Cobra Kai and real life

Cobra Kai and real life does that stike you as an odd title. Most of us have seen the original Cobra Kai movies or what was known as the Karate Kid movie series. Recently happened to see a series on Netflix and though I would go ahead watch it. This is not a review of the series in the true sense of the word. It is more of a post on the idea behind the series.

I am not sure what triggered me to watch it. Guess it was a photo of Ralph Macchio on X that led me to it. The tweet (do they still call X posts tweets?) showed Ralph through the years and mentioned that the guy did not seem to age! Cobra Kai was showing up on Netflix for some time. For fans of the Karate Kid movies, this series is a continuation of the film but set thirty years later. Almost all the original actors from the film are in this series. Plus, there is an interesting cast of youngsters who take the story forward while learning their karate chops!

What makes it captivating is the way the series sets the story. Remember the original Karate Kid film? Mr. Miyagi, wax on and wax off, and that illegal crane kick? Well, in the series, the central character is not Ralph or his character, Daniel LaRusso. William Zabka, playing the bad bay Johnny Lawrence, tells the story more from his perspective.

This is where all the real-life metaphors come in. Giving the villain a chance to re-establish himself and turn a new leaf is an exciting concept. In the series, the bad boy evaluates his career choices and decides to turn a new leaf. He decides to restart the dojo. He wants to make his students badasses but with character. That is a great idea.

Life is never a bed of roses. There are always thorns hiding. It is up to us to not fall into a pool of depression and self-pity, but to rise, take charge of our failures and rebuild ourselves. Even a TV series like Cobra Kai can teach you important lessons in life.