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Cobra Kai - The Karate Kid Saga Continues

I finished it on Saturday and I loved it. I knew I would enjoy it but I was surprised with just how good it was.

Zabka definitely shines as Johnny and does a great job. Macchio is good too and the younger cast is terrific.

I liked the half-hour format (though each episode was 22 to 36 minutes long). It felt like the right length for each episode and made it perfect for binging. It told the story it needed to tell in that length of time.

I can't wait for Season 2.

On the subject of the later Karate Kid movies, they producers said that everything is canon (though I don't this referred to the remake in 2010). So just about anyone can show up.
 
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It would be interesting if the 2010 remake could be canon--imagine Jaden Smith meeting Ralph Macchio. Not really important, but technically, it's just two guys with similar stories. Daniel wasn't unique in having to deal with tougher kids. I won't call Johnny a bully. Daniel's hands weren't clean in their encounters.

I also can't wait for season 2. I am shocked given the success it hasn't already been announced.

My big question though is what else can I do with my free month on Youtube Red? What does it have that regular Youtube doesn't other than not having to deal with dumb ads for a few weeks?
 
"Uninterrupted music, ad-free and offline video, original shows" is what YouTube Red touts, but nothing else on their original programming slate looks interesting.
 
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Yeah, looking at the other content there's not much there that I see as being worth watching.
 
I have been wondering how they can make money when so many are cancelling after the first free month trial. Than it occurred to me, that is a one time deal for new customers. They will make money from us on the second season when we can no longer get a free month.

I am surprised that it has not been announced yet. The head of Youtube said he would do it right away if this was a success. They are probably negotiating issues on money right now. This was probably bigger than they expected and are going to have to pay if no contracts were to n place for season 2.

I already watched the whole season a second time. I can not remember the last time I have done that for any show I watch.
 
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Well that was surprisingly great. It's nice to have Karate Kid be good again, seeing as it really hasn't been since Part II. III has its moments, but IV was a waste of space and the remake was just a giant pile of weird decisions.

But bring on more Cobrai Kai man, I'm ready! The TV format really lets them spend time on the little things.
 
Dick Whitman said:
I have been wondering how they can make money when so many are cancelling after the first free month trial. Than it occurred to me, that is a one time deal for new customers. They will make money from us on the second season when we can no longer get a free month.

I am surprised that has not been announced yet. The head of Youtube he would do it right away if this was a success. They are probably negotiating issues on money right now. This was probably bigger than they expected and are going to have to pay if no contracts were to n place for season 2.

I already watched the whole season a second time. I can not remember the last time I have done that for any show I watch.
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You're probably right on everything. I haven't seen a thing worth watching on Youtube Red. But they hit a homerun here. I would happily pay the $10 to watch a second season. The actors would be foolish to play hardball yet though.
 
I suspect it is much bigger than just the actors. It's not solely owned or produced by YouTube. They might be waiting for the viewing number to reach a certain benchmark.
 
I enjoyed Cobra Kai so much that I'm giving them $10 for season 1. I won't cancel my subscription until next month. Nothing else on Youtube Red interests me, but I will say that having no ads is something I enjoy, especially since Youtube's recent change of eliminating ad markers on videos and instead going with "Advertisement in 5, 4, 3, 2....". How annoying that was.

Considering how many hourlong documentaries and old radio dramas I enjoy on Youtube, having no ads is an attractive thing that I might get used to.
 
Yeah, I willing to pay for the season, but as of yet I don't have any reason to stick with YT:R, the no ads thing is nice but, also, ads never greatly bothered me.
 
Pleasantly surprised.

I really liked how they treated Lawrence and Larusso in this, both are 30 years older and much has happened in between as it does in all our lives but their basic traits remained. However both seemed to have developed differently once their lives started crossing again - Lawrence started off as the jerk he was in the movies but by the end seemed to find more balance in his life when he saw what the Cobra Kai creed actually does to its students, especially Miguel who starts off as a really decent guy but is on a path to become a real jerk and Larusso who was the decent guy (though sometimes too stupid for his own good in the movies) but kind of started off as a jerk towards Lawrence only to realize what he's become later on and initiated a course correction.

This aspect of the show really worked very well as opposed to the sometimes ham handed ways the writers used to create artifical drama like Miguel misinterpreting innocent events and drawing wrong conclusions. It could be argued that they're still teenagers and that might be true but it still felt forced.

Another thing was the use of classic themes and scenes from the first movie and adapting them for the show, could have been overdone and the show came dangerously close to milking it but in my opinion just barely missed it.. i just smiled at the music and the overall scene when Daniel trains the son of his enemy or used nearly the exact same illogical techniques to train him in basic moves only to have his student blow up at him the same way he did to Mr. Miyagi.. "I love this part.." :lol:
The even snuck a little self referential joke in at the end when we all assume Daniel is about to use the hand warmup/heal technique but instead call for the medic.. nice way to say that the producers know full well that they used the source material with full intent.

All consided this was one of the better remakes/reboots of a classic source material.. the same spirit, not turned into a cheesy comedy show like some reboots do and i am really looking forward to Daniel opening up Miyagi-Do Karate in opposition to Cobra Kai for season 2 (can't wait to see if Johnny can resist the ways of Kreese and movie his students to a more centered path).
 
I'd really like to see more of a "friendship" between Johnny and Daniel, I liked their "bonding" in episode 9 when out in the Challenger, sharing drinks, talking about Ali and then a friendly sparring in Danny's dojo at the end of the episode it felt like thye'd found a shared ground. It sort of felt like it was tracking back that way by the end of the 10th episode as Johnny realized the error of his "No Mercy" teaching.
 
Rewatching episode 1, when Johnny gets in his car and drives off to a music montage, it's just like Rocky IV. Too similar not to be intentional. I can't believe I missed that the first time. Especially since they mention Rocky III later.
 
FPAlpha said:
....as opposed to the sometimes ham handed ways the writers used to create artifical drama like Miguel misinterpreting innocent events and drawing wrong conclusions. It could be argued that they're still teenagers and that might be true but it still felt forced.
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It could be argued that way because it's extremely accurate. Just because something is a trope on TV doesn't mean it's not true-to-life. Miguel is a teen boy who is inexperienced with girls. Teens don't always deal with their emotions the best way as it is. Some are more mature than others. In the course of this show, Miguel goes from a shy guy who is afraid to even talk to girls to someone that has a girlfriend, and goes from a "beta" who gets beat up to a confident "alpha". He probably can't even deal with the emotions from his persona change even without throwing Sam into the mix. Of course he's going to draw the wrong conclusions. That's what a lot of 17 year old boys (and girls) do. It didn't feel forced at all. It's part of his character journey, which will continue in season 2 when he'll likely course-correct.

I felt the same way when people were criticising Stranger Things for showing Eleven jealous of Max and Mike. Don't people remember what it felt like to be a teen? It's a jumble of emotions. You do bonehead stuff, you jump to conclusions, you assume. It's part of growing up.
 
It's confusing to watch this in the UK. They say you can purchase them individually but I can't figure out how.
I'll probably just stream it.
 
Aragorn said:
Interview with the show creators.

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Thanks for sharing that. I just watched the whole hour. Nice insights into the development and production. I am glad they have long term goals for this.
 
I was incredibly surprised how much I enjoyed this series! Of course, having grown up in the 80s, this was designed for people like me who are presently reflecting on their youth through their kids. But they pulled it off incredibly well. It's a perfect summer show, and it's equally unfortunate that it's over before the summer actually starts.

Looking forward to Season II, although the wait until 2019 is a bit frustrating.
 
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