In 1982, the anime series "Cobra" was shown in Japanese TV screens. With its charm and innovative character, it would win over not only them, but also Europeans, especially the French. Luc Besson has admitted being fan of the anime, and its main hero was created with one of the most famous French actors as model. Why did it influence France so much? Where does the magic of "Cobra" lie? This question has answers aplenty.
"Cobra", like many animes before and after it, started off as a manga, this one by the artist Buichi Terasawa. Having at first Alain Delon in mind, later modifying his hero's physique to resemble Delon's commercial rival, Jean-Paul Belmondo, he created a character that was brave, cynical, prone to risk-taking but confident enough to know he will win, always with a cigaret in his mouth à la "Le magnifique". His secret weapon, though, was none of these traits: it was the Psychogun, a ray gun hidden under his left arm, that could exterminate everything obstructing his way. And there was surely a lot that blocked his way to eternal relaxation. For, Cobra had two lives: in his first one, he was a space pirate with long black hair, that resembled Captain Harlock, roaming the universe with his sidekick, an android. In his second one, he was an everyman, Johnson, with blond hair and a face that seemed as if Belmondo was his brother. These two will become one when Johnson's memory will come back, making him remember his old life and restarting his adventures. Now, both the Galactic Police and the Galactic Guild, a crime syndicate composed of criminals different as chalk and cheese are after him. He, though, doesn't care: his aim is to ensure what is simply called a dream life, full of treasures and beautiful women.
This kind of attitude was inspired by Belmondo's early work with Godard, in "Breathless" and "Pierrot le fou". It is true that, if we observe Cobra's attitude towards life, he and Belmondo have no differences: both live for adventure, but also appreciate love and riches. None of them acts under the law, both being outlaws acting with their will as their compass. The will to transcend all boundaries of society found in Godard's films is indirectly also present in the anime, since the adventurous Cobra obeys nobody but himself and thus accepts no compromise, often putting himself in danger for the experience. The cigarette in Cobra's mouth was sported by his idol only one year later, in "Le marginal". This could be seen as a sort of reunion between these two heroes. Seeing Belmondo smoking with his prop in "Le solitaire" only five years later, Cobra would have been proud.
Beside his connection with Belmondo, Cobra also influenced, as mentioned above, the most Hollywood-like of French directors, Luc Besson. It is easy to see why. The lavish, slick, neon-lit urban settings of the anime could have possibly been an influence in Besson's depiction of the Paris Metro in "Subway", and Christophe Lambert's petty criminal Fred seemes like someone having a poster of Cobra in his room. Everything, from his appearance - uncombed blond hair - to his behaviour, which was a mixture of bravery and complete carelessness, could have been owed to Terasawa's creation. Cobra's style of funny science fiction seems tailor-made for a Besson film, the sixth element in his filmic five.
But, where does this admiration come from? Why would an anime inspire such love in Europeans? This could be attributed to its brand of comedic action. While not being short of memorable villains and Cobra's conformations with them, the series treats both his missions and the hero with a gentle irony that is refreshing to see. Too much seriousness would have killed the series, such a mood not being suited to a character personifying not the moral hero, but rather the petty, lucky hustler. Already having elevated Belmondo to legendary proportions, the French would have undoubtedly been charmed by his Japanese imitator. A behaviour that in other countries would seem great for a protagonist, but would limit itself to him, a character unknown, would have struck a chord with viewers in the Hexagon, due to being something already familiarised by an actor breaking box-office records at the time.
If Cobra's behaviour resembled a French actor's, then the show's score seemed to have been, to quote Godard, "Made in USA". A jazzy theme song, with a saxophone solo as infectious as the one in George Michael's "Careless Whisper", it accompanied the pulp-like adventures of the protagonist and together with the setting, gave the series a noir feeling impossible not to fall for. Already being used to it, the French changed the "générique" and gifted the series an even better song, interpreted by Olivier Constantin. "Homme ou machine/Nul l'imagine/ Quel est son secret/Nul ne le sait", sung he, while synthesizers wailed together with his voice. Lyrics that would stay in the head of a whole generation.
"Cobra" succeeded in France because it was a show tailor-made for this culture. From the protagonist, to the show's style and potential, every star seemed to align in order to create a cult series in the likes of "Dragon Ball" and "Nicky Larson". Like them, the series would face censorship, the adults not being able to understand the value of leaving a series intact and deeming every anime "made for children". Its style may have been just like the Belmondo films their children would go see in the cinema, but no animation could have the right to be violent or mature. Sure, "Cobra", with its scenes featuring naked women may have been scandalous, but what remains in the head is not them. It's the adventure, the fun, and the cult "générique". Unfortunately, not even Cobra's Psychogun could face the forces of censorship.
That the show's popularity remained the same even with the censored version just goes on to show how amazing it was. Terasawa knew what he had in his hands: a series destined for the whole world, with a hero not unlike those of the pulps of the past. A hero coming from Japan, who found his home in France. A home quite inhospitable, that nevertheless elevated him to the same status it had his hero. For, at the end of the day, they were both "magnifique", and what they left behind is more than beloved; it's cult. Now that none of them exists anymore, one thing is sure; they will have found each other up there, smoking and fighting their enemies together, all the while remaining the heroes of a generation. This is the best combination of all.
