the karate kid II (1987) Review
Hate it or love it, there is no denying that The Karate Kid 2 is a strange sequel. We knew this to be true as kids but rather than appreciate the huge chance the movie takes in shifting the story almost entirely from Daniel to Mr. Miyagi, I think most of us were just confused at how far it strays from the tone and setting of the original. The 1987 sequel to smash hit The Karate Kid returns Miyagi to his Japanese roots and tells the deeply adult story of the fallout from his decades old, life-altering decision to flee Okinawa rather than stay and fight his best friend to the death for the hand of a woman they both love. It’s an extremely impactful and emotional story…that feels more like a karate kid spinoff than a sequel. Most of the story stakes were lost on me as a seven-year-old. Sato, played by gravelly voice Danny Kamekona holds onto the aforementioned “death by combat” grudge for 40 years. His commitment to feuding with Miyagi is the films key plot point. It too went right over my head as a kid. I distinctly remember wondering why the two old guys can’t just get along and why the karate kid never does karate until the literal end. Speaking of which, the conflict between Daniel and the mustache twirling Chozen, played by Yuji Okumoto, is weightless in comparison to that of Miyagi/Sato and the movie makes the curious decision to turn the climax of their battle into a literal joke. The general consensus is that The Karate Kid 2 is a lesser film than the original and for younger audiences it’s easy to understand why. There isn’t any karate until the beginning of the final act and essentially all of the dramatic heft in the first hour is conveyed via dialogue between a quietly wistful Miyagi and doe-eyed Daniel. For anyone under the age of 15 there simply isn’t much happening in this film that features the words karate and kid in the title. That all being said, I enjoyed my recent re-watch more than any previous viewing. It’s hard to believe that this Chozen is the same guy from season 3 of Cobra Kai. If nothing else, it’s a reminder that each day is an opportunity to be and do better.