Space Adventure Cobra

A groundbreaking sci-fi anime released in 1982 and created by Buichi Terasawa (Astro Boy and Golgo 13), Space Adventure Cobra is now as sadly dated as the randy swashbuckler's wardrobe.

Cobra is an intergalactic gigolo who seems to manage to bed what seems to be half the galaxy (well at least three sisters) on his never-ending quest to defeat the Vader-like Crystal Boy. The Star Wars parallels are shamefully apparent. The piece starts with a more than homage inducing: "A distant galaxy in a distant future" and quickly features an obvious lift of the cantina from Mos Eisley right down to the band in albeit a more rough around the edges "heavy metal" inspired way.

The movie itself is considered by purists non-canon. The true story of Cobra is far more reminiscent of Philip K. Dick's "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale" which was to become Total Recall. Space pirate Cobra is on the lam and is forced to hide by surgically altering his features and wiping his memory. Here Cobra is a vain blonde who scampers across the galaxy with his psycho gun (a mental energy launcher installed in his left arm) and his female mechanoid (bearing a more than passing resemblance to a more butch C3PO) and manages to seduce triplets Jane, Dominique and Catherine, sole survivors of an extinct race.

Purists of the film (not the series) will be shattered to learn that the Yello soundtrack that featured on previous Manga releases is now gone, lost in a continuing rights battle, and there is a new dub featured which is quite awful (fortunately there is also the original Japanese dub and English subs included).

Perhaps the only point of interest is the credit of one of the key animators: Hayao Miyazaki, of Studio Ghibli fame. Cobra is an interesting footnote in anime history, but this is far from being a great example of the genre.

Extras: Manga trailers – Origin, Buso Renkin, Death Note, Bleach, Naruto, Naruto the Movie, Stand Alone Complex series, Ghosts in the Shell: Solid State Society.

Released on DVD on 4th August 2008 by Manga Entertainment.

Written by Simon Cole.