Cobra Kai - A huge success!

Cobra Kai, better than the original?

If you grew up in the 80s or 90s, you've most certainly seen or heard of Karate Kid.
The first film took the world by storm in 1984 and grossed $130,000,000 in theaters ($280,000,000 today adjusted for inflation) on a budget of $8 million, the higher ups at Columbia Studios were probably more than happy. Then there was both a Karate Kid II and III, as well as a bunch of sequels that went like that.

In an age where re-makes, prequels and sequels seem to be the only thing movie studios release, Cobra Kai has had a remarkable journey.

The series that first came out on YouTube and became a huge viewer success when it was taken over by Netflix.
The Karate Kid films fall under the so-called coming of age genre where you get to follow the development of one or more characters from youth to adult. The characters in Karate Kid I do not offer many nuances of character, but are a simple story about a hero, Daniel, who fights against evil.

Many, myself included, probably expected the same story as in the original when Cobra Kai was released.

Instead, we got a series similar to Yellowstone and Breaking Bad where the characters have depth and it is sometimes difficult to choose a side.

At the beginning of Cobra Kai we get to follow Johnny, the evil character from the original who is now a middle-aged man who has failed at most things in his life.

After encountering a bullied teenager, Miguel, Johnny decides to reopen the Cobra Kai dojo and begin teaching Miguel the "Strike Hard, Strike First, No Mercy" philosophy, among other things.

At the same time, Daniel, the hero from the original films, is successful, but feels that something is missing in his life. When he sees that Cobra Kai is back, his old rivalry with Johnny is reawakened and he decides to start up his own dojo in the spirit of Mr. Miyagi.

Johnny, despite his flaws shows a desire to improve in Cobra Kai. We get a background to his personality as we see him grapple with his past through his relationships with his stepfather and his old karate master.

Daniel, on the other hand, sometimes comes across as self-righteous even though he is successful.

In short, the creators of Cobra Kai managed to create a follow-up series to a beloved film franchise, 34 years later, that not only works for middle-aged fans of the original franchise, but a younger audience that lacks a connection to the original.