- There are just so many highlights this series have as each episode has its good moments that audience are looking for. Some examples include the smug entrance by Kahar followed by his dominant-king attitude in Episode 1, the heart-to-heart scene between Fakhri and Amirr in Episode 6, the breakout fight happening in Episode 8, the intense brotherhood battle in Episode 9. Each episode has its anxiety-inducing scenes that are worth remembering and noting for.
- Projek High Council brings a lot of topics and issues to the table; ragging, bully, sexual harassment, grooming, divorce, brotherhood, friendship, family troubles, morality, ethics, hierarchy, ego, unfair treatment, corruption, discrimination and it is able to tackle most of these subjects within its 10 episodes run. PHC introduces each issue with a fueling rage and ends most of them with a proper pay off with one thing in mind; increasing awareness to the audience watching about the problems faced in high school, particularly boarding school.
- Mierul Aiman, Amir Ahnaf & Nadhir Nasar are the top tier in PHC. They are the epitome of brilliant acting and talent over looks. These 3 really study their characters and give the best of what they have when the cameras roll. Other actors including Hazeeq Dean, Fadhli Masoot, Naim Daniel Ucop & Daiyan Trisha also complement one another. Everyone gives their best. Kudos!
- The fact that the script is rich with theories shows how dedicated the writers are. The mouse theories, the literature context of Lord of the Flies and the theory of moral judgment strengthen the understanding of human actions and behaviours of these students. Rarely have I seen Malaysian series come out with theories to support its basis of the overall arc development but PHC shows us otherwise and the outcome is outstanding!
- Based on true stories, PHC shows the ugly side of boarding school that most people tend to overlook at. From all the research we have gathered, we can safely say that the portrayal of ragging, bullying and raping cases in this series are very close to reality. The message here is loud and clear. And here's the good thing; PHC doesn't feel political nor does it feel force-fed. It's not forcing us to swallow everything they present to us. Audience get the message, we are aware and we talk about it. Good job.
- PHC is filled with many intense scenes that will intrigue audience. And these intense scenes aren't just coming from the same box; you may feel your heart beating fast every time you see Ariz in episode 6 or that you feel like you wanna cry at the end of episode 9. Not to forget the heartbreaking scene in episode 3. Various matters are brought upon and the intensity doesn't stop, it lingers and continues until the end of every episode.
- We could see some jarring editing issues in PHC, particularly one scene in episode 8. That one scene that is deemed as the most shocking is also found to have a major editing issue, robbing us from the good experience we could have had. It is jarring, it's difficult for us to ignore the flaw in it. There are also cutting issues we found especially in episode 2 to 4. Yes, the script is brilliant but some scenes should have gone longer as they could have made bigger impacts but they didn't. They cut off way earlier and it's such a waste knowing that if the scenes have gine for much longer, the story would have been so much better.
- We feel like we need more of Kahar's backstory. We understand what he's going through but we also think that his story should have more breadth and depth as the series progresses. He receives a lot of screen time in the first half but is undershadowed in the second half especially episodes 9 & 10. His character arc is left unfulfilled by the end. Mind that it's not a cliffhanger but the payoff isn't really there either, his character deserves so much more by his fellow mates, enemies and friends.
- Before we say anything, don't get us wrong episode 10 is a great finale. It mostly centres on Fakhri & Naim's family but that also lies the problem. The problem that it gives their story too much to breathe, forgetting of the bigger aspect; the boarding school and everyone who dwells in it. Too much time is spent on the family and too little time is spent on the students, resulting in a finale that feels more like an epilogue rather than a proper closing for KUDRAT. Each character deserves a major screen time of their own, and yet, little to none is given to most of them. The final scene and its sudden closure makes episode 10 feels rushed.
Verdict: Albeit the editing issues and the unfulfilled closure, Projek High Council is brilliantly made as it uncovers the dark truth behind boarding schools using important themes, interesting storytelling, top tier acting and anxiety-inducing moments that will give you the edge-of-the-seat experience. This series has set an extremely high standard for Malaysia's entertainment landscape and if only other series start to break its record, only then we will know that the industry is getting better. Until then... good luck.
