Physical: Asia Review
Director: Jang Ho-gi
Date Created: 2025-10-29 02:25
4
Physical: Asia Review: Directed by Jang Ho-gi, Netflix’s physical reality show 피지컬: 아시아 is all about power. The show goes international this time with teams from eight nations: South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Mongolia, Türkiye, Indonesia, Australia, and the Philippines, and each has some of Asia’s most prominent athletes and performers as their team leaders.
The program boasts big names like Manny Pacquiao, Mark Mugen, Justin Coveney, Ray Jefferson Querubin from the Philippines, Eddie Williams, Katelin van Zyl, Robert Whittaker from Australia, and South Korea’s Kim Dong-hyun, Jang Eun Sil, Choi Yeon-seung and others. Spanning 12 episodes, the first four were made available on October 28, 2025, with a promise of a classic game of muscle, brain, and collaboration.
Physical: Asia Review
As we know, the concept of Physical: Asia reality series is to demonstrate both physical power and mental stamina. With tough challenges along with coordination of teams and national pride, it focuses on the very essence of team spirit rather than a one-man victory.
What immediately stands out about Netflix’s Physical: Asia is its grand scale. It is not about individuals anymore, but about rival teams that escalate the stakes to a strategic and emotional level. It is no longer just about physical toughness but about how collaboratively one works, strategises, and coordinates one’s teammates. The show progresses with vibrant cultural spice as global competitors come together to train, banter, and sometimes clash in the spirit aspect that Physical: 100 lacks.
The tone is set with the first challenge, “Territorial Conquest.” All eight teams burst onto a sandy battlefield with each of them vying for control over four gigantic disks. Sounds simple, but it’s only a few minutes before the action gets hotter as the players bump into one another in order to hold on. It’s wonderful to see the likes of Australia and Japan get off to an early advantage, and Korea and Türkiye must battle through a succession of rematches to gain their qualification. Towards the end, Türkiye manages to overcome them and gains an advantage in the next round.
Following this is the total change of tempo with the second challenge, “Shipwreck.”. The setup was lifted from a pirate movie, with ladders, crates, and zip lines everywhere. Tandems had to drag large sandbags and boxes across the rig. I thought this round was a lot better because it was easier to get, and real teamwork was required. The Japan-Australia game was especially notable, especially after Japan, being obviously physically disabled, refused to quit. And again, the Korean team proved their power by lifting a sum of more than 2000 kilograms.
What really does work for this part of the Korean reality show Physical: Asia is the sportsmanship. The participants belong to different backgrounds, but give a lot of respect to one another. Each scene radiates an air of camaraderie and pride that can be sensed. Honestly, it’s not much of a reality show but more of a celebration of strength and discipline.
I loved Physical: 100, so entering Netflix reality series Physical: Asia, I did not have high hopes for it, but it did surprise me. To watch, this is just a grand production with huge sets, flair lighting, and music that makes one’s heart pound. Particularly, the “Shipwreck” challenge was cinematic and on a very grand scale.
Also, every episode is surprising due to the contestants. You can pit a boxer versus a parkour practitioner or a weightlifter versus a judo player. That makes it different every time. Variety introduces new energy into this Korean program.
Another positive aspect is editing: in fact, the angle shots, slow-motion shots, and backstories of players do really make the audience connect with them. The show also gives equal value to female players, for which I am very grateful. It’s really motivating to witness them playing with the same force and confidence as their male counterparts.
The only advantage I could see was that in the South Korean team majority of its members had already been on the show in the last season. That somehow taints the contest as being unfair at times. The background music also sounds so forced; it tries to make each moment dramatic and takes away from the natural excitement of the contest.
Apart from these little flaws, Physical Asia is the most enjoyable perhaps because of how much each participant cares for the other. It really puts heart into the competition as you watch James of Thailand push his body to the limit or Manny Pacquiao cheering on his team. You just sense how much it is for each player to honour his country proudly.
Korean Reality Series Physical Asia Review: Summing Up
Netflix’s Physical: Asia is an enjoyable but ambitious spin-off to Physical: 100. Sure, it borrows some ideas from the first one, but there’s fresh international flavour here, with even greater emotional complexity. The show is far from perfect-a few challenges are just too predictable, and pacing can be tightened up. It still holds viewers’ attention, though, with a hot passion for competition and sportsmanship.
