Let’s talk about a few things. Let’s talk about how this is an adaptation of a shonen Jump manga from the late 70’s to early 80’s. It was created by the amazing creator Buichi Terasawa who passed away recently leaving such an influential legacy behind. This was an adaptation brought to life through production studio TMS and the director Osamu Dezaki. It’s kind of amazing honestly. This entire production, coming out in 1982, is a really stellar piece of work. Especially with its unusual episode length of 31 episodes of amazing space adventure like old fashioned sci fi serials from the 50’s and 60’s.

Space Adventure Cobra starts with a very ordinary introduction to the series. In what seems like a play off of the original short story by Philip K. Dick called “We Can Remember it for Wholesale” that came out in 1966. Normal office worker Johnson visits a corporation that sells dreams. Turns out that Johnson is the long dead space pirate named Cobra. He’s been inactive or dead for five years until now. With his attractive Amraroid named Lady and his spaceship called the turtle, he faces off against the Pirate Guild on his weekly adventures. 

The reason why this post is short despite me loving the hell out of Space Adventure Cobra is that it’s not a deep series. This is a show that is a lot like James Bond in space. You know, except for the whole space pirate thing. Cobra shows up on a planet, goes on some sort of heist or adventure against the pirate guild with an attractive woman, and that woman will most likely die in the end. That brings him to multiple areas like jungle planets, casinos, prison planets, and one arc where he played the combination of American Football and Baseball called Rugball. It’s some great stuff.

Some parts of Space Adventure Cobra will not hold up against modern sensibilities and scrutiny like the attractive women barely wearing anything in the show or how they can be strong and then killed off later on most likely. Or the fact that Space Adventure Cobra is a wish fulfillment fantasy with Cobra being completely unkillable despite bad guys of all shapes and sizes trying to kill him with some shots or hits that definitely should have. But it was always set up as a wish fulfillment fantasy from the beginning. What fun would the show be if Cobra died and didn’t go on the next hair raising adventure? No.

The tension of the series comes from Cobra’s interactions with other people. Cobra is the most charming and charismatic person in the room while also being badass and invincible. Because of that, he meets people who are naturally attracted to him in some way like women who really enjoy his company and other space pirates that naturally side with him. When those people are gone, that is where he hurts and starts to want to die. Or where he is pushed to the most traumatic he’s ever been causing him to go crazy. Wish fulfillment fantasy or not, Cobra is a good person that feels everything thrown at him. That is why I loved this show.

The really good writing is matched by it being one of the most visually gorgeous shows in the early 1980’s. I really mean that. It already has the stellar direction from Osamu Dezaki who knows a few things about directing. There are no bits of stock footage at all and there are so many great character designs, settings, and everything else. So this is the best bit of a perfect little show on almost every level visually too. It’s a whole package of great space adventure goodness that the movie I previously wrote about barely gets on. Please watch it if this sounds interesting to you.