I've been lucky to visit Japan a few times now. Every time I've spend at least few days scouring Akihabara for awesome souvenirs. In particular I've been trying to find a figure of Cobra, from the anime Space Adventure Cobra.
During my last visit, I finally found one!
Space Adventure Cobra is a manga and an anime from the 80's. It's a space opera that has some plot similarities with Arnold Schwarzenegger's Total Recall. The protagonist is an ex-pirate who faked his death to escape the space mafia. He then undergoes operation to change his appearance and to wipe his memories. I guess he wanted to enjoy a life as an ordinary Joe.
Things heat up when Cobra goes to see a "dream movie" which turns out to be his adventurous real past. Plunged into a fight, in desperation he activates the Psychogun in his left arm. He then starts to regain more of his memories and reunites with an old ally. It doesn't take long for a beautiful damsel to appear...
What makes Space Adventure Cobra special for me is the nostalgia. It was the first anime I ever watched. Well, except for Moomins, but that's a genre debate I'd rather not get into. Back in the day everything drawn were cartoons in general!
When we we're kids, me and my brother had the first few episodes on VHS cassette. Dubbed in Swedish, no less! We watched that tape over and over again. Then one day we borrowed the tape to someone and never got it back. So sad.
As a young adult, I managed to find a DVD box in original Japanese with subtitles. Even with the nostalgia, I still loved the first episodes! Unfortunately, the greatness only lasts for the duration of the first main story arc. The filler episodes that come after that are not so great. Unless you're into baseball, American football or space Nazis.
The last highlight that I must mention is the superb soundtrack! It's jazz all the way, baby! I always smile when I hear the opening theme, which then keeps ringing in my head for the rest of the day. Or week. Then my humming and "COOOBURAAAA" singing annoys everybody around me. But only until they convert and starts liking Cobra.
Check it out for yourself below. Convert! One of us! One of us! CO-BU-RA! CO-BU-RA!
