Cobra Kai trailer

[mr friendly guy]

With all the jokes about our childhood memories being raped.... this actually looks promising.

What is interesting is reading the comments. Its like childhood bullies got butthurt that Johnny ended up a loser while Daniel ended up running a decent business.

[Raw Shark]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_Gz_iTuRMM

[LaCroix]

Finally a movie about the REAL Karate Kid?

[mr friendly guy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_Gz_iTuRMM

The funny thing about that video, is the visuals don't match the narration. I mean when they say Johnny is not getting violent then show Johnny doing just that because Daniel picks up a radio to give to Ally, it kind of kills the narrative they want to weave. Yes I know its meant to be funny rather than serious, but still.

[Darth Lucifer]

The full preview makes me ask alot of questions...some those students of Sensei Lawrence remind of dorky Daniel LaRusso when he was in high school and it looks like Johnny is helping them. Meanwhile, LaRusso is kind of a dick to Johnny, not to mention a sleazy used car salesman, complete with cheesy local ads and free bonsai trees! It would be interesting to see a little partial role reversal and maybe a form of redemption for both lifelong rivals in the long run.

I just hope Johnny doesn't end up becoming like his old master. His most important character development was during the tournament and immediately afterward, at the beginning of Karate Kid Part II...When Sensei Kreese told him to "sweep the leg" (after another Cobra injured Daniel) that's when he realized what an asshole his teacher really was. And when he got beat, he was a good sportsman and even gave the trophy to Daniel. Then after the tournament, Kreese broke Johnny's second place trophy while yelling at the boy "second place is no place." And when Johnny finally stood up to him, his teacher attacks him. I'd be seriously disappointed if they forget all of this.

[Aether]

The full preview makes me ask alot of questions...some those students of Sensei Lawrence remind of dorky Daniel LaRusso when he was in high school and it looks like Johnny is helping them. Meanwhile, LaRusso is kind of a dick to Johnny, not to mention a sleazy used car salesman, complete with cheesy local ads and free bonsai trees! It would be interesting to see a little partial role reversal and maybe a form of redemption for both lifelong rivals in the long run.

I just hope Johnny doesn't end up becoming like his old master. His most important character development was during the tournament and immediately afterward, at the beginning of Karate Kid Part II...When Sensei Kreese told him to "sweep the leg" (after another Cobra injured Daniel) that's when he realized what an asshole his teacher really was. And when he got beat, he was a good sportsman and even gave the trophy to Daniel. Then after the tournament, Kreese broke Johnny's second place trophy while yelling at the boy "second place is no place." And when Johnny finally stood up to him, his teacher attacks him. I'd be seriously disappointed if they forget all of this.

What you are saying is that it was Daniel was the bully all along.

SKEE SKEE SKEE.

[Themightytom]

I think Karate Kid was a classic because it really was more than just s training montage and a tournament. Daniel WAS kind of a jerk in a lot of the movie, and so was Johnny. A lot of the point of learning self defense is develop the confidence not to get into situations that get out of control. From his POV Johnny was the hero of his own story, until he wasn't, and even then he really did show good sportsmanship.

From Daniel's POV, he was the new guy who didn't fit in and he needed a mentor. I am pretty sure he said early in the movie that he took a couple karate lessons. He also seemed athletic enough to play soccer and wasn't really shy with the ladies so a lot of his issues early in the movie where with trying to fit in.

it really wasn't just good guys bad guys it was a bunch of kids trying to get their s*** together. So I'm hoping that's what the YouTube series ends up being. Maybe two adults still trying to get themselves together and realizing that when they challenge each other they bring out the best in each other. Sparring isn't always fighting. When you're doing it right it's just testing yourself against an opponent and it's only really bullying when the other side is and unwilling participant. I think for the most part Johnny and Daniel was more about a rivalry than bullying.

A lot of the Cobra Kai students were to dimension of beliefs however and that was reflective of the teacher. Kreese was shown to be a bully, and a racist, and a veteran who saw some action in vietnam, I think, it threw me off in the third movie when his war buddy was like... younger than Daniel.

Anyway, they had fleshed out characters that were deeper than victim v. bully. The dynamic between them carried the story and the kind of self deprecating insight into characters see just in the previews is pretty encouraging.

I love Larusso as the car dealer. It's a nod to Miyagi's lot full of cars. Daniel getting a car with a huge part of that movie and he obviously waxed the hell out of it period continuing that seems kind of natural but maybe over time he sort of got caught up in the prophet part of it and let his ego take over. Same thing with the stories of the old tournament. He's like a townie local Legend the story gets better every time he tells it even though he's trying to act like he's humble. The bonsai tree actually kind of seems like a betrayal of something sacred.
I really thought he figured out that lesson after the third movie but oh well. Johnny being directionless and lost it's pretty interesting too, he seemed like he was really trying to put it together in the movie but ended up investing so much in his fight with Daniel that he never really broke away from whatever pattern he was in before, and getting your ass kicked by your Sensei after just has to hurt.

Daniel has his exotic summer Adventure and Johnny just has a shitty summer.

Now it will be incredibly entertaining if Johnny pulls together this Misfit band of students and Larusso tries to relive his past glory. If Daniel starts beating up the students we saw training it would be horribly awkward. What I imagine is going to happen it's something much more complex. He looks like he's getting back into training but they're not showing any school his and they did show a conversation between him that even if it was a little heated didn't seem like it was escalating it was more about philosophy of karate. Personally I'm counting down the days I can't wait to see this. Especially after what Jackie Chan did to the franchise with his kung fu movie about karate.

Not sure I need to see any reference to The Next Karate Kid though. I think we can drive right by that one.

[mr friendly guy]

More tidbits, and the show is looking more complicated than initial trailers let on.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe9DTW ... GcA/videos

Daniel's daughter might be dating Johnny's student, while Johnny's son considers him a loser, and lets face it, he is.

[FaxModem1]

So, unless the advertisements are being really misleading, Johnny is the good guy on a path of redemption, and Daniel-san is a corporate tool?

[Darth Lucifer]

Oh my fucking Gawd, the episode trailers for Cobra Kai went up on YouTube. I clicked on one of them.....1:30 seconds of sheer Karate Kid BLISS!!!!!!!! Also on YouTube is a behind the scenes with the writers, it's on the Cobra Kai channel, very interesting to hear their motivations and angles for Johnny Lawrence.

Miguel is really awesome I like him alot, he injects modern world influence into a nostalgia piece from the 80's, which is essential to connect to today's audeinces.... spoilerized comment Miguel's idea to make a Cobra Kai webpage and go on Social Media is something alien to Johnny, and he needs this in order for his new Karate dojo to succeed.

[mr friendly guy]

No mercy.

So far watched the first five episodes. It plays on the nostalgia factor, but I think it could stand on its own. I am loving it so far.

[mr friendly guy]

Cobra Kai is fucking awesome.

The contrast between Daniel and Johnny
Johnny had a rich step dad who treated him like shit so he found a father figure in Kreese. Daniel had no dad and was poor and found a father figure in Miyagi. Daniel ended up rich while Johnny ended up poor. Both men have their demons and seeing how they work through it by themselves and how their demons are transferred to their students work nicely. Neither of them are exactly the bad guy nor the good guy as the trailers might suggest. Both are simply men with demons that they still need to work through.

In the Karate kid it was more about the story of Daniel, than Miyagi's story. We however did get a good idea about Miyagi's history from his time as a war veteran, to his time living in Okinawa, so he wasn't just the wise old teacher archetype. But we didn't know much about Kreese. Here we already know Daniel's story from the Karate Kid movies, and we know a little bit about Johnny. The series fleshes out more about Johnny to make him a much more rounded character than Kreese ever was. Which brings me to the next point. The show is not just Daniel and Johnny, its about the kids they train. I would argue its about as much about the kids as their sensei, whereas in the Karate Kid movies, it was more about one student. Here it focusses on the sensei's (Daniel and Johnny) and also not just one student, but several students. Which brings me to the next point.


Their students
Johnny in his own warped way nurtures the Cobra Kai students, who start off as a bunch of misfits. For those who have ever been bullied, it resonates with you. Johnny's speech to motivate them works nicely with his personality. He simply tells the kids he used to be like them, no friends etc until he joined Cobra Kai. This actually works rather than a cheap stunt where you expect Johnny to simply pretend to play nice to keep the fee paying students. If Cobra Kai was star wars, Johnny is Palpatine and Daniel is Yoda.

We see some of Cobra Kai's students, and you feel for them as they are the bullied. Even the "no mercy" scream is used to comedic effect. However it starts taking a dark turn, particularly with the character of Hawk, and also to a lesser extent with Miguel.

There is plenty of relationship drama here. Johnny's son ends up as Daniel's student. Daniel's daughter ends up dating Miguel, who is the number one student of Cobra Kai. We see how Miguel gets sort of bitter and twisted by the training. He might end up being Johnny number two, and you can see Johnny realising this is not necessarily the path he wants to take.

Nice karate kid references

1. Johnny telling Miguel the story between him and Daniel, and he takes the version from "Daniel is the real bully" youtube video, where he edits out certain details, like how he struck Daniel first.

2. Miguel copying Daniel's crane kick to troll Daniel.

3. Daniel trying to copy Miyagi's healing technique and then end up calling the medics.

Cobra Kai season one sets up nicely for a sequel. All I can say is, go watch Cobra Kai.

[wautd]

I just heared about this on a podcast, immediatly watched the trailer and was blown away by just to trailer alone.

As a kid of the 80's I can honestly say I'm hyped with ants in my pants. Can't wait to see it

[NeoGoomba]

My wife and I watched the first two free episodes and loved them. They were far better than they had any right to be. Now we are more than willing to shell out for a month of YouTube Red to binge the rest of them.

And I can easily say that, were it not for me meeting my wife, I'd have ended up like Johnny. Except without the karate haha.

[wautd]

I've started watching the pilot and ended up watching 5 in a row

[mr friendly guy]

I've started watching the pilot and ended up watching 5 in a row

I too was blown away by it. I hope there is a second season. I still think the entire series should end with Johnny and Daniel teaming up and putting their past behind them.

[Raw Shark]

I like the scene where Johnny and Daniel get drunk and talk about Ali. It's a pretty even-handed redemption story for both of them. Johnny realizes that he fucked up when Miguel turns into the brutal kid that he was, but he reaches for the OJ instead of a Banquet (seriously, did Coors fund this entire series?) and acts civilly toward Daniel. Daniel mentors Johnny's son in true Mr. Miyagi fashion and reconnects with his daughter. They could probably just end it here.

Also, I love Hawk's transformation. He is so completely going to bang the shit out of Moon.