‘Karate Kid’ YouTube Series ‘Cobra Kai’ Is Faithful to the Movie, Not A Comedy

YouTube Global Head of Original Content Susanne Daniels was on an executive panel for the Television Critics Association, an /Film got the chance to ask her about the upcoming YouTube Red original series Cobra Kai, based on the 1980s classic The Karate Kid.

In Cobra Kai, Ralph Macchio and William Zabka reprise their rival roles as Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence from the original movie. Though the series comes from Harold and Kumar franchise creators Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, and Hot Tub Time Machine writer Josh Heald, Daniels said Cobra Kai is not a straight comedy.

Find out more about the Karate Kid YouTube series below.

“It is a half an hour format but I would call it a dramedy,” Daniels said. “I think it leans into the tone of the movies in that there are dramatic moments throughout. I think it’s very faithful really in some ways to what the movie set about doing, the lessons imparted in the movie if you will. It’s next generation Karate Kid.”

The premise of Cobra Kai, set present day, is that Johnny (Zabka) reopens the old Cobra Kai dojo, reigniting his old rivalry with Daniel LaRusso (Macchio). Both Daniel and Johnny have teenage kids of their own now.

The Karate Kid spawned three sequels, and 30 years of people saying “Sweep the leg” or “Wax on, wax off.” However, Daniels acknowledged Cobra Kai can’t coast on nostalgia alone.

“What’s interesting, I find, is that it doesn’t have to be a hit movie,” Daniels said. “A hit movie doesn’t necessarily mean a hit TV series. Clueless is a movie I still like and still watch. The TV version of it wasn’t great, I thought, all due respect to Amy Heckerling. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was not a great movie and Joss [Whedon] did a great job making the series. It’s about finding the right movie and finding the right director/producer/writer team that understands how to take the movie and make it into a series franchise.”

Clueless did run for three seasons, but to Daniels’ point, TV is littered with short-lived adaptations of the likes of Ferris Bueller, Limitless, Minority Report and Rush Hour. YouTube is also turning the Step Up franchise into a TV series, and Daniels is open to other TV series adaptations of movies too.

“I can’t say I have anything in development right now, but I’m certainly open and always looking to working on that kind of content,” she said.

Cobra Kai debuts this spring on YouTube Red.

The Art Of Shootfighting

The Art Of Shootfighting

Although it can be a very provocative martial art, Shootfighting is still one of the most popular martial arts styles in the world.  The art of Shootfighting is very old, originating from Japan as a way of self defense.  Even though it is great to use for self defense purposes, this martial art is more popular as a ring sport in competitions such as the Vale Tudo and the professional Shootfighting leagues found throughout Japan.

In Japan Shootfighting is a sport that is very popular.  The bouts take place in a ring that is similar to wrestling, ropes and all intact.  There are normally rounds, as well as a referee who is there to call the bout and stop it if need be.  Fighters will wear gloves and go at it full contact.  Submission and grappling is legal as well, which makes the fights more interesting.  Fighters can test their skills in Shootfighting against some of the best Japan has to offer with these bouts.

Shootfighting is popular in the United States as well, although it is more popular throughout Japan.  There are American fighters such as Ken Shamrock and Bart Vale who are experts in Shootfighting and travel to Japan on a frequent basis to compete in tournaments and bouts.  The atmosphere in Japan is very high, as they show a lot of passion and desire for the matches over there.

In technique and form, Shootfighting is a mix of striking and grappling.  It teaches students to be prepared for anything, standing or on the ground.  There are a lot of bone breaking moves taught with this art, from arm locks to ankle locks.  Most of the techniques that are taught to the student use a mixture of strength and technique - bringing very drastic results.

Even though a lot of people classify Shootfighting as being a form of pit fighting, it is actually quite a bit more.  Shootfighting does incorporate a lot of stand up fighting, in the form of punches, elbows, and kicks.  On their feet or on the ground, stylists can execute moves that will end a fight quickly.  The submission locks are the deadliest forms of defense and attack with this martial art, as they target a specific limb and focus on breaking it in two.

As a martial art, Shootfighting is very hard to beat.  It teaches students to be aggressive in battle and end the fight as quickly as possible.  It also teaches students self control and self esteem as well.  There are no belt classes with Shootfighting, as it is more or less a self defense system that was originally designed for the streets.  It has proven to be very effective over the years, both on the streets and in competition.