Capcom has released a hilarious new collaboration / ad campaign for Resident Evil 4 Remake, with the last company you would expect.
That company would be Nippon Animation most famous as studio behind the World Masterpiece Theatre series. For those not in the know, these were a series of anime from the 1970s up until the 1990s, that were based on classic Western works of children’s literature. That would include staples like Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, Tom Sawyer, Peter Pan, and even The Story of the Trapp Family Singers, the book that would eventually be adapted as the musical The Sound of Music.
The World Masterpiece Theatre anime had a few conventions that weirdly, very weirdly, fit in with Resident Evil 4. I know that doesn’t sound credible at all, but give me a minute here, as this is the context that people who didn’t grow up on those anime need.
While they sometimes broke these rules, in general Nippon based their World Masterpiece Theatre anime on books that fit these rules:
- The lead character has no family.
- The theme of the book and the anime is family as well.
- There’s an animal character, usually the pet of the lead.
- The setting is a real town or city.
- The setting is between the 19th century and the ending of World War 2.
- No royalty.
So, for this little commercial, Capcom subverted some of the tropes of their own anime, to humorous intent. In fact, the trailer bears a passing resemblance to some elements of the World Masterpiece Theatre anime. Particularly notable is how Leon is drawn to look like Nello from the 1975 show Dog of Flanders. While Nello had a loyal dog who stayed with him until the end, the dog in this trailer is, shall we say, a completely different beast.
Furthermore, while Nello faces indifference from the people in Antwerp, Leon doesn’t quite find even normal townspeople in Valdelobos.
The way this commercial is designed certainly makes it look like there will be even more commercials in the future to make this faux World Masterpiece Theatre show even more entertaining. Whether that’s happening or not, the kids who grew up with World Masterpiece Theatre and Resident Evil, in Japan and all around the world, are going to enjoy this little treat.
Resident Evil 4 Remake will be releasing on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam, on March 24, 2023. You can watch the whole thing below.
