It has been a while since I binge watched a show and stayed up too late because I enjoyed it that much. However, this "review" of sorts is only in relation to the first 5 episodes because that is all I have seen.
For me, this new TV series is absolutely fantastic but I can see how people unfamiliar with the 80's movies might feel otherwise. It is difficult for me to put myself into the heads of people born beyond the mid 90's because everyone is a product of the times they grew up in. Just like I have a difficult time relating to pop culture in the 2000's I can imagine that millennials have a hard time relating to my enthusiasm for a show like this.
The story follows primarily Johnny Lawrence, who, if you don't know, was the "bad guy" in the original Karate Kid movie that was made in 1984. Johnny, despite being the bad guy in the film, wasn't entirely bad, he was just on the opposite side of the hero. If you are familiar with the original movie, watch this short video for an alternate explanation Karate Kid. It's a bit of an eye-opener
credit to J. Matthew Turner for making this amazing video
Anyway, moving on. Cobra Kai, takes place 34 years after the original tournament of Karate Kid. Johnny is still in California and is a handy-man of sorts. He doesn't take care of himself and basically just eeks through life. It is evident he doesn't really like the way life has panned out. He is constantly haunted by the fact that his rival from the 80's also lives in the same town and is extremely successful. Ralph Macchio plays Daniel LaRussa - the All Valley Champion who dethroned Johnny all those years ago. Larussa is extremely successful in life and this obviously disturbs Johnny, who relives his defeat at that tournament over and over in his mind.
you had me at Taco Bell
Through a chance encounter, Johnny ends up protecting a neighbor that previously annoyed him from a bunch of high school bullies. He does this by bringing back his martial arts training and show to himself and his neighbor that he is still a bad ass. Without divulging too much information this leads to him re-opening the dojo that he was involved in so many years ago. It is called Cobra Kai, hence the name of the series.
The episodes are filled with nostalgia from the 80's and flashbacks to the original films which is always fun for me. However, for people who have not seen the original film, it might be a bit "meh." You need to be able to relate to how epic the original movie was to really appreciate the rivalry between Johnny and Daniel.
The only thing that I thought was a bit hokey about the series is that Johnny has apparently been asleep for the past 30 years because he still lives his life as if he was in the 80's. He doesn't have a smartphone, doesn't really know what they are, acts perplexed about things like Youtube and the internet in general, and drives a Pontiac Firebird.
I don't know if you know anything about this car, but there is virtually no chance it would still be functional in 2018 and is the only unrealistic part of the show thus far
Johnny ends up opening the dojo and training his once annoying neighbor, who is his only customer. The dojo is losing money and will have to shut soon. I'm not going to completely spoil it but something happens to generate interest in learning karate and that is where I stopped watching because it was nearly 3am at that point.
It is a Youtube Original Series so it is easy to access for free (legally) and the episodes are less than 30 minutes long. I would be very interested to see what someone who has never seen the original movies and is younger than me thinks. If that is you, please take 30 minutes out of your life and tell me what you think of episode 1. Is it engaging to someone completely unfamiliar with the 80's film?