From assassins in Kite: Liberator to mercenaries in Mezzo and now space pirates in Cobra, Mariko Kusuhara has worked hard to put together memorable programs. A producer with Happinet, Kusuhara is partially responsible for bringing together the cast and crew for the winter space epic, Cobra the Animation. Recently announced as a Crunchyroll winter simulcast, Cobra the Animation will be made available to fans for free starting tomorrow morning with episode 1. Recently, Crunchyroll arranged an interview between me and Kusuhara to discuss the new series and what it’s like to work on a series that has such a long history.

Otaku Review: How did you become involved in the 30^th anniversary of the manga series? Were you a fan of the series yourself at any point in your youth?

Kusuhara:  “Ever since the end of the previous TV series, there has been a great demand for another anime to be made, and now separated even by 30 years we are fulfilling that request. And personally, I’ve been a COBRA fan since I was a kid.”

Not counting last year’s OVAs it’s been 27 years since the last Cobra TV series. Why did you decide to revive the TV series?

“This conversation (about the previous work), well, it never really had an end, and with all the discussions about there never being another production to follow it up, we wanted to make it look like a continuation.”

What can you tell audiences about the story? Has it been updated at all from the original?

“Cobra, since he’s a free-spirited space pirate and all, please look forward to all the drama that will come from the characters he meets! He can go anywhere, from deep underground to the bottom of the ocean, to even beyond our planet and to the stars.”

When putting together a crew for a title that was originally published so long ago, are there things that you had to do differently or new things you had to consider from other series you’ve produced?

“Animation is not just a static picture, and the music especially is an important aspect. This time around, we wanted to really emphasize a deep sound that really captured the essence of Cobra. That’s why we actually had a live orchestra for the soundtrack.”

In the new TV series, Keizo Shimizu is replacing original creator Buichi Terasawa as director. How involved was Terasawa with the production of the TV series?

“He was involved in the scenario meetings with the team and we worked closely together. He has also highly involved in checking the character designs.”

What do you hope fans around the world who are discovering this series for the first time take away from it?

“All of you, who have watched COBRA so far, thank you. I believe that COBRA has the kind of universally understandable adventure and action that the whole world can enjoy. As you enter the rich world of COBRA, please enjoy the adventures to come.”

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