I knew that it was going to be good. I just didn't know it would be this good. I have to admit that I'm a fan of this franchise. My opinion however, is not biased.
I hate bad TV. It sucks when you give a movie a chance and end up wasting 2 hours or more that you can't get back. You know the kind I'm talking about. You're scrolling through Netflix or whatever service you use and you see something and choose it thinking you've found a good sleeper movie only to be disappointed and left feeling like you've been bamboozled. Or you read the synopsis for a show you've never heard of and think it's something you could be into so you give it like 3 or so episodes to pull you in and it just never happens. Yeah, we've all been there...but I'm happy to say that this is not one of those situations.
I'm not getting ready to riddle this with spoilers, or at least I'm going to try not to lol
Cobra Kai is the bee's knees lol. If I had to rate it on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it an 11. Not just saying that either. There are shows that I like and don't care about cheesy lines or bad acting. I watch stuff I like because I like it but this isn't one of those guilty pleasures or me hanging on because of nostalgia. No, this series is one of the most brilliantly written that I can remember in a long time. There's so much to say about it, I really couldn't find anything negative to say so I'm probably gonna just list some reasons why you should watch this series lol.
Basically all the characters from the movie return so going in you probably think that it's an update as to what Daniel Larusso is doing these days but Cobra Kai has a much different approach. We get to see the bully Johnny Lawrence from the original movie, his estranged son Robbie and Daniel's daughter Samantha. Also John Kreese the evil Cobra Kai sensei returns. I said I wasn't doing spoilers but let's keep it real, how much can you spoil something that's been out for 2 years already lol.
I totally expected to just see the story from the bully's point of view (because it's called Cobra Kai) and maybe get a different perspective but this was so much more than that. Each character is so layered that everything in the story plays out in a real life type of sequence. I hate being able to predict what going to happen all the time when I'm watching a drama but this Cobra Kai universe was real life complex so it's not just the most outlandish things happening. It felt how things would take place if it were your own life. You're easily able to identify with the characters and able to understand why they feel the way that they feel even when they're wrong. Johnny for example who we go into the series thinking will be the major antagonist winds up being more of an antihero. Johnny is basically the Stone Cold Steve Austin of the series. He doesn't always do the right thing at first but you still want to root for him because you understand him and most of his actions. He's what my brother refers to as "peaked in high school Rob Lowe" lol but he didn't just peak in high school, he lives his life as if it's 1984 and it's hilarious. Remember the first Avengers movie when we thought Loki was a big deal as a villain but down the road, he wound up being a spec in comparison to Thanos? That's how it feels this is shaping up in terms of a comparison of Johnny to John Kreese.
The way that the series connects to the movies is masterful. The cut aways back to scenes from the movies is really a thing of beauty. A masterclass in editing. Not visually stunning in a special effects type of way but perfect for what it is supposed to be. So when I say visually stunning this time I'm just referring to the fact that the editor knew what the heck they were doing. Also I wanted to point out (because you'll notice right away) that Johnny has aged like milk but his karate is still poppin lol.
The fight scenes are realistic with the movements and speed. If you ever watched the show "Kung Fu" (showing my age) then you'll really love it. The karate is about 2 steps faster than that...and about 9 steps faster than anything Steven Segal ever did lol. Steven Segal's karate was like when they slowed down things in "The Matrix" except that's how he moved in real life hahaha! That's really not an exaggeration unfortunately. Look at me going off on tangents. If any of you know the number to the people from that Geico commercial that stop you from turning into your parents, or in my case, your grandparents, please hit me up. I feel like taking all the air conditioners out of my house and pretending everyone else is crazy for feeling hot. Then maybe I'll tell the kids to stop being so loud because they're running up the electric bill. Keep the plastic on my furniture that no one sits on. Stuff like that...whoops, I did it again lol. Ok, moving on...
Johnny's son Robbie becomes a student of Miyagi-Do Karate (uh oh) and winds up in a love triangle between Daniel's daughter and Johnny's star pupil Miguel... You know what? I'm not getting ready to spoil anything else lol. I'll just promise you that after you watch this, you'll wish that every reboot or reimagining of a movie or TV show was like this. It's always great when something is well written and executed with artistic integrity and not just an obvious sequel for a money grab. Because of the mesh of teenage and adult storylines, it's a compelling watch for older and younger fans. Personally, I will likely watch the original 3 movies and imagine what types of things the writers will have in store going forward.
Yup, it's that age old battle between Miyagi-Do karate and Cobra Kai, just not completely the way you'd expect. A childhood rivalry damaged by the growing pains of maturity and the struggle to put the past in the past. The "No Mercy" way of life vs the importance of carrying yourself with honor. The realization that anyone can change but some people will refuse to. Again, the brilliance of the writing cannot be overstated. This is the type of justice that should be done to ANY cult classic down to the last detail. I was legitimately sad when I realized that there were no more episodes to watch. That being said, I CAN'T WAIT for season 3!!! Until then, let's talk about this some more. What did you like/dislike about the series?
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