Here’s the thing about Cobra Kai, Netflix’s newest TV series: to get the most out of it, you gotta watch The Karate Kid first. After the original teen sports movie captured everyone’s hearts in 1984, it spawned three sequels and a remake, none of which lived up to the original. Now, nearly four decades later, Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence have rekindled their rivalry in a smart and engaging revival of the franchise, except this time the story is told through Johnny’s eyes.

Ever since its release, Cobra Kai has been synonymous with the bullies. Their motto – STRIKE FIRST, STRIKE HARD, NO MERCY – was just a hint of what training was under the villainous John Kreese, who breaks Johnny’s second-place trophy and nearly chokes him to death after losing to Daniel in the All Valley Karate Tournament in the first film. The Cobra Kai, in their ominous black karate gis, were the bullies, and they were privileged, good-looking, rich and usually white.

The TV series picks up years after Daniel’s (Ralph Macchio) triumph, now a successful car salesman with multiple dealerships across the valley. Johnny (William Zabka), having lost the love of his life, Ali, and the karate tournament, only to be assaulted and belittled by his trusted sensei, has never fully recovered. The pretty boy and Cobra Kai’s top student from privileged Encino now lives in a low-rent complex in Reseda, making ends meet as a part-time handyman. While a long time has passed, the two men have never quite outgrown the past. Daniel has taken full advantage of his fame and routinely “kicks the competition” with the best car deals in town, and his ubiquitous presence is a constant reminder to Johnny of his past failures.

Where Cobra Kai differs from The Karate Kid is perspective, and it’s an important distinction from what was generally considered a heartwarming tale of good overcoming evil. Johnny, seen as the class bully in pop culture memory for 30 years, is now shown under much more sympathetic light. We understand why he is the way he is, and as the wise Mr. Miyagi said: “No such thing as a bad student, only bad teacher.”

In a series of events closely mirroring the original story, the new kid on the block is Miguel (Xolo Maridueña), a skinny kid of Ecuadorian descent who quickly draws the ire of the bullies and finds himself getting beat up. Johnny steps in and saves Miguel, and after much pleading from Miguel – much like Daniel with Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita, in archival footage) – Johnny agrees to become Miguel’s sensei and re-opens the Cobra Kai dojo. Daniel finds out, and believing that Cobra Kai is up to no good again, takes it upon himself to protect everyone by re-opening the Miyagi-do dojo in response.

Because so much time has passed and both Daniel and Johnny have entered their 40’s, their rivalry has extended to their families. Daniel’s wife and business partner, Amanda (Courtney Henggeler), disapproves of their childish rivalry, and their daughter, Sam (Mary Mouser), ends up getting caught in the middle after falling in love with Miguel. Johnny’s estranged and troubled son, Robby (Tanner Buchanan), ends up becoming rivals with Miguel, mirroring what Daniel and Johnny had went through decades earlier. Two story lines emerge: Daniel and Johnny’s rivalry, which is what fans of the original film would care most about, and a Miguel-Sam-Robby love triangle that uses karate as an excuse to create elaborate cafeteria brawls.

The story about two grown men who refuse to bury the hatchet is the best part of the show and drives most of the decisions and misunderstandings that keeps the story – at times unnecessarily – complex. In this version, it’s Daniel who comes off as the immature bully, one who steadfastly refuses to look at things from Johnny’s point of view and wastes no thought on using his financial leverage to make Johnny’s life miserable. Johnny is trying to make amends, but in the process of becoming a good person he continually makes disastrous mistakes, though it’s mostly endearing and funny because he’s truly trying to turn over a new leaf. It may be just a coincidence, but it’s interesting nonetheless that Macchio gets top billing, which speaks to how well received Daniel has been as a character as the good guy over the years.

The teen love story, while mostly icky and eye roll-inducing, is important because it grabs the same demographic The Karate Kid did in its original release; a love triangle between Daniel and Johnny with Ali Mills (Elisabeth Shue, perhaps set to make an appearance in Season 3) is what really kicks off the original rivalry. It’s an over-exaggerated teen soap about trying to survive high school – literally, Season 2 ends on a major near-death cliff hanger – though with the level of karate they show, it does sometimes feel like Power Rangers. To their credit, the three young leads at least manage to keep things interesting.

Cobra Kai is well aware that some of its viewers grew up during the 80’s and 90’s and doesn’t forget about them. Musical references aside, there’s jokes about life before internet dating, the Iron Eagle films and the Ninja Turtles, but one look at Johnny’s apartment and it really feels like you’re put in a time machine. The sets make it distinctly clear that Johnny has not quite moved on from the past, while Daniel’s big house with stucco walls and backyard pool indicates he’s moved on to — materially-speaking — bigger and better things.

The show addresses everything that the original film would ask, from how bad teachers can lead good students astray, and why a kid from New Jersey practising karate and taking care of bonsai trees isn’t the bad kind of cultural appropriation. The Karate Kid existed in much simpler times, and there’s much comedy in watching Johnny playing catch-up, from learning about non-binary genders to the wonders of the internet. There has been obviously so much care and thought put into these characters that, unlike other franchises that have gone back to the well just for the money, it is a welcome — and fresh — blast from the past.

Cobra Kai seasons 1 and 2 are available on Netflix, with season 3 coming in 2021.

Cobra Kai gets three and a half stars out of four.