[REVIEW] Kau vs Aku Episode 1: A Malaysian Coming-of-Age Series Worth Watching

SPOILER ALERT

In collaboration with PUBG Mobile, the first episode introduces the world of Aulia. Aulia, a 16-year-old Malaysian student, all set and ready for another year of high school’s thrills and spills together with her two best friends; Syafikah and Shanina. However, problems arise when Danish Aryan, popular influencer and the number one occupier of Aulia’s cringe list, becomes her new classmate.

Similar to other well-received coming-of-age series, the first episode starts out a tad bit slow as the creators intend to bring the audience into Aulia’s world; meeting her friends and families on top of understanding her conflicts. Director Shamyl Othman’s vision slowly takes shape in the first episode, promising more drama and excitement in the next one.

Currently, the series reminds us of existing teenage flicks like To All The Boys I've Loved Before and Never Have I Ever with a Malaysian twist that makes it more relatable than others.

One thing that truly stands out is the witty and clever writing present in the first episode, added by the actor’s natural delivery through their respective roles. It comes by no surprise to us when we found out Anwar Hadi leads the writer’s room for this one, simply because his jokes and lines can be instantly recognised at some parts. You can tell that Anwar, Shamyl and the writers really thought through every single line as they included very specific dialogues and responses that only Malaysians would understand, while at the same time, respecting the source material written by Shieyruna. Frankly, the scriptwriting and storytelling aspects got us hooked from the start: relatable, humorous and practical with a whiff of cheese.

We wonder if Anwar played a role in the selection of the theme song ‘Aku, Engkau & Dia’ sung by W/SH, especially since Anwar is also very much attuned to the local scene.

Another point to highlight is Shasha Abedul’s performance as Aulia. Shasha brought the Cady Heron out of her and delivered a convincing portrayal of a naive and stubborn 16-year-old girl with the best of intentions; hopefully realising Shieyruna’s vision and expectations.