Review: The Boxer

The Boxer by jh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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I never thought that reading a Manhwa about boxing would make me contemplate the meaning of life, and all existence, or what it means for us to be human. Somehow ‘The Boxer’ by JH managed to do just that.

The narrative follows a simple but effective format. Our protagonist, who’s the greatest natural talent when it comes to boxing, is an insurmountable mountain, against whom the existing challengers, and even the champions from different weight classes clash against and fall down broken.

What makes this premise interesting is how, over the course of the fight, we are made to explore and deconstruct the people who are involved in the fight. Oftentimes appearances can be deceptive. By the end of a bout, we’re made to feel for the challenger, and almost want them to win, instead of our supposed ‘protagonist’. But no matter how much they struggle, how much they want to win, what motivations they might have, what strengths they might be confident in, all of that comes crashing into the immovable object that is Yu.

There is a subversion of expectation which takes place at several points in the story. Yu, whom we are led to believe will be the underdog protagonist, going up against insurmountable odds, turns out to be the final boss villain you find in video games, beating up even seasoned champions with ease. He is an increasingly unrelatable protagonist, or one who is descending the stairs of depravity.

While K, who is initially shown as the wizened mentor figure, who we think will uplift Yu, to make him a better person, is himself a broken old man and at times psychotic. Going to insane lengths to win, and not averse to using Yu and others around him as tools to meet those needs.

Each opponent that Yu comes to face in the ring is saddled with an interesting backstory, and we see their character develop as they participate in the duels. Oftentimes, the story cleverly subverts expectations, making us root for terrible people, and jeer at those that only appear as villains.

I suspect that JH might be a philosophy major, or at least someone who is well read in the likes of Seneca and Plato. Because, he manages to incorporate the Trolley problem, as well as Plato’s Allegory of the cave , into the narrative, and uses it to define the change in his characters.

Each of Yu’s opponents, be it Fabrizio, Jean Pierre, or Aaron tide, each represents an interesting facet of the sport, and have a fleshed out engaging backstory, as to how they became the boxer they are. So much so, against them, Yu feels like a blank canvas (although recently we learn more of his backstory as well)

In particular when it comes time to explore the past of the devious and manipulative trainer K, the author pulls no stop. We hear his life’s story, the experiences, losses and tragedies that made him into the man we see, as well as how he came to the epiphany that is his perverted ideology on the essence of life, and what it means to be human. In his own words he believes,

"The value of life is an illusion that humans want to believe, but there is no reason for it. If life ends up fading without any meaning anyway , we should live it fully. The powerful should enjoy their superiority with all their hearts before they die. And the weak should writhe in their misery before they die."

K seeks supremacy over other living beings, the dominance which confers control of life and death of another. And he uses boxing as a tool to assert this dominance. Vicariously through the fighters that he picks and trains. Those who came before, the five champions, either fell short of K’s standard, or like Aaron Tide, recognized the perverseness of his principles and chose to turn their backs to it. In Yu, however, K seems to have found his ultimate successor.

With the arrival of characters like J, seemingly an antithesis to K, as well as Injae, who is poised to be an eventual rival to Yu, where will the story take us. One can only speculate. But, if the level of writing holds true, then one can be assures we are in for an engaging and stimulating journey. So, here's hoping.