The appeal and reviews of "COBRA THE ANIMATION TIME DRIVE": A legendary anime revived in modern times

Detailed review and recommendation of "COBRA THE ANIMATION TIME DRIVE"

■Overview of the work

"COBRA THE ANIMATION TIME DRIVE" is the second in the OVA series based on Buichi Terasawa's timeless masterpiece "Cobra." Vol. 1 was released on April 24, 2009, and Vol. 2 on June 26. This work is a story that transcends time and space, depicting the encounter between the lone space pirate Cobra and his partner, the armored lady. It consists of two episodes, each 30 minutes long, and is being sold by Happinet.

■ Story

A story of a "bond" that transcends time and space, depicting the encounter between Cobra and Lady. This is the second in the series of "COBRA THE ANIMATION", which was animated to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the start of serialization. Cobra, a lone space pirate and the most wanted bounty in the universe, and his beautiful partner, the armored robot Lady, with a body made of live metal. How did these two people, bound by a strong bond, meet? Set in a world 20 years in the past, a grand adventure that transcends time and space begins with a young Cobra before he changed his face, and Lady before she became an armored robot.

■Explanation

The long-awaited new anime of the immortal sci-fi action masterpiece Cobra, "COBRA THE ANIMATION". The second OVA "Time Drive" is now available on DVD in 2 volumes. Cobra, a lone space pirate and the most wanted bounty in the universe, and his beautiful partner, the armored robot Lady, with a body made of live metal. How did these two people, bound by a strong bond, meet? Set in a world 20 years in the past, a grand story that transcends time begins with a young Cobra before he changed his face, and Lady before she met Cobra!

■Cast

• Cobra: Nozawa Nachi
• Armoroid Lady: Ryoko Sakakibara
• Past Cobra: Naoya Uchida
• Emeralda: Minami Takayama
• Giros: Naoki Kusumi
• Magical Child: Jurota Kosugi
• Slave: Tadashi Miyazawa
• Paloma: Yuko Ushida
• Scheherazade: Chifuyu
• Leila: Kanako Tojo

■ Main staff

• Original story and director: Buichi Terasawa
• Production Supervisors: Osamu Fujioka, Shiro Bunbe, Michio Yamanaka
• Planning Committee: Suzuki Michio
• Producers: Mariko Kusuhara, Harumi Suzuki, Masako Yoshikawa, Kensaku Yamanaka, Masashi Ikeda
• Animation Director: Kenichi Maejima
• Character design and chief animation director: Keizo Shimizu
• Character design cooperation: Masui Ippei
• Mechanical design: Shinichi Suzuki
• Art director: Shichiro Kobayashi, Maho Takahashi
• Music: Yoshihiro Ike
• Music producers: Hirokuni Maeda, Shunichi Uemura
• Music Production: Columbia Music Entertainment
• Sound Director: Keiichiro Miyoshi
• Sound Production: Tohokushinsha
• Color design: Mieko Seki
• Director of photography: Hideo Okazaki
• Edited by: Toshio Henmi
• Coordination: Eigaaru Rights, Michiko Ito, Akio Naemura, Manabu Furuse
• Assistant Producer: Sho Tanaka
• Animation Producer: Tetsu Dezaki
• Production producers: Tetsuo Mikami, Kazumi Koide
• Production desk: Kunio Yamashiro, Masayuki Koshirai
• Setting production: Rumi Ueno, Taku Ichikawa
• Production staff: Shinobu Tsunaki
• Animation Production: Magic Bus
• Produced by: GUILD PROJECT

■ Main Characters

• Cobra: A lone space pirate and the most wanted man in the universe. He is also an immortal man with a psycho gun in his left arm. In order to save his partner Lady, whose existence is fading, he dives into her "time" and arrives at the past 20 years ago.
• Armoroid Lady: A female Armoroid with a strong body and exceptional intelligence. Her body is covered in Live Metal, a living metal. She has entered a "time distortion" and is fading from existence.
• Past Cobra: In the past world 20 years ago, Cobra before he changed his face is after the treasure gathered by Giros. A beautiful young man with beautiful long golden hair and a face as beautiful as a sculpture.
• Emeralda: A lady before she became an Armoroid, she was the princess of the Principality of Sanborn. She plotted to assassinate the king and her father, the Duke, and is trying to kill Giros, who has taken over the country.
• Scheherazade: A storyteller of dreams who lives in the "Palace of Time" with a time dome and can dive into "time". She dives into Lady's time with Cobra.
• Paloma: The songstress of Beruru who charms all the men in the country. She was about to be offered as an offering to Giros, but was saved by Cobra who came from the future. She is a lively and energetic girl.
• Layla: A castle dancer who is favored by Giros. She cooperates with the past Cobra on the condition that she is taken out of the castle.
• Giros: He used to be a fortune teller in the castle, but he plotted to kill the king and the duke, and rose to become the most powerful man in the country. He has terrible powers and shows no mercy to anyone who opposes him.
• Manidou: Giros' personal bodyguard and a master of the dark sword. He can freely thrust out countless blades from his body.
• Slave: A castle magic scientist who serves Giros. A mad scientist who creates terrifying monsters one after another.

■Subtitle

• Vol.1: April 24, 2009
• VOL.2: June 26, 2009

■ Related works

• SPACE ADVENTURE Cobra
• Space Cobra
• COBRA THE ANIMATION The Psychogun
• COBRA THE ANIMATION

■ Theme songs and music

• OP1: TIME DRIVE
  • Lyricist: Sasja Antheunis
  • Composer: Yoshihiro Ike
  • Arrangement: Yoshihiro Ike
  • Sung by: Sasja Antheunis
• ED1: If You Smile
  • Lyricist: Miyu Yuzuki
  • Composer: Takeo Mirazu
  • Arrangement: Junjiro Seki
  • Vocals: Shigeru Matsuzaki

■Detailed evaluation

"COBRA THE ANIMATION TIME DRIVE" is a work that faithfully reproduces the original work by Buichi Terasawa while depicting the encounter between Cobra and Lady from a new perspective. Taking advantage of the OVA format, it features a deep story and detailed character design. Below, we will take a detailed look at the story, characters, music, visuals, and overall evaluation.

story

The story of this work revolves around the meeting of Cobra and Lady. Set in a world 20 years in the past, it depicts how a young Cobra and Lady, before they became Armored, met and developed a bond. This setting provides a fresh surprise for fans of the original work and adds new depth to the existing story.

Particularly impressive is the theme of an adventure that transcends time. The setting in which Cobra dives into Lady's "time" to save her brings out the appeal of this sci-fi action movie to the fullest. Other highlights include the relationship between Cobra and Emeralda (Lady) in the past, and the showdown with the powerful enemy, Giroth.

character

The characters in this work have been further developed while retaining the charm of the original work. The voice actors, Naoto Nozawa as Cobra and Yoshiko Sakakibara as Lady, have expressed the individuality of the characters well and have the power to draw the audience in. In particular, the youthful voice of Naoya Uchida, who plays the past Cobra, brings out the charm of the young Cobra.

In addition, the supporting cast, including Minami Takayama as Emeralda and Naoki Kusumi as Giros, is also excellent, adding depth to the story as a whole. Each character's background and motivations are carefully drawn, evoking deep empathy from the viewer.

music

The music is by Yoshihiro Ike, and the BGM that livens up the epic adventure is sprinkled throughout the film. The opening theme "TIME DRIVE" in particular is a perfect match between Sasja Antheunis' powerful voice and Yoshihiro Ike's composition, making it a song that symbolizes the theme of the work. In addition, the ending theme "If You Smile" features Shigeru Matsuzaki's warm voice, which enhances the moving story.

picture

Visually, the animation of the Magic Bus stands out. The character designs are by Keizo Shimizu, who faithfully reproduces the image of the original work while using modern animation techniques to create beautiful visuals. In particular, the depictions of Cobra's Psycho Gun and Live Metal by mechanic designer Shinichi Suzuki are stunning and leave a strong visual impact.

In addition, the background art by art directors Shichiro Kobayashi and Maho Takahashi realistically recreates the world of 20 years ago, drawing the viewer into the world of the story. The colors by color designer Mieko Seki are also an important element in enhancing the atmosphere of the work.

Overall rating

"COBRA THE ANIMATION TIME DRIVE" is an appealing work for fans of the original work as well as viewers experiencing the world of Cobra for the first time. The depth of the story, the charm of the characters, and the beauty of the music and images are exquisitely blended together to leave a strong impression on viewers.

In particular, the theme of an adventure that transcends time shows new possibilities for sci-fi action, providing many moving and surprising experiences for the audience. Furthermore, as a result of the combined efforts of the cast and staff, they have succeeded in portraying the story of Cobra and Lady from a new perspective while maximizing the appeal of the original work.

■Recommendation

"COBRA THE ANIMATION TIME DRIVE" is highly recommended for viewers who love sci-fi action and adventure. If you are a fan of the original "Cobra", this work that depicts the meeting between young Cobra and Lady is a must-see. Also, for viewers who are experiencing the world of Cobra for the first time, it is a work that you can enjoy the epic adventure and deep human drama.

It is also recommended for viewers who want to enjoy the beauty of music and images. Yoshihiro Ike's music and the animation of the Magic Bus provide high satisfaction both visually and aurally. Please experience the bond and adventure of Cobra and Lady through this work.