France's Mangouste Anim Secures Rights to Animate Space Adventure Cobra
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French Company Mangouste Anim Secures Rights to 'Space Adventure Cobra' Anime Adaptation
At the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Market on Friday, anime journalist Tadashi Sudo reported that French production and distribution company Mangouste Anim has acquired the rights to produce an animated work based on Buichi Terasawa's Space Adventure Cobra franchise.
Mangouste Anim, established in Paris in 2020, previously distributed the anime Grendizer U in France in July 2024.
Space Adventure Cobra is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Buichi Terasawa. Serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1978 to 1984, the story follows Cobra, a man who can transform his left arm into a gun, as he evades authorities and nefarious forces due to his mysterious past. The manga was adapted into a 31-episode television anime and a film in 1982. The anime film, Space Adventure Cobra: The Movie, was released in Japan on July 23, 1982, and was the first anime film to use the Quadraphonic Dolby Surround sound format. (en.wikipedia.org)
In November 2019, Terasawa launched the sequel manga Cobra: Over the Rainbow on Kadokawa's Comic Walker and Nico Nico Manga websites. Terasawa passed away in September 2023.
In the United States, Nozomi Entertainment released the TV anime on DVD, and the anime previously streamed on the company's YouTube channel and on Crunchyroll until Nozomi Entertainment's license expired. Discotek Media released the television anime on Blu-ray Disc. Discotek also released the Space Adventure Cobra anime film on DVD in 2012, on Blu-ray Disc in 2015, and on Ultra-High Definition (UHD) 4K Blu-ray Disc in 2019. Digital Media Rights' RetroCrush streaming service added the television anime in 2023.
French game studio Microids will release Magic Pockets' Space Adventure Cobra: The Awakening side-scrolling game for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, and GOG.com on August 26. (imdb.com)
Source: Animation Business Journal (Tadashi Sudo)