Honestly, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is nonsense at times-but such hyper-stylish nonsense that you’ll easily be swept up in the madness. The decision to focus each season on a different era also makes for a surprisingly digestible viewing experience, despite the scope. Original creator Hirohiko Araki drew influence from Western rock music and high fashion, combining these with exaggerated physiques and hyperkinetic action to make this anime adaptation visually and tonally unique. Luckily, each generation of the Joestar family has a champion (each with a name that can be trimmed to JoJo) to rise to the challenge, mastering arcane abilities of their own-notably summoning ghostly giants known as Stands-to combat Dio and a host of other supernatural threats across the ages. This is no mere tale of warring clans, though, as Dio’s dabbling with dark forces sees him returning over the eras to plague Jonathan’s decendants anew. In Victorian England, Jonathan Joestar clashes with his deranged adoptive brother, Dio Brando, starting a centuries-long feud that will sweep the globe. Perfect for fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender or The Legend of Korra, this dazzlingly animated five-season action-fantasy is as compelling for older fans as it is younger viewers-and the fact that it offers some of the best LGBTQ+ representation to be found in any medium doesn’t hurt either. Learning the truth about the oppressive forces she’s served her whole life, Adora joins the Rebellion against the Horde-but can she really turn her back on everything she’s ever known? And will Catra be able to forgive the betrayal? Developed by ND Stevenson-whose own Nimona delighted viewers as an animated movie on Netflix-the modern She-Ra reimagines the 1980s classic, eschewing the original’s connection to He-Man and its episodic structure in favor of unique mythology and long-form storytelling that’s packed with complex characters, high stakes, and some powerfully emotional moments. On the planet Etheria, Adora loyally serves the Horde, rising through its ranks with her close friend Catra by her side until the discovery of a strange sword transforms Adora into the legendary warrior She-Ra. With a sixth and final season in the works, now is the perfect time to binge the first five. It’s all presented a little bit tongue-in-cheek, and with Ralph Macchio and William Zabka reprising their 1980s roles, the show is an unabashed love letter to the classic action flicks, but thanks to some seriously impressive fights and stunt work, and with a younger cast you can’t help but root for, it’s a retro-styled delight. As the series progresses, the stakes get higher-and frankly, increasingly, gloriously ludicrous-as rival martial arts schools start cropping up all over California and alliances are forged and broken with alarming regularity. Yet after defending his young neighbor Miguel (Xolo Maridueña) in a fight, Johnny finds new meaning by reopening the eponymous karate dojo and guiding a new generation of students. Picking up decades after Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence’s iconic fight at the end of the first movie, the debut season of Cobra Kai finds the tables turned, with Daniel living the charmed life while Johnny is washed up. While this latter-day sequel to The Karate Kid films of the 1980s started life on YouTube Red (remember that?), it’s really come into its own since moving to Netflix.
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