So! It’s the 21st century, the first two decades of which have paved way towards digitalization. People are interacting with devices for entertainment. And it is really amazing how Netflix, a brand name from 1997 is resonating with today’s entertainment arena streamed via internet. Following which, we now have a number of other OTT players like Amazon Prime, YouTube Originals and not to forget India’s including Hotstar and Middle East’s Starz Play.
Well, we all have access to the material that is not suited for TV viewing such as Sacred Games, Lust Stories, etc. But that’s not what makes OTT great, but the diversity of it. Though I’m not a fan of bold shows emphasizing over the desires of people, it is good for people who want it. I actually crave for the shows with which I can connect with. An example of which is the Cobra Kai series by YouTube Originals. It brings a big chunk of memories from my childhood. When I first saw the trailer of Cobra Kai Season-1 in 2018, it took me back to the time I watched The Karate Kid Part-1.
Cobra Kai Cast and info
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William Zabka: MaJohnny Lawrence
Ralph Macchio: Daniel LaRusso
Xolo Maridueña: Miguel Diaz
Mary Mouser: Samantha LaRusso
Courtney Henggeler: Mrs. LaRusso
Tanner Buchanan: Robby
Martin Kove: John Kreese
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Release date: 2 May 2018
Executive Producers: Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, Josh Heald, James Lassiter, Caleeb Pinkett
IMDB rating: 8.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%
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Finally, here’s my review of Cobra Kai…
When I watched Cobra Kai
So after the big hype about YouTube Originals and the Cobra Kai series, I craved every day for it to release. And the day finally came and I started watching each episode with the greatest zeal ever. It manifests every single thing that almost everybody faces as a school going kid, a teenager having lots and lost of rivals and competitors, the hatred, the fear of getting insulted, the agony and everything that you can think of.
The best thing about Cobra Kai
Cobra Kai incorporates the original characters from the first movie Karate Kid movie of 1984. Well, we don’t have Mr. Miyagi now but we do have the original Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). When I saw the trailer, my eyes popped out. I could never expect a continuing storyline to an age-old story; and that too with the same characters. Jeez… it has been literally 34 years, even more than that of my age.
Next, we have a similar story but one that resonates with the culture of today. Kids doing Whatsapp, enjoying video games over mobile devices, teenagers getting close to adulthood, dating, brawling and much more. And most important of them all, the start of the new rivalry between Daniel and Johnny.
See it for yourself, here’s the trailer if you haven’t watched already.
Lessons learned
1. History repeats itself
The first episode opens with Johnny’s story unveiling his agony of defeat from Daniel years ago. It has been 34 years, still, he couldn’t get over it and doing small freelance stuff like cleaning to make a living. He still gets those flashbacks when his master literally tried killing him and broke his championship trophy.
The second episode shows Daniel’s story. He runs a car dealership business, living a happy and luxurious life. He is the guy who has gotten over the past, but until he meets Johnny again.
And now the story begins… I regret, I can’t tell you more because that will break the suspense and thrill which Cobra Kai has for you.
2. Wrath = temporary benefit
Your anger can make you win once or twice, but when life plays smart, anger begets defeat to your inner peace and tears your relations apart. You start to hate yourself for being a jackass which you thought earlier was cool. Life is meant for living maturely, learning from past mistakes, get over the past and keep moving forward.
3. Breakthrough
Like Sensei Kreese taught Johnny the 3 principles to win ‘Strike First’, ‘Strike Hard’, ‘No Mercy’. He opens his dojo (the new Cobra Kai) centered around these 3 principles only. He believes that his Cobra Kai is different but at the end of season-1, he feels that it isn’t since what his students learned is fighting dirty. Though his one-liners like ‘Cobra Kai never dies’, ‘Never accept defeat’ are enough to motivate his students for their breakthrough. But the real breakthrough lies in the satisfaction of your soul, something far above than asking your favorite girl out or getting your proposal accepted.
4. Accept the truth
Life is full of challenges and sometimes it is difficult to accept whatever is happening. When Johnny and Daniel make peace over a few drinks, but then Johnny finds out that his son Robby is being trained under Daniel. He couldn’t respect that at all and instead start the brawl with Daniel again.
5. Changing yourself is necessary
Just like the street skater boy Robby, doing bad stuff like thievery to make a living, you might be doing some bad or close to bad things. But when you finally surround yourself with good people, you get to know that you require a change and that change can bring a lot of happiness and inner peace.
6. Maturity doesn’t come with age
We can’t judge the maturity of someone through age. Throughout the Cobra Kai season-1, Johnny and Daniel are brawling, fighting and disrespecting each other like old school teenagers while they should be dealing with all their past grudges maturely. Daniel’s wife is that attractive matured lady who coaches Daniel time and again to deal with his beef with Johnny.
7. Always look at the other side of the coin
Well, we understand Johnny Lawrence as one of the badass kids thinking of ruling the world by beating school kids since Karate Kid, 1983. But in the middle of the first season, we get to know about Johnny’s side of story. He brings out the actual reason of his beef with Daniel in front of Miguel. It’s a pity that nobody knows about it and they see Johnny as a loser. But I’m sure, in Season-2, people will witness it.
Cobra Kai Season 2
Cobra Kai Season-2 is releasing on 24th April 2019. Things are about to get even more exciting! We also have the original sensei of Cobra Kai John Kreese onboard. Here’s the trailer to give you a glimpse.
Over to you…
It is a storyline which we deserve. It is more than a web-series worth watching or I must say a storyline which we deserve to get inspired. As I said, I’m not a fan of bold shows, but the ones which solve real-life problems, the ones which are above dating and sex, manifest emotional segments which everybody can connect with.
Let me know about your feedback to this review by me and yours too in the comments section below
