Today’s quick review: Space Adventure Cobra. Jane Flower (Barbara Goodson), a bounty hunter searching for love, finally finds it when she meets Cobra (Dan Woren), a brash space pirate long thought dead. Jane enlists Cobra’s help to free her sister Catherine (Mari Devon) from the clutches of Crystal Bowie (Jeff Winkless), the head of the Mafia Guild. But the rescue mission hits a snag when Bowie lays a devastating trap for them.
Space Adventure Cobra is a Japanese animated sci-fi action adventure. Set in a galaxy where the Mafia Guild has almost total control, the movie follows two outlaws as they set out to foil the Guild’s latest plan. True to its name, Space Adventure Cobra is an adventure in the classic mold. The movie features a colorful setting and a freewheeling plot that serve as a backdrop for Cobra and Jane’s feats of heroism.
The catch is that Space Adventure Cobra plays things a little too loose. The setting is imaginative but not especially consistent, with plenty of ideas that are used once and then discarded. The plot hinges on a relationship between Cobra and Jane that isn’t given time to bloom, and the attempts to play it up are a little clumsy. Finally, while the story works well enough, it skews toward the fantasy side of the science fiction genre.
How much you get out of Space Adventure Cobra will come down to taste. Fans of classic anime and the loose, adventurous style of sci-fi will find it to be a charming, breezy watch. Fans who are looking for careful character work, detailed world-building, or an airtight plot may want to give it a pass.
For an updated take on a similar flavor of space adventure, try Harlock: Space Pirate. For an even weirder sci-fi adventure with a racing twist, try Redline. For a more down-to-earth adventure featuring a roguish hero, try Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro.
[7.4 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0163494/). I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for an enjoyable adventure that’s missing some of the weight it could have had.