Inside me lives a pony-tailed little girl who wears pink and has a Ralph Macchio poster over her bed. There are pictures. The pigtails are gone but my love of pink and Ralph Macchio remain. And the poster is stored away, laminated by my mother at some point in the distant past.
I say this to bring you to this dramatic reveal: there is more Karate Kid! And not Hilary Swank Karate Kid but Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) Karate Kid! He is older (think Miyagi-san age now) and hopefully wiser, but he must face off Johnny of the Cobra Kai dojo! Wait, is this 1984 again? Bring me my Members Only jacket, stat! (I actually just found it again. It was a hand-me-down and apparently way way too big because it still kind of fits).
The new series starring Ralph Macchio and William Zabka (Johnny Lawrence) is coming soon from Youtube Red. But not soon enough! Johnny is back following the tenets of his former sensei Kreese: “We do not train to be merciful here. Mercy is for the weak. Here, in the streets, in competition, a man confronts you, he is the enemy. An enemy deserves no mercy!”
So looks like Johnny and Daniel will be striking hard and fast when their old rivalry rears its ugly cobra-hooded head. And this time, Miyagi-san is not here to help. The late great Pat Morita brought warmth and humor to his role, but we can hope that Daniel can still wax on and off when the need arises.
And though this is just a teaser, it already looks better than that travesty called “Karate Kid Part III.” Wait, I choose not to believe that movie even exists. The last amazing “Karate Kid” movie was Part II, when they did it all for the Glory of Love. You hear that song in your head now, don’t you?
Speaking of songs, recently “Lucifer” had a montage sequence that featured Joe Esposito’s “You’re the Best,” which instantly took me back to the All Valley Karate tournament. Amazing how a piece of music can do that. You think 80’s training montages, you better think of “Karate Kid.” And “Rocky.”
Looking forward to the new series. Hopefully there will be more information coming soon.