I still remember my excitement seeing "Karate Kid" when I was a karate-maestro-wannabe kid. At that time I hadn't learnt how to look down on corny YA films yet, so this story only further strengthened my belief in my beloved martial arts: karate. Survivor's "The Moment of Truth" from the movie soundtrack also became my theme song for many years. Everytime I listened to this song, I was like given a shot of willpower booster or something. Funny, isn't it?
21 years later, I watched the movie again because of my deep sentimentality over the death of Mr. Miyagi (Noriyuki "Pat" Morita), a great Japanese actor. I then realized that I have almost forgot about how I embraced karate with all my heart in my childhood. Surprisingly, I also found "Karate Kid" is a decent movie, which is way better than all other YA movies. The storyline was well constructed and the cast's performace was simply beautiful. I can still stongly relate to this story at many different levels. What this movie has given me is not only inspirations but also spirits of innocense and strengths. It's like, I am so relieved to find out that I am still in love with the girl I had a crush on when I was 12.
Some people say "Karate Kid" has taught them about all philosophies they need to know to steer their lives. To me, karate and this movie always play an important role in my life. As the script writer Robert Mark Kamen put it, "Martial arts are not about fighting; martial arts are about spirituality."
Banzai!
