Written by Christian Garcia
Although The Next Karate Kid was the final film in the Karate Kid franchise, it was thankfully not the end of the Miyagi-Verse.
In 2018, the saga of the Karate Kid continued with Cobra Kai. Originally on YouTube Red, it has since gone on to become a hit on Netflix. The story shifts the focus to the point of view of Johnny Lawrence who is still stealing with the fallout from his loss to Daniel LaRusso 34 years later. I still believe that the concept of the show had to have come from the running joke on How I Met Your Mother in which Barney Stinson saw Johnny Lawrence as the hero of The Karate Kid.
As I said in my introduction to this marathon, Cobra Kai was what got me interested in the Karate Kid series. My roommate got me into it and then I got my girlfriend hooked on it. After she finished season 4, she expressed interest in watching the Karate Kid films and now we’re here.
Cobra Kai is one of the best shows I’ve seen in recent years and is the perfect example of taking a legacy franchise and evolving it for a new generation. In a world where reboots are the trend and old shows and film franchises are being revived, it is nice to see when it is done right. Cobra Kai captures the spirit and warm feelings that the original films had while also updating it and making it feel fresh. It’s great to see Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence again and it’s nice to see them take on the roles of sensei and bring up their own students. Their students are also interesting characters and it’s awesome to see a new generation of Karate Kids form.
The strongest element of Cobra Kai is the writing and character development. Where the original Karate Kid films had more black and white heroes and villains, Cobra Kai adds more touches of grey. No character is perfectly good or bad, they have a healthy mix of both. Johnny Lawrence who was the villain of the original film, is given more likable qualities while still being flawed. Even Daniel LaRusso who was the hero of the films has his unlikable tendencies and at times can even come off as the bad guy. It makes for more interesting storytelling as you can see things from two different perspectives and make up your own opinions on who you agree with. The kids have the same qualities. The rivalry between Tori and Sam on paper seems black and white but when upon closer examination, there’s a lot more complexities to the rivalry than you think. After binging the show multiple times, it is easily one of my favorites and I am excited already for season 5.
For this retrospective, I am going to look at each season and give them their own review. I will structure those reviews as follows:
Plot Synopsis – a brief summary of that season’s overall plot.
Characters – a look into the key characters of that season and their journeys.
Story Arcs – A look at important story archs that carry-on through the season.
Season Highlights – A look at moments from the season that stuck out
Final Thoughts – my final thoughts on the season as a whole.
I’m jumping the gun by saying that Cobra Kai is a great show, and you should definitely check it out. If you love the Karate Kid films, the show stays true to the spirit of them while also adding new levels of complexity to the beloved characters and adds a new cast of characters that are welcome additions to the Miyagi-Verse. I hope you join me on this look through of Cobra Kai and enjoy the ride!
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