This review may contain spoilers
The best drama. The cast and Characters, especially , Yoon Cheong Ah and Ha Yi Chan ❤️. Their Chemistry, was the couple of the year. But I need the music to be an album, because it was OFFFF the Charts. Every song they played as a band ( Watermelon Sugar) was addicting. I was already hooked when I saw the trailer. I normally wait for all episode to drop, but I could not wait. Every episode that aired I Wanted more. I was in Joy when when Ha Eun Gyeol (the son), Ha Yi Chan (the dad) and Yoon Cheong Ah (the mom). Their chemistry was GOLD, but changing his dads faith for going deaf, was emotional. The 1st, 2nd, 3rd episode had me LOL. Ha Eun Gyeol was surprised to see his dad interested in music and he did not know his dad and his mom knew each other from the past, not from when Ha Yi Chan was learning sign language. The more I get to the story, the more I end up spoiling. THIS is my first review. MY rating: 10/10 and even more. Was this review helpful to you?
THE BEST KDRAMA OF 2023
I rarely watch ongoing shows but this drama made me change my ways .each week has been amazing watching this .the acting is just top notch .I discovered 2 amazing actors through this drama and I'm so grateful for it. Choi Hyun wook and Shin eun so,both brilliant actors who brought so much depth and to their characters .ha yi Chan and Cheong ha will be an iconic characters in kdrama history .just like reply 1988 this drama will become a cult classic .
The chemistry between Ha yi Chan and Cheong ha was off the charts I've never seen such chemistry between the leads since reply 1988's deok sun and Jung hwan.
The story is exciting and attention grabbing .the last episode did wreck me emotionally in the beginning but the ending was just so beautiful.im so jealous of those who get to binge this bcoz watching this as an ongoing drama was torture bcoz it was so good and we couldn't wait one week for the next episode.
When I end this drama I can truly say that Ha yi Chan has captured my heart .And I'm so happy I decided to watch this drama
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Perfect Youth/Family Kdrama with lots of story to tell
Not only have I binge-watched all 16 episodes in two days, but I also cried my eyes and laughed my heart out. Though it is true, that this drama does contain some minor plotholes and a few questions at the end, I think its strength definitely lies in its heart and story it's trying to tell. Honestly, I think that for a "heartful" and "youthful" drama it did an excellent job at finishing it up and there were way more connections than I expected. It's the kind of drama you want to experience once again right after you finish. It tells a story about family, friends, life's hardships, and most importantly in my opinion: Gratitude.I loved seeing Eun Gyeol and Lee Chan chemistry, especially how Eun Gyeol kind of took on the "father"-role when he traveled back to 1995. Not only that, but the whole friendship with Ma Joo and the other band members was really heartwarming (especially after we come back to 2023 and they were still friends omg).
Some might say they had problems with the pacing, but I actually enjoyed how some things unfolded in the latter half (for example Cheon Ah's plot with her family). I was worried about the story, because at some point it seemed very messy, because no matter what nothing seemed to be working out, but somehow it did and it was satisfying enough for me at least.
Honestly, even though Lee Chan lost his hearing in the end, the story ended a lot more positively than I thought it would. The fact that Eun Gyeol's whole childhood and family situation changed, I wasn't expecting that kind of ending. But I appreciate it a lot, that they ended the story on such a bright note (even though I wished it ended with his family and friends and not with a kiss with Eun Yu).
So, about her! I wasn't really expecting another time traveler, that was cool imo (I haven't watched many time travel dramas, and those that I watched never included more than one time traveler). I kind of wished they had found out about each other a bit earlier though, and was I the only one that thought, that their romantic chemistry dropped a lot after they found out? Like, the chemistry was great before, but it just suddenly stagnated and they seemed more like friends after they found out (which was weird, but I thought they'd be happy, since it meant they'd be together in 2023 as well).
Other than that, I loved Cheon Ah and Lee Chan's love story (too freaking cute) and Lee Chan's grandmother! They also did a great job of highlighting the disabled part of the story and raising awareness.
All in all, I loved it so much! It made me reminisce about the youth that I never had (I feel like in asian schools it's totally different). It was cute, heartwarming, sad and fulfilling! A perfect youth kdrama that I'd recommend to everyone! I swear, you won't regret it!
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Check it out if you haven't yet!
A really good kdrama that portrays multiple feelings such as sadness, happiness but also comedy. With strong friendship and romance and good plot twist. I especially liked the chemistry/dynamics between the two male leads!I really liked this one even though I'm more of the action and thriller type of kdrama lover, but this was so wholesome and has a really good cast and story and I'm so glad I checked it out! Once you start watching you can't stop, I definitely recommend it!
I didn't expect the ending but it was good
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This review may contain spoilers
Review
I love everything about the drama,the story was amazing,the plot was strong,actors, everything was soo on point .. I can say it was Worth watching❤️..I almost cried two times on the last episodes it was sooo emotional to see eun gyeol and Yi chan suffering but thankfully it was a happy ending.. But I think it should be more detailed everything went soo quick at the end.. but still I loved it and it was soo nostalgic, totally worth watching ❤️🩹❤️Was this review helpful to you?
Beautiful, Sweet School Drama
This drama blew me away. The plot, the cast, the acting, and the music were absolutely amazing!The director showed us multiple angles to character's and their thoughts which I always love. Its like being a detective while enjoying a romcom.
I think that it was really great to see the experiences of people living with hearing disabilities as it is not often portrayed in media.
Twinkling Watermelon explores high school romance, music, friendship, and family across time and space.
Shin Eun Soo and Choi Hyun Wook were in my opinion the best actors in this drama. Shin Eun Soo did such an amazing job not only learning sign language but being able to portray her emotions without even speaking.
I think the best part of this drama was how the director put the story together. As the watcher you are only given bits and pieces and they slowly begin to come together as the story unravels. I will not lie and say that I was a bit confused in the beginning of the story but it all makes sense in the end.
I also really liked how we sit along side Ha Eun Gyeol as we together as he realizes that he is not the only one that has hardships and wishes in his life. He begins to see his parents as individuals, ones that have much deeper stories that don't all revolve around being "Mom" and "Dad".
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the best thing i ever did was watching this on my youth
How can I start? This drama was extraordinary! The characters, the ost's, the plot, the couples, the comedic timing, the acting, everything was on point!! I wasn't expecting it to be so good and become my all time favorite.Starting with the characters, I fell in love with every single one.
Eungyeol was extremely relatable, the burden he was carrying in such a young age made me understand every attitude he had on the show. I think Ryeoun's amazing performance made me love his character even more (I related to him SO MUCH in various times)
Yichan was amazing too. Even though he was first shown to us as a boy with a bubbly personality, we also got to know, later on the show, how much suffer he went to, with the absence and the lost of his hearing in the last episode. Choi hyunwook's performance was extraordinary too, he really incorporated the essence of the character.
Cheongah was a girl really broken inside and by far my favorite character on the show! I loved her storyline and how she was healed by having people on her side that loved and accepted her the way she was. Also loved how they managed to make her relationship with her father be fixed on the future. Shin Eunsoo is a great actress and this was really shown in this drama, the amount of emotion she gave in some scenes without having a single line was insane.
Also loved Eunyu, I have no idea why people hated her. She was just a teen with mental health issues, she went through a lot and didn't know how her action could affect anyone else. Like eungyeol, she was thinking about her mom (in his case his parents) happiness.
The plot was on point, even though i missed somethings on the finale like cheongah finding out about yichan's accident, the fact that she was probably leaving for studying abroad, how mister viva was the master, everyone meeting eunyu in the future, but the drama is so good that you actually ignore this things. Since i'm in my teenage years rn, I think this drama was targeted for me. Watching this on my youth was literally the best ting ever, the message was even deeper for me. The lessons that I will take for my life from now on because of this drama are countless.
The couple were fantastic too and with an insane chemistry, specially cheongah and yichan. These two were the reason I was excited for mondays and tuesdays and begging for more scenes of them. Seriously, I need Choi Hyunwook and Shin Eunsoo in another drama together for them to show all the potencial of their chemistry. I also liked Eungyeol and Eunyu too, they fit together so well and Seol Inah and Ryeoun also have some decent chemistry together.
The acting I already talked a bit about, but I have to enphasize that every single actor was on point. Ryeoun's and Shin Eunsoo's acting made me emotional, Choi Hyunwook's way of incorporating the character was pheonomenal and the versality of Seol Inah's acting was amazing too, I could feel that Choi Sekyeong and On Eunyu were completely different characters.
All I have to say to end this review is thank you twinkling watermelon for the lessons you gave me and the amazing message that touched my heart, specially being a teenager right now. I don't think any other drama will be better and more emotional and relatable than this for me, because it was really emotional and targeted to me because of the phase I am right now.
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A very well thought out and very well executed drama
Been a while since I saw a drama that made me feel so good about life. This one was very well thought out and very well executed.The entire cast was excellent, but a special shoutout to Ryeoun. He performs like a real rockstar, even though he just learned to play the guitar for this drama. Needless to say, his sign language and the facial expressions that come with it are impeccable. I wish this kid would get more projects (and well-deserved awards!). May the rest of the world find this gem.
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A must watch in my opinion
From episode 1, this drama had me captured. It had a certain essence to it. Ha eun gyeol was such a well written character and made me relate to his struggles hard. I was able to relate with every single character in this drama. The last 2 episodes even had me bawling in some of the scenes. The music was such a fun thing to listen to. A very light but with some hard hitting scenes when needed. A drama that I would have binged in a day had I not been watching it while it was being updated.My kudos to the cast to be able to bring each and every character to life whether they had a major or minor role. It really felt like I was with them seeing it all happen, feeling what they were feeling and seeing what they were seeing. One of the best 2023 dramas and for the lucky me, it finished on the day of my birthday so I am going to shamelessly claim this as my birthday gift.
Everyone in thsi drama has done such a good job that it is making the ever relucatant me to type this review out while my wifi is on the brink of death. I have nothing else to say, you will know when you watch it - How good it is.
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THIS REALLLLLY DESERVED MUST WIN AWARD FOR REAL!!!!!!!
I'm deaf (but I'm using implant that helps me hear and ofc I can speak).. Whole drama was SO SUPERB!!!!!!! I never cried so much many times,, this just made me HIT so HARDDD,, I really hate cheong ah stepmother abused her and did not allow to use sign language. But nowdays many is allowed use signlanguage which im really so happy..I really really really understand how cheong ah feels (deaf people understands more) IM SO FREAKING SO HAPPY THAT DIRECTOR MADE THIS AND COOL IDEA....Director needs win too. THIS IS MT TOP 1 KDRAMA BEST EVER I HAVE SEEN SO FAR. I hope future they can make possible many using sign languages ❤️✨️🤟🏼Was this review helpful to you?
Refreshing Twinkle of Youth
Unlike the name this drama is not light hearted but yet very beautiful in it's own way,The story stars with Ha Eun Gyeol, a musical genius lives in a deaf family. he lived upto his parents expectations and put his family over everything,, Eun Gyeol find himself free only in music. he had to sacrifice his youth spirit and become mature despite of his age . But after a conflict with his dad he tried to gave up everything and even tried to broke his guitar, a mysterious master shows up and send back him to past when his father was also 18 years old just like him .........
Now Eun Gyeol will experience the Twinkling youth and also unfold the past of his parents . His dad was not born deaf but became deaf after a certain accident , he will learn his parents also go through hard times in their youth ....... I don't want to spoil so watch it yourself
This is one of the best drama of 2023 .
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"빛나게 해주고 싶어요. 일단은 무대 위에서. 그 다음은 인생에서."
Reenact Back To The Future, fall in love with the young version of your aunt, teach your nonchalant 18 y.o. dad guitar, try to prevent a major tragedy, play matchmaker for your future parents, take over the Jinsung empire, and accidentally become an international idol - be like Ha Eun Gyeol! The drama explores so many relatable themes, and it deserves way more than roughly 3% rating on Korean TV. Ryeo Woon and Choi Hyeon Wook have amazing chemistry, both humorous and dramatic, and their acting is outstanding till the end."이곳에 와서 알게 됐다. 내 아빠 엄마에게도 아픈 청춘이 있었다는 것을."
🔸Do you want to escape your problems somewhere far away where nobody would be able to find you..? For example, in the year 1995! You'd get to befriend your yet-young parents and hopefully find out why do they act so confusingly as adults. However, time traveling still won't provide you with a safe playground to explore the world because growing up has never been easy for anyone. And if it wasn't, why do adults forget about their own teenage experience while building a relationship with their teenage kid?
"나는 아주아주 반짝이게 빛나야 한다는 말이지. 할 수 있는 건 다 해볼 거다. 사랑이든 벤드든 내가 반짝일 수 있는 거라면 모두 다."
There aren't many thoughtful shows and movies that explore teenagers and their parents together as equal human beings. Twinkling Watermelon achieves this by literally putting them all side by side through time travel. Not only do the highschoolers start to understand their parents better, but the adults in the future change too. The way the drama was written, I was confident from the very beginning that all the characters and their lives are in the hands of a skilled screenwriter. The drama transitions between sentimental exploration and genuine humor so seamlessly that I simply cannot put an episode on pause. There is no intrigue who ends up with whom, and because everything is predetermined we get a chance to feel this fleeting moment of happiness and enjoy it while it lasts.
"내가 사는 세상엔 소리가 없어. 그래서 이렇게 눈을 감으면 세상이 사라져."
🔸I'm sure every viewer has caught on to a couple of KSL (Korean Sign Language) words just by watching this drama. It contributes well to the awareness of people with hearing impairments and subtly educates about the challenges they face in society. Deaf character Cheong Ah still enjoys listening to music vibrations, and many deaf people still enjoy going to loud energetic concerts. Moreover, there is a scene where Yi Chan interprets the legendary song '마법의 성' into KSL and performs it for Cheong Ah - this is what deaf performers do. I suggest you check out Justina Miles interpreting to ASL (American Sign Language) at Rihanna's Super Bowl show this year to get an idea of how you can communicate a song to those who can't hear it.
"수화야. 손으로 만들어내는 소리."
Sign language is an incredible dimension of human expression, and it's not hard to learn. It should be more widespread in today's society, and good thing someone is popularizing it. I personally started learning ASL and KSL, and even though there is no one around me to talk to, sign language has improved my acting (surprisingly!) and communication in general.
🔸Deaf experiences can vary. Some people are Deaf and mute like Cheong Ah, who lost the ability to hear before she learned to speak; some people are partially deaf, and others, like Yi Chan, lost their hearing later. In Yi Chan's case, he is probably mute by choice, either for Cheong Ah or to not give in to an ignorant society, since he could talk normally after getting the trauma.
"음악은 귀로만 듣는 게 아니야. 음악은 눈으로, 마음으로, 심장으로 느끼는 거야."
🔸Twinkling Watermelon is simply magical and now one of my top K-dramas. Its ethereal plot allows me to rediscover other aspects of life that we usually miss in today's hustle culture, like creating music, art together, building strong friendship - all those overlooked human expressions that are essential for human happiness, just like sign language. But overall, it's also a blissful reminder to stay strong and try living my only youth to the fullest. 나도 '반짝이는 워터멜론'처럼 반짝반짝하게 빛나고 싶다.
Learn sign language, you guys! Sign language changes the world. ✨
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