Nick_117

Originally watching this show when it was on YouTube TV, I was immediately hooked and binged the whole first two season in a day or two. This show is genius, playing with the characters from the original film, flipping the script on them and making you feel for Johnny even though he isn't the traditional hero. This show works because of Johnny Lawrence, and how unapologetically realistic and free-spoken he is. The generational gap was also a brilliant idea, watching the older generation try to solve new problems in an old way, only to learn its not that simple.

The show isn't perfect, but even so I think its flaws add to its charm. At the end of the day, its about kids doing karate, and taking that too seriously would be even worse than embracing a bit of the cringe, and there is a bit of cringe. Daniel constantly talking about Miyagi can be annoying at times, and made me wish there was more going on with his character. My favorite parts of Daniel were his interactions with Johnny, as the whole water and oil dynamic brought out the best in each character and usually made for the most entertaining parts in the show. I say usually because in the last couple seasons it does get old, only because at this point there's no reason for them to be fighting each other and its only done to get a bit of tension.

I think the seasons of Cobra Kai get progressively worse as you go, but by no means does that make them bad (season 1 is a 9/10, season 6 is a 7/10). I appreciated that as the cast grew in size, not all characters were given equal screen time for better or worse. It would be annoying to have to watch everyone an equal amount, especially when the interesting story is only with a select few. I wish more shows would do this; its okay to sideline your characters every once in a while, you don't have to invent a random story to keep them relevant.

Overall Cobra Kai was a very enjoyable and rewatchable show for me, highly due to its entertaining and interesting characters, along with its well written, well paced storylines. That being said, now that the whole show is complete, I don't know if I will care to rewatch it as much as I did previously, and I think that has to do with the sense of fulfillment the show leaves you with by the end. It makes sure that everything and everyone is wrapped up, some of those feeling a little rushed or forced. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend Cobra Kai.

Right away, yes, I am a huge fan of the games and lore of the Halo franchise. I think the story from the games is the gold standard for storytelling in a first person shooter. I fundamentally disagree with how this show portrays the universe and the characters, and in my opinion does a disservice to them. But ignoring the franchise for a moment and analysis this show as just another series, it still has a lot of problems.

The characters in this show are not interesting or written well (my opinion). The Chosen Kwan is utterly dislikable and I do not get the direction they were going with her. Sorin and his family are just uninteresting, and add nothing to the overall plot. Sure, it was cool at first to learn about a Spartan who defected, but that's a story for 1 episode, and we have 17. I'll admit, the action we see, although there isn't much, is done well mostly and can at times remind me I am in fact watching a Halo show.

The story overall is not very compelling and just takes way too long to build up to an underwhelming payoff. The Covenant are not shown to be the threatening antagonist that we keep being told about. Too much time is spent on side characters in an effort to keep them relevant, but it ultimately just takes away from the main story having any chance of being interesting.

Going back to the Halo part of the show, it is almost unrecognizable. Sure, its been pointed out to death that the "Master Chief", Arbiter, and other characters don't resemble their video game counterparts whatsoever, but that is for a reason. If you want to put your own spin on an established universe and characters, fine. But your new version needs to be at least on par with what was available previously, and I can't say that this show is anywhere close.

The Silver timeline is not Halo, to me and many other fans, and hopefully this is the last we've seen of it. The show was cancelled for a reason - sometimes things are just bad. Its time to move on and give the Halo franchise a movie or show deserving of the rich lore, characters, visuals, and atmosphere. The Sonic films are killing it, from the same studio mind you, due to the care the people behind it have for the franchise they are working with. Try that out.

I can appreciate what After the Rain tries to portray and accomplish, but it just isn't my cup of tea. I like the two main characters, and thought they were written well. The side characters are kind of just there, and the show doesn't do a whole lot with them. I'm sure most people will get more out of this show than I did, but to me the focus seemed to be a bit all over the place. I get that was on purpose and meant to round out the characters a bit, but I just like stories that are a little more focused. Again, I'm sure most people will like this anime more than I did, but I wouldn't recommend it and probably wouldn't ever watch it again.