Knock Out Season 1 Review – Slow Moving BL that Dodges the Prize-Winning Punch
Episode Guide
Episode 1 – Tiger Taming Canon – Review Score 2.5/5
Episode 2 – Don't Hold Back – Review Score 3/5
Episode 3 – The Heartless Left Hook – Review Score 2.5/5
Episode 4 – The Fix – Review Score 2.5/5
Episode 5 – Hero vs Hero – Review Score 2.5/5
Episode 6 – For Us – Review Score 3/5
Episode 7 – Evidence – Review Score 3.5/5
Episode 8 – Betrayal – Review Score 3.5/5
Episode 9 – The Ring Rage – Review Score 3.5/5
Episode 10 – Safe House – Review Score 3.5/5
Episode 11 – Trap – Review Score 2/5
Episode 12 & Ending Explained – Always By Your Side – Review Score 1.5/5
Slow-Moving Anti-Climactic BL
Based on the novel Knockout (หมัดน็อกล็อกหัวใจ) by Dawin (ดวินทร์), the story follows Keen as he hears the news of his father's death and, having used his entire savings on the funeral, is not prepared when debt collectors show up. He hides out at a traditional Muay Thai gym trying to figure out how to make fast money. There he meets renowned fighter, Thun – 'The Tiger Taming Cannon.' But Thun refuses to step foot into the ring.
Thai BL, Knock Out, is led by newcomers, Nice Boripat Jamsat as Keen and Gunner Natsakan Chairote as Thun. The rest of the cast offers familiar faces, including Guide Kantapon Chmpupan of Bake Me Please, Dech Narongdet Rungarun of Playboyy and Gap Jakarin Puribhat of Cat Man and The Legend of Nang Nak. It was produced by Earnie Jantawong, who brought you Hello No One and wrote Thai BL, Monster Next Door.
Keen and Thun quickly find themselves thrown together as it's not just Keen but the whole gym that needs a financial injection. He manages to get Thun on board, but that's quickly out the window as he brings in Thun's former friend for a revenge match. As the cinches tighten, Thun finally agrees to fight Typhoon. But things don't go as any of them expected.
With a glimpse into the Muay Thai Boxing world, including a public naked weigh-in plus a novel behind the story for depth, I expected a bit more than Knock Out was ultimately able to deliver. No shade to the actors specifically, but the chemistry wasn't there in any of the relationships, except maybe for the blood-crazed Yut. He did seem crazy. And Phuwish, who played his double role well, though I struggled to picture a crime boss who would enjoy feeding his enemies to his German Shepherd. Perhaps I don't get out enough.
Apart from the connections, the storyline didn't seem to offer many opportunities for the protagonists to truly form bonds, feeling a bit superficial from the start and never able to tame that trail into genuine relationships. Instead, it just pushed couples together in less-than-realistic situations and left them to it.
The storyline around loan sharks feels fairly tired, too, popping up in so many Thai dramas. It makes me wonder just how many people are in debt for it to be such a regular theme. The interesting twist was that the moneylender was actually a politician in disguise, something that may feel cheekily relevant in more than one country.
Ultimately, though, BLs are about the chemistry. While it wasn't horrible and had potential, it didn't really live up to its romance genre.
If you're on the fence about Knock Out, check out our episode reviews linked above. If you loved it, I'd love to hear why in the comments below.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Chinese officials warn women comedians that men are no laughing matter
Chinese provincial officials have warned comedians against stirring up discord between the genders, instructing them to criticise constructively rather than 'for the sake of being funny'. The warning came from authorities in eastern Zhejiang province on WeChat over the weekend after a comedian referred to her allegedly abusive marriage in a performance that went viral on Chinese social media. Women's rights are sensitive territory in China – over the last decade, authorities have cracked down on almost every form of independent feminist activism. Zhejiang's publicity department chastised some comedy shows for becoming a 'battlefield' and simplifying gender issues into 'opposition between men and women'. 'Criticism is obviously fine, but it should be … constructive rather than revolve around gender opposition for the sake of being funny,' Sunday's WeChat article read. The department also offered comedians tips on how to discuss gender in their sets. 'Instead of mocking 'blindly confident men' it is better to explore the social causes for this mentality,' it suggested. 'Instead of blindly ridiculing 'materialistic women', it is better to reflect on how consumerism shapes gender roles.' The warning did not name a specific comedian, but called out streaming platform iQiyi's The King of Stand-up Comedy, and mentioned a newcomer dubbed an 'industry gem' online . Earlier this month, the show broadcast a performance by Fan Chunli – who goes by the stage name 'Fangzhuren' – whose set revolved around her allegedly abusive marriage. Members of the audience were moved to tears and many stood to applaud when she revealed she had left her ex-husband. Clips of her set spread across the Chinese internet, earning the former sanitation worker from northern Shandong province legions of new fans. The Chinese arts scene has always been heavily censored by the ruling Communist party, and authorities have tightened that oversight in the past decade. But Sunday's warning sparked some criticism online. 'Just saying the facts of what happened is provoking opposition between men and women?' one top-liked Weibo comment reads. 'Once something is discussed from a female perspective it is labelled gender opposition, isn't that too sensitive,' reads another. Women have faced backlash for joking about gender issues in the past. In 2024, retail company dropped its sponsorship of Yang Li, a comedian known for asking why men 'look so mediocre yet still have so much self-confidence'. Irked customers, mostly men, filled the company's social media with angry comments after Yang appeared at a promotional event. But this month, fans applauded Fangzhuren for telling her story. 'The environment changes people, and will prompt women's awakening,' she posted on Weibo. 'When I said in the village I wanted a divorce, I was … unforgivable,' she wrote. 'On the outside, when I talk about my divorce, the audience applauds.'
The Guardian
5 hours ago
- The Guardian
What Does That Nature Say to You review – funny and complex Korean dad-boyfriend standoff
With his own particular kind of unhurried ceaselessness and murmuring calm, Korean auteur Hong Sang-soo has produced another of his elegant, discursive, low-key movies of the educated middle classes. These are movies so numerous and so obviously comparable to each other that they collectively constitute a kind of Balzacian Comédie Humaine, though on a more intimate scale. It will surprise none of Hong's admirers to discover that this film once again shows us a series of conversations with familiar repertory players, informal one-on-one chats shot casually in available light, with people doing a vast amount of daytime drinking. Really, does any film-maker show characters getting quietly plastered as often and realistically as Hong? It's possible to feel simultaneously amused, bemused, intrigued and exasperated at Hong's film-making, to wonder if the drinking and the consequent inevitable cathartic outburst are in fact cathartic or dramatically meaningful, to wonder what it is leading to. But arguably the enigma is the point. This movie lodged in my mind a little more than Hong's earlier films, perhaps because it is less contrived and it features a genuinely funny and complex opening scene. Donghwa (Ha Seong-guk) is an amiable but conceited man in his mid 30s who aspires to be a poet; it is quite clear that his wealthy lawyer father is bankrolling him, however much he claims to be independent. For three years, he has been dating Sunhee (Cho Yun-hee) though without ever meeting or apparently wanting to meet her parents. It is only when dropping her off at their house one day that he is prevailed upon to come in and meet them, while being astonished at how grand the house is (in the process revealing that he is more impressed by money than he would admit). Sunhee's father Oryeong (Hong regular Kwon Hae-hyo) is polite and blusteringly good humoured, though clearly nettled at Donghwa's finally deigning to say hello. His complicated and contradictory emotions spill out in an amusingly pointless and embarrassing discussion of Donghwa's secondhand car – which he impulsively asks to drive, just to see what it's like, and to demonstrate his alpha-male mastery of the situation. Many other embarrassingly uptight conversations between Sunhee's dad and boyfriend ensue, fuelled by drink. Finally, there is a weirdly fractious scene at the dinner table, triggered by Sunhee's sister and her scepticism of Donghwa. Yet the boozing seems to result in no hangover, real or metaphorical. Intriguing as ever. What Does That Nature Say to You is at the ICA, London, from 25 July.
The Review Geek
12 hours ago
- The Review Geek
Kaiju No. 8 Season 2 Episode 2 Preview: Release Date, Time & Where To Watch
Kaiju No. 8 Season 2 This brand-new anime series is making its grand debut on Crunchyroll. The story is set in a fictional version of Japan, where giant kaiju/monsters roam its areas. Moreover, this version of Japan has assigned a military unit called the Japan Defense Force to extinguish the threat. In the middle of this ongoing struggle lies our protagonist, Kafka, a kaiju corpse cleaner, who wants the Japan Defense Force to recruit him. After something catastrophic occurs to Kafka during his daily routine, he must find ways to adjust to his new circumstances. If you've been following this anime, you may be curious to find out when the next episode is releasing. Well, wonder no more! Here is everything you need to know about episode 2 of Kaiju No. 8 Season 2, including the release date, time, and where you can watch this. Where Can I Watch Kaiju No. 8? Kaiju No. 8 is airing in Japan on TXN (TV Tokyo). For everyone else though, this one is also available to stream on Crunchyroll worldwide. Kaiju No. 8 Season 2 Episode 2 Release Date Episode 2 of Kaiju No. 8 will release on Saturday 26th July in Japan at approximately 11pm (JST). Of course, this means that for most of the world, this one will debut on the same day at approximately 3pm (GMT) / 8am (PT). Kaiju No. 8's episodes will drop in the native Japanese language with subtitles. However, the show will also drop with dubbing in various languages on Crunchyroll too, including English, French and Brazilian too! How Many Episodes Will Kaiju No. 8 Season 2 Have? It has been officially announced that Kaiju No. 8 Season 2 will drop with a 12 episode season order, which is consistent with the other seasons. One episode will be releasing a week, while each chapter will run for around 23 minutes long. However, we also had a special episode drop a few weeks back too, so with that in mind, we've got 10 more episodes left after this week's chapter. Is There A Trailer For Kaiju No. 8? Yes! You can find a trailer for Kaiju No. 8 below: What do you hope to see as the series progresses? What's been your favourite moment of Kaiju No. 8 so far? Let us know in the comments below!
