Cobra Kai

I can't believe how much I enjoy Cobra Kai. I originally thought this was going to be some corny kid show. It's not, any fan of the original trilogy will love this. It takes place 34 years after the events of the first movie and the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament. It follows a down on his luck Johnny Lawrence (William Zavala) as he tries to get his life straightened out and opens up the famous Cobra Kai dojo. This reignites his rivalry with the successful Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio). I can't say enough about how good Zabka is here. He's absolutely the breakout star here! It's a shame he hasn't become a bigger star over the years because he shows he can carry a show here. Again, if you're a fan of the original trilogy then watch this. I promise you'll love it! Looking forward to more seasons in the future.

Cobra Kai is so much better than I thought it would be. I grew up a Karate Kid fan but wasn't sure what to expect from this and thought it would be some cheap kiddy money grab. I'm glad I was wrong. It's so much better than it has any business being, especially William Zabka! He absolutely is the star of this show as Johnny Lawrence. You root for him on this more than Daniel (Ralph Macchio).

This series brought me back to my childhood and how much I loved the movies and characters growing up. It surprised how well the characters are brought up to date and now involve the younger generation. There's still a lot to be taught, and learned.

I remember watching the Karate Kid films as a kid, and I cannot express enough how impressed and surprised at the level of quality of this series. It successfully brings back the old "feel" of the films, while adding a new and complex storyline. It really embodies the legacy of the rivalry, and yet rebores the spirt of the films to a degree that is just unprecedented. I can't wait to see what they do in Season 2. Amazing job YouTube!

There are many things to like about this series. Probably the best thing for me is its rejection of political correctness and victimhood culture. Actually, rejection is a strong word and this isn't a protest piece by any means but there is definitely a theme of taking responsibility for one's own fate and confronting adversity with resilience and even some agression. (The show is intelligent enough to portray overt agression or anger as counterproductive). There is one great scene during a karate tournament where a competitor starts pretentiously virtue signalling to the crowd. The reaction of Johnny Lawrence is priceless. Hopefully Hollywood takes note that virtue signalling is not a prerequisite for great entertainment. It's great to see a show that is intelligent with messages to tell but doesn't take itself too seriously.