The story contains numerous inconsistencies. If Elle genuinely dislikes martial arts, her reasons should be more profound than simply having to clean the gym. Disliking cleaning doesn't equate to hating combat sports. Additionally, the characters lack depth; Elle, Kazuki, Ruo, and the others come off as one-dimensional, as I struggle to name three distinctive traits about them aside from their appearances and their relationships with others. Elle's sole aim of finding a boyfriend detracts from the martial arts theme in Punch, similar to how the romantic subplot overshadows the basketball narrative in Girl Got Game. It's also ridiculous that Kazuki's dog, Choppy, resembles Elle somuch. It's unrealistic, even for a Pekingese breed, to have such a human-like face. The author seems to have prioritized creating a resemblance over anatomical accuracy, compromising the dog's usual features, and it feels disrespectful to the breed. Moreover, it’s odd that some characters confuse Elle for a dog—do they really not know what a dog looks like? Gigi, the grandpa who is an ex-martial arts champion and the current gym coach, looks more like a baby or a tiny takoyaki than a fierce figure. He should appear stronger and more appropriate for his role, but he seems incompetent instead; it appears the author sacrificed his appearance for cuteness. There are also strange moments, like when Gigi wants Elle to feed him; it's unusual for a grown man to expect his teenage granddaughter to cook for him.

The subplot involving Kazuki's younger sister feels out of place since it was never mentioned in volume one. In volume 3, only a third of it covers Punch, while the remaining two-thirds consist of unrelated one-shot stories, making it feel like filler content, as if the publisher needed to fill pages for a complete volume. This is a waste of money. Lastly, the art style bothers me as the characters, especially Elle, frequently turn into chibis. I don’t dislike chibis, but the inconsistent shapeshifting between full-size and chibi formats is frustrating. The art should either remain full-sized throughout or completely adopt the chibi style. Moreover, the characters’ mouths are often depicted without details like tongues or teeth, which could express their emotions better—like showing only the bottom row of teeth when someone is low-energy or the full mouth during a scream.

Also, why is Gigi referred to as that? It doesn’t sound fitting for a kickboxing champion, and it seems disrespectful in Asian culture for Elle to address her grandpa by his first name. While I don’t discourage others from reading this series, it simply wasn’t to my liking.