Redemption redux

I was a little hesitant at first to give Cobra Kai a try when I heard that the first two seasons of the new Karate Kid spin-off series had eventually arrived on Netflix.

Like many kids who grew up during the 80s, the first Karate Kid movie in 1984 had a huge impact on my teen self. While the film may not be remembered today in terms of artistic value, it's definitely a part of many people's childhood, an important piece of American pop culture. So I'm secretly afraid of finding Cobra Kai to be another ridiculous spin-off that ruins the legacy of my favourite martial arts movie with cheap jokes and bad action. But Cobra Kai turns out to be an entertaining watch with engaging storytelling, while retaining the feel of the original film. I found myself binge watching both seasons for 10 hours straight.

The show was created by Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg and Josh Heald, and stars William Zabka and Ralph Macchio as the two main characters from the first Karate Kid movie, Johnny Lawrence and Daniel LaRusso, along with new gen actors such as Xolo Maridueña, Jacob Bertrand, Courtney Henggeler and Tanner Buchanan.

The plot picks up 34 years after the All-Valley Karate Championships that concluded the first film. It shows us the current lives of its lead stars. Daniel (Macchio) is no longer in the martial arts business. As a matter of fact, he is now living an affluent life with his family, running a successful car dealership. Zabka's character Johnny on the other hand, is down on his luck. He's divorced and broke. He is stuck in the past and finds that his life really isn't what he dreamed it would be. But Johnny still has his fighting skills. One day he is approached by bullied kid Miguel (Maridueña) living in his apartment complex and asked if he would teach him karate, which leads Johnny to reopen the Cobra Kai dojo. Soon Johnny and Daniel's lives become intertwined once more, and the rivalry is reignited.

While Johnny's character is presented as the bully in the original Karate Kid, in this, he is so much a sympathetic character. For the first time, we get to truly see his perspective. He had a lot of troubles and issues in his past that, for good or bad, got him to where he is today. At the same time we get to see Daniel grew up to be an odd person. He's still a nice guy, but losing the balance his mentor Mr Miyagi taught him. While his life is flourishing and wildly successful, it doesn't take away from the fact that he also struggles. The show's creators somehow found an angle into the universe, from a different perspective, and they wanted to dive into the grey areas of these characters. Like many films from those days such as Star Wars and Rocky, Karate Kid's morality is very obviously black and white. The story of good vs evil, Daniel is hero, Johnny is villain. But things have changed in Cobra Kai. Within each episode, your allegiance may change. The series explores its main characters' interior lives, while always paying homage to the original film. The series did a great job at adding a ton of flashbacks to various pivotal scenes from the original movie.

Xolo Maridueña as Cobra Kai's student Miguel Diaz. Netflix Thailand

I love how the show lets us inside the characters' heads to know what they were thinking, and instantly transporting us to that time. Several characters from the first film reappear in the series, creating conflict for certain characters and filling in timelines. Very enjoyable for long-time fans.

Cobra Kai is quite nostalgic. If you grew up in the 80s, or if you remember watching the first film in theatres, this show's got plenty of pop culture references that will make you geek out. The soundtrack is another major highlight, harkening back to the 80s with those classic hair-band songs such as Poison's Nothin' But A Good Time, Twisted Sister's We're Not Gonna Take It, Whitesnake's Here I Go Again, AC/DC's Back In Black and many more.

Do yourself a favour and watch Cobra Kai, especially if you're a fan of martial arts and coming of age stories. This is a story that was blessed back in 1984 and now it's blessed all over again. It may be a service to fans, but it's also relevant storytelling.