James Dean in Rebel Without A Cause, Tony of the Jets gang in West Side Story, The Fonz in Happy Days, and dozens more: we just love stories with bad boys … as long as they’re not too bad. A hint of danger, a dollop of cockiness, and a soupçon of insouciance make a recipe that many of us simply can’t resist.
Get ready to meet Noey, a teenager who embodies the spirits of all of those characters above, wrapped up in a retro package of Thai culture. He’s not just the leading man of today’s series — I Will Knock You — he’s the leading man in his own life, living it as if he’s a larger-than-life character in a movie.
Just like with so many bad boy movies, you’ll probably dislike Noey when you meet him. In fact, you’ll dislike him for quite a long time.
But by the end of the show, you’ll be his biggest fan, rooting for him to live his best life. The impudent delinquent will steal your heart.
Let’s meet him after the break.
Our mission statement
The Trump regime wants to erase LGBQT people from public life in the US and eliminate access to information, resources, and cultural heritage for our youth. Most LGBQT adolescents never see stories about people like themselves enjoying love and romance. In our current reality, watching a Boys’ Love or Girls’ Love series or movie might be the only means for young people to see models of how their own relationships could start, develop, and successfully grow.
It’s also an act of subversion … so watch an episode, share it with others, and resist!
About the series
I Will Knock You
| Original title |
พี่จะตีนะเนย |
| Country |
Thailand |
| Release year |
2022 |
| Producer / studio |
Broadcast Thai Television / AIS Play |
| Episodes |
12
|
Principal cast
| Role |
Actor |
| Noey |
Tar Atiwat |
| Thi |
Bom Tanawat |
| Auntie Tim |
Fresh Arisara |
| Thiw |
Ohm Tanapak |
| Nid Nhoi |
Mild Satita |
| Phayu |
Namo Thanapat |
The story
Thi, a university student, works part-time as a tutor for high school students, both in small groups and one-on-one. Although Thi is calm and confident when teaching, in other settings he’s socially awkward; in short, he’s a hapless nerd.
Through an inadvertent encounter, he meets Noey, a high school kid who’s the leader of a gang of delinquents. Thi is scared of his own shadow half the time, so he’s absolutely petrified when he gets on the wrong side of things with Noey. He hopes to never face this bad boy again in his entire life.
Auntie Tim
But destiny has its own plans. Thi meets Auntie Tim, a woman who desperately needs a reliable and patient tutor for her kid who flunks every subject. She informs Thi that tutors come and immediately go, unable to make it through even to the second lesson. He promises her that he is different, that he is absolutely committed to his students. His vow is that he will never leave, never run away, never give up.
And then he meets his new pupil: the young gangster who terrified him just a couple of days earlier, Noey.
Noey is a throwback. His clothing style, his taste in music and films, his manner of speaking, almost everything about him screams “vintage gangsta cool.” Think of the posers in Grease and you’ll get the idea, although Noey’s styling is a mix of everything from the 1940s all the way up to the 80s.
He sees his life cinematically as the leading man who must be tough and strong in life but also devoted and gentle with his beloved. He’s willing to sacrifice himself for honor, for loyalty to his gang and his family. He’s an uncertain teenager who simultaneously is a confident narcissist, certain that destiny has plans for him.
As you might guess, tutoring him is not smooth sailing. Noey is incredibly challenging; when he’s with Noey, Thi alternates between brief moments of reckless bravery and periods of nearly pissing his pants from fright.
Destiny, Noey’s favorite song from the 1940s era
There are street fights, a road trip, a romantic evening at a fair, a picturesque temple festival, and more adventures. Mishaps and misunderstandings abound, especially when Noey is arrogantly sure that Thi is staring at him with unrequited love but Thi is actually caught like a deer in headlights, paralyzed with shock at something that Noey said or did.
It takes a long time, a lot of effort, and a boatload of mistakes along the way but eventually this misfitted pair begin to understand and appreciate each other. It’s a slow burn and it isn’t until the second half of the series that we begin to see their respective growth as individuals and later the growth and change in their relationship.
Age: the elephant in the room
Some viewers have commented negatively about the series because of the age difference between the two lead characters. Noey is in high school, around 16 when it begins, and Thi is in university, thus several years older.
To those viewers I say: bah, humbug, your hypocrisy strikes me as thinly veiled homophobia.
First, in Thailand, in 30 out of 50 US states, and in most of the world, Noey would be of legal age. I grew up in California and used to think 18 was the norm everywhere but it turns out that 16 is far, far more common.
Noey with Thi clutching for dear life
Second, where is your protest about Romeo and Juliet, who according to Shakespearean tradition are assumed to be 14 and 13 years old, respectively? Or how about Joanie loving Chachi, the high school kids in The Breakfast Club, the teen romances in Glee, or dozens and dozens of other under-18 romances in movies and television? Why is it this particular romance that sets you off? Could it possibly be because it’s between two guys?
[*** spoilers ahead ***]
Third, nothing happens. Noey pushes against Thi, trying to initiate a romantic affair. Thi scrupulously deflects his interest, not allowing so much as a single kiss (Noey does catch him off-guard once and pecks him on the cheek).
For several reasons — Thi’s vow to Auntie Tim, fear of Noey’s gang retaliating, etc — Thi is stuck and must remain Noey’s tutor but he never allows Noey to cross any lines. Thi slams on the brakes whenever Noey even talks about romance with him.
Indeed, it’s only in the final three minutes of the show that we finally see the boys exchange their first kiss; by that time, due to Thi’s strict rules laid down for Noey, he has not only graduated from high school but he has also completed his university degree. Noey is in his twenties by the time Thi permits their romantic relationship to truly begin.
So I say the age complaints are insincere whining and if you haven’t similarly complained about every straight teen romance — where the young people actually do get up to monkey business together — then maybe you should look at why this particular couple grinds your gears [hint: it rhymes with zomophobia].
[*** end spoilers ***]
The bad boy
Noey is a fascinating character, quirky and unlike the roles we typically see in Boys’ Love dramas and comedies.
Noey
He’s has a working class background, at most. His father, who abandoned the family, was also a gangster … but a gangster with a heart. As we learn near the very end of the series, many of the things that we see Noey doing that we earlier labeled as bad and criminal are actually his own way of helping his alleged “victims.”
On the other hand, he really does enjoy street violence. There are real dangers in street fights and we do indeed witness a shocking event. But adolescent guys are known to engage in fighting, soaking up endorphins in the excitement, I suppose. So this is how a significant number of young men behave.
But Noey learns to overcome his instincts and early role modeling. He makes a dramatic self-transformation and Thi is his motive for doing that. Noey has long failed Auntie Tim, his mom, despite constant promises to better himself. But his love for Thi finally makes those promises become real, bringing joy to his family and to the guy he loves.
The scaredy-cat tutor
Thi is a hopeless basket case in many ways. He can’t even stand up for himself with Nid Nhoi, Noey’s little sister, hardly a threatening figure like her older brother.
Thi
But when push comes to shove, he has moments of selfless courage and acts with abandon … but later nearly faints from the shock of having done so.
He is also a man of his word. Despite his fears, he keeps his promises to Auntie Tim, refusing to give up on Noey, no matter how much it costs him emotionally.
Thi is a moral figure. As I mentioned above, it would have been perfectly acceptable in Thailand and most other countries for Thi to begin a romantic and/or sexual relationship with Noey. But Thi is committed to the well-being of all his pupils, including Noey. He takes his role as a tutor as a moral obligation and absolutely does not permit any untoward behavior to occur, even though it is Noey who is the one pushing (a bit, he’s mostly respectful rather than aggressive) for it.
And we see Thi grow, just like Noey does in the series. By the end of the show, Thi has become far more confident, determined that Noey will succeed in life, and willing to disobey his parents who disapprove of their relationship.
It’s a slow process, at times utterly maddening, but Thi becomes the man he needs to be.
Closing thoughts
The final episode is partially set in Chiang Mai province. That always means stunning nature shots. Anything set in Chiang Mai is worth watching just for the visuals.
Noey (left) and Thi
Noey is one of the most unusual characters I have met in BLs. Tar, the actor, gives a stunning performance, especially when you consider he was only 17 during filming. To be fair, he was already an experienced actor, having starred in the Pee Nak action-fantasy series of movies.
Thi drove me crazy the first half of the series. I suppose that’s a compliment to Bom, the actor who portrayed him so effectively … but I still wanted to grab him and tell him to get his act together and not pee his pants every time someone looked at him crosswise. Thankfully, he matured and became a character I could like.
I Will Knock You is a fun watch, if you don’t mind things moving slowly. If you want an action-packed adventure, you probably won’t like it. But if you want to watch an eccentric, intimidating adolescent blossom into a responsible and adoring man, I think you’ll enjoy it.
And you’ll almost certainly have a few tears in your eyes before the show draws to a close (watch the dancing during the end credits of episode 11 and try not to cry).
Coming up …
Next week, Krotor will present some great BL-adjacent music. Not sure what that is? Join us next Tuesday at Boys’ Love and Girls’ Love to find out.
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BL series and movies in upcoming stories
| Story date |
Series or Movie |
Episodes |
Where to watch |
| Nov 25 |
I Will Knock You |
12 episodes, approximately 45 minutes each |
Viki
Bilibili
|
