Ben Wang was just six years old when he moved from Beijing to a small rural town in Minnesota. He recalls having to start all over and figure out his place in this new life and city. It’s one of the reasons he feels closely connected to his character, Li Fong, in the new Karate Kid: Legends.
Continue reading “Ben Wang is Ready to Kick Stereotypes and Tropes in ‘Karate Kid: Legends’”
Nearly seven years after its debut, Cobra Kai has come to an end. The third and final batch of episodes from its sixth and final season dropped on Netflix last Thursday, bringing with it some of the best writing and acting to come out of the entire series, all the while wrapping up loose ends. Did any of it have to do with the show’s dodgy efforts at Asian and Asian American representation? Not at all!
Continue reading “The Final Verdict on Asian Representation in ‘Cobra Kai’”
WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 2.
Cobra Kai is a Netflix title I’ve had a love-hate relationship with since its debut in 2018, initially on YouTube Red.
Continue reading “The Outrageous Plot Choices and Treatment of Asian Characters in ‘Cobra Kai’”
Ahead of its New York Comic Con panel, Sony has released the title and poster of the anticipated Karate Kid film, starring the franchise’s living legends: Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso and Jackie Chan as Mr. Han. The title of the new movie is Karate Kid: Legends.
Continue reading “Sony Pictures Reveals New ‘Karate Kid’ Title and Poster Ahead of NYCC Panel”
With the anticipated sixth season of Netflix’s Cobra Kai set to premiere Part 1 of their three-part final season, fans are curious about how their favorite characters’ journeys will end.
Continue reading “Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, and Yuji Okumoto on the Final Season of ‘Cobra Kai’”
WARNING: The following contains spoilers from Season 3 of Cobra Kai.
The third season of Cobra Kai has been out for a few weeks already on Netflix and a lot unfolded over the course of its ten episodes. Familiar faces returned, dynamics between some of the characters changed for the better while others changed for the worst, and through a sequence of flashbacks, audiences got a glimpse at the backstory of the original (and current) Cobra Kai sensei, John Kreese (Martin Kove).
Continue reading “The Backstory ‘Cobra Kai’ Should Tell”
The 50th San Diego Comic-Con has come and gone, and this year, the stars of the YouTube Premium series, Cobra Kai, were in attendance. For two seasons already, viewers of this continuation of The Karate Kid franchise have been following the rivalry of Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) via their feuding dojos. Continue reading “‘Cobra Kai’ Has Got to Step Up Its Representation Game in Season 3”
by Steven Barnes | Originally posted on his website
Some time back, I watched a documentary about master Fumio Demura, one of the first to bring authentic Japanese karate (Shito-ryu) to the United States. I thought of him because he was Pat Morita’s stunt double for the Karate Kid movies.
Continue reading “‘Cobra Kai’ and Cultural Appropriation”