Ranked #2517

Cobra the Animation: The Psycho-Gun

There’s just so much about space that‘s utterly fascinating--the vast area, unexplored lands, new cultures, and the fact that no one can hear you scream. This can be especially troublesome if you have the genital fortitude to cross Cobra.

Cobra is the captain of a spaceship. He works as a thief-for-hire and is on the “Most Wanted” list. The character of Cobra is difficult to describe. It’s like if you mix Han Solo’s ability to charm women, James Bond’s gadgets and ingenuity, and a dash of Lupin III’s thieving skills. Stir it all together and replace one of his arms with a laser gun and you’ll have a pretty good replica.

The plot isn’t anything new, but that’s to be expected when the source material is well over 20 year’s old. Cobra is on a mission to steal a jewel from a museum on Earth. As one would expect, the alarms go off when he grabs the jewel. Surprisingly enough, it has nothing to do with the heist. It’s actually because the museum is being invaded by the Pirate Guild.

Professor Utopia, a damsel working on an important study for the government, suddenly gets attacked by Gipsy Doc of the Pirate Guild. Being the chivalrous gentleman that he is, Cobra comes to the rescue. They end up escaping in a helicopter with the help of the Psycho-Gun, which is the name of the gun attached to Cobra’s arm. This is when you learn about the true power behind Cobra and his weird weapon. Since it has the ability to split its energy beam, it allows him to kill multiple enemies in one shot.

After escaping the museum, they realize that the Pirate Guild has learned the secret about Professor Utopia’s research. Let’s just say that fossils are a lot cooler than you originally thought.

There are a few negative things to say about this show. The animation quality is a bit below what you would expect from an OAV made with today’s technology. Also, there has been no news of an American release. This is unfortunate because Cobra is truly an experience to be had, but companies are too busy release crap like Strike Witches to give it the recognition it deserves.
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For Cobra Fans - It's Cobra, you'll love it.

For non-fans, Cobra is pure retro-pulp-space opera, or more simply, Lupin III in space. If that sounds appealing, you'll likely love it. If you don't know what that means, you probably won't understand why the women don't wear pants...

The story is quite epic, gorgeous animation, and while the music is as classic as it was in the movie or even the tv series, its still good.

As far as character development, its there, there is a bit of growth, but franchises like this are about appreciating and reinforcing the status quo, which is where the majority of the entertainment lies.

No matter what anyone says, this is Cobra, and that mean awesome. read more