Well, I guess that this series is lucky to air in such a dry season as this one. If this would have been a regular season, I wouldn’t even have thought of blogging it. But yeah, the thing with this season is that not only are there less series than usual, the series that carried over from the previous seasons are also very small in their numbers. I’ve got seven open blogging slots this season, and by the looks of it there are only eight series even remotely worth blogging (this one, Sora no Oto, Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu, Dance in the Vampire Bund, Durarara, Ookami Kakushi, Nodame Cantabile Finale and Katanagatari). Out of those eight, I’ll probably skip on Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu. As a comedy-series, it’s just overwhelmed by the other comedies this season (just about the only thing that isn’t scarce in this season: thankfully there still are tons of great comedies).
And this series can boast two great names: Yoshihiro Ike for the music and Osamu Dezaki behind the screenplay and storyboard. It’s a shame that Osamu Dezaki isn’t directing this thing, so his influences are much less noticeable. I’m therefore not expecting this series to become as interesting as Ultraviolet was, far from it. The direction here is a bit sloppy (one moment Cobra shoots his arm away, the next it’s just attached back). However the parts where we saw Cobra run away in infrared were really typical of this guy, and fun to watch. 😛
And yeah, the creators were really lucky that they got Ike Yoshihiro to compose the soundtrack. This guy is consistently awesome and because of that the soundtrack is among the best of the season, among the one from Letter Bee and Armed Librarians.
Also, with this episode I think I saw a bit of the charms of the Cobra franchise: it’s a bit like James Bond: this is really meant to be an unrealistic adventure series that’s more about entertainment and doesn’t care in the slightest in creating a realistic setting. Because of that, the creators can really include neat ideas that otherwise would have made no sense, and I have to admit: the mechanical bull with infrared vision and the giant rays with weird faces were much more creative than the random monsters that generic fantasy anime usually throw out.
This series really is going to have to make it with its characters and ideas. As long as the characters remain fun until the end, and it keeps using these neat ideas instead of cliches, then I’ll probably enjoy it until the end.
Oh, and on top of that it has something that only very few other series this season can boast: it’s actually about adults. For once we have a lead character who isn’t a teenager of some sort and fanservice of women who are actually over eighteen years old.
Rating: (Enjoyable)
The appeal of the original Cobra was simple: it’s unambitious, lighthearted, but not a parody. It’s a love-letter to the sci-fi and spy-genres of old. Essentially, it’s what James Bond should have been (but only occasionally was).
The moment I knew I loved it was ep. 4 (I think), where Cobra in the process of escaping a prison jumps down into a pipe. Not only does he fall with a ridiculous speed (enough for the air pressure to kill him) but he lands in a convenient pool of water. The impact should shatter him into tiny pieces, and the villain naturally thinks he’s dead. Only, of course he isn’t. In fact, he doesn’t have a single scratch. The explanation: He’s Cobra 🙂
I also love the fact that all his gadgets are cigars, the fact that the sex-appeal comes from adult women and not little children, that the villain is called Crystal Boy (that’s the Japanese trying to say Crystal Bowie), the often imaginative creature design, etc., etc.
I haven’t seen the new OVAs or the new series (I will after the exam), but it seems the fans are somewhat disappointed (especially by the Psychogun OVA). If so, that is truly sad. But don’t let them discourage you from the seeing the original!
Quite surprised to see this one here… yeah normally it wouldn’t seem like something you’d blog ^^
I generally thought that the more scantily clad the woman, the more powerful she is. Guess it doesn’t apply to Secret 😀
Other than the inconsistency with the arm, there were several holes in the plot eg why the Professor sent her on a mission that almost got her killed, when someone else could have collected the key while she head to the planet.
But as the franchise seems more of action and women than plot and sense, I guess the whole idea is “just relax and enjoy” 😀
Psgels,there is an error on animenews because Osamu DEZAKI no longer part of the project. In, fact, he had to set cobra rokunin no yushi that was scheduled for summer 2009 but it was postponed. This project has nothing to do with what was expected. The studio ” Magic Bus ” that drives this serie is chaired by satoshi DEZAKI, elder brother Osamu and perhaps , we can be expected that osamu DEZAKI participates in several episodes . (why not ?)
Otherwise, psgels I strongly advise you to watch space adventure cobra (first serie of 1982), this series is directed by Osamu Dezaki and is a very good anime with good animation and great soundtrack.
About the new serie cobra the animation , although it’s not as good as the original serie of space adventure cobra (1982), i must say that i like yet because the world is imaginative and the character of Cobra is attractive. This serie will adapt 6 stories, and as I know the manga version, I can say that there will be 2 or 3 stories with a final well-constructed .
well,I knew that! You aren’t interested in blogging comedies,especially those with moe on it…
By the way,Katanagatari isn’t aired normally (1 month per episode,and each one last for 1 hour)
Isn’t that better suited on OVAs section?
Katanagatari will air one episode per month.
mds, AKI: what? is there something else this season that you want me to blog?
Nothing really, it’s, ultimately, your choice. However, if you want to consider other series, you can try Hanamaru Kindergarten, Baka to Test or you can probably pick another older series. Still, if you want to blog Katanagatari, we won’t stop you.
Yoshihiro Ike has always been a fan of Cobra and it was him who insisted for composing music .
Psgels : yeah,that’ up for you to decide.This is your blog,by the way.
Bang on about what makes Cobra great…. the shear politically incorrectness off it. The 007 like (the 60s 007!) machismo, the adult (!) women all in thongs…. gotta love that.
And, if nothing else, it’s nice to see Science Fiction depict a utopia; dystopia has been done to death. Sure, there’s piracy, corruption and wanton death and destruction, but every single lady in the galaxy wears a bikini!
Although now I think of it, 30 seems to be the life expectancy of the future as I have can’t quite recall seeing any female over that age in the world of Cobra.
I concur that you really should check out the TV series which is an absolute classic; with fantastic production values to boot.
Incidentally, this was originally a ShÃ…�nen Jump title, so adults were not necessarily the target demographic when it was produced.
Then again, Violence “Dick-Girl Cannibalism” Jack was also a ShÃ…�nen manga.
transsexual
Sorry to double post, but have you considered using “DISQUS” for your comments? It can be implemented in Blogsome as I have done it myself.
＊For once we have a lead character who isn’t a teenager of some sort and fanservice of women who are actually over eighteen years old.＊
Yes, seriously yes.
Ive been lookinｇ at the shows this season and Im really getting tired of shows with characters that arent adults
Ive just been checking the ops now,　And if theres a classroom or a school uniform I automatically trash it, Im sick of those shows with all the stereotypes, pussy men who play than shy thing around women. . .women who beat the shit out of dudes(reverse mysoginy anyone)? *moe* Panty shots of underage cartoon girls *tsuderes*(especially if theyre like half the size of the main character) *over sized boobs* I mean comon seriously?! Cartoons dont get me off. *mary sues* *transvesties* (I swear theres like a tranny in every anime recently, and really the only anime that Ive seen do it right is one piece, because the author is so damn crazy and funny) *Meido anything* * I mean seriously, maides are for cleaning and maybe being your secret mistress, but they are NOT for fighting(bantorra is an exception cause its a big buff old lady that actually DOES maid stuff), sexually teasing the main character, etc…
heh sometimes I just wanna say to the maides *GB2KitchenNAO!!
and a handful of other over over over used stereotypes, archetypes, newtypes, whatever.
I already know whats coming when I see the high school uniform in some way…