Kawaii Chainsaw-kun!
Capcom has a very interesting way of designing their franchises. They do campiness very well. There are “serious” franchises, like Resident Evil, which have mature subject matter, but find a way to insert their own brand of goofy. In promotion of the Resident Evil 4 Remake, Capcom is putting together an anime.
This short anime mini-series is a complete contrast to the game. While Resident Evil 4 is dark, gritty, and violent. The anime is the exact opposite. The first episode is just under a minute long. Its intro has Leon and Ashley encountering a cute dog before finding out it is infected with Las Plagas. The two then get chased off by various villagers and iconic enemies from the game, cutely.
In episode 1, “Looking for Ashley”, Leon searches for Ashley and asks for directions from the villagers. After several infected villagers offer no help, Leon catches one of their axes in the head. Rainbows pop out of his head and Leon flies into space with a halo hovering above him. Needless to say, this is the most out of place You Are Dead screen in the series.
While this anime short is indeed a very strange tie-in, it probably isn’t even the weirdest Resident Evil product. There are First Aid drinks, Resident Evil colognes, and perhaps the wildest, live-action films. Hopefully, Capcom reimagines the whole game into the anime mini-series.
Resident Evil 4 Remake will be out this week. It will be available on PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. The Chainsaw Demo is also available to play. Be sure to also check out our review.
Do you like the tonal shift in this short video? Let us know in the comments below.