Day 4 in Malaysia: Relaxing at my cousin's house. Crazy about local hero "BoBoiBoy"!

Wan Hani Nabilah
Jan 30
2 min read

It's finally the fourth day of my trip to Malaysia. My legs are starting to feel a bit tired from the constant sightseeing, so instead of cramming my schedule into today, I decided to spend the day at my cousin's house near Kuala Lumpur, enjoying a local holiday.

The luxurious shopping malls and historic temples are wonderful, but spending time with local relatives is a special experience where you can experience the ``real everyday life in Malaysia'' that you won't find in guidebooks.

Turn your smartphone into a movie theater! My encounter with "BoBoiBoy"

After enjoying a delicious homemade pasta lunch, I sat on the living room sofa with my cousin and watched Netflix on our smartphones.

There, I was told about the movie "BoBoiBoy," a super popular national anime that is said to be known by every child in Malaysia!

What is BoBoiBoy? A superhero created by the Malaysian animation production company Animonsta Studios. The story follows BoBoiBoy, a boy with mysterious powers, as he and his friends fight against aliens who are trying to steal the Earth's energy.

At first I started watching it thinking, "Is it for kids?", but it was unexpectedly interesting!

High-quality 3DCG: The visuals are incredibly beautiful, and the action scenes are incredibly powerful.
Multicultural characters: The names of the characters contain elements that evoke Malay, Chinese, and Indian ancestry, giving the story a sense of Malaysia as a multi-ethnic nation.
Passion that transcends language barriers: This time I watched it in Malay with English subtitles, but the story unfolded so passionately that I couldn't contain my excitement even though I didn't understand the language perfectly.

The appeal of spending time at home in a local setting

In an air-conditioned room, I watch a movie on the small screen of my smartphone while chatting with my cousin about how "this character is cool!" and "this candy is a staple in Malaysia."

I feel like it was during these casual moments that I was able to blend in with the Malaysian atmosphere the most during this trip. Traveling isn't just about visiting tourist spots; these kinds of down-to-earth interactions are the real joy of traveling.

I've become a big fan of "BoBoiBoy," so maybe I'll look for related goods and collaborative sweets at the supermarket tomorrow? (lol)