I’m doing my best to stay muted and objective at the moment and I’m doing a terrible job at it. If you are an 80s kid like me and grew up watching movies like Karate Kid, The Lost Boys & The Goonies then there’s a high probability you’ll be raving all about the new YouTube Red show called Cobra Kai.
Maybe you don’t get it, and that is alright. To remind those who have seen the old movies but don’t have vivid memories about what made these movies so enjoyable, for me it was rooting for the underdog; new kid moves into town with his single mum, gets bullied in school but gets taken under the wing of a Japanese Karate master and has to go up against high school bullies who practice a vicious form of Karate most of us would frown upon.
Cobra Kai is in many way a continuation of that story, only this time it changes several things up, these changes work in the best possible way, reinvigorating an all too familiar story but bringing with it a multilayered nuances that redefines the underdog. In truth Cobra kai grounds itself in a reality we all have become well aware of; that in as much as the stories we hear are about good vs evil, they aren’t always defined by separate individuals on opposing sides. People, do both good and bad things.
The characters in Cobra Kai are strong, flawed and relate-able, through a series of choices we see them go down various parts of redemption and infamy, making choices that make this story all the more rounded and intriguing.
Another interesting thing about Cobra Kai is how easily an alternative is presented for kids who enjoy burying their heads in their phones and tablets. The rewards of actively engaging in self discipline based on the eastern art form of karate would undoubtedly be encouraging to parents and guardians who struggle to figure out activities suitable for kids. At least I know The karate kid got me interested in learning Taekwondo for a period of time.
I love the way Cobra kai subverts what we all were initially expecting and guides us along as we become sympathetic with the people who seek a place to belong within the four walls of what used to be so identified with negativity and violence, even despite it’s adherence to the ‘Strike first, strike hard, No Mercy’ mantra.
Towards the end of this most riveting of nostalgic rides the story certainly succeeds in striking first, striking hard and leaving us surely at the mercy of the producers, awaiting a second season for the most obvious of reasons; Cobra Kai is one heck of a good show.
