Twinkling Watermelon

Very Good Indeed!

This is honestly such a good coming-of-age Kdrama. Firstly, the acting was very stellar, I was especially impressed by Ryeouns performance here. The show also blends romance, comedy and drama in a very good and natural way. I was invested in both romances even though the parents love story hit a bit different. Honestly its difficult to point out all the good things about this drama because most things just work and tugs on your heartstrings. I even shed a tear or two watching it. Lastly, the soundtrack is just *chef´s kiss*. That being said, it does have a few flaws in my opinion which takes it down a bit.

What did not work as well imo:
- The first 2 episodes did not grab my attention, I was genuinely considering watching something else instead, happy I didn´t though.
- The show was a bit frustrating at times, with all the misunderstandings etc.
- I honestly wish they had ended it in a different way. It´s supposed to be a happy ending but I honestly felt a bit sad (not in a bittersweet way), because like...Eun Gyeol kinda missed out on his entire childhood? All his childhood memories didn´t matter in the end. Also I think it kinda went against the ethos of the drama. Because they had a happy life despite all the struggles, but now they ended up basically in the same way but rich? I think the ending would have been a lot more impactful if nothing had changed, just that the Eun gyeol now feels more connected to his parents and is able to follow his dreams. This was also how I predicted the show to end, because it kinda pointed in that direction, but I was wrong.

Overall, I totally understand the people who give this drama a 10/10. I just had a few issues with it that I couldn´t look past. I can imagine that this drama will grow on me as time goes by, but right now it´s a very respectable 8.5/10.

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Started with 0 expectations and fell in love

I don’t even know where to start from. I believe the cast is what gives justice to this drama more than anything else. I fell in love with Ryeoun, although I've watched him in Adult Trainee I freaking DID NOT RECOGNIZE HIM. The story is a little confusing when it comes to time traveling because it leaves some unanswerable questions, like what happens to the present until Eun Gyeol comes back? How did everything change and how did this affect the others? I have many questions, plus the ending seemed a little rushed. I would LOVE a scene where Yi Chan recognized Eun Gyeol as his past friend. Of course there would be some flaws but I think the drama is very close to being perfect. Seorina, Choi Hyun Wook and Eun Soo were soooo good, this genre gives justice to Hyun Wook's acting. The best part is the sign language and deaf people recognition, I think many people got interested in learning sign language after watching TW, including myself. I hope we see more dramas like this in the future ☺️

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VIVA LA VIDA~ Long live Life!

Let me start by saying. I adored it. I resented it. I also found myself going back to it, squinting my eyes and looking between the lines. The layers are just folded so perfectly. Twinkling Watermelon is cute, heartwarming, a bit heartbreaking, and relentless.

The story. It is the story of many people and many communities, that are shaped by way too many events. First is the story of Eun Gyeol, the body who feels pressure and burden from being the only "hearing" member of his family. He made mistakes that made his love for music hard and he always feels guilty. Guilty for not being part of his family and guilty for not wanting to be defined/weighed down by this while wrestling with his love for them. We also have the story of Eun Yu. The drama just does a great job of weaving between them while presenting to us the idea that everyone was someone before they are placed into the roles of "mom" and "dad", "son" and "daughter."
The time travel was a brilliant way of giving these two their youth and a place to be themselves as well as understand the people they had such strong feelings towards in their own time. It also helped them see who those people were and what experiences they went through. I also liked that it wasn't some guilt trip, treat your parents better but more of a rediscovery of their parents that they clearly loved and wanted to understand more. That it became a means of courage to face them in the future.
I - mmy heart. I know going into the past means things change. I also know it was on purpose, but the one thing I wanted to change, didn't change. It was heart wrenching, but I also knew it was the pivotal lesson they wanted to teach beyond all this. It is that this experience is supposed to fuel one with the courage and insight to look forward into the future rather than trap yourself into the what ifs of the past. They weren't going there to save their parents but give them the validation and courage to become a better version of themselves in the future. As much as I hated it, I loved that the accident was something that was meant to be. As it really shows that changing a pivotal life event and running away from the reality of having to convince your deaf parent of your love for music is not the solution to the problems he faces. It also means we shouldn't run from the problems we face either and tackling the problem instead. That mindset is huge for me. The idea that we should use what we have been given to its fullest and let the disadvantages act as a driving force .
There were just so many people that I cared about, that played a role in things, that I was so happy to see again as time went by.

It was a huge moment of reflection for me. What things am I running away from? What things do I wish I could change if given the change?

If I am going to be honest, I watched this because I am a huge fan of our actors Choi Won Young and Choi Hyun Wook. I also wanted to see Seol In Ah again but the cast really grew on me. They all suited their characters and there were so many scenes where the acting really swept me off my feet. It was just so cuteeee.

I honestly don't remember much of the music while watching but I enjoyed a bunch of it while studying. The opening though is a banger.

As it is a big life lesson one, I think the rewatch value is endless. I will also be replaying Cheong Ah smiling clips forever and maybe learn some ASL as well.

The pacing towards the middle can be a bit slow for the people wanting to move the story but I loved it as it really showed the lives of the people in the past (they had regrets too). It was the whole reason they went back in time after all. Give it a try :) I'm sure something will get you to stay. If you do, I hope the lessons, feelings, and experience you get from it sticks and you are able to carry it into some aspect of your life. :)

Have a nice life everyone! You are your own person and while you don't need to life for someone else and can try living through someone else, no one can live your life the same way you do. It might not garner the same results but it will definitely be fulfilling. I hope you take a moment and embrace the youth you can experience now before you have to become a "mom", "dad", "aunt" or "uncle" for someone else. VIVA LA VIDA~ Long live Life!

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Starts off slow and builds into an amazing story

I wasn't sold on the first two episodes like many people seem to be. But I stuck it out, and I'm so glad I did because this is such a beautiful story, and honestly is probably close to the top of my list of favorite kdramas.

This show made me cry a lot, and I honestly love when that happens. The cast did such a great job in each of their roles, and I believed every emotion they were trying to convey, even from the children. It usually takes me a long time to get through dramas because my attention span isn't that great, but I got through this whole series in just two weeks, which is the fastest I've ever watched anything because I just couldn't stop thinking about this show and I wanted to do nothing but watch it as soon as I was home and able to. I already want to go back and rewatch it

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Very fun and emotional drama about strong love and vulnerability

I loved watching this drama so much. First of all the story was really original, the concept is around the deaf community and the kind of hardships they face and I learned a lot while watching this drama. It's a story about an unbreakable bond between a father and a son that goes through a bumpy patch but comes out stronger than ever. It's also got the cutest romance stories. The friendships of the leads was honestly so admirable and the drama is FULL of laughter from both the characters on screen and the audience off screen. While there were also emotional scenes that made characters in and off screen cry. It was an all round, entertaining drama. The acting of the cast is just amazing and crew have put together a truly miraculous piece. The music was absolutely perfect and full of every emotion portrayed. Overall, this an incredibly entertaining drama that was full of emotion and fun while portraying the strong bond between family and the true bond between friends (and ofcourse the insane romance between lovers). 🍉✨👩🏻‍🎨🧑🏻‍🎤✨👨‍👦🧒🏻🎸🌕🎻👧🏻✨🍉

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A drama I didn't know I needed

I don't watch shows until they are completely available to watch. I've been burned too many times by sad/terrible/rushed endings. I skulked around daily under the comments for this show, reading everyone wax eloquent about how wonderful it was. That's normally the kiss of death for me. If everyone thinks it's the best thing in the world, I'm usually meh about it. Then, add to that my aversion to time travel movies (they always raise more questions than answers for me) and that this sounded exactly like Back to the Future, I wasn't holding out much hope. My hand is raised here, I admit it, I was wrong.

I won't reiterate the storyline, but I will say this didn't reach out to me as a romance so much as a family/friend-fest. I didn't even feel that the focus was so much on the school aspect of it, but the kids themselves, which I loved. This show had so much heart. I laughed a lot, I cried quite a bit, and I vacillated back and forth between "hurry up and show me what's going to happen next" and "slow down, because I really want to savor this." The story was great, but the characters themselves, and the actors portraying them, were what kept me coming back for more. I really liked the direction they took with two people going to the past, one to save a life and one to end a life.

Ryeoun as Ha Eun Gyeol. This was a teenager that was old for his years, by necessity, as he was the mouthpiece for the whole family. That's a lot of responsibility to have from a very young age. Ryeoun was excellent, and I felt his wonder at meeting his younger father and finding him completely different than he imagined. Most of the scenes that made me cry involved Eun Gyeol. He was trying so hard to make things right, time after time. I could feel his desperation, as well as his sense of being unsuccessful. This story arc spoke a lot to destiny - are certain things that happen in our lives fixed? If you change something in one direction, does the river of destiny re-route itself to make it happen anyway?

Choi Hyun Wook as Ha Yi Chan had the gangly puppy/bouncy behavior going for him, moving from one thing to another quickly. If you are going, you run, if you are talking, you yell, if you don't know how to react to someone, you put them in a headlock. He was very immature, which was a perfect foil for Eun Gyeol, who had to switch places and become the father in the past. I did struggle with the length of time that he liked Sy Keong, so when he switched to Cheon Ah, it was kind of sudden and didn't necessarily flow well.

Seol In Ah as Choi Sy Kyeong/On Eun Yu. I had difficulty with this character. First, her voice is so distinctive, I kept flashing A Business Proposal when she talked. Other than that, my difficulties were more character related. Eun Yu was a totally repressed young woman, being driven by her mother's wishes. I don't feel that she would have been able to have the personality change that she did in the past. And, to me, there was something not always very nice about her, like she thought she was better than everyone else. And we didn't get to see any difficulties with her adapting to the past.

Shin Eun Soo as Yoon Cheon Ah. She was the standout for me. Eyes wide with sadness, living in silence, being betrayed by those that were supposed to take care of her, the character of Cheon Ah had a strength about her. I was so glad they didn't make her a doormat. It is really hard to act without using your voice, and Eun Soo was wonderful.

Go Doo Shim as Lee Chan's grandmother - she was terrific. She surrounded herself with students, cared for everyone and kept everyone fed. I love how she didn't baby Lee Chan, but was raising him to be a responsible adult, supporting him in every way she could.

The band mates were fun to watch, full of pen-up energy, running here and there. It was like they were all amped on caffeine, then I remember that's what it was like as a teenager. The Master was mysterious and brought levity to a lot of the scenes. I loved when he'd throw random English words in. Cheong Ah's step-mother - don't even get me started.

The soundtrack was very good and, of course, went along with the theme of the show.

BONUS - the lengthy BTS reference was a hoot!

Small nit-picky things:
I would have liked to have seen Yi Chan and Cheon Ah together for a longer period of time in the past, and watch their relationship develop.
So much bullying by so many people. And what about Yeom Byung Ho and his mother? They made a big deal about them and then they disappeared.
All the past band members, in 2023, thought Eun Gyeol "looked familiar". Did everyone get amnesia or something?
It was very vague as to whether his father remember him from the past as well.

Bottom line? Watch it!

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Quite a refreshing plot

I did not expect to enjoy this drama as much as I did. The title sounded comedic, while the entire cast looked very young, but it was not really a comedy.

It was a drama on love – family love, relationships between family members and just a small portion on the usual love between man and woman. It was a rather refreshing plot to me. Simply put, it was mainly about a boy who travelled back in time to when his parents were at his age. He was able to see for himself the things that happened to them and what led them to become the persons they were. Seizing the opportunities to control his family's future, he tried to prevent all the bad happenings and hoped to eventually change his parents' destinies.

As in all Korean dramas, the pace was on the fast side. Things happened quickly, so there was never a boring moment. The first half was a little slow, but come the second half, you will want to keep watching till the end.

There were loopholes here and there, but I was still able to overlook them for the story and the acting. *Like in most Korean dramas, the leads were always able to run to one another’s houses in minutes, as though they were all living on the same street lol, not a major loophole, but still not very realistic after a while.

I give kudos to the main cast for their acting. The four main leads were young, in their twenties, in fact two of them were only 21 years old. However, their acting was convincing enough. I would not say impressive but it was sufficient for the roles in this drama.

The OSTs were melodious. The fast ones were catchy and full of life while the slow sad ones were touching and good enough to bring tears to my eyes.

All in all, it was one of those dramas I would not re-watch, not because it was bad but because I already know the story, the meaning of their actions and the ending, so I do not see the point of re-watching, but I think it was one of those dramas that was worth at least watching once.

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Dont think too much and you'll be fine!!

Twinkling watermelon was a refreshing watch for me. The plot is pretty interesting too. It has a happy ending for those of you wondering.

Now, do not compare this drama to the other time travel dramas that you might have watched before. Its a little different in a way. And this change is fresh. Plus, you'll enjoy the cast. Their acting is top notch. You will laugh, feel sad and yell even at the little-est moments they have with eachother.

The romance is good. The bromance(idk what else to say) is better. The cutest thing ever. Lol.

A little teeny tiny bit of spoiler------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The ending is a little rushed. I mean it's not like super bad. But the pacing isn't super awesome either. If only they had ended it with possibly an extra 10 minutes, things could have wrapped up clearer.
NEVERTHELESS. ITS GOOD. GO WATCH IT. DONT THINK OF ANYTHING. DONT HESITATE. WATCH.





Love, Skye~

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Kindred To A Time Called Us!

January 2024
07th/8th

I liked ALMOST everything about this drama except:

a: The casting of one of the main female leads despite the fact she has always been amazing in other drama series. Had always hoped to see her in a main role - just not as a high school student.

b: The music on the most part is okay - maybe just a few songs were better than okay. Really loved the bass and guitar battle! I was really hoping for music that stays with you for a long time after - nope!

c: Didn't appreciate Eric Clapton's "Tears In Heaven" song referred to as a "chick magnet" - like it is a "romantic love song" or something.

It could be that the translation was incorrect and hoping that is the case.

It isn't a love song in the sense that someone's heart is broken by someone else (romance) - it is a song about the loss of someone deeply loved (Clapton's son) and them being in heaven.

d: The son in 1995 (from 2023) should have spent more time with his mother rather than the girl from 2023 - there were times she really could have done with his intervention and he just wasn't there.

Even his "dad" more so than the 2023 teen female, but I do get that they were both there for a reason.

What I did LIKE:

a: Seeing what would happen and develop between the "mother and father " in 1995 more so than the 2023 teens.

b: The bromance and friendships.

c: The story with it being similar to "A Time Called Us" with the time travel and trying to change the past to save someone in the future or future for the better only "Twinkling Watermelon" wasn't as dark.

Highly recommended! A+

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If Back to the Future Was Made in Korea...

I know Twinkling Watermelon is a highly rated K-drama. It's even branded as one of the best K-dramas ever made. But frankly, I think it's just above-average good. Probably one of the better ones out there but definitely not flawless or even close to being up there with the best, imho. It's still pretty good and worth the watch, though.

First off, this is a Koreanized version of Back to the Future. Yes, yes, they are not completely the same. I'm not saying it's a Korean remake of this Hollywood classic nor do I think it's a copycat. But they did take the plot of the first Back to the Future film, tweaked it, mixed in some undeniable Korean flavors (gochujang and sesame oil and everything), and then added a social commentary about physical disabilities to make a family oriented drama that's moving and heartwarming with memorable characters and wonderful life lessons. Yes, I did like this drama to an extent. But it was more because of the characters. Despite its flaws, it was an entertaining watch.

Let's talk about the things I disliked first. If you've seen the Back to the Future films, you'd recognize the similarities, from the time travel aspect (the main character meeting his parents and getting them to date because he messed things up) to literally changing their lives for the better. There's also a Doc Brown character who takes him back to the past and becomes his mentor. Plus, he happens to be a talented guitarist like Marty McFly and also plays rock 'n roll music that sounds either like the 1950's-60's classic rock featured in BTTF or modern-day K-pop, which sucks because this was set in 1995 when alternative music ruled the airwaves. Sure, they did mention Kurt Cobain, made references to Nirvana, and showed posters of Bon Jovi and album covers of Radiohead's Pablo Honey. But they're no more than just cosmetic add-ons to remind people that the drama is set in the 90's. It doesn't really feel authentic, though. Apart from the pagers, cassette tapes, and vintage computers, it felt like any other K-drama set in the present. I thought maybe they just wrote a script and had to pick a timeline based on the ages of the main characters and their parents when they were teens. Nothing about the plot screamed original to me and I felt that little to no research was done about that era because none of the music they chose for this drama fit the setting. Not to mention they kept talking about Kurt Cobain as if he was still alive. He committed suicide in 1994 due to depression, and he was even rumored to have been murdered by his own wife. So for them to say that they want to be like Kurt who can get all the pretty girls was downright insensitive and ignorant. Also, by 1995, the bands that were making waves worldwide were Smashing Pumpkins and Pearl Jam. Kurt's death ended the grunge era and made way to alternative and post-grunge music. I know because I lived through this era. I'm the same age as the parents in this drama and I was a huge rock fan back in the day. So the musical aspect and overall atmosphere really disappointed me because the setting just felt like a studio instead of an actual place, and the vibe just didn't feel like the 90's at all. I also wished they had made Eun Gyeol more skilled at playing the guitar because for a supposed musical genius, his skills weren't very extraordinary. For someone who started playing the guitar at a young age and continued to improve over the years, he should've sounded way better.

Another thing I disliked is the way they handled the time travel. In theory, you can't alter your past by traveling through time and go back to a changed present, rather you'll end up creating an alternate timeline or a different dimension. But since they borrowed the concept from BTTF, the main character ends up changing the past and creating a new future for himself and his loved ones. I don't mind this as much. But they should've corrected what BTTF got wrong, which is making the parents remember Eun Gyeol and putting two and two together. After all, they spent a good amount of time with him, even had pictures of him lying around. They should've seen the resemblance between their son and the guy they used to know, and how they're so alike in personality. That's the part where I had to try hard to suspend my disbelief. Unlike Marty who only spent a few days with his parents, Eun Gyeol actually lived with them, bonded with them, and played a huge part in their lives. He formed a band with his own dad and his friends, and became his mom's savior. How could they have forgotten him? None of them even looked for him when he left? Not even one mention of the Eun Gyeol they knew as teens.

I also think the drama could've been shorter. There were far too many unnecessary scenes and music video-ish montages that are very typical of K-dramas. This is the biggest downside of implementing hour-long 16-episode dramas instead of just choosing the optimum length for a drama depending on the story content. I'm glad that other dramas are dropping this format and going for shorter episodes and run time, it makes the drama more compact and the pacing faster.

But those are the only ones I have complaints about, the rest I actually really enjoyed. The cast, for the most part, are excellent. They played their roles to a tee. Although I thought Choi Hyun Wook as Yi Chan was a bit too extra. I mean, I think he acted great in this but did he have to shout all the time? It was driving me nuts! lol My favorite was the ex-gang member bass player, though. I actually loved the side characters, they were so much fun! And the kid who played young Eun Gyeol really stood out to me. When he cried, I cried. Really good child actor! I hope to see him in future projects.

Even though the story closely resembles that of BTTF, I like that they put their own spin on it and made it obviously Korean. I also appreciate the fact that they pushed the social commentary about prejudism against people with disabilities. I don't think any K-drama has tackled that issue before, so I'm glad they made it an integral part of the plot. We need more social awareness for these kinds of topics. I wasn't too fond of the romance but that's just me. Romance is just not my thing. But I did find myself wanting to watch one episode after another. If I wasn't so busy with work that I only had time to watch a couple of episodes before bed time, I would've binged the whole thing. All in all, this was an enjoyable drama that left me feeling great after completing it. It's a great feel-good family oriented drama that can bring you to tears, but also make you laugh and take you back to a more carefree time.

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You will binge watch it in a day #Guaranteed

It's one of those shows you cannot put down and it satisfies you completely by the end too.

I would definitely be putting this in my top 5 list among my fav including cloy,hometown cha cha cha, 18 again etc.
Now the show is such a great and i mean by far the best genre blend without a single loophole or inconsistency in story.
Everything just finds balance from mystery to comedy , everything is consistent and the direction is next level.
Not your typical rom com kdrama but something uniquely intresting.

The show has not completely ignored logic if you are concerned since it involves time travel but the places where logic is near 0 or very low the show carries that part so beautifully (you just don't care) and anyone would be 100% stupid if they don't like this show for this reason. It is not meant for that, it is not a serious thriller based mystery with sci fi logic.

Ignore the music rating if your into that, i personally am not a huge music guy and it mostly runs on the bg of my brain but they werent bad i would say that.

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