I Will Knock You (2022)

A Cult Classic in the BL World

Who knew that I would enjoy something so outlandish as this series?! The silliness and over-the-top actions of the characters in this show would normally have been a huge turn-off for me. But there was something so endearing, and ultimately heartwarming, in these characters that I had to come back each week.

Thi is a college student who tutors younger students on the side. Noey is a high school gangster with a penchant for old 1940's/50's style movies, and has a yearning to be a leading man in his own old fashioned love affair. When Noey tries to woo one of Thi's students, things go wrong and Thi ends up as Noey's tutor in both academics and love. Thi goes along with Noey's antics out of fear until he realizes that Noey is actually loyal, filial, and true to his word. When Noey asks to court Thi, Thi tries to resist at first. But Noey is more like a force of nature, and Thi begins resign himself to Noey's presence in his life.

Noey's antics and Thi's reactions were fairly annoying in the beginning, but glimpses of Noey's sweetness make you want to come back, just to see what's going to happen next. By the time you get through episode 11, the sheer number of descriptors for this show has run the gamut, and you really have to reevaluate what this series has done to you before you watch the finale. Trust me, it's all worth it.

Thi sometimes does the cringe, and sometimes he IS the cringe. But when Noey makes a decision, he's all in, willing to do what it takes to reach his goal. And like it or not, Thi is his goal. I would recommend this show to anyone with a sense of humor. I will say that there is about 4-5 year age gap between the characters, but the relationship between the ML's is so pure that there's no reason to worry about anything improper.

Edit: Don't forget to watch the ending credits scene each week! By the end of the series you'll understand why.

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Scary turns into a flirt - Adorable ending!

FINISHED IT WITH A NICE ENDING. I loved every second of it :D

If you're looking for a story to pass the time with, not that serious of a plot and pretty light, I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS!

I was VERY surprise to have like this show soo much! From the trailer, I thought it would be pretty basic enemies-to-lovers story. But it didn't turn out that way. The comedy, the fluff, the lowkey cringe is likeable XD

At first I wondered how they were going to wrap the ending, considering there was only a few minutes left, and they just reconcile and Noey went back to Bangkok. I liked how they showed the progress of their life in a short quick scenes, which honestly is very very adorable. Their relationship held so strong even though Thi's parents were against them - That is the one thing they never touch upon, at least, I think they didn't?

What I like: The acting, the characters, the chemistry - Although it has secondhand embarrassing moments, but honestly, that's the gold of it! I like Noey's character the most tbh. Despite being a high schooler (17 ~ 19 I forgot), his directness and confident in pursuing Thi was nice to see. I like how he's just goes for it and doesn't give up.

What I dislike: Um, the only thing I could say would be Thi at the last two episodes where his parents came to visit. He could've at least showed more effort of wanting to be with Noey, just as much as Noey wants to be with him - willing to change himself so Thi's parents could accept him. I get that, he probably is the good - always follows the parents decision - child, but stand up for yourself man! You did that with Noey, why not with your parents?

Luckily, Thi only follows the parent's decision of moving to Chiang Mai, and not leaving Noey, but still.

They made long distancing relationship work and very adorable might I add when they met again.

AND THE ENDING ALETHKADGA I FREAKING DIED.

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Tongue-In-Cheek Clever-Silly And Romantic.

Lighthearted, fun, sweet, and cute with emotional depth that kind of sneaks up on you.
It's special because while it has many tropes/clichés that are often predictable, they're purposefully taken 1 to 2 steps further in unexpected ways. Because of this, the whole series is very humorous instead of cringworthy. They do it very well. Things are done/acted a little dramatically but earnestly at the same time. I was really impressed with the whole cast.

In real life the type of behavior Noey exhibits towards Thi is full of red flags and could lead to trauma bonding (unpredictable hot/cold, threatening/rewarding, etc). In this fictional tale however, I was able to enjoy the well done tropes of enemies-to-lovers, bully/nerd, and hard to others but soft to the love interest. It takes some time but Noey's character does mature and redeem himself beautifully.

FYI in the last episode keep watching because the epilogue continues through the credits and all the way to the end.

It was a little tricky for me to tell the grades and age difference of the main characters, especially at the beginning. I believe Noey starts the series about 16 yrs old and Thi is 5 years older as a junior in college, so about 21. Noey starting so young in the story works because he's young enough to act as immature as he starts out being.

The age difference was never made weird in this story, which I appreciated. Young people can fall in love too. And as MidwesternLibrarian says on Reddit, "I don't mind their fictional age gap because there is no way Thi is manipulating Noey. Noey is going to do what Noey wants to do." Truer words were never spoken, lol!

General Spoilers below.
There is a good amount of romantic attraction/tension that is tastefully done keeping the age of the characters and actors in mind, two interupted almost-kisses, and a very basic kiss at the end. (Which I was totally fine with, especially since Tar who played Noey would have been 17-18 at the time of filming.)

I loved how the miscommunications in the first few episodes lead them into falling for each other instead of falling out, lol.

There is some medium angst near the end but it is resolved and the ending is satisfying.

I likely won't watch again on my own but it could be fun to see with other people.

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Was good but not great.

I have to say I had a bit of high hopes for this series but failed in a few areas for me personally. I love the overall story of younger high schooler felling for college student, it's different since I see it happen the other way around. It's refreshing to watch all the new actors. All the actors were great, but I have to say that I love Noey and Thiw chemistry as best friends, for me, I could see them getting together more than Noey and Thi. I felt Thi liked the other guy more than Noey. I have to say I love the actor for Thi but hate the character as he lacked strength and felt like he did not grow as a character at all. He was way too fearful and overly annoying to watch, to be honest, especially for a college guy he should act more grown up. Noey was more adult than him. I don't like how Thi told him if he wanted to be with him he had to leave his gang and change who he is, it's a bit messed up acting like he was going to be there for Noey and yet Thi did nothing to show he cared or wanted to be with him. Thi was a horrible character that let his parents tell him how to live his life and talk down to Noey mom, Thi needs to grow up and have his parents see more about what he wants and stop being babied by his parents and be an adult. I loved the friends and the gang and Noey mom and sister were all amazing. The story was fun and funny a lot, but there are times that I wish there were more times that they were more serious. The series overall was nice, but the two leading characters did not have good chemistry as a couple. Both leads were better with their best friends.

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it was good but…

Ok it’s my first time leaving a review here but anyway…
This drama was really cool but I watched it because of the reviews and scores i saw about it and they were pretty good so i was excepting much better.

yes it brings comfort, you can enjoy it without any effort and it’s not emotionally involving but sometimes it’s really empty and even though the production was good, sometimes the acting was a bit off. I fell in love with the ost btw, i spent some times looking for it on spotify.. and noey’s character is really interesting. I think to be honest that the drama had good potential but something in the making of the drama or in the screenplay was off and it sometimes killed fluidity.

good drama overall but personally, i don’t get the hype…

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I loved it to the moon and back

It was Hilarious,
Lead actors deserve an oscar for their performance.
Very relaxing to watch, if there are more series like ....., I would be happy.

Thi (Bom Thanawat Uthaikitwanit) is endearingly cute. To be 27 years old and be able to portray this character, you really have to be a good actor.

Noey (Tar Atiwat Saengtien) is then the complete opposite due to his straightforward mentality. Being 18 years old and opponent 27, he really stood his ground, they each defended their role with all their might.

Noey's confidence is laughably overrated while Thi likes to stick with the old familiar. Finding their way in there was a joy to watch.

I have to mention the rest of the cast was definitely needed to be able to put this all together. Every part of the other actors were needed and well done.

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Wayyyy Better Than I was Expecting it To Be

I still remember when I first heard about this series, and I thought this was going to be complete garbage. So I set my expectations VERY low. At max, I thought I would give this series a 7, and now I'm sitting here writing this review knowing that throughout my watch, I was highly entertained, highly interested, highly appreciative of the characters, and absolutely loved the story and relationship. And because of that, this series is getting a 10.

Let's Dive In.

Now, I might be reaching with a 10, cause there were some downfalls, but overall, I had so much fun watching that it overpowers any instinctive problems I have with this series.

For one, the wardrobe was fantastic. I was heavily getting 'West Side Story' (cause of the gang and the fighting) vibes and only realized that it wasn't set in the 80s or 90s until I saw a phone. The hairstyles were perfect, even the color schemes, and the retro-realistic vibes from Noey and his gang. *chef's kiss*

The cinematography was also very different than what I'm used to seeing in Thai series. We get to see the character's real skin colors -- some pretty tans and goldens and browns -- and I fell in love immediately with the grain and the color schemes. This has to be one of the most 'down-to-earth' series that really goes for showing what all different types of Thai people look like (without putting any of them in a negative light). Even going so far as to show what the rural side of Thai looks like. No fancy houses and no railing stairs, just temples, and eating on the ground and everything else that made this setting feel so natural. I loved it.

Now, onto Noey and Thi. I loved the way they dramatized their characters. Thi was somewhat of a confident coward, who was fragile and anxious, while Noey was a tough and badass student who was the leader of a gang and everyone followed what he said. It was the perfect dynamic. The age gap is pretty lengthy, but they make up for this because nothing ever goes any further than a measly kiss on the cheek. We don't even get a kiss until the last episode. So that's why I'm convinced that I loved this pairing because they were able to make me fall for them without it being physical. Now, the chemistry is only decent, it's not spectacular or anything, but it gets by with the perfect amount of looks and stares (albeit, sometimes too long). To sum up this paring, they made it durable enough to get through this series without being bored. Their dynamic is very spot-on, and the character development within both of them is some of the best I've seen this year.

Which leads me to my next point, the time jump meant everything to me. Time jumps in Thai series are usually "4 years later" without any context on what those four years actually looked like, but this series did it all to the T. We see a time-lapse of their time spent together, them talking on the phone, doing cutesy things, missing each other -- even meeting up once. So we aren't in the dark about what has happened in the last four years -- we know exactly what was going on. So the ending feels literally perfect. We see what they've been up to, we know how far they've progressed in time -- with their education and relationship, so the time jump is the cherry on top of this already spectacular series.

I would love to get a spinoff for Thiw's character. I'm in love with his voice, his acting, his stature. Ohm did a great job. Phayu is also the most attractive man I've ever seen, I will need to be seeing more of him and more of him soon.

Ratings:

Story: 9/10 - It's entertaining from start to finish. They do such a good job at telling the story and telling it well that it's so much fun to sit through and watch. It's the perfect mix of real, funny, and romantic.

Acting: 9/10 - Really good. I think there are some moments that are a bit hard to see what emotions they're trying to convey, but for the most part, it's stellar. Ohm was the stand out for me, including Tar.

Music: 7/10 - I remember that one song Noey liked playing, but other than that, I didn't pay attention to it.

Recommendation Value: 8/10 - HIGHLY recommend. I've said it multiple times already, but this series is seriously very entertaining. I think it might've been because I went into this with little to no expectations which is why it completely exceeded anything I thought it was going to be, and turned out to be an amazing little gem.

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I'M EXCITED TO WATCH IT ALL OVER AGAIN!

This series has been my personality for more than 2 months, and I will never regret ever watching it. 

Reason for rating:

Story: 10/10
I almost gave it a lower rating because I said it didn't really have an original story. But I realized that in this day and age, nothing is original. The thing that made me give this a 10/10 in story is that, even though it's not an original story, they made it a point to give their own take to every scene, and their symbolism is always something you will look forward to. My all-time favorite thing about this series is the dance they do at the end of EVERY EPISODE. Each episode has its own original version of the dance, depending on the tone of the episode it's on. They gave this series all their efforts and love, and it shows.

Acting/Casting: 10/10
Noey and Thi's actors are born for their roles. I'm so happy that they were cast for this because they definitely gave life to these fictional characters that we deeply love. I hope they have more projects together!

Music: 10/10
Babe, if you don't love the "Destiny" song, you're dumb AF. And them dancing to it at every ending of the episode has made this song even more special and beautiful.

Rewatch Value: 10/10
As the headline indicates, I cannot wait to watch it again. I know you have heard the sentence, "I wish I could watch this again for the first time." This is one of the series I would love to watch for the first time again. And since it's already finished, I'm just going to recommend this to my sister so I can talk to her about this series. 

PS. 

For those who hate this series, we don't care if you think it is "cringey," "boring," or "I can't get past episode one." If you dislike it, get out of here. We're happy to keep this for ourselves. 😌😏

And for those who are interested, WELCOME ABOARD! 🚢

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Lighthearted fluff garnished generously with comedy, will give you serotonin aplenty

So I made a mdl account just to leave a review on this series. It's that good.
I had no plans of watching it when I saw the trailer. Yet another hs/uni romance? count me out! But ep 1, right from the beginning, had me captivated. I finished 5 eps in one night and the rest the next day.
It's addicting! It's drinking like warm creamy hot choco before going to sleep at the end of a day in which everything went right. Like, this is your happy pill! If you're having a bad day, this series will definitely cheer you up :)

First, the dynamic! Bully/bullied is not one of my fav tropes, and it has a lot of chances of going awry if not done right. But not in here, nope! On top, it also had the highschooler/uni student age gap, but trust me, the show handles it so so well.

Noey, though scary, is the dorkiest goofball I've seen in my life. And so is his gang. Special mention to Thiw, that man deserves more screen time, he's hilarious. And also Nidhnoi.
Thi, though being an absolute coward (you can go as far as to call him spineless at the start) is the best tutor anyone could have. He's there for his students, especially for Noey. Not gonna say much here cause spoilers, but let's say, as a college student who tutors highschoolers, I wish I had Thi's patience and skill for teaching. Some might not like Thi's snivelling character and his overacting (I believe the overacting was a conscious decision on the director's part), but he starts subtly standing up for himself as the series progresses.
Also, their banter. And Noey mistaking Thi to have a crush on him, and his subsequent reactions. Really, 10/10 on the comedy scale.

Aside from comedy, I'd also cheer for the cinemategraphy and the location choice of the shoots. There's nothing 'polished' about the setting, it looks messy, and very, very lived in. But also very beautiful. I feel it makes you get closer to the characters, cause yeah, this is how most places in South East and South Asia look like! I can totally imagine Thi as my neighbour lmao

Another good point is the pacing. Maybe it will feel different for others, but for me the pacing was good, great even. Though I had to a fast forward a couple of second at a few places when the two leads decide to stare into each other's eyes for a minute or two. As a person who struggles with draggy plots and can't finish series', I will knock you is a breath of fresh air.

There are a few bad reviews, which is inevitable since everyone has different tastes, but what I've learnt of mdl reviews is that...you can't trust the bad ones too much. If I did, I'd end up missing a lot of superb shows (like kinnporcshe and cutie pie as examples, I'd almost skipped them XD).
Of course, you may end up not liking it, but I'll say, give the first ep a try with a clear mind. It's funny fluffy goodness hook you right in. I can totally see this series coming into my comfort watchlist u.u

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Didn't Really Knock Me but Noey is cute

I am a sucker for bad boys gone good... And this story truly had the potential to hit hust that right spot if only I wouldn’t have found the toutour a.k.a the lead annoying...

As we meet Noey, a missunderstood gang leader teen, a boy who is just the sweetest guy ever whenever he is not beating someone up. A guy who also has this obsession with the temple, vitage stuff as well as a girl named Pam. Considering his obsession he may do some unapreciated gestures but he is actually pretty respectful towards the objects of his obsession and always asks may I... his acting is decent. His sister is adorable and his mom and gang are all lovely.

Then we meet toutor and his lovely friends, toutour is supposed to be a loy older than our gang leader but is portrayed as an immTure scardycat. Making that age gap completely feel irrelevant. I am sure there is something to love about this guy, I just couldn't really find it as I appreciated every single other character a lot more thus lowering the score for this drama.
That said the guy does have moments of interesting and portyrayes confusion pretty well... but I don't know who to blame either his acting, the directing and/or character writing was just off for me.

P.s the way umbrellas, shoes and flowers are used in this drama is completely outstanding!!!

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