This review may contain spoilers
Heartwarming, tear-jerking and hilarious
One of the best kdramas I've watched in a long time. Everything from the acting, the chemistry between all the actors and the humor was so good. I basically never cry but this managed to get some tears out of me. Of course, I didn't give it full scores as there were some questions left unanswered, such as CA moving abroad and how YC managed to marry her or how everyone reacted after EG left, and other small things ... but its mainly just nitpicking, fate always has a way and not everything needs to be shown. I genuinely fell in love with all the characters and I'm sad that the series had to end, and what a beautiful ending it was. You won't regret watching this, I promise.Long live Life - Viva La Vida
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A good watch
These days, it often feels like writers have enough story for six episodes but stretch it out to sixteen, leading to a lot of dragging. However, "Twinkling Watermelon" stands out because it delivers a genuinely good story with hardly any filler episodes. The narrative is well-written and sensible, avoiding unnecessary padding.I respect that the show doesn't rely heavily on typical K-drama tropes. Every plot point is justified, making the story feel fresh and engaging. While there were moments when the acting and pacing were a bit off, the solid storyline more than makes up for these minor flaws.
If you enjoyed a drama like "Go Back Couple," you will definitely appreciate "Twinkling Watermelon." It captures a similar charm and emotional depth, making it a must-watch for fans of well-crafted dramas. The character development is strong, and the relationships feel authentic, adding to the overall enjoyment of the series.
Overall, "Twinkling Watermelon" is a refreshing change from the norm, offering a well-paced, meaningful story that will keep you hooked from start to finish.
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(Be prepared to be rolling on the floor from laughter and also having your eyes bawling out…!)
I love how the series conveys many emotions and realistic situations although it’s about a time travel ! I would recommend it even if you are not a big fan of these type of plots because it deals MANY topics like child abuse, ableism and even depicts CODAs in a right way !Honestly the whole series was just incredible. The beggining of the time travel was slightly confusing but things quickly gets untangled so just trust the process !
The last episodes (13-16) were really everything for me ! Everything started to be untangled and on top of that I was crying non stop…???
The last episode was THE BEST and got me sobbing, devastated then just purely happy for every single character ! This series is really the best I’ve ever seen until now (then come Vincenzo, Squid game, The Penthouse and Revenge Note !) and had the best ending you could ever have dreamt of for a series ! I really recommend it.
Now let me break down how I felt and on specific points but honnestly just overlook those negative details !
Before we get down to this, I want to say thank you to the writers because they made me like se kyeong again in the last episodes !
The OST are just incredible. I keep listening to them. I also love the fact they play iconic songs like "tears in heaven" by eric clapton or even "Sunset Glow" by BigBang.
The series is really realistic in the way it's told though there were some anachronisms but who cares right! Overall, they really respected timelines and even for small references like the calgary jersey yi chan wore or the airports name !
The cast did so good with the Sign Language ! I love how natural they looked like. Then they embodied so well their characters especially Ryeoun and choi hyun wook <333. I've always loved the latter and got to discover more of him and ryeon and I'm definitely not gonna stop looking for their future projects. Btw, I'm still waiting for Weak Hero 2 lol ! I can't forget about it ofc.
The only bad things in this series (and these just small details here) would be the way writers forced too much the romance between se-kyeong's daughter and ryeoun... Like they don't have the chemistry, she is so annoying (btw I had to take a break of one month from the series at episode 7 because of her, she was being SO annoying but with her background being unveiled afterwards, I got to hate her less lol -I still hate her tho-). At this point, eun gyeol had more chemistry with everyone except her.
EDIT : AS I SAID IN THE BEGGINING,I GOT TO LIKE HER AGAIN AFTERWARDS. SHE GAINED MY HEART BACK BECAUSE IN THE FIRST EPISODES SHE WAS ONE OF THE BEST CHARACTERS OF THE SERIES ! Now she has gained back that place !
A quick shoutout to how open-minded the kids were for that period (1995) even assuming and joking on the fact he might be gay and/or having a crush on Lee Chan.
Now I gotta say this, we need a BL with Ryeoun and Choi Hyun Wook because they have THE chemistry we don't have in every BL ! But in this series I could definetely not imagine a relationship between them because of their situation cuz we're not seeking for a sweet home alabama series yk. Tbh Se-kyeong and Cheong-ah had SO much chemistry until writers f*cked se-kyeong's character (not gonna spoil so I'mma stop here lol).
As I went through the whole series,I also hated three things :
- How dumb se kyeong and eun-gyeol were when they wanted to because how come things didn’t click when he wore a squid game outfit and she mentionned the series ?? Other things like this continue but they continued to ignore all this and writers stretched that ep13..
- Why did writers made cheong ah character only centered around her romance with lee chan at some point (for 2-3eps)? To the point she would only talk about sekyeong’s choice btw Lee chan and eun gyeol with her ? when she meets her eventhough she could have spoken with her much more and deepen their friendship since sekyeong (I knew it’s not really her but no spoil !) knew sign language.
EDIT : Fortunately, she stopped that at ep14 and was genuinely sekyeong’s friend from then on !
- Then once again ! The romance between sekyeong and eun-gyeol sucks and was boring asf. The worse was that because of their unwanted romance, sometimes (especially starting at ep11) the plot was stretched out just to see them whimpering over each other and their lives ?This could be what really dropped the rate a little imo.
But don’t get pushed away from the series by the beggining of my review because it was really incredible. The cast and the acting was sensationnal,emotions were perfectly delivered, the cliffhangers were just on point. I went through so many emotions : from joy, thrill to sadness, empathy. Lee Chan is definetely the best character ever because he is very complex. Cheong ah as well and her background is really heartbreaking…
Afterwards both couples were funny to watch but still main couple had chemistry, what eun gyeol and se-kyeong still didn’t have.
This series will and has to become a classic !
SHOUTOUT TO THE BAND MEMBERS. They were gorgeous, funny and so kind❤️. Hope to see more of the cast ! Halmeoni/Grandma is so precious as well❤️ !
ANOTHER SHOUTOUT TO CHEONG AH’S FATHER ?❤️. Eventhough he wasn’t there for her when she needed it the most, when the time came he started to redeem himself. You could also see how caring he was. Glad he made the step-family stop the abuse! That witch step mother really was annoying and ableist at that…
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This review may contain spoilers
Emotional, satisfying, and heart-wrenching in the best possible way
When I finished watching this drama, I rated it a perfect 10 for my own list. Writing this review, I'm tempering it down to an even 9. That said, there really isn't much better you can do with a storyline like this, and when I say this show was satisfying, I mean it.THE GOOD
- The characters. Let's start there, because there was a LOT of good in this show. I absolutely adored every single character they introduced to this story. The most remarkable aspect was the sense that every one of them had a backstory, regardless of whether we saw it or not. That really made the characters live and breathe beyond their supporting role (in most cases). Eun Gyeol was an excellent lead to take us through the story, and he worked beautifully opposite the younger versions of his parents. It was incredible being introduced to character after character and growing to care for them as the series went on. I'm talking about the guitar grandpa, Se Kyeong, the band, Ma Joo, Eun Ho, the whole lot of them. Definitely one of the more superior ensemble casts I've had the pleasure of watching.
- The Deaf representation. I want to start by saying that I am not Deaf or HoH, nor do I know anyone who is, so my opinion here is secondary to anyone who's from that community. However. I really liked the way they handled the rep here. Not only did they show the struggles of functioning as a Deaf person in a hearing community, but they also showed the joys and beauty, too. I am always apprehensive at time travel plots that aim to 'fix' a person's disability, so I was really really pleased with how it actually played out in this show. There were some more subtle moments of respect as well--when Yi Chan gets to know Cheong Ah better and doesn't pull her out of the way of a car but rather lets her walk out of the way on her own. Deafness and differing abilities of any kind are not a burden on society and that was such a beautiful moment to show that. Cheong Ah had her fair share of abuse and bullying, but it was honestly incredible to see how her friends respected her and liked her and wanted to communicate with her the way she deserved. Similarly, showing Yi Chan's grief following the accident...that was incredibly real, too. I always thought the time travel was never about saving Yi Chan, but for Eun Gyeol to understand him, and I was very pleased to see the writers agreed.
- The pacing. Rarely have I watched a show that was so well-paced. The plot was constantly moving, and every piece of filler served to move the plot forward. It was very, very well done.
- The acting. From the child actors to the adult ones, everyone knocked it out of the park. There isn't a single one I can point out as an exception because they all brought their A-game. It was riveting to watch, truly.
THE BAD
- The last episode made me a little impatient. I had hoped for an earlier resolution in the 'past' so we could see more of the 'future'. That said, it was still fulfilling in every way that mattered.
- The time travel. So this part required a little suspension of disbelief. There really were no rules to how the time travel worked, and how big or small an impact changing the past had on the future seemed to depend entirely on what served the storyline. If you're a stickler for these details, then you definitely have to turn that part of your brain off. It's a little wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey...and that's OK. Things don't have to be perfect. It was still enjoyable.
- The new future. OK so...I was really hoping for Eun Gyeol and dad!Yi Chan to revisit their argument from the beginning (EP2) AFTER the time travelling so we can see them both grow to understand each other. That did not happen. In fact, their lives were changed enough from the past that the argument never existed. Which is...one way of doing this, I suppose, but I wasn't a huge fan. I didn't like the idea that Eun Gyeol returned back to a completely different life, even though the person he is was forged from all of these experiences that no longer existed. Again, wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey...but I would have liked to see some more subtle changes rather than some big ones.
There is no THE UGLY because there truly was nothing that bad. This show is such a comfort drama. Very rewatchable, and it really makes you want to live a more fulfilling life. It had me nostalgic for highschool as well, and wishing that I'd spent that time 'sparkling' a little more.
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Twinkling Watermelon Review - ZyKuu
"A CODA uncovers his dark past" - Perfection. The story is unique and unpredictable. This show will never fail to disengage you as a viewer due to the astounding plot and crazy twists written within. I loved the origin story between Yi-chan and Chung-ah. Watching how their first interaction blossoms into a romance is heartwarming. The relationship between Eun-gyeol and On Eun-yoo is entertaining, and their chemistry was on point. There were two character relations that stood out to me. One being between Eun-gyeol and Chung-ah, they shared many scenes that were impactful but there was one powerful scene in particular that brought me to tears. The second being between Yi-chan and his grandmother who had such a loveable relationship, and there was one scene specifically that had me crying. Chung-ah was undoubtedly my favourite character in the show as she was absolutely flawless and played her role perfectly! The OST was diverse and delivered a retro vibe that fit the theme of the show which made it astounding. This show has even sparked my curiosity to learn sign language! Beautiful show nonetheless.Was this review helpful to you?
It's good but slow
The Drama is not bad at all, but the pacing was way to slow. Form me the series started at episode 9. THe episodes before that felt like fillers for me. Love the cast and the characters. They could've made 12 or even 10ep out of the series and cutting the filler like episodes. Satisfied ending. Still recommend, it's a really good series except for it's slow pace.Was this review helpful to you?
Once again, I gave into the hype a bit too late but you can always trust what the people like, right? I absolutely loved the story, and even though time slip dramas are considered to be some type of a cliche and overdone overall, I completely disagree and love to see a dash of supernatural occurring. More than the romance itself, I particularly enjoyed that the story revolved mainly about the son's relationship with his dad. It was meaningful, and truly a life-long bond being built while travelling to the past. However, I did feel as though the father-mother romance got a bit lost in the mix, and not to mention Cheong A's storyline. She seemed like a complete side character, and even the love story between her and Yi Chan seemed completely out-of-place (I did not see the sparks fly). Overall, a good slice-of-life watch bringing something new into the KDrama sphere, but personally, it was lacking something that I can't exactly pinpoint. Chemistry, further character development for some side characters, quicker pacing maybe? Could be a mix of all of these.
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youthful, romantic, comforting.
I'm not the biggest fan of time travel dramas, but this was one made me reconsider my opinion of it. I mainly watched it because of choi hyun wook as the other characters were slightly unfamiliar to me and it also included a hearing impaired character which always intrigued me whenever they appeared in dramas but I stayed until the end as the presence of the other characters made it even enjoyable.The mixture of friendship, high school, family and love was nicely potrayed. The most I enjoyed was the chemistry between yi chan and cheong ah. I loved and adored them very much!! Learning about cheong ah's past was aslo very interesting.
All the characters, especially the students were refreshing and heartwarming to see.
Honestly, I loved the setting whenever it took place in the past rather than in the modern days. The modern day scenes just seem a bit awkward to me for some reason. Maybe because I'm such a nostalgic person ^_^. So if you are one, you should definitely give this drama a chance.
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It is a good drama.
It's a good drama; it's funny and quite entertaining. I liked the acting of little Eun gyol. it was refreshing to watch it. The visual, acting and OSTs are the best. The relationship between father and son. It was a reality check that our parents too have gone through tough times , it is us who are taking them for granted. There are things that they did not get but tried really hard to give us the love and safety. They are willing to do anything for us, they too try hard to be a good parent. But there are many things that remain unanswered and kind of feel like a plot hole for me.Spoiler alert:-
1. Eun Gyol, the fact that he knew he was in the past and kind of accepted it, but still, he called Se Kyoung "ajumma" and wanted to hear answers from her about the things she did in the future. Like, bro, how is she going to answer it?
2. On Eun Yu, She got into time travel after finding out that her dad was cheating on her mom. First of all, she wasted so much time on finding 'her mom's first love'. After finding out that her mom's first love is her dad, she never even tried to know her father or follow him; she saw him flirting and all, but never checked what her father is doing. It was as if her whole point of going to the past was pointless, except for being a love interest of Eun Gyul.
3. If Eun Gyol and Eun Yu were supposed to go to a place together to meet the master, But for Eun Gyol it was the same bookstore from where he came from the future, If that was the case, then wasn't Eun Yu supposed to go to the airport since she came to the past from there?
4. The ending was so rushed that many things just got lost. Eun Yu never found out what her father was doing with the women. What happened between Choi Se Kyeong and her biological father?
5.Yoon Cheong Ah's father said that they are never coming back to korea, so how did they ended up in Korea? Where and when did Yi Chan and Chung Ha meet and get married?
6. We know what Eungyol's life is like at the end. But what about Eun Yu? How is her life going?
7. The fact that Ha Yi Chan and Yoon Chug Ha's love story starts after 10 episodes. when they are supposed to be the main couple.
8. What about Eun Gyol's brother? Does he still like Eun Yu?
These are my opinions. I liked the drama, but the fact that there are so many questions that are not answered and it made the ending really rushed and forced. The whole drama revolves mainly around Eun Gyol. We did not get the story of the other side characters.
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WATERMELON....SUGAR!
Surprisingly this is a good drama, the best of this drama was the casts. Everyone had genuine smiles and great collaboration between them. I would give credit to the main actors who made this drama special.Ryeoun as Ha Eun-gyeol
The only hearing person in a deaf family (Mom, Dad, & older Brother). Eun-gyeol was a perfect model student by day, but at night he lead a double life as a talented guitarist in a band. After having an argument with his father, where his father learned of his musical interest, he time slipped to 1995 and met his parents when they were Junior in High School. He surprise to know that his dad wasn't deaf but a hot-blooded youth whose in love with a girl from Seowon Arts HS, Choi Se-kyung: a student major in cello not his mother. Eun-Gyeol also learned there's accident causing his father lost his hearing and stirred his attention to the deaf girl Yoon Cheong-ah as he knew her as his mother. He strive to create a different outcome of his parent's future and to avoid the accident. ***Ryeoun was a delight to watch, he's not only great play guitar but also sign language, it wasn't fake sign language - no! He knows it well. His expression was excellent & great smiles, speech deliverance is awesome.
Choi Hyun-wook as Ha Yi-chan
A hot-blooded youth whose worry nothing but so cheerful and confident. He lives with his grandmother who owned an accommodation house named Snail House. He's in love with beautiful Choi Se-kyung: the cello goddess of Seowon Arts High School. Choi Hyun-Wook made a bet with Se-kyung he would be in a band and made her girlfriend. The bet was on, but out of the blue a crazy boy Ha Eun-Gyeol show up challenged him of her heart. With some reason that strange boy Ha Eun-Gyeol kept follow, helping & protect him. He finally warmed-up to him and they became good friend. ***Choi Hyun-wook is full of energy, has beautiful voice, good in play guitar.
Seol In-ah as Choi Se-kyung / On Eun-yoo
Se-kyung was a person considered to be everyone's muse with her beauty, talent and elegant aura, but she would have an unhappy marriage that made her a controlling mother to her only daughter On Eun-Yoo. Eun-Yoo was on the same situation as Eun-Gyeol, she determined to change her mother's love life so she would have a happy marriage, she looked for the man of her mother's first love. Eun-Yoo and Eun-Gyeol had an understanding to help each other shaping different destiny for their parent. ***Seol In-Ah beauty and sunshine character are significant with character she's portraying.
All ends well, great drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
I’m sure I won’t say anything that hasn’t already been said, but I had a blast watching Twinkling Watermelon. Between this show and Weak Hero Class, Choi Hyun-wook has become a must-watch actor for me and I think his character is the highlight of this show. The time travel plot is nothing new, but what really made this show work were the characters. Eun-gyeol is possibly the least chill time traveller there has ever been but it was hilarious to just see him calling other high schoolers mom and dad immediately. His dynamic with both of his young parents was so good. The relationship between his young parents was my favorite part and I wanted so many more scenes of young Yi-Chan and Chung-ah. The friendships between all of the characters were so much fun and I loved the nineties setting.
This drama almost made it into my top five ranking, but I did have some issues with the plot. The first couple of episodes were hard for me to get into and I think all the scenes taking place in 2023 just were so much less interesting than the ones in the past. While the adult versions of his parents were fine, they were not the beloved young versions that we got from the past. Especially for his dad, I think it was very hard to see him as the same person as young Yi-Chan, even after everything he had been through. The pacing also felt pretty off, with a lot of the mysteries or secrets being drawn out really far and then the show not really having time to resolve them effectively. The show could’ve either tried to make some of the plot points less drawn out or it could’ve used a couple extra episodes. The last episode felt way too rushed as the show tried to wrap up all of the loose ends.
The characters in Twinkling Watermelon became so dear to me by the end of the show that it really did make up for most of my issues with the plot. The show is worth watching for Choi Hyun-wook’s performance alone.
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Sweet at the core though a jumbled exterior
This is one of the first dramas I've seen where I think the story felt undercut by the time travel conceit at the point that it happens or that it happens at all. There is so much powerful societal topics from the opening set up of the drama with Eun Gyeol family facing discrimination because of their disability, them being impoverished, Eun Gyeol's pressure to be the perfect from his family and himself, always having to be their voice, to be the pride his father can show off, his relationship with his older brother Eun Ho, Eun Ho as an athlete with an disability who is living a very eventful life outside of that as well, Eun Gyeol's love for music, his street smarts and book smarts, his parents tenacity to embrace the joy in their lives, etc. It's more like the beginning for a whole different show. Eun Gyeol's ability to be shrewd with people's intentions to protect his family as a child isn't used as consistently once he's a teenager, instead mostly relying on his academic ability and guitar playing.While Eun Gyeol does learn about his parent's hardships with the time travel, it does not pay off the characters at the set up. It just ends with basically an alternate universe where his family is rich and famous that Eun Gyeol doesn't even get to experience for himself through new memories and how it has affected the dynamic between him and his family. I think it would have been more fascinating if Eun Gyeol could travel back and forth between the two timelines, learning information from the past that he could not or not completely change, but could improve his relationship with his family in the present instead. There was not enough time in the new present once Eun Gyeol arrived to at least emotionally reconcile with the most important relationship to the entire series, which is Eun Gyeol and his father. It's weird that no one from the Watermelon band can remember his name either, since Yi Chan and Chung Ha give the exact name to their kid. Did they not name him after their friend?
Eun Yu's plan to have her mother Se Kyung to get with a first love so she would never be born never made any sense from the start because she not possessing her mom's mind, she's in an entirely different body. Even if she got the first love to fall in love with her, her mom is on an entirely different continent. The show never played it like she misunderstood this, so it's doubly bewildering. Her romance with Eun Gyeol was also really tacked on and her own journey as a character was really pushed to the side. Her relationship with her mother was really traumatic to the point one of the first things she did when she went back in time was to set up a noose in her mother's childhood bedroom where she was going to commit suicide. Did she have love for music on her own? Is photography her true passion? Her own grandfather is the powerful ghost that gained godly powers in death that organized this trip for her, but she's basically there to support his star pupil.
Having neither Eun Gyeol or Eun Yu figure out that they are both time travelers until the end also made it pointless to have two time travelers as helpers to each other. Their opposing goals may have been an intriguing premise on paper, but the execution made it redundant. It would have been more interesting if Se Kyung really was the person that Eun Gyeol was interacting with all along. She has a real bond with Chung Ha, really uninterested with Yi Chan, and was actually in love with her future doctor husband with the golden pipes. This could have been an amazing friendship and partnership that could have interesting ramifications for the future they create rather than yet another bland forced romance with no chemistry. Yi Chan's obstinance in winning over Se Gyung also went into uncomfortable territory with him only outwardly choosing Chung Ha when Se Gyeong ditches the performances. Chung Ha deserves so much better than that, but at least when the show finally gets to them, they are a truly sweet couple
I love it so much that everyone around Chung Ha makes an effort to communicate with her, either through writing or learning sign language for her. Yi Chan who has trouble focusing on school subjects got very conversationally fluent, very fast, and it helps that they were also both learning at around the same time. The way that her internal life is shown by her thoughts and drawings is very nice as well. Her abuse at the hands of the step mom was horrific with her father who had enabled this was also really rushed. He honestly didn't react apologetically enough finding out what he had allowed to happen to her once he understood the scope of it. 12 years of it, my heart broke so much for her when Eun Gyeol finally found her, when someone finally cared enough to find her. This is yet another of a long list of issues of the show bringing up really intense topics, but not addressing them fully. Her future kid looks exactly like her mother who is taken away for unknown reasons also never explained by the show.
It was really interesting to watch this drama and High Cookie coincidentally back to back, both starring Choi Hyun Wook in the main roles but with very different personality types. I'm very curious to see his next role after this one. His Yi Chan is very effervescent, energetic, and tenacious, truly the heart of the show, living out his goal of shining in his youth as much as he can to the max, while being kind to the elderly and kids. His time traveling son giving him the sense of fatherly love he was missing was so touching because he's the one that modeled that kind of love for his son. Their friendship and reciprocal love for each other is really sweet, though I'm not sure how to feel about the gay jokes the show makes. It makes sense for Eun Gyeol's intensity towards Yi Chan to be taken as a crush and the show doesn't seem to have anyone disgusted by it. Walking a very fine line. The ultimate car related accident is handled better than most kdramas, instead of the character randomly running into traffic, which the show actually has them do multiple times as red herrings, it's actually attempted murder, and Yi Chan saves his bestie/son.
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