After finally finding out that one of the perks of being a member of T-Mobile is getting Netflix for a cheaper price, my parents finally caved in and bought the service for a measly two dollars a month. With the service, came Netflix exclusives and with that, the series Cobra Kai. We quickly finished the two seasons in only two days. Here’s my review of the series, following the legendary Karate Kid movies. This will contain some spoilers of the series, so read at your own risk.

What surprised me the most was that the story actually followed the main antagonist of the original Karate Kid movie. The audience follows Johnny Lawerence, 30 years after the events of the Karate Kid. We find out that Johnny’s life has quickly fallen apart and it is not until he meets a young man named Miguel that his life begins to turn around. The two first meet when Johnny, in classic Mr. Miyagi fashion, defends Miguel from a group of bullies outside of his local mini mart. This prompts Miguel to attempt to learn karate from Johnny, which causes the resurrection of the Cobra Kai dojo. 

Daniel Larusso quickly realizes his former bully has once again started the dojo that had bullied him relentlessly in the past and quickly forms his own dojo, Miyagi-Do. Season 1 ends with the fated battle between Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do just like the movies.

The beginning of season 2 starts right where we left off; the ending of the All Valley Tournament. We meet many brand new faces and one in particular: John Kreese. Kreese was Johnny’s previous sensei that ended up disbanding Cobra Kai because of his mental issues (and his attempted murder of Johnny). Johnny ends up giving Kreese a second chance and allows him to teach the Cobra Kai class along with him. While this occurs, Larusso also begins to pick up more students, and even some ex-students from Cobra Kai. Since Johnny and Daniel have a grudge against each other, their students end up hating the opposing dojo as well. This rivalry comes to a head in the last episodes of the season as a major fight breaks out with an unexpected ending.

If I am unable to convince you to watch this series, maybe students from Arcadia High school can. “I enjoyed the series Cobra Kai; the cast was amazing and the unique plot fills the story with action,” said Senior Scott Phu. “I enjoyed the series, it was a great show!” says senior Dylan Chang. If seniors who are busy filling out their college applications can find the time to watch this show, I am sure everybody else can as well.

Overall, I really enjoyed the series Cobra Kai. Everytime you think the story will finally calm down, more drama just keeps the fire going. If you have Netflix you should definitely check this series out! 

Photo courtesy of NETFLIX.COM