I’m a real sucker for nostalgic 1970s anime. You know, the kind with irrationally upbeat protagonists, beautifully hand-drawn settings and ultimate resolution of any problem that may befall the characters. Now, imagine running the incredibly violent and stressful Resident Evil 4 experience through that same pristine anime filter. Odd bedfellows, and yet it totally works.
If the animation in Capcom’s latest promotional effort for RE4 looks like something you’ve seen in a bygone era of Japanese entertainment (or in your wildest fever dreams), that’s no accident. Established in the late 1960s, Nippon Animation led the way in adapting classic stories into anime with a segment called Masterpiece Theater, which not only pumped out majestic Europe-based gems like Heidi, Girl of the Alps, and Dog of Flanders, but also gave its ambitious employee, Hayao Miyazaki, a chance to cut his teeth before launching Studio Ghibli.
So, here we are almost 50 years later, and Nippon Animation’s trademark visuals haven’t aged a day. If anything, their innocent charm paired with Resident Evil 4’s incredibly distressing content creates a fascinating contrast. Seeing grotesque characters that will haunt your dreams now playfully chasing the game’s main protagonist, Leon, across the screen is quite the unexpected delight. But this isn’t the first time Capcom has driven its Resident Evil franchise off the rails and onto a different vehicle.
In a marketing effort to promote Resident Evil Village, the game’s villains were given the song-and-dance treatment via a puppet show, in which you could enjoy melodious numbers like “Blood Painting Song”, sung by Lady Dimitrescu about well…you get the idea. By satirizing the game’s terrifying characters through an old-fashioned medium, Capcom does indeed take the fearsome sting out of the game. If that was the motivation for Nippon Animation’s latest iteration of Resident Evil, it certainly did the trick for me.
Within the anime’s short 56-second run-time, it was a genuine treat to see not just the chainsaw-wielding Dr. Salvador, but the tentacle-sprouting Colmillo and even the monster salamander Del Lago. The gang’s all here, but blatantly diminished and contained within a 1970s 2D aesthetic. It was a real trip down memory lane until the episode’s surreal turn reminded me that it was one big joke, service to both fans of the game and fans of anime in general.
Classic anime tropes abound, including an obligatory “chase” scene where the protagonist is comically pursued by the townsfolk, as well as a cheery melody introducing the title of the episode. However, the twist is what really juts out. In a nod to more modern—and surreal—anime, Leon’s “death” at the hands of a villager’s axe produces a rainbow that splits out of his head and sends him flying into the cosmos with a gang of Colmillo wolves at his side. Note the ax still lodged in his head! Excellent. No notes.
I, for one, can’t wait to watch gorgeous subsequent episodes, but moreover, I’m excited to see just what else Capcom has up its long sleeves for the Resident Evil IP. What’s next, an interpretive dance featuring Ada Wong’s doppelgänger?
