one or not. they should have, just like mal should, it's literally an anime in every way one can imagine something being an anime. but that's an interesting counterpart to this sort of thing
I think there's an unresolved question about whether anime is an art style or a genre. Like you said, Scott Pilgrim feels like an anime but if you compare it to Graveyard of the Fireflies or something the two couldn't be more different. You can't say that they're the same genre, but you also can't say Graveyard isn't anime so... Idk. Seems to go back to vibes either way.