Twinkling Watermelon

Twinkling Watermelon: A Beautiful Symphony of Youth, Family, and Love

Just when I thought I was getting drama fatigue, Twinkling Watermelon arrived like a gift. This show made me laugh, cry, feel goosebumps, and most importantly—it made me appreciate life and my parents even more deeply. It’s not just a drama about time travel or fantasy. At its heart, it’s about understanding between generations, healing family bonds, and cherishing the emotions that come with youth.

The relationship between parents and children is the true soul of this story. Watching the main character journey through his father's youth and slowly understand him with fresh eyes was emotional and profound. It’s the kind of drama that stays with you long after the final episode.

The writing is beautiful—though there were moments where I felt frustrated with certain plot developments, it never took away from the emotional impact. The cast did a phenomenal job. Every actor felt deeply connected to their character. You could see and feel the sincerity in every scene. Special thanks to the team behind this for casting actors who truly brought this world to life.

This drama captures the magic of youth: first love, friendship, dreams, and the chaos and beauty of growing up. And the love stories? So pure, so tender, and so unique. There’s even a historic confession scene that will melt your heart. Add to that the unforgettable father-son duo full of chaos and laughter, and the mother-son duo that radiates calm and warmth—these bonds are what make this show shine.

Twinkling Watermelon is not just a drama, it’s an experience. One that fills your heart and makes you reflect on your own relationships.

Highly recommended for anyone who loves youth dramas with real depth, emotional storytelling, and a perfect mix of humor, warmth, and fantasy.

Viva la vida. Watermelon sugar forever. 🍉✨

Rating: 10/10

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All the Ingredients Were There, but I Never Felt It

I really wanted to love Twinkling Watermelon. It has so many of the ingredients I usually respond to in a K-drama: likeable characters, family, friendship, music, nostalgia and a story with plenty of opportunities to hit emotionally. Shin Eun-soo was also one of the main reasons I watched it, and I thought she was great.

But somehow, the show just never moved me.

I think part of the problem was the pacing. Whenever the story created tension or a potentially interesting conflict, it often seemed to resolve it almost immediately. Things that felt like they should have been allowed to breathe rarely did, so I never developed that desperate need to find out what happened next.

The reveal between the two time travellers particularly bothered me. We’d only recently been shown that they both still had their phones from 2023, and then those same phones were used for the big moment where they discover each other’s identities. Instead of being a satisfying reveal, it felt like the show had shown me the answer immediately before asking me to be surprised by it.

There were also threads that seemed to disappear along the way. Early on, the challenge to play a Nirvana song felt like it was setting something up, but unless I missed something, it never really went anywhere.

None of this made Twinkling Watermelon bad. The performances are good, the characters are charming and I can understand why so many people absolutely love it. But for a drama built around relationships, youth, family and second chances, I expected it to hit me much harder emotionally than it did.

Sometimes a show can do almost everything right on paper and still leave you strangely untouched.

And that’s probably my biggest criticism: I finished it, and then almost immediately forgot about it.

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Milk & honey, the combination that can never go wrong.

From production, casting, storyline, and even music, nothing is disappointing except the fact that this series has come to an end. Watching this was like feeling a breeze of warm and cold while drinking milk with honey, remembering when I used to do the same in my grandparent's house. Watching this series has brought comfort in a way I can't explain. This series has taught that everyone has the right to feel wronged as in a way we all have been wronged. This gives the vibe of a dark rainy day as well as ice cream in sea, the ratio of the happiness and sadness done right in a very comforting way. I can't even explain why I like this series, all I can say is I just do.

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Prime example of gripping storytelling (9.25)

Recently my anxiety had been making me see series in 1.5-2x speed whenever it was becoming slow (and I am not talking about average dramas, but even the good ones), cos I could wait for the 'High' scenes. But this series had such a good story and the way it was presented, that it kept me gripped throughout the series (especially in the later half).
Many felt the last 2 episodes were rushed, but I prefer what the makers did, as compared to risking it to stretch it and milk it by making it 20 episodes long. I agree it had the potential, and perhaps one more episode could have been made without actually losing the quality of the drama, but honestly, it isn't a very big deal for me. They tried ending it on the high, and it kinda worked.
Otherthan that, I absolutely loved the series. The Songs, the story and omg the acting !!! I just loved them all ❤️
Highly recommended

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Who is cutting onions right now?

PLEASE STOP CUTTING ONIONS.....

It officially ends now!! I just cannot stop crying.
I just want to thank the writer for the good plot, amazing story, well-builded characterization, and wonderful cinematography. And thank the superb cast & crew of this kdrama.

Seriously though thank you so much for the past 8 weeks, for being one of my comfort dramas this year and for being the reason i really looked forward to mondays and tuesdays. I am going to miss yall sooo much.


Thank you for surviving, cheongah and yichan. You guys were always the best parents to your children.


A goodbye will always be hard but it was reaaalllyy so nice to meet you all.

Byeeee T_T
“Viva La Vida. Long Live Life.”

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Learning to Shine as Ourselves

My 4 categories are Acting/Cast, Writing, Direction/SFX/Music, Entertainment Value.

A charming drama with a great message. I'm so glad I didn't pass this one up.

Acting/Cast: This drama has a great cast with acting that feels very natural. My favorite is probably Choi Hyun Wook (최현욱) and his portrayal of his character, Ha Yi Chan. I loved watching him on screen. He is such a strong and unique male lead - he's pure, joyful, passionate, tough, caring, and childlike. I keep thinking of that scene where he randomly starts spinning around and yells "TORNADO" for no reason. His character was such a breath of fresh air - no angst, all fun. His chemistry with Yoon Cheong Ah seemed so organic and the way his relationship with Ha Eun Gyeol developed felt realistic and heartwarming. I would say Choi Hyun Wook is this drama's MVP with Seol In Ah coming in at second. The entire cast just seemed like they were really enjoying their time while filming this drama and watching them have fun made it so much more fun for me. However, I would say the weakest link in this area would be Ryeoun (려운) who plays the male lead, Ha Eun Gyeol. While his character was written well, his acting was noticeably weaker than the other lead actors. He didn't have that effortless, natural feel to his acting that I felt while watching the others. Fortunately, this did not hurt his chemistry with Ha Yi Chan. 8/10

Writing: The characters are extremely well written and developed. The plot is interesting. Because it wasn’t predictable, it kept me engaged. I don’t think I’ve seen a drama with a plot and characters quite like this one. The story had a good progression of events and good pacing. There are only a couple issues I could point out in this area: One is towards the end of the drama - there is a scene that shows what had happened in the original timeline of events, but it feels a little jarring and I had no idea what was going on at first. I thought I had skipped an episode. The other issue is the ending itself – it went in a direction I did not expect, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I felt it was like an alternate or fake reality because it seemed like too much of a change and more on the unrealistic/idealistic side. 9/10

Direction/SFX/Music: This is definitely a well-produced drama. The special effects were good, the music was good, the art was good, the styling, even the name of the band. Like I mentioned above, there was a scene toward the end that felt jarring. I would have shot it differently, like with a filter and effects to indicate that it was a different timeline of events. There was also another scene toward the end that involved a bad case of staring that I felt didn’t fit or feel authentic to the situation. However, these are just minor gripes. 9.5/10

Entertainment Value: A binge-worthy drama for sure. The fantasy aspect gives it a bit of mystery and the characters are so well written and acted that I just wanted to keep watching them. The fun vibe of this drama also makes for a fairly stressless watch. The ending though, caught me off-guard (like I mentioned before) and caused me to feel some kind of disconnection with the story. 8/10

Overall, I gave this drama an 8.5/10 due to my issues with the acting of the main male lead and the ending. This drama has a wonderful message about family, friendship, life, and self-acceptance. It’s very encouraging and healing while being entertaining. Also, I love the sign language aspect of this drama and how integral it is to the plot. I really like the direction they went with it.

I made a short music video for this drama. It’s on YouTube and it’s called “Twinkling Watermelon | Beautiful Things” and my channel name is The Enablers (@theenablers3846).

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Amazing youth drama that's worth to watch

Spoilers ahead.
This is one of the best youth k drama I have ever watched in a while. It definitely made me cry multiple times and the interactions of the two couples were so sweet. The message this show was trying to deliver is meaningful and touching.
The problem that I also face when I watch this show is also the pacing issues. not everything was concluded in the last episode and left with a lot of plot holes. For example.
Revolving Eun Yu and Segyeong:
How is the real Choi Segyeong doing in the US when Oh Eun Yu was impersonating her in Korea? How did Choi Segyeong and her husband's life change in 2023? Did Segyeong and Eun Yu's perspective and misunderstandings resolve? How is Eun Yu's fear of playing the cello and being the trophy of her mother resolve? Did Segyeong reconcile with Mr.Jonathan? Did Segyeong come back from US earlier?
(Since the real Segyeong was pretty much not really involved during half of the story, I really wanted to know how her life and perspective was changed despite not seeing the main characters in Korea during 1995)

Mr Jonathan and Eun Gyeol:
Did Eun Gyeol see him in the present? Did he not commit suicide anymore? Did he reconcile with his daughter?

Eun Ho ( I was kinda hoping he was a main character since he connected some of the dots of the story and he seems interesting but oh well):
What happened to Eun Ho and Eun Yu's relationship in 2023 at the end? How was Eun Ho and Eun Yu's relationship before the time slip? Is he still doing taekwondo?
(I'm sorry if you got heartbroken Eun Ho :( )

Yi Chan and Cheong Ah:(also with the rest of the band)
What happened to them after Yi Chan lost his hearing? How did they grow after that? Did the band disband?
What happened to the contest? What happened to grandma?

That's all. Thanks for reading my review xoxo. :3

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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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Youthful memory

I’ve been hearing about how good this drama is. It was on my watchlist but never really had the chance to watch it til Monday this week during my day off. I literally binged it.
I love it! The story. Chemistry. Family. Conflict. And the perseverance.
I don't really know how to explain it but this drama is very inspiring and has good meaning about life.
I'm thankful for the inspiration and motivation for life.
This drama has definitely inspired me to go for it rather than miss the opportunity.
The story about impaired hearing is very inspiring!
The quote that Chan said to Cheo is
“You don't enjoy music with just your ears. Music makes you feel with your eyes, mind and heart.” ep 12.
This drama gave me an open view of people who are struggling. And that we should be thankful for what we have. We're all struggling in life however, there are ways to overcome those difficulties. Ways to make life fun by being positive. Going out. Hanging with friends and family.
Very youthful.
The acting was amazing! I love the cast! I love the 1995 group and the 2023 group. I'm happy I get to see Choi Hyun Wook act as a student again. I miss 25-21!🥹🥹

Thankful for their amazing acting! The way they acted while doing the sign language must be hard! Truly a work of art!
The singing! Guitarist! AHHHH
22:45pm 12/6/23

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Best 2023 K-Drama

Before i get to the good stuff, i want to point out the ONLY weakness first. The ending was really rushed, but don't get me wrong, i LOVE the pacing in this drama. There are so many things that weren't revealed till the end which is ashame. if only they could add up to more episodes, it would really be a perfect drama.

Now, when i said i love the pacing, i meant the character and relationship build up in this drama is amazing. it's nlt too slow, and it's not rushed, everything except near the ending was slightly perfect! The casting here is remarkable, the family looks so much alike and the couple looks so good with eachother. The chemistry there is everything!! It made people fall in love with the characters, which is a good thing.

Also, family complex as the conflict! Oh man how i cried alot. Lessons can be learned through this drama, every scene makes you feel things, and the comedy here is good!

I have no more arguments. It's still ashame about their weakness, but on the bright side this drama is amazing!! I would definetely watch it again <3

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