Our favorite karate boy Daniel LaRusso is back, fighting his arch-nemesis Johnny Lawrence again. But this time, the story of the Karate Kid is not as black and white as it used to be in the “Karate Kid” film series that started in 1984. Sensei Mr Miyagi’s prodigy Daniel san is not the same innocent, meekly, bullied kid we’ve known all these years, nor Cobra Kai’s best fighter Johnny the same brute, insensitive bully from 30 years ago.
In fact, the roles seem to have reversed a bit with Daniel now a successful businessman and Johnny a washed-up handyman trying to revive the notorious Cobra Kai dojo in their hometown of San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, California. But again, the latest installment of the Karate Kid series “Cobra Kai” is still not polarized into a hero v villain story. There is so much grey area for the characters to play in this 21st century adaptation that taking sides becomes impossible.
Actors Ralph Macchio and William Zabka reprise their roles as Daniel and Johnny respectively in “Cobra Kai” Seasons 1 and 2, consecutively released on YouTube Red (now YouTube Premium) in 2018 and 2019. The series, which did get critical acclaim on its release, only got its due recognition from a wider range of audience after its recent Netflix debut. Now at the top of the most watched list on Netflix, Cobra Kai—with each of ten episodes running 22-36 minutes—is something for everyone to enjoy over the weekend and reminisce the good old times.
Daniel and Johnny show the same bitter rivalry we saw 36 years ago, with their teenage students and children now doing the fighting for them. The coveted All Valley Under-18 Karate Championship that Daniel won in 1984 reaches its 50th Anniversary in the first season and the battle for the prize is as tough for the two aging senseis. In the second season, the rivalry is taken up by the students of Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do, as competition gets fiercer and the proceedings more violent.
Johnny finds his prodigy in the asthmatic teenager Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña), whom he rescues from bullies in a strip mall and decides to teach karate. Daniel, miffed by the possible revival of the Cobra Kai dojo, coaches his young employee Robby Keene (Tanner Buchanan), who also happens to be Johnny’s estranged son. Both the newly turned senseis now carry forward the legacies of their dojos—Daniel teaching the defensive, pacifist form of Miyagi-do, with Johnny applying the brutal attack tactics of the ‘no mercy’ Cobra Kai dojo.
Directed episode-wise by Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, Steve Pink, Josh Heald, Michael Grossman, and Jennifer Celotta, Cobra Kai offers a modern touch to the story of the Karate Kid. While most movies in the series have been about underdogs fighting the evil, the Cobra Kai series widens in perspectives as it also narrates the point-of-views of the people that are considered dark. The web television series, in the most mature way, portrays the travails of broken families, a bullied individual’s coping mechanisms, as well as the fact that there is no sure right or wrong side between conflicting parties.
Although the story of rivalry and competition is similar to its predecessors, the content of Cobra Kai is more mature and personal as it offers many situations people can identify with. The series is more inclusive, diverse, and dispels many social constructs from the 80s. There’s a Season 3 in the pipeline and with what transpires in the first two, the third installment is already highly anticipated.
Who should watch it?
As a biased 90s kid for whom the Karate Kid movie series was an important part of growing up, Cobra Kai rekindles nostalgia not only with its characters and storyline, but also with a lot of classic rock music from the likes of Whitesnake, Van Halen, and AC/DC, to name some. But in all fairness, the web series may be as enjoyable for the younger generations that haven’t followed the original series. (We recommend you do.)
Cobra Kai
Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Action/comedy/drama
Actors: Ralph Macchio, William Zabka
Directors: Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, Steve Pink, Josh Heald, Michael Grossman, Jennifer Celotta,
Run time: 5hrs approx. for each episode
