The Series (4/5)

    There is that old adage about not judging a book by it's cover. However, one look at the cover for Cobra: The Animation, and I knew I had to watch it IMMEDIATELY.  There was something cheesy, pulpy, and fun in the simple Blu-ray cover image that drew me into wanting to see Section 23's release of the 2010 Cobra revival series, but I am certainly glad I did.  The series certainly feels like a throwback to an era long gone in Japanese animation, but it is a fun throwback.

    The Section 23 Blu-ray release of Cobra: The Animation is compromised of 3 elements. A 13 episode series, and 2 OVA's (Psychogun and Time Drive).   The series is based off a 1978 manga, that was turned into a 31 episode anime in 1982.  This release is based off of episodes that started airing in 2009-2010, so although it is more recent than it's 80's counterpart, it is not still not totally new by any means, and has actually seen a prior European release.  That being said it is the first Region A release of the series on American shores, and is quite exciting at that.

    The series plays like a mix of reboot and sequel to the original and series. Meaning that a viewer can just pick up this set, and watch it without prior knowledge of the original 31 episodes from the 80's. However, viewers of that series will have a deeper understanding of the show, as there are some reference points made to the original show throughout the series. 

    The premise is simple, Cobra is a gun for hire/mercenary/spy what have you that has a gun (the psychogun) in his left arm. He goes on adventures throughout space, and is usually not without a scantily clad woman by his side.  The series is a fun, exciting, and largely not serious in it’s approach to action. that I I had a lot of fun with Cobra, and I can happily recommend it to most viewers.

Audio/Video (3/5)

    Cobra: The Animation is presented by Section 23 in a very solid 1:78:1 1080p for the show (and 1080i for the OVA) AVC encoded transfer. Colors here are stable, detail is fine for the most, and I found nothing to complain about.  Audio is presented with a DTS-HD MA 2.0 track in Japanese and proves to be suitable for the material.

Extras (1/5)

    Clean opening and closing, trailers.

Overall

    Cobra: The Animation was a nice and fun throwback action anime. The A/V on the Blu-ray is mixed to decent, and the extras are limited. RECOMMENDED.