It is unclear why Zabka did not become a bigger star, possibly pigeonholed as the 80s villain as Anthony Michael Hall was as the nerd; Macchio or Morita won at the time, but Zabka won over the years as the best and hardest part. — Bill Simmons
Ralph Macchio; Pat Morita; every Cobra Kai member and Martin Kove; Reseda; the All Valley Karate Tournament; Cruel Summer; the high-school biker gang/ninjas; mid-80s arcades
Macchio, Morita, every Cobra Kai plus Kove, Reseda (now known as the Karate Kid town), the All Valley tournament, Cruel Summer, the high-school biker ninjas and the mid-80s arcades are yeses. — Bill Simmons
Avildsen is a no because Rocky is his apex; Shue is a no because, the hosts say, she later won an Oscar. — Bill Simmons
The red jackets are grouped with Michael Jackson's Thriller jacket without a clear yes or no. — Bill Simmons
The first eight minutes, covering the move to Reseda and the broken pool, could have gone faster; the camo pants, the Arnold shock value and the over-the-top country-club parents are also listed. — Ryen Russillo
One complaint is that Johnny's punch to the face should have scored the third point before the crane kick, since a face kick wins it and Ali said everything above the waist counts. — Ryen Russillo
That scoring complaint is pushed back on as shaky, with the point that full-power punches are illegal in most karate rules—though by that logic the crane kick might have been disqualified too. — Ryen Russillo
A column quote asks why Ali likes a 5'7", 100-pound kid with no money or car whose mom drives him on dates; it is called the mystery of the movie, with a Back to the Future comparison. — Ryen Russillo
Ali is already staring at Daniel on the beach before the radio incident; perhaps she surrounds herself with lesser friends to stand out, though Johnny dating her implies she is the it-girl. — Ryen Russillo
A college-era joke about rebuffs ('wax on, wax off', 'paint the fence') and nicknaming a classmate 'Mr. Miyagi' during an AIDS-fear era is offered as a self-called-out aged-worst. — Bill Simmons
