Why My Enjoyment Of Cobra Kai Never Dies

 Slight, General/Light Spoilers For Cobra Kai Ahead

At the time of this post, the Karate Kid franchise is closing a chapter that began in 2018, Cobra Kai is entering its series finale, and an epilogue movie "Karate Kid Legends" hits the screens in May. I have only began watching this show last year, but within two months I was caught up in time for season six, the current and final season. I love this show, the action, the comedy, the heart, and even some of the messages this show has to offer. Before the final season drops I wanted to dive into some general thoughts on why this show had me hooked from the time the credits rolled on the first episode. 

This show begins with Johnny Lawrence played by William Zabka, as he may or may not be living in the past since the ending of those classic 80's karate movies, his rival, the former hero Daniel LaRusso played by Ralph Macchio who may seem more successful may not have entirely moved on either. The world of karate calls back to them, old rivals return, old enemies resurface, new challenges faced, new friendships are made as old friendships appear, and the next generation learns lessons through combat both inside and outside the ring, outside the dojo, and outside their comfort zones. This show has so much nostalgic goodness in there, some of the clichés follow our cast through this shows run, while throwing in tons of action, comedy, and some heart as well. The show also brings in modern problems, modern aspects, and some of the characters must learn and grow, as the world has grown alongside with them.

The show introduces the next generation, students of the leads who must learn and grow, sometimes having to deal with the problems of their mentors past that went unresolved. Miquel, Sam, Robby, and plenty others also bring in engaging stories to follow the lives of the students when not following the stories of the teachers. Yes there is romance, yes there is drama, and not every dramatic or comedic element hits but the ones that do, really do. The show loves to have over the top action sequences and every season tries to raise the stakes, leading to some crazy fights, all that still have great fight choreography for both the newcomers and the old guard, the hits holding weight, and showing new moves being learned and implemented.

The show teaches some great lessons both spoken and visual, adding some nice classic moments of inspiration that feel earned as the cast not only acts well, but the writing tries to show real human emotions and relatable ones at that. The audience may not be in karate war for the valley, but peaking at a young age, having a hero syndrome, being afraid, facing fears, and so much more shine through in this show to connect with the viewer. The show also makes the characters real people, showing that past heroes can be in the wrong, things can change based on perspective, and much like real life the black and whites of things look a lot more gray once the whole story and all the information comes into view. 

The show can be cheesy, but I love it for that, the action is great, there are great laughs and the amount of heart is just perfect. Every story beat might not fit, the romance is incredibly weak, and the teen drama is something I find myself laughing at over getting invested, but there is so much good in this show, even when the show doesn't work, I stick around because there are plenty of gems. Lessons that can be applied to the viewers, quiet moments that are genuine and sincere full of great emotional impact. The show does not alienate new comers, using footage and dialogue to let the audience know what is a reference, making the connections a treat but not needed to watch the plot unfold. The callbacks are great and seeing returning characters grow, or help move emotional moments along are awesome. Sometimes the past refuses to die, then how do the heroes face it? That is the question that is posed at many focal points of the show, but also showing how their students can learn from their styles, their mistakes, but also make things their own.

The way this show is shot and the music picked even evokes that nostalgic feeling. Not just the writing but the presentation tries to give that feeling, giving you the feeling of a story picking up all this time later, while using some classic pieces to remind us why we loved the story back then. So many things try to call back to something from the past and just feel like soulless cash ins, and yet this works because the show knows its audience, the writers and creative team know what people came for, and give it to them, while giving the audience great new twists, new stories, and try new things with these characters we know.

Great fights that have the weight and impact of each hit that great fights in TV or movies need, an engaging story, solid acting. I never watched the Karate Kid movies but this made me want to, because I enjoy this show so much, following Danny and Johnny on their journeys, full of nostalgic callbacks that are not over done, made in the style of those classic movies with the action, cheese, and heart, while still changing what needs to be changed for a modern audience. Cobra Kai never dies, and it seems my enjoyment of this show, won't any time soon either.