Waiting with bated breath for the final part of Cobra Kai season 6 and Squid Game season 3. *may update this when the next episodes are released*
Cobra Kai season 6 part 1 and 2 were a mission. Still a bit on the fence with how the Asian characters were treated and written. They were almost one-dimensional antagonists for the (Western) heroes. I knew Silver would return at some point though not in a way I expected i.e. setting up the kidnapping of Daniel. But I suppose he needed an equal opponent and we got Kreese who returned from Korea after escaping prison and bringing the new Cobra Kai dojo to the tournament.
Kim Daeun and Chozen having their moment - knew that would happen. But the writers sure like to make Asians behave so eccentrically compared to the Westerners do they not? SMH.
Robby as the Captain for the Miyagi Dojo and having a lot of emotional issues during the Sekai Takai tournament - namely from when Tory went to the Korean Cobra Kai team after finding out her Mother died and not seeing eye to eye with her fellow friends and Sensei.
The fights were entertaining as always and then there was yet another big fight where everyone loses their mind. Cobra Kai likes their big fights/riots. I did not expect the character death at the end. Kwon was a favourite villain among the fandom.
EDIT 16 Feb 2025: I've just watched the last five episodes which make up part 3 and it was satisfying in general. I did not expect a lot of things e.g. Kim Daeun's task where she had to kill someone. The restart of Sekai Taikai was exciting and I was absorbed with the fight scenes. I sensed Robby would not reach the final and that injury was horrific. No, Daniel not even Miyagi's heat massage technique that he used on you would help Robby here. I felt sad Robby went out like that and you could see Axel didn't want to be so aggressive or fight dirty. Then to have Sam withdraw was a bit of a shame though understandable. She didn't want to fight Tory. OTOH Tory had the opportunity to fight Zara so no harm there.
I sensed Terry was not well with the way he behaved and then he confirmed it in a meeting with Johnny and Daniel. Kreese going round to speak to people he knew closely was closure and a way to apologise for how he was and how he failed them. That scene when Johnny broke down in front of him was something I didn't expect. I absolutely loved seeing Miguel and Johnny rejoin Cobra Kai, bringing it back to the beginning. This was one of the ideas I thought of as I watched. It was either that or have Miguel replace Robby to fight Axel. But the Cobra Kai comeback was just as good. I felt so giddy seeing Johnny and Miguel as Sensei and student like in the beginning because I've always liked Xolo and William's chemistry on screen.
Iron Dragons was typically brutal and way more on the no mercy side. I didn't think the two Senseis would fight but gosh the generation gap between them. I didn't know whether Johnny would win because not everything is that predictable when it comes to sports. However he deserved it since it's his story. It's the Cobra Kai that was meant to be. Wolf didn't start any drama. He was angry he lost but bowed honourably when he left the mat.
It was a win for everyone in these last episodes. Robby and Tory may not have been able to go to Higher Education like their peers but their victories opened doors to other tournaments and social media influencing. They achieved a lot when things just went out of control at the Cobra Kai dojo under the control of the classic villainous Senseis.
I did not expect to feel rather emotional seeing this series end. I have been frustrated with how they handled some characters but on the whole the nostalgia trip was worthwhile when the writing was decent and the nods to the old Karate Kid films were always delightful (the Crane Kick training on the seaside hello). I will miss the chemistry between the characters and their development over the episodes where they definitely had a rounded identity.
Squid Game 2...I avoided spoilers and a large number of teasers so I did not realise there would be a few familiar faces from my fandom past. TOP/Choi Seunghyun being one of them. I had no idea he would be part of the cast. The sad thing is that I recognised him right away when I saw his head pop up near the beginning. His character "Thanos" seemed to be very much himself and as though there was no script given. I found it hard to take him seriously. OTOH it seems he's brought back VIPs and gained newer fans who never heard of BIGBANG let alone Kpop or Hallyu. Long time no see, long time no see...
The random English was laughable for sure and the character's demise was somehow satisfying because he had it coming with his bullying behaviour. Flirting with the girls, embracing the fame and recognition from fanboys and fangirls...those were the days. I remember being quite the VIP in my early days in preparation for BIGBANG's concerts in London.
Frontman ended up playing the games as well and it has been a while since I watched season 1 but I thought he had met Gihun without his mask...or perhaps it was just with Junho...?! Might need to rewatch. In all fairness, we can't fault Gihun for being so ignorant. He was trying hard to help everyone so they didn't die playing the games and it might have annoyed every viewer and player with how righteous he appeared. Of course it turns out that aside from Red Light, Green Light, we are introduced to new games this time. The entire season is mainly from Gihun's POV and he didn't even see the signs of how suspicious Oh Young-il/Player 001 was. If only his friend Jungbae told him what he saw when they were playing Mingle and Player 001 killed one of the other players in order to survive in that room.
I'm happy the copper Hwang Junho is still alive and attempting to have a normal life before going back to finding the island where the games took place. Sadly the task of finding the island using the boat and special forces was ignored in favour of the games' scenes. Hopefully season 3 will come back to this plot because Junho has no idea Captain Park is a snitch.
We also bid farewell to Gong Yoo as The Recruiter. It appeared he lost his cool this time round. What a waste of bread rolls and lottery scratch cards. Then he played Russian Roulette with Gihun. It seems villains sure like their classical music when it comes to torture.
Would like to see what happens to the North Korean shooter lady since she doesn't agree with the organ harvesting. I assumed she would be a player but she was one of the shooters instead. Didn't see that coming.
The new players are interesting for sure but I did not think Hyun Ju a transwoman would impress me so much. I didn't recognise Park Sunghoon from The Glory. I recognised the face but didn't know the name and he reminded me of another Kpop idol from a second gen group. Hyun Ju showed her military skills but also her insecurities and earned enough respect from other players when she took charge and helped with the rebellion. MG Coin and his ex-gf need to sort things out for real.