a5c7b9f00b Set thirty years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, the series focuses on Johnny Lawrence reopening the Cobra Kai dojo, which causes his rivalry with Daniel LaRusso to be reignited.
Thirty years after their final confrontation at the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, Johnny Lawrence is at rock-bottom as an unemployed handyman haunted by his wasted life. However, when Johnny rescues a bullied kid, Miguel, from bullies, he is inspired to restart the notorious Cobra Kai dojo. However, this revitalization of his life and related misunderstandings find Johnny restarting his old rivalry with Daniel LaRousso, a successful businessman who may be happily married, but is missing an essential balance in life since the death of his mentor, Mr. Miyagi. Meanwhile, even as this antipathy festers, it finds itself reflected in their protegees as Miguel and his comrades are gradually poisoned by Cobra Kai's thuggish philosophy. Meanwhile, while Daniel's daughter, Samantha, finds herself in the middle of this conflict amidst false friends, Johnny's estranged miscreant son, Robby, finds himself inadvertently coming under Daniel's wing and flourishes in ways worthy of Mr. Miyagi.
Billy Zabka was the huge surprise here. Yeah he was great as an 80's brainless bully who always got beat down to end the movies he was in. But he never really got to act in any of those movies. He acts for real in this show, and he's DAMN GOOD, not to mention funny as hell. Yeah, you have a little bit of trouble taking him seriously like anyone else would, and the writers expect that. The pace moves very quickly and they got a great group of young actors. Ralph Macchio is very good as well, although he's not as big of a character this season. They also do a fantastic job of laying a foundation for a million possible plot turns in the next seasons. <br/><br/>I'm giving this 10/10 because it's harder to make a show for all ages. The same reason Forrest Gump beat out Pulp Fiction. I've got young kids that are watching this show and laughing like crazy, it's so much fun. Superb job on this one, guys, I cannot wait for Season 2. Get me more of Hawk and Miss Robinson! <br/><br/>I'm a Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad junkie, but the first season of this show is up there near them. It's hard to compare because Cobra Kai is shorter episodes.
Its awesome that the actual actors that portray Daniel and his bully (Johnny Lawrence) from Karate Kid 1 reunite after 35 years. Sad how people grow old... I had to look it up to be sure that those are the same actors.<br/><br/>Their characters have moved on but there is still some grudge between them. One is successful, the other is not. One has a fine family, the other does not. I only liked Daniel in the 1st film, but after that, I sort of wanted him to lose. Maybe because he stopped being a victim in the 2nd and 3rd movie. So I'm really on the same page here with Johnny. I love how the movie is not concentrating on Daniel. <br/><br/>You can't help it but feel sorry for the protagonist, Johnny, as everything in his life goes to hell. Losing in Karate Kid 1 was a pivotal point in his life and he caries this with him. If you ever wondered what a villain does down his life after a movie ends, this is a perfect example. I love how Johnny is not just fighting in the dojo, but also against real life struggles (such as bills), against his own memories, for his family and for his students. There are more mind games that fights, which I appreciate greatly.<br/><br/>The drama and the jokes tickle me just the right way. This is a series nobody asked for, focusing on a generic sub-villain and yet, it was an awesome surprise. The problems, situations and misunderstandings are all realistic, unlike other series that create drama out of nowhere just to have a reason for a fight scene. <br/><br/>A negative thing I can see is that Daniel smiles too much... I cant take him too seriously. And also it's hard to tell how fast time goes. The kids feel like they are pros in just after a couple of lessons, but it is implied that have been trained for weeks. Even so, they don't fight like rookies. I did karate for 6 months and you just cant pull those moves without years of training. Those things aside, it's an awesome show, and I cant wait for more episodes!<br/><br/>Btw I bet their kids will end up being together at some point :P