Cobra Kai

[chrisstbh]

You've been of that view more or less since the beginning. This season will definitely not endear itself to you.

I've been surprised by my own reaction. I feel about this show as Heavy Metal Spike feels about She-Hulk - whereas that show has not appealed to me at all.

I enjoyed the first two seasons to an extent, then it just became far too ridiculous.

 

[csutkakoma]

Cobra Kai is a jewell. Especially compared to terrible pc shows like She-Hulk and alike.

 

[MaulFan]

I love it, particularly the commentary on the modern world, like Johnny giving his information to a scam call lol

 

[a-dev]

Or one of the autofill searches when he was googling babyproofing a home was 'how to tell a kid I'm banging his mom'.

 

[ArtDamage]

This show still seems to maintain an endearing level of pure cheese. It's hammy acting, ridiculous plot, and at many times so so choreography sprinkled on a nostalgic backdrop of characters.

...and yet...it's hard to not appreciate how little the show takes itself seriously. It drifts between teen Disney Channel corny and characters dropping F bombs.

This season's highlights for me were Chozen and Silver, but im unsure what direction they're really going to take this thing. I'm going to likely tune in though

 

[a-dev]

They can't top Silver as a villain. I've always loved that guy and Thomas Ian Griffith's performace. This show I will say is heavily nostalgia-dependent and I don't think a brand new character like Sensei Kim would satisfy. Silver needs to stick around for season 6.

 

[a-dev]

Oh, forgot about this, this was a surprise

Spoiler

 

[Sweet Rabbit]

LOL @ four people getting in that Challenger

 

[ArtDamage]

Oh, forgot about this, this was a surprise

Spoiler

That was crazy. Definitely better than I thought this show was capable of budget wise, but still pretty awkward.

 

[JMT1979]

Just finished season 5. I thought the first half of the season was pretty average, but the second half really picked up and was excellent, culminating in an excellent ending, which was a relief since I was disappointed by the ending of season 4.

 

[a-dev]

Because the episodes are relatively short and you can easily binge watch this show I don't even notice the lulls.

 

[MaulFan]

I find that the odd numbered seasons are the strongest, 1, 3 and 5, 2 and 4 weren't bad, just not as strong.

 

[Asta]

It's '80s inspired cheesy fun.

But sometimes they take it too far.

"Some of the best swords in the world."

Japanese steel should always be displayed sharp edge upwards.

It's traditional etiquette, and prevents the dulling of the blade.

This is a schoolboy error that's repeated on TV, in films and in peoples' homes.

Silver should commit seppuku out of shame.

 

[mikedanger]

I also found this interesting about sword display...

Handles are always on the left to represent times of peace or to display to your guests that they are not under any threat as your sword is in the wrong position for an easy attack. In times of war it is acceptable to place the handle on the right. If your home were to be invaded you could quickly draw the sword from the display in an immediate attacking motion.

The last thing to ensure is that your blades cutting edge is always facing up. This to is not an aesthetic choice, it is one with a functional purpose. In a time of war this puts the sword in the correct position for a samurai to use it quickly based on his sword training.

 

[Asta]

I also found this interesting about sword display...

Handles are always on the left to represent times of peace or to display to your guests that they are not under any threat as your sword is in the wrong position for an easy attack. In times of war it is acceptable to place the handle on the right. If your home were to be invaded you could quickly draw the sword from the display in an immediate attacking motion.

The last thing to ensure is that your blades cutting edge is always facing up. This to is not an aesthetic choice, it is one with a functional purpose. In a time of war this puts the sword in the correct position for a samurai to use it quickly based on his sword training.

Yes, there's a lot of rituals associated with Japanese culture, and they often serve practical purposes.

The rest of that page highlights some other points, and the reasoning for them:

The samurai would normally possess three swords. The katana which is the most recognized full sized samurai sword and is often the first piece in any collection. The second would be the wakizashi which is a mid-sized sword that resembles the katana and then the third which is a tanto. The tanto is the shortest of the swords or in many examples can be as short as today's standard survival styled knife. The display of these swords in the samurai warriors home was not strictly about aesthetic appearance but also served a functional purpose in day to day life. When a samurai was to dress, he would first put on his tanto followed by the wakizashi and lastley the katana. So for practical function the katana would come off first while undressing and be placed on the lower rack. The wakizashi would be placed in the middle position and the tanto would then be placed in the top position. This leaves each piece ready in the correct order for dressing the next day. This has been debated on whether or not the order is correct and has been widely accepted as the proper order. In the case of a two tier stand that has a shelf instead of a third tier the correct order would be the tanto on the shelf. Katana on the bottom and then the wakizashi would be on the top.

All samurai trained to be right handed warriors. If you were left handed you would still practice and learn the katana with your right hand. This was a social rule and one that could save you from unnecessary life shortening duals. Samurai would regularly pass each other on narrow foot paths and walkways. The right handed Samurai wore his katana on his left hip and would allow others to pass him on his right. The other samurai's sword would also be on his left hip with no chance that the passer can bump into it or have the swords knock each other. If one samurai wore his sword on the right hip he would constantly be in a position where his sword may make contact with the passer and it is considered a great insult to bump into a samurai's sword. This type of tradition is also seen in how the samurai sword is displayed. Handles are always on the left to represent times of peace or to display to your guests that they are not under any threat as your sword is in the wrong position for an easy attack. In times of war it is acceptable to place the handle on the right. If your home were to be invaded you could quickly draw the sword from the display in an immediate attacking motion.

The last thing to ensure is that your blades cutting edge is always facing up. This to is not an aesthetic choice, it is one with a functional purpose. In a time of war this puts the sword in the correct position for a samurai to use it quickly based on his sword training. The more relevant reason in modern times is that it will preserve the edge on your blade. Having a samurai sword sharpened is a very long process of finely polishing away or removing blade material. You don't want to do this more than necessary in order to preserve the longevity of your sword. If the swords edge constantly rests on the inside of your wooden saya, it will begin to wear or dull. Even subtle vibrations can cause this to happen. By displaying or storing your katana with the edge facing up, only the swords spine will be in contact with the saya preserving your edge.