https://blacknerdproblems.com/welcome-cobra-kai-to-the-world-stage-season-6-part-2/

The true measure of any piece of any serialized sports media, whether it is a traditional sports drama or sports anime, is the quality of said media’s tournament episode or arc. Because when it comes to sports media, there is always a tournament episode or arc (whether it is an episode or arc really depends on the exact nature of the series). There is no better way to showcase character growth and opposition than a series of sequential challenges where our protagonists must somehow rise to the occasion. A good tournament sits with you. A great tournament arc will have you preaching the praise for years to come. 

I knew from the beginning of Cobra Kai that I was going to love the series, but the season 1 finale ‘No Mercy’ cemented that knowledge. The epic conclusion of the series proved that the showrunners understood the assignment and every subsequent season has maintained that trust whether through big brawls or the second All-Valley. Now of course, season 5 set the stage for the final season of Cobra Kai by introducing the Sekai Taikai, a fictionalized martial arts tournament that was really the only logical progression of a series that had been anchored in the Valley for decades (the occasional visit to Japan notwithstanding), and after five episodes of preparing for the tournament, it was time for five episodes at the tournament.

Picture this, Barcelona. Miyagi-Do and Cobra Kai joining other dojos in a tournament at a scale that neither team had ever imagined. Rivals on the world stage having to reckon with the fact that the world stage may actually be better than them. This is the basic premise of Cobra Kai, Season 6, Part 2, and while I remain sad that I have to wait a few months for the conclusion for what has consistently been one of my favorite television series this last decade, I can at least acknowledge that the team is making good use of the time and 15-episode run.

My biggest concern with the structure was that part 2 would focus exclusively on the tournament (with some dedicated to Miyagi’s apparently sordid history with the tournament they dropped in the final moments of Part 1) and then only in part 3 would we reconcile the rest of the dangling plot lines when everyone was back stateside (the biggest one being Devon sabotaging Kenny during the qualifier). This fear was quickly assuaged as the show found clever ways to incorporate the coming and goings of those left behind in the states. (Although, obviously, I can’t really get into specifics since I very much want you to experience the deft storytelling firsthand.) It still anchors the narrative on Miguel, Robbie, Tory, Sam, Hawk, Eli, and Devon as Danny, Johnny, and Chozen dealing with the same fundamental conflict they had at the beginning of the series, and it truly shows that youth are at least willing to try change more than the adults. John Kreese is also there standing menacingly in the foreground since apparently extradition doesn’t really exist in Spain. (We continue not to have time to figure out how Kreese is able to travel internationally with such ease, and we continue to accept this as a fact.)

Being a full-blown tournament arc, we get the full monty of sports tropes, and this is a series that knows how to trope with the best of them. We got awkward team dynamics, interpersonal problems manifesting during events, and it’s honestly perfect. There are few shows that understand and leverage genre quite like Cobra Kai, and in their final season they are running a clinic in that if you execute on an idea well enough, it really does not matter if the idea has been done before. 

Do the teenagers make increasingly terrible decisions? Yes. Do the adults make increasingly terrible decisions? Yes. Does the narrative progress in such a way that there is a moment where everything comes to an honest moment of reflection and self-actualization? Yes. And that’s not a spoiler, that’s just how tournament arcs work. For five years, Heald, Hurwitz, and Schlossberg have used the beloved characters that Ralph Macchio and William Zabka have truly embodied to modernize a beloved franchise, and we have seen Xolo Mariudna, Tanner Buchanan, Jacob Bertrand, Gianna DeCenzo, Mary Mouser, Peyton List truly come into their own as leading actors. While Danny and Johnny are the foundation of the show, it is the younger generation that provides it with the soul.

That said, some of the other adult supporting cast manage to leave a mark. Courtney Henggeler’s Amanda continues to be a much-needed anchor for the series for being the seemingly one reasonable person who isn’t completely enamored with martial arts, and Yuji Okumoto’s Chosen remains one of the most redeemed characters in all fiction honestly. Lewis Tan made an appearance as the sensei of a rival dojo and managed to change the typical dynamics, so we appreciate that. And honestly, everyone involved is a fantastic addition to the world.

So from a writing, acting, and narrative standpoint, this is the same Cobra Kai that we have come to know and love. And that remains true from a cinematography and choreography perspective, as well. This is a series that knows its ending, and it showing off everything it wanted to do with the budget. The set pieces are bigger and better than ever. The fight sequences, the core of the series, are truly some of the best things they have produced. It takes a second before everything gets to full throttle, but once we get there, it is exhilarating.

The music choices remain iconic, and the orchestra scores accentuate the fights, training montages, and emotional moments in a way that will rock you to your emotional core. I’ve watched several scenes on repeat, and I await patiently for the rest of the internet to get their hands on the show so I can watch them on repeat from a YouTube player. There are a couple developments and choices I have some minor gripes with, but as always, the series itself remains incredibly well thought out for the most part.

So while I patiently wait for Part 3 of a show that I truly adore, I will also continue to stay awake at night wondering about the unified Karate Kid universe, because honestly, Cobra Kai has been the perfect modernization of the franchise, and I continue to not understand how the showrunners for a series that have maintained it in the zeitgeist are not involved. However, that’s besides the point.

Truly, all you need to know is that Cobra Kai has rightfully climbed to the world stage, and you should do yourself a favor and watch it immediately.

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The post Let’s Welcome ‘Cobra Kai’ (Season 6, Part 2) to the World Stage appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.