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Everything Action Commentary: The Karate Kid (1984)
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For the latest Everything Action Commentary, Zach and Chris return to 1984 to watch The Karate Kid, just in time for Karate Kid: Legends hitting theaters.
The movie that kicked off the entire "Miyagi-verse," which includes Cobra Kai and the original sequels, The Karate Kid, stars Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso, who travels from Newark, New Jersey, to Los Angeles with his mother, Lucille (Randee Heller). Daniel catches the eye of cheerleader Ali Mills (Elisabeth Shue) but also Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka), who bullies and beats Daniel down with karate learned at the Cobra Kai dojo. Daniel gets help from his apartment building's handyman, Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), who uses unorthodox training methods to help Daniel prepare for a karate tournament to face the Cobra Kai head-on. Martin Kove co-stars as the ruthless Cobra Kai sensei John Kreese. While revisiting the movie, Zach and Chris appreciate how Mr. Miyagi trains Daniel but also gets a bunch of housework done for free, why a restaurant manager job has better pay and benefits than an office computer job, the enigma of Ali being a popular cheerleader along with kind of a nerd, how it seems like there was a mass exodus from Jersey in the 80s and more.
You can watch The Karate Kid streaming on Fubo or Philo, or find a copy elsewhere and watch along with Zach and Chris.
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Transcript
Introduction and Episode Focus
00:00:04
Speaker
Try to be best cause you're only a man and a man's got to learn to take it Try to believe though the going gets rough that you gotta hang tough to make it History repeats itself, try and you succeed Never doubt that you're the one and you can have your dream You're the best around, nothing's gonna ever keep you down You're the best around
00:00:33
Speaker
Hello, welcome to another Every Nation Commentary.
Nostalgic Impact of Karate Kid
00:00:35
Speaker
It's our commentary for May 2025. I'm your host, Zach. I'm your co-host, k Chris. And this this month we are watching the original Karate Kid because we obviously have, actually if you're hearing this when it when when it goes up, we have the colliding worlds. have the the Jackie Chan Karate Kid universe smashing into the OG Karate Kid universe with the Karate Kid Legends in theaters.
00:01:01
Speaker
And obviously, I think ah and also earlier this year, Cobra Kai wrapped up. So it's... Karate Kid has never been hotter this year. So when we're going back to where it all began 1984. Yeah,
00:01:14
Speaker
yeah it's it's such a, like, nostalgic trip because this movie started a whole franchise and... a ah like a karate blitz in America that like just has not gone away.
00:01:28
Speaker
it was It was like this and like ninjas in the eighties. It was like all every kid eighties wanted to be like a karate master. But in the realistic depictions, I think Karate Kid does a job of what it is to take like, like, like California karate, actual karate to class. yeah That and like,
00:01:48
Speaker
ah like the structure of a tournament. It's like a sports movie. You know, it's not just like, okay, they're doing like back alley karate tournament fighting or something. This is like sort of like what if karate was like insanely popular in this one town?
00:02:04
Speaker
Yeah, and was it Reseda?
American Karate Culture Influence
00:02:10
Speaker
It's like Reseda and what was it? Encino? Yeah. The Valley.
00:02:16
Speaker
It's the Valley Karate.
00:02:19
Speaker
That apparently apparently, like, three years later it becomes, like, the epicenter of, like, global karate.
00:02:27
Speaker
Eco-Brakai.
00:02:31
Speaker
Hey, man. It all it took with someone doing, like, kicks during, a like, ah a street fight. And now, uh... now you get like different dojos but we don't really see that i think this is also kind of like this insane world where like uh the like the only dojo was just cobra kai yeah it's it's it's very humble beginnings there's like there's one dojo well i guess i guess the term is other ones we don't really know anything about we don't know where they're from i think they're all like maybe from the california like city but i have no idea like why couldn't danny go to one of those schools
00:03:08
Speaker
But yeah, we we'll we'll get we'll jump into all that as we watch the movie. So we are, what just you'll grab a copy of Karate Kid.
Character Backgrounds and Plot Setup
00:03:15
Speaker
I'm sure you have it on like Blu-ray or 4K It's a little hard to stream right now. It's on like Fubo and Philo are the two main places stream now.
00:03:27
Speaker
um But however ever you have it, we are paused right before the Columbia Pictures logo pops up. So get your copy right to there.
00:03:37
Speaker
And then going to give a countdown. We'll get started here. So five, four, three, two, one play.
00:04:02
Speaker
Yeah. I think, so I think Sony owns all the Karate Kid stuff because they own Columbia.
00:04:15
Speaker
right kid ends in new jersey beautiful Beautiful New Jersey. Industry. think this is filmed on location?
00:04:30
Speaker
This is what like, Chris, right? Sort of. I mean, parts of New York are like this. I didn't really go here.
00:04:54
Speaker
Ah, the brisk drive from New York, New new York, New Jersey to like Encino, California. Yep.
00:05:05
Speaker
and of that I think that's like a 28 hour drive.
00:05:10
Speaker
I mean, it's it's it's about as like far from coast to coast as you possibly get.
00:05:31
Speaker
Wasn't, like,
00:05:34
Speaker
Ralph Macchio, like 20? twenty i think he was 22. it Randy Heller plays his mom. He's only 14 years older than him. And then um william William Zepka's the only actual teenager. He's 18 years old.
00:05:49
Speaker
Everyone else is like in their twenty s
00:06:22
Speaker
So when's the karate happening? Is it just karate? It's like Oregon Trail right now. Yeah.
00:06:32
Speaker
Knowing where the series goes, it's weird that they do more establishing landscape shots than you think, because they stopped doing this by the third movie.
00:06:54
Speaker
Wow, how how did they make it across the country?
00:06:59
Speaker
If you have like, pop your clutch to get the car going.
00:07:04
Speaker
See, that sounds like you've never driven, like, a a crap car, a family car before. I had a at a crappy truck.
00:07:12
Speaker
But you didn't a push start.
00:07:19
Speaker
Also thinking back in the this is 70, no, this is 82. 84. 84. Yeah, car safeties wasn't a thing yet. Nope. eighty four yeah car safetyties wasn't a thing yeah no
00:08:04
Speaker
I think they mention it soon, but I think think they mentioned the the mom moved across to California because she had a computer job, but then she never does it. She doesn't do it?
00:08:15
Speaker
She says... like Yeah, I feel like whatever job she says she moves across country for, like she just becomes like a waitress diner. definitely remember that.
00:08:27
Speaker
I kind of thought that's what it was.
00:08:30
Speaker
But it's that you wouldn't move across the country to be a like a waitress. Yeah. Not unless you did something bad in Newark. They had to flee the mob.
00:09:04
Speaker
Do we even see Freddy again? Like, I just... I'm trying to remember. I don't think... i'm trying to remember if he shows up a Cobra guy, because, like, pretty much everyone who possibly shows up is a Cobra guy.
00:09:14
Speaker
I feel like Freddy's not, like, a karate guy, so i don't think he should he wouldn't show up.
00:09:21
Speaker
I kind of remember, like, Danny, like, having no friends. That's why he always becomes friends with Miyagi. It's weird that they introduced like this guy who... like Also like a Jersey guy.
00:09:32
Speaker
yep they move It's like the Jersey apartment building.
00:09:45
Speaker
See? Look at this. yeah it's like everyone It's like, you have Jersey, you live here.
Setting and Social Interactions
00:10:17
Speaker
This is a waterfall. It's nice, but then it's like, this is the crap hole? But then the pool of the pool is like a shithole.
00:11:08
Speaker
glad I'm glad she got her creepy cloud up first. It's like one of the first things she set up. yeah Over by the previous owner. but It's like, they moved in was like, oh creepy cloud, that's good.
00:12:05
Speaker
Now imagine you didn't really do a lot of research on this movie and you went to go see it, right? And you start watching it and you go like, wait, the guy from Happy Days is in this? Yeah, Arnold.
00:12:18
Speaker
And he's playing way more of a Japanese character than like he's been betrayed? Mm-hmm.
00:12:25
Speaker
Well, I guess I was reading trivia, apparently like Toshiro Mifune auditioned for it. Oh my god. And it put it in like, Apparently he nailed it, but they're like he's he's a little too serious. We've got to need like a lighter touch for Miyagi.
00:12:40
Speaker
Because I think Jishiro Mifuno was basically like playing like a samurai. It would be way more about like blood honor if he was in it.
00:12:56
Speaker
Is this actually the Beach Boys, or is this a fake knockoff Beach Boys? Yeah.
00:13:06
Speaker
I feel like it's a fake T-Boy song.
00:13:20
Speaker
Alright, you can move now, Danny. It's kind of creepy. Yeah, hey
00:13:33
Speaker
I played some hacky sack. Well, they saw that guy got hit in the face. Yeah.
00:13:52
Speaker
You know, this could have been its own version of West Side Story.
00:13:58
Speaker
In a way, it is, but yeah they really don't comment so much on the the, like, Rich People Valley. and Yeah, yeah.
00:14:09
Speaker
I mean, there's a little bit of it, but not in the way you think of it. And by the second movie, it totally drops that.
00:14:18
Speaker
and It's like a Gap catalog fell on these people.
00:14:27
Speaker
did Did everyone in this posse come from Jersey?
00:14:32
Speaker
There was like a mass exodus from Jersey in the 80s. It's like, we got to get out of here. She puts in the fire, like the soccer ball.
Plot Dynamics and Conflicts
00:15:00
Speaker
Here comes the Lost Boys.
00:15:08
Speaker
That's a great place to put your bike. Like in this puddle.
00:15:31
Speaker
Johnny's got, like, very hopeful dreams. He's like, oh, man, it's gonna be a new year, new me.
00:15:39
Speaker
But then this snaps. This this happened really quick. and Things will work out for him in 30 years.
00:15:50
Speaker
Also, like, it's their senior year? Like, school starts tomorrow? I guess, yeah. Yeah, because because it's it's it's crazy because like you you think like you know it's because it's you know it's California weather, but this is like September to like October. is when this movie takes place. Because
00:16:11
Speaker
cause Halloween obviously shows up later. um forget that.
00:16:19
Speaker
Yeah, cause it's not like East Coast like fall. It's like just like California. The weather's the same.
00:16:46
Speaker
ah yeah I guess William Zekka still owns that jacket. Does he wear it again in the Cobra Kai show? I think it's in his closet maybe something or comes back. I think he also he also had like no karate experiments before this movie. He was like a wrestler where he had do a little bit of wrestling.
00:17:09
Speaker
And then after this movie, he's like, oh yeah, karate's cool.
00:17:13
Speaker
It became like ah greet like a second degree greed belt.
00:17:32
Speaker
You made me bleed my own blood.
00:17:54
Speaker
I wonder now, if you go to high school, like, i' been a karate bandana, like, you still, like, the cool kids? There's, like, karate gangs?
00:18:03
Speaker
Oh, that's that's that's why i know those guys are in the Cobra Kai's house. It's abandoned him. Like, he's a loser. Yeah, like, they didn't do anything to help. He least tried to fight.
00:18:39
Speaker
Why does the music turn into, like, Scarface? Like, push to the limits?
00:18:45
Speaker
Wow. Everyone just abandoned, like, Daniels, like, immediately.
00:18:56
Speaker
They're just like, man, the new kid, he ruined this beach party.
00:19:01
Speaker
By daring to stand up against Johnny. Mm-hmm.
00:19:24
Speaker
Are you a crack?
Karate Tournament Buildup
00:19:51
Speaker
On the first day?
00:19:55
Speaker
So can they can afford Banana Rambo, but they can't afford the Beach Boys.
00:20:00
Speaker
Wasn't this like a popular hit in 1994? I feel like it was, yeah. 1984, yeah, yeah.
00:20:38
Speaker
why Why are we focusing on like the school motto? This plays the no effect.
00:20:51
Speaker
That's the name of the movie!
00:21:01
Speaker
Wow, they all just like flocked away.
00:21:06
Speaker
But I forgot that that's what they, ah that's the title. like, oh, because you did bad karate, you're now the karate kid as a ah erotic ironic name. Yeah.
00:22:02
Speaker
It's weird how ah all like how much soccer factors in the beginning of this movie.
00:22:08
Speaker
Like, that's Daniel's skill the beginning movie, is soccer. Like, isn't the kick ability, I guess?
00:22:17
Speaker
This could have been the soccer kid. On paper, this is like a soccer movie.
00:22:24
Speaker
It's like, if anything, he should have challenged the Billy Zepka, like Johnny, to like a a soccer match. Mm-hmm. it's it's It's like the big green instead of the karate kid. Yeah.
00:22:47
Speaker
Russo, you're expelled on your first day at school.
00:23:08
Speaker
You know, for like... For like who's getting picked on, it it's sort of like... He's not like a nerd. You know? like He's just sort of like the new guy. That's all they're picking him for.
00:23:20
Speaker
Yep.
00:23:26
Speaker
Ah, Karate by Magazine.
00:23:34
Speaker
He should've got a VHS. That would've been expensive back in 84.
00:24:23
Speaker
Mmm, yum. yeah
00:24:46
Speaker
Terrible. There's an airport.
Training and Character Development
00:25:26
Speaker
Does that make any sense? Would it be $5? Maybe she has like... Oh, but she has less? Maybe she has like one thing.
00:25:47
Speaker
Wait. Yeah, she's like working at like a restaurant. Maybe it's like secretary restaurant. Secretary of the restaurant. He's the computer programmer at the restaurant. I mean, that was a thing. That was like your accountant. Maybe.
00:26:02
Speaker
you know, like they didn't have someone at the time to do like spreadsheet. So they had hired one person to just do only that.
00:26:54
Speaker
I guess, was the logos on the wall were on the show, I guess? Because it's like the... In the Cobra Kai, it's got like the strike... Like all the logos on the wall. an evil karate league yet.
00:27:28
Speaker
Oh, so so she abandoned her job as a computer person because the restaurant job is good is better? Because it pays more? It gives you benefits? I mean, manager of a restaurant, that's better.
00:28:06
Speaker
Yeah, it's it's such a, like, it's such a like like nondescript karate place for Cobra Kai. Just karate. That's
00:28:15
Speaker
what I'm thinking, and like, before they realized how sinister they could be, before they did, like, the branding remake.
00:28:24
Speaker
Before Carrie Silver got all his marketing money into it.
00:28:55
Speaker
I think has a concussion.
00:28:59
Speaker
Because he's talking to himself, like, constantly. Mm-hmm.
00:29:09
Speaker
Well, say he went on for longer than he needed to.
00:29:14
Speaker
They were just, like, Ralph Macchio's, like, improv. Just, like, improv how hot Elizabeth Shue is.
00:29:28
Speaker
What shortcut was this that he's going through? Like, like the abandoned, like, it's like the development.
00:30:05
Speaker
Daniel's like, I fell off my bike again, it actually is' really is time. Also thinking, maybe Danny should start wearing a helmet.
00:30:44
Speaker
Karate! It's been like one day, right? I think like two.
00:30:57
Speaker
ah gotta kill somebody! don't think boxing?
00:31:10
Speaker
I also feel like being attacked by a motorcycle gang, karate's not gonna solve that one. No, yeah, because they weren't using karate, they were using, like, motorcycle skills. They're just, like, straight up assault.
00:31:21
Speaker
Yeah. Karate's not gonna fix that. But you're like, karate like kicked them off a bike or something.
00:31:34
Speaker
What's all the commotion out here?
00:31:57
Speaker
What is the outfit? Camel pants and a flannel shirt. That was a look, man.
00:32:06
Speaker
i't A tucked-in flannel shirt into camel pants. No belt in the camel pants. No.
00:32:17
Speaker
don't think Susie ever comes back.
00:32:36
Speaker
Wow, this is a different era where the girl wants to take the boy out to an arcade. Yeah, Alias is an enigma. Like, she's a cheerleader, but she's also like a nerd.
00:32:51
Speaker
Well, she's like, yeah, even more strange than like the 80s era of a ah a high school nerd.
00:33:01
Speaker
And her getting shot down just wants Danny Moore. Yeah. He doesn't want me? Oh, man.
00:34:25
Speaker
We should go into business and sell these.
00:34:31
Speaker
It's weird that, like, I don't know, in his area, there wasn't, like, a little Tokyo or anything that he could just open up a shop.
00:34:40
Speaker
Especially because, like, in 3s, like, that's my dream, it was to open a Kabatai shop. Mm-hmm.
Pre-Tournament Tensions
00:35:46
Speaker
You know, don't let Danny you fuck up this, like, really expensive bonsai the first time. feel like it should be... Like, if you don't know what you're doing, don't just start snipping.
00:36:00
Speaker
Ah, my finger!
00:36:12
Speaker
Yeah, you've still got like a gaping head wound.
00:36:26
Speaker
So apparently this is the only scene in the entire franchise where Mrs. LaRusso and Mr. Maggie are in the same scene. Oh my god, really? Yep.
00:37:28
Speaker
I like everyone else this apartment building has disappeared. like We never see them again. Because now it's it's it's only... Miyagi just focuses on the Lusos.
00:37:40
Speaker
and Doesn't Danny move in with Miyagi by like the third movie?
00:37:46
Speaker
I think... They're like they at be like the dojo slash Mr. Miyagi's house.
00:38:17
Speaker
It's already Halloween. So it's been like... They start school to September, it's been like a month already. and And... Daniel has not done karate yet.
00:38:28
Speaker
No.
00:38:35
Speaker
We're still in the first act of this movie. Yeah.
00:38:51
Speaker
you
00:39:21
Speaker
Get it? Funny joke.
00:39:27
Speaker
I think have the like it was just like a giant rocket.
00:39:46
Speaker
ah wonder these people like don't come back.
00:39:50
Speaker
Like Ellie's friends.
Tournament Climax and Key Scenes
00:40:06
Speaker
For like a month.
00:40:38
Speaker
She always loves bringing up, like, Johnny. Yeah, his whole motivation to defeat Johnny is just for her now.
00:40:54
Speaker
Which is wild because, like, neither of them end with Ellie. Like, if you jump ahead to, like, Cobra Kai universe...
00:41:16
Speaker
Johnny was a chicken! just been like, just in the bathroom waiting.
00:41:37
Speaker
Weird that Johnny just like, listened to music while like, taking a shit.
00:42:03
Speaker
Have a shower. Johnny say he was going to be like really disciplined and like zen and stuff and now he's just doing like a joint at a Halloween dance?
00:42:31
Speaker
Mm-hmm.
00:42:48
Speaker
Is that Danny Glover from, like, Community? Where? No, it's the Spider-Man. Oh, the Spider-Man guy? Yeah.
00:43:05
Speaker
Jesus.
00:43:09
Speaker
Ooh. There's two Spider-Men. Yeah, yeah. You like a high school block, it's very active of cars.
00:43:21
Speaker
It's like going full speed.
00:43:33
Speaker
i love how like on the nose the music is.
00:43:37
Speaker
There's no shelter. Get it? running out of time.
00:43:50
Speaker
careful about your skeleton gang watch out for skeletons that know karate
00:44:03
Speaker
got my hair wet nobody wet my hair
00:44:29
Speaker
kill him!
00:44:35
Speaker
just like, Ninja Miyagi. Yeah,
00:44:45
Speaker
that seemed like a death blow.
00:45:06
Speaker
Does Miyagi ever teach Danny how to take on multiple attackers at once?
00:45:14
Speaker
ah
00:45:18
Speaker
i guess like there's a lot Miyagi moves that are like you know defensive. like You can like block ahle maybe like multiple areas. Yeah, a lot of the moves are counter-attacks, but like he never teaches them any offensive moves.
00:45:33
Speaker
Well, technically the drums one is an offensive move, I guess. Yeah. Also, Danny like ran home. He's there, yeah. Holy crap. He almost made it, yeah. he I mean, yeah, he lives pretty close to school if he can run like that but back from school to there.
00:46:23
Speaker
It's Jimmy Agui, the guy dressed as Spider-Man. Yeah, they very similar. Yeah. That tan outfit that Spider-Man always wore.
00:46:41
Speaker
hug. Give Miyagi a hug.
00:46:49
Speaker
Drink this sake, you'll forget about your pain.
00:47:02
Speaker
He's not busting out like the the magic green like foam stuff, either.
00:47:08
Speaker
well surprised Mag is not showcasing his magic hands in this part yet. Yeah, they they like never foreshadowed that. just like you just does it later on. later on
00:48:40
Speaker
Just bring them all bonsai trees.
00:48:46
Speaker
Show them your sweet soccer moves. Yeah, I know.
00:49:34
Speaker
I don't want to kill all of Cobra Kai! I already destroyed many dojo.
00:49:57
Speaker
Does Miyagi sleep here? I mean, he's
Post-Tournament Reflections
00:50:00
Speaker
got his house.
00:50:39
Speaker
don't Don't listen to your guts. Don't listen to your kidneys. Yeah.
00:50:52
Speaker
Do we even see his house in this movie? Yeah, they go there. Because that's where all the wax on and wax off stuff happens. Oh, okay. It's like, yeah, come clean my house.
00:51:12
Speaker
You know what surprised they haven't done? was like a Miyagi origin story movie. i
00:51:20
Speaker
um'm sure I'm sure Netflix is like talking about it.
00:51:41
Speaker
California is like really lacks driving laws, right? Yeah. They're like, that's why chips was not invented.
00:52:02
Speaker
Oh, so the tournament's in December. Wow, this is only like a four month long movie. Of like, what happens. Mm-hmm.
00:52:12
Speaker
Wait, so Danny pretty much picks up karate in November, let's just say, right? like This is this like the night this like the day after Halloween. and
00:52:54
Speaker
Both of you fight me. I'm gonna fight all of you. on guard like a French word?
00:53:09
Speaker
Is that, is that your story for like karate fights?
00:53:32
Speaker
Is that Turbo from Revenge of the Nerds? Oh! regularly let me hear so Let me hear some more of this. He's got some good points.
00:54:10
Speaker
Yeah, so Jerry is the African-American african-american guy in Cobra Kai, who was also later on in Iron Eagle.
00:54:25
Speaker
Yeah.
00:54:30
Speaker
yeah Yeah, he was also Lamar. and Okay.
00:54:36
Speaker
All d these classics. Mm-hmm.
00:54:49
Speaker
The Under-18 all veil-y.
Cultural Impact and Legacy
00:55:25
Speaker
That was like a pure, like, Terry Silver, like
00:55:31
Speaker
You got that, like, saying from Terry Silver. Yeah. I like that.
00:55:41
Speaker
We're gonna kill him.
00:55:52
Speaker
And to think, like, Kreese only gets more and more crazy as the series goes on.
00:55:59
Speaker
Like, he starts here, then it just gets even crazier. Well, like, does he ever get, like, a redemption, or does he just stay a bad guy for the whole time? I mean, it's it's definitely like a rollercoaster ride at Cobra Kai, where it's just like... Sometimes, like, it's like, oh, maybe he's changing, and then maybe he's not.
00:56:17
Speaker
Gotcha. Wait, how...
00:56:21
Speaker
wait how Why do we never see like the outside? Yeah, we almost the one column, and it's like oh, actually, it's like this giant banner.
00:57:13
Speaker
like how Miyagi dresses like an army mechanic.
00:57:21
Speaker
What's that classic a janitor like outfit?
00:57:29
Speaker
like, Daniel-san, do you know what montage is? We're to need one.
00:57:42
Speaker
Does Danny ever talk about his father? I don't think so.
00:57:55
Speaker
mean, I could live near, like, an oil refinery. Like, the oil derricks? Yeah. dere yeah
00:58:43
Speaker
take knife Take this knife and slit your hand open, DinoZone. We're going to make blood blood promise.
00:59:31
Speaker
This is very important for this franchise.
00:59:52
Speaker
Did Miyagi steal these from like a Fast and Furious thing? There's a secret like backstory to why has all these cars. I don't know if they
Franchise Evolution and Future Prospects
01:00:00
Speaker
ever explain why like where he gets all these cars from.
01:00:05
Speaker
These are like cars that like him and like Jackie Chan got or something. Because this is related to the Jackie Chan era of things.
01:00:18
Speaker
Like Mr. Wu, whatever Jackie Chan's character was called. Mr. Han. Mr. Han.
01:00:28
Speaker
Jack is like, I sold a bunch of cars! Gotta flip it.
01:00:39
Speaker
But they're all like 1930s cars? mom, like, know what he's up to?
01:01:00
Speaker
Is it school night? It was.
01:01:45
Speaker
all right i'm just going walk home, Mr. Miyake. Bye. He's so mysterious.
01:02:08
Speaker
Don't push it, Daniel.
01:03:08
Speaker
you know the more I think about this relationship it's like kind of doomed is it doomed to like the start of the second movie well she like doesn't follow him right she's like yeah cause he's like I'm going to Akanau with Mr. Miyagi she's like oh okay bye they broke up at the end yeah was she in the second movie No, because because the second one was like, oh, he's like he falls for, like, Kimiko. Hmm.
01:03:56
Speaker
Yeah, they don't want to know about the Native Americans. No. no
01:04:31
Speaker
the neighbor is that Allie's mom? I don't know. I thought that was Johnny for a second because like the red coat. like, does Johnny live next door?
01:04:55
Speaker
you play squash? What is your portfolio investment looking like?
Conclusion and Future Commentaries
01:05:04
Speaker
What's your family's net worth?
01:06:22
Speaker
yeah I guess she hasn't gotten those benefits yet to afford a new car. That restaurant manager job.
01:06:37
Speaker
you know Golf and stuff still around three years later. It's Cobra Kai.
01:07:00
Speaker
That's kind of weird, like, there's just one water slide here. like a... Like, it's not a water park, it's like one water slide.
01:07:10
Speaker
but I guess it's like... cheap to get in
01:07:25
Speaker
Okay, so we're in a story structure of the second act... And Danny's only been washing cars. He's barely trained. that's That's why you have a montage.
01:08:07
Speaker
mean funny if this movie had a sci-fi element to it, and then, like, someone has to go back to the future, it changes? Mm-hmm.
01:09:10
Speaker
Daniel really is sabotaging this.
01:09:17
Speaker
I know. Daniel's like, oh, how dare you want to be with me?
01:09:22
Speaker
like It doesn't make sense. You're rich. You just go to the rich people. I'm trashed.
01:09:43
Speaker
It's a backyard.
01:10:36
Speaker
all about the circle. The Aikido is based entirely on circles.
01:10:45
Speaker
It's very like Aikido.
01:10:52
Speaker
Just like take take the like incoming blow and like transfer it. Yeah.
01:11:32
Speaker
May I get to take a big poop over there. You did a better job than my electric sander I have right over here
01:11:57
Speaker
What about school? This is your school now. So
01:12:18
Speaker
Danny just had one hell of a workout all day.
01:12:35
Speaker
So yeah I guess this fly was like ah like on like a fishing line, and it was just like, that's how they were moving it around. Like dangling front of them.
01:12:45
Speaker
You know nowadays this would have been a CGI i fly. Mm-hmm.
01:13:38
Speaker
We're done trading. You beat Miyagi, so now you're the master.
01:14:21
Speaker
yeah You gotta to give it to Miyagi though, because like he is getting free labor plus... and but it's also karate training. He's figuring out it's like the ultimate scam. Yeah. Might have been like one part where it's like, do my taxes.
01:14:33
Speaker
There's a bunch of forms. Good for brain.
01:14:39
Speaker
Pencil. Use right hand for pencil and left hand for eraser.
01:14:48
Speaker
I like how he's doing the like chores of Miyagi's house and not so much like the apartment building. think that have been the other scam if Miyagi thought Daniel could own apartment complex.
01:14:59
Speaker
you You come fix sink.
01:15:02
Speaker
go go Go fill pool.
01:15:13
Speaker
like how it takes Daniel like days to realize like what kind of scam.
01:15:27
Speaker
What does it have to do with karate? Karate? Oh, right. It's like the day before the tournament.
01:15:37
Speaker
It's like, are you teaching me karate? Uh-oh. You get me. I'm not a karate guy. Good luck, Daniel-san. I'm i' um leaving.
01:15:53
Speaker
i just thought inner city kids would cause a problem.
01:16:36
Speaker
Miyagi hit the to town.
01:16:40
Speaker
Do not wake up for Miyagi. Miyagi's hot like walking to his date? What's going on
01:17:04
Speaker
Yeah, because there's i mean there's nothing nearby. It's all oil derricks.
01:17:09
Speaker
i could go into like a oil field worker bar.
01:17:24
Speaker
Miyagi's like, he's got like super, he's like, Miyagi hung over. wrote this note for you.
01:18:07
Speaker
It's only been four days. been like a while.
01:18:39
Speaker
I guess they do foreshadow it. Okay. I forgot he does it this time. Oh, that's a sand floor thing, huh? No, like Miyagi's like magic hand thing. It's from sand floor.
01:18:57
Speaker
Oh, because Daniel's like, i I can't move my arm because I've been painting too much. I see.
01:19:27
Speaker
I like how Danny's basically wearing Miyagi's clothes.
01:19:32
Speaker
its could I couldn't find- I worked so hard, I couldn't find- I've been living here now. have to wear your old clothes.
01:20:26
Speaker
like all right you're ready for the tournament now
01:21:14
Speaker
You know, we're a little spoiled by modern, like, martial artists stuff, like, this would have been a badass sequence, but this is more realistic of what, like, someone throwing karate punches and stuff.
01:21:26
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah.
01:21:35
Speaker
Also, like, what if Danny didn't have the reflexes? He just, like, punches him, like, the chest. Oh god, my solar plexus! You cracked my ribs!
01:21:52
Speaker
Now for some Rocky... some Rocky II, Rocky III beat straining.
01:22:19
Speaker
November California.
01:22:44
Speaker
Fight the ocean, Dino-san!
01:22:51
Speaker
Yeah, I don't know what this is supposed to prove, Loli. Waves suck? he's supposed to ba like He's supposed to kick the waves and balance himself?
01:23:01
Speaker
I don't think this is a valid move. Yeah. Miyagi Karate is, uh... This is just like a practical joke. He's like, ah that actually wasn't any the things. just wanted to see you get hit by waves.
01:23:17
Speaker
This is the actual thing we're doing. I know, this is the actual, like, skill. The other one is just, like, if you're a kid trying to do karate in the ocean.
01:23:45
Speaker
Are crane kicks real? I mean, sure he could do it but like i know I know the thing that Johnny brings up in Cobra Kai lot is that it's like an illegal front kick to his face. that's what So it shouldn't have been the point.
01:24:05
Speaker
crane kick is not like a real thing. I mean, it's a style, but it really just comes from Karate Kid. Yeah, it feels it feels like there's so much... like it there's so much like like telegraphing of it.
01:24:19
Speaker
People would be like, oh, you're gonna do a crane kick? You're gonna do like the crane pose? Doing like a hop kick?
01:24:34
Speaker
He's like, he's like beach bums. He's like,
01:24:59
Speaker
I watch movie Bloodsports.
01:25:04
Speaker
Was that out yet? Not yet, I think. Bloodsports, like, That was, like, late 80s. That was, like, late eighty s those was like eighty Yeah,
01:25:58
Speaker
Alright, Dennis, to jump in, grab fish, put it on Miyagi's hook.
01:26:04
Speaker
Let me see you, What did this teach you? Give me dinner. Yeah, feed Miyagi.
01:27:28
Speaker
The mag you like. Training.
01:27:32
Speaker
Except for those, like, the Akinawan, like, death fights that we find out about. Where you go into, like, the pit.
01:27:41
Speaker
That's just, like a like, a regulated thing, that pit? Or do you think, um... It's like a ritual fight. Fighting ground. It's just like any time you got a blood feud, the pit forms.
01:28:12
Speaker
It be great the game just shows it soaking wet, just like, ah fell off a boat!
01:28:26
Speaker
Also, Miyake has way too much like weird fun as a mentor.
01:28:52
Speaker
That Jersey trash. Look, Johnny's already dancing with, like, Allie's mom. Yeah. Hey.
01:29:03
Speaker
Also, did Johnny come from money? Oh, yeah yes. That's like, you find the like his backstory, Cobra
01:29:15
Speaker
but He has a very, very rich stepdad. I see.
01:30:23
Speaker
It had to be spaghetti.
01:30:46
Speaker
Here we go. it's It's a... Pat Morita's Oscar nomination scene.
01:31:17
Speaker
Is it like December 4th? It's like... Like... Pearl Harbor Day?
01:31:28
Speaker
ah mr mr I'm years old This
01:31:47
Speaker
do you Do you smell spaghetti?
01:32:56
Speaker
What? What part of karate- What karate training is this?
01:33:03
Speaker
Drink in, drink out.
01:33:07
Speaker
And karate go- and Mr. Miyagi goes around like his house destroying shit, and then he's like, okay, Dan, you'll fix it.
01:33:24
Speaker
Miyagi has school tomorrow.
01:33:39
Speaker
like a dark part of the movie, right? It you it should be more darker than this.
01:33:58
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, Mr. Raggy's backstory is, like, so tragic and horrible.
01:34:26
Speaker
I think his wife died in an internment camp. Yes, yeah like giving birth.
01:34:34
Speaker
kind of i forgot how messed up it was. he was in like Germany or like ah Europe. a photo of him in like Captain America.
01:34:49
Speaker
Was he the guy from Captain America's Howling Commandos? Yeah, he's one of them.
01:35:35
Speaker
You think that was like a producer note? You gotta have Daniel read the telegram because people are stupid. They won't understand what Miyagi was ranting about. I mean, yeah.
01:35:45
Speaker
This is like a movie for teens. and Honestly, they don't really talk about this in history class. Like all this.
01:35:56
Speaker
And we don't forget like Miyagi's like a vet. A Medal of Honor winner.
01:36:08
Speaker
I don't win Medal of Honor recipient. but Recipient, yeah.
01:37:14
Speaker
You think Daniel went to like by like stras like with dragons like um Mr. Mr. Miyagi hung over to Daniel's son. You have to go just go to the beach by yourself. Probably. Miyagi's lessons are very casual.
01:37:26
Speaker
See, Daniel's just training by himself now. Just like a drift in a boat.
01:37:40
Speaker
just like, oh shit, I'm like miles away from the ocean. Just pushed out to sea. I caught Riptide.
01:37:59
Speaker
you know it it it is it is weird, like, the montage song is like during the tournament, not the actual, like, training.
01:38:22
Speaker
I'm kind of gross.
01:38:49
Speaker
Is he like a good punching bag? like yeah Is he like a train dummy? Or like, you know, the karate, like the bamboo, like wooden, like, like train tool?
01:39:04
Speaker
Or sticks? Like karate sticks?
01:39:27
Speaker
Oh god, my rib!
01:39:53
Speaker
Yeah, it's weird that Lucille's not there, right? Mm-hmm. or Or like, you know... Sort of his girlfriend. Ally, or any- Yeah, it's like, I'm gonna go spend- I'm sending my birthday Mr. Miyagi.
01:40:17
Speaker
Also, is Daniel Shepard like, army surplus stores? He's wearing like and like a military sweater.
01:41:40
Speaker
you
01:42:13
Speaker
It's more chores. Yep.
01:42:48
Speaker
And Miyagi's like, no, no, no, choose another.
01:42:52
Speaker
You go for first card line? You lazy.
01:43:16
Speaker
right
01:43:30
Speaker
Is the tournament next day? So it's like like the day after Daniel's birthday is the tournament? Man, it sucks if he lost that, like, right after his birthday. it be worse if it Anna's birthday.
01:44:27
Speaker
I think it's fine to be best friends with an old man, but I feel like... That was like a weird 80s thing, because Doc and Marty, Mr. Maggie and Daniel-san.
01:45:24
Speaker
Shoot away? Like a really big nerd.
01:46:03
Speaker
Shut up, friend number two.
01:46:51
Speaker
yeah You got covered in spaghetti.
01:47:16
Speaker
All latest videos at the arcade. is Is that what they called like arcade games back then? Videos? I think so. Like video screens that you can call it. Have you seen that new Pac-Man video?
01:47:39
Speaker
Guys the background is on the slide.
01:48:11
Speaker
It's a thing everyone town is talking about.
01:48:16
Speaker
I it does seem like it's like the only- it's like the biggest thing in this like entire valley.
01:49:00
Speaker
Girls can do stuff now, it's the eighty s It's not illegal anymore.
01:49:19
Speaker
She like T-bones the car and thought I'd come out of the parking lot. Oh no!
01:49:37
Speaker
Unverified black belt. Yep. That's good enough for me.
01:49:53
Speaker
you see my black belt? Why does the ref guy also carry black belt?
01:50:15
Speaker
Who's this guy? The ref guy? no. Just blonde hair, like Johnny number two. Did he come back in the series?
01:50:28
Speaker
Oh, Dutch? Yeah, Chad McQueen, who recently passed away. that's the guy. Okay.
01:50:37
Speaker
Yeah, mean, he looks like he's 30.
01:51:24
Speaker
Mr. Riyagi's like really using all those like con artists like abilities. He's stealing belts, he's faking out officials.
01:51:35
Speaker
It's like technically Danny's illegally in this tournament. Yup.
01:51:47
Speaker
Yeah, I don't think that brought up at all Cobra Kai ever, of like Daniel like lied about being a like ah any he sort of belt. It's an invalid like entry.
01:51:58
Speaker
Yeah.
01:52:19
Speaker
Who's this psycho? know, it's like, I'm very into Asian culture. like, give the ring, alright, fighting, go!
01:53:11
Speaker
Wait, who's cheering for him in the crowd?
01:53:15
Speaker
It's like, oh, someone got hurt. We're cheering.
01:53:28
Speaker
i like how you have to, trigger the, like, montage song. Yep. She said, you're the best, and it's like, oh, that's our that's our cue
01:53:43
Speaker
So think I think this song was written for Rocky 2 or 3.
01:53:49
Speaker
And then it got like switched over to Karate Kid. but but could go for either. Though it's hard to watch this movie without that song.
01:54:18
Speaker
Hey, Cobra Kai is falling like- dropping like flies. Honestly, dan Danny's fight style is just like shaking.
01:54:39
Speaker
And then it's like, ah they need counterattacks only. Mm-hmm. Because I don't think he ever like goes out in an assault, right? All his fighting is just waiting for the guy to throw the first punch.
01:54:52
Speaker
Yeah, because... Yeah, Miyagi knows that about offense.
01:55:09
Speaker
He's also, like, on his tiptoes. Yeah, yeah, that's what I'm saying. It's very, like, fancy, shaky...
01:55:56
Speaker
I feel like Dutch like stored like a ton of cocaine in France fights.
01:56:05
Speaker
I need my fight powder. In the 80s, this is just what you did.
01:56:52
Speaker
Run the piggy bat now. They're going have more space to fight.
01:57:35
Speaker
like I love all the... The off-screen yelling is the best this movie.
01:57:41
Speaker
Everyone's hyped up for, like, people that aren't, like, you know, cheering Is he like Capoeira now?
01:57:58
Speaker
He got too fancy.
01:58:45
Speaker
We gotta sacrifice the pawns!
01:59:05
Speaker
That's the, like, key word for cheating. Mm-hmm.
01:59:47
Speaker
He has 15 minutes to repair his broken leg.
02:00:09
Speaker
it's like i like Thank you, doctor. Oh, I'm not a doctor. I'm a veterinarian.
02:00:21
Speaker
you imagine if this is how ended? It's like a moral... It'd be like the Rocky I ending where it's like, well, at least he tried. Yeah, he just went the distance.
02:00:55
Speaker
Tenyo-san, your leg is shattered in three places. No amount like, massaging is gonna fix this. Friction under your my hands.
02:01:35
Speaker
right Get ready, Daniel. This is going to hurt.
02:01:55
Speaker
What?
02:02:04
Speaker
Yeah, that guy looks like he, like, knows karate. Like this. think he's like the announcer guy. Yeah.
02:02:16
Speaker
He's like Texas-looking guy. He looks like he runs, like, the local, like, car dealership. Yeah, yeah. He's like, I sponsor i sponsor this footness tournament.
02:02:33
Speaker
it's um It's weird to hear someone called Johnny John.
02:03:00
Speaker
so have you ever been to karate tournament, Zach? No. I went to one in like the 90s. It was like a family friend. And it's a lot of waiting. It's a lot of resetting positions.
02:03:12
Speaker
And then they don't fight with like no, they fight with gear on, you know, like headgear, like foot gear, shoulder pads.
02:03:27
Speaker
So thinking it was like, oh, cool. I'll go to like a karate tournament and I'm watching this and I'm just like, it's not the same.
02:03:53
Speaker
Are you not allowed to sweep the leg in a karate match? I think it's like injure his leg even further so then he's like totally out. I
02:04:08
Speaker
feel like all the Koma Kras did cocaine before this fight.
02:05:11
Speaker
See if Miyagi taught him like, I don't know, an offensive punch? Yeah. He was punching him like the day before the tournament.
02:05:20
Speaker
Alright, Daniel. Remember, pour the drink. Pour the whiskey. yeah
02:05:27
Speaker
Punch the chest.
02:05:50
Speaker
There we go. so that's what I was like, do we use body bag? Get him a body bag!
02:06:02
Speaker
Oh my god.
02:06:10
Speaker
so did did, like, did they practice the crane kick? I mean, he was, like, doing, like, the you balancing on the boat the beach stump.
02:06:27
Speaker
ah like how all the friends who abandoned Freddy were like, oh, you're cool now, Daniel! You won!
02:06:39
Speaker
Johnny's instantly his friend. He's like, you're alright, man. yeah Yeah. I feel like this definitely is like a retcon that Cobra Kai made of this. like Johnny seems cool with it here, but then like he was stewing about it for 30 years. Cobra Kai.
02:06:58
Speaker
I also love that it just ends. It just ends up, Miyagi's like, good job, we won, that's it. Like, thank god there's no post-smatch, like, urine test to see what way I injected you.
02:07:09
Speaker
To get you, like, to fight.
02:07:12
Speaker
Also, like, Danny needs to go to a hospital. um Yeah, his, his, I'm shocked that, like, he could walk normally. Like, like, years later.
02:07:36
Speaker
I feel like this song definitely gets like, uh, forgotten compared like, You're the Best.
02:07:43
Speaker
But it's also weird that this is Survivor who did of the Tiger.
02:07:51
Speaker
but Wait, who sung You're the Best? that Survivor 2? Uh, Joe Esposito. okay.
02:08:49
Speaker
oh socc soccer instructor and a bike riding instructor well i guess the bike riding was oh and Ralph Macchio and Petmario were trained by body by Jake I guess it was for that scene where where Miyagi's just wearing like a tank top
02:09:09
Speaker
yeah guess had the ah was like the bow flex up yet or just like weights bow flex is probably like the end of this Like the Nordic track came out. The Nordic track, yeah.
02:09:24
Speaker
Okay, to be honest, I did not think that the Karate Kid was going to have more than this. If you just showed this and it's like complete and you've got like a good picture.
02:09:35
Speaker
But... Yeah, yeah it didn't seem like it was going to be like ah ah like a decade spanning like multimedia franchise. A cartoon series that happens like after the second movie.
02:09:46
Speaker
A game, ah like TV show, a spin-off movie, a remake movie.
02:09:59
Speaker
I'm surprised they haven't done a Cobra Kai school. Oh, so this credit, I looked this up, like, so the Karate Kid has been used with the consent of DC Comics. Why? There's a character, there's superhero called the Karate Kid that DC had.
02:10:13
Speaker
So they had to go to DC and be like, hey, use the title Karate Kid? And they're like, sure, yeah. Wow. Did not know that.
02:10:25
Speaker
It's like a character from like the like the Legion of Superheroes.
02:10:31
Speaker
yeah because i I saw, I was scrolling through this, our copy of the of movie before, I was watching, was like, wait, DC, they have to pay DC Comics for like, the rights to Karate Kid?
02:10:41
Speaker
wonder if they still have to, or they just kind of, like, enough time has passed where it's, like, generic. like It's like Karate Kid, like, showed up recently in, like, ah DC Comics. They have to, like, renew it, or else it just loses to the copyright claim.
02:10:57
Speaker
Wow.
02:10:59
Speaker
There was not a lot of karate in this movie.
02:11:07
Speaker
what I mean, it's crazy like how long it takes to for Daniel really start training. By training, doing hustle chores. There's not really a training montage, like we were saying. Yeah, the montage is like we have to blow through all these fights and tournaments.
02:11:28
Speaker
Well, he's doing more kata, where it's just him doing the movement, but not necessarily him training with Miyagi to... deal with like a duel or don't know anything that's more yeah he's he doesn't he doesn't get any sort of like fighting or training would like prepare for like a tournament that's why he's like he's like immediately freaked out he like rang out the ring when he's like fighting some of the first time yeah he's just like oh shit like i really i realized i didn't do
02:12:00
Speaker
I just punched him in the chest where he was wearing like like a catcher's baseball catcher's like pads.
02:12:14
Speaker
But I mean it still holds up as a good drama. Yeah. also think that Pat Morati definitely carries Pat Morita. Pat Morita. he He carries the movie.
02:12:26
Speaker
I mean some people like it for Danny Russo but don't You know, it's definitely something that when you watch it in the respect that with the Miyagi, like, mythos of him, like, he gets kind of get more, he gets more and more ridiculous as, like, the series goes on.
02:12:47
Speaker
and And then they're like, I won't spoil anything, they reveal stuff in Cobra Kai about his backstory, too, where it's just wait, that's a Mr. Raghu sub-tude, too?
02:12:56
Speaker
i yeah i See, I'll watch Cobra Kai to kind of get aboard it. Yeah. talking about
02:13:04
Speaker
And it it is it it is fun to go back to where Johnny was just a shit-up asshole, too. I guess instead of like a lovable asshole, he was just an asshole.
02:13:19
Speaker
Because now, like yeah after all the Cobra Kai stuff, it's like, well, Jai is the best character in the entire franchise. Yeah.
02:13:31
Speaker
But yeah, that was that was fun going back to watch that and then we'll have to see what gets brought back up or what happens in the Karate Kid Legends when when the worlds collide, when the Jackie Chan universe merges with the Miyagi-Do universe.
02:13:47
Speaker
Yeah. Can't wait. So, yeah, that'll do it for this month's commentary. We'll be back next month with another commentary. Head over to the site, we got all of our usual, we got our regular podcast, reviews, trailers, all kinds stuff over at everythingaction.com.
02:14:01
Speaker
So head over check all that stuff out. And yes, for this time, Zach, and we will see you next time. For more for everything action, head to www.everythingaction.com. You can also find us on Facebook at facebook.com slash everything.action and follow us on X at EVAction.
02:14:21
Speaker
We're also on Instagram and threads at everything.action. Find more episodes the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your at podcast app of choice and be sure to rate and subscribe.