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.Was this review helpful to you?
a comforting k-drama
i literally fell inlove with all the characters and the whole story itself.I don't usually like the sci-fi/back to the past genre and I was very surprised to find myself really loving it in this series.
(It's funny because I actually started this series because of an edit of choi hyun wook and didn't expact to like this series at all).
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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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This review may contain spoilers
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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This review may contain spoilers
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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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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Worth to watch
Actually at first I didn't expect that I will love it but each epidode become better and I was wauting for next ep (what these days are rare for me for other kdramas, they don't make me curious to wiat for the rest). The acting was so good. It was so satisfying. If you love romcom and a refreshing kdrams it's for you.But something miss at the end. Everything with the ML character was clear but for the FL not. What happen to her in future? The relationship between her mother and her dad ??? And also her mother and his dad? What she could change in future?
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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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Make your life twinkle!!
Twinkling watermelon is one of the first k-dramas I've watched and I have to say it left a very big impression on me. I've seen like 4 other k-dramas and they were all very good. What makes this k-drama diffrent tho, isn't just the amazing and creative story it has, I can really feel a connection with the characters of the show.One by one you get to know them. You get to know their motives, their past and what made them the way they are. By the 8th episode, I hade already fallen in love with all 4 mc's. They're all so diffrent but match very well with eachother which makes seeing them interact with one another and become closer, even more satisfying and fun. Despite their obvious persoanlity traits, they also have a more coplex side to them that you wouldn't be able to see without looking closely. Understanding the characters made the show feel so much more alive and enjoyable.
Besides the great characters, I think the show has some great lessons for us. We not only learn that we should not do anything eun gyeol does if we ever happened to be stuck in 1995 (cause he coulda handled it a lot better imo), but so does it teach us that we should do what we can to make the best out of our lives, no matter what obstacles we might face. We should make our lives "twinkle".
Overall I don't have any complants about the show at all. I did hear some people say it had pacing issues tho. I myself didn't feel that because I started watching right after all episodes had aired. I feel bad for the people that had to wait a whole week after every episode that always ends on some crazy cliffhanger. I would've loved to see more of Yi chan's life after the accident happened tho. THe ending might've been a little rushed but there isn't much the creators could do about that. The ending was great either way.
Overall I'd say this was the most enjoyable k-drama I've ever seen. It was fun to make tour own theories about the story while slowly getting the answers you've been pondering. I've enjoyed the acting and the storytelling a lot and it will definitely have a special place among the list of many k-dramas I'll be watching from now on.
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just watch it
Twinkling Watermelon is a heartwarming and emotionally rich K-drama that masterfully blends time travel, music, and family dynamics. Directed by Son Jung Hyun, this drama aired in 2023 and quickly captured the hearts of viewers with its unique storyline, nostalgic 90s setting, and strong character development.The story follows Ha Eun Gyeol (played by Ryeoun), a high school student who is a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults). Despite growing up in a deaf family, he has a deep passion for music, especially playing the guitar. His life takes an unexpected turn when he stumbles upon a mysterious music shop and is transported back in time to 1995. There, he meets his teenage father, Ha Yi Chan (Choi Hyun Wook), a free-spirited and enthusiastic student who dreams of becoming a rock star. Eun Gyeol decides to form a band with his young father and names it "Watermelon Sugar," hoping to guide him toward a better future. However, he soon realizes that changing the past isn't as simple as it seems.
One of the most remarkable aspects of Twinkling Watermelon is its ability to balance multiple themes. At its core, the drama is about family, love, and sacrifice. It highlights the struggles and misunderstandings between generations, especially between a hearing son and his deaf parents. Eun Gyeol's emotional journey of understanding and appreciating his family is deeply touching. The drama also explores the beauty of music as a universal language that connects people beyond barriers.
The performances in this drama are exceptional. Ryeoun delivers a heartfelt portrayal of Eun Gyeol, making the audience deeply connect with his struggles and emotions. Choi Hyun Wook brings charm and energy to his role as Yi Chan, capturing the carefree yet passionate nature of a 90s teenager. Seol In Ah and Shin Eun Soo also shine as the female leads, adding depth to the romantic and friendship aspects of the story. The chemistry between the characters feels natural, making their interactions even more engaging.
The time-travel element is handled well, creating an intriguing mix of past and present. Unlike many dramas where time travel is overly complicated, Twinkling Watermelon keeps it simple and meaningful. It allows viewers to reflect on how small choices can shape the future. The nostalgic 90s setting, with its vintage aesthetics and classic rock music, adds to the drama’s charm. The soundtrack is another highlight, featuring both original songs
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This review may contain spoilers
GREAT CASTING
I really LOVED the acting!! The cast either made you really hate them, or really love them, which shows that they did their job in playing their roles. I thought the storyline was there, but it ended up missing quite a bit to it. I didn't quite understand the whole mystery shop guy turning into Eun-gyeol's mentor at the end, and the ending was also really rushed. A little disappointed that being in the past changed how their lives were in the future. It was kind of like they were saying they weren't happy with their middle-class life in a way?? Either way, my FAVORITE and I mean FAVORITE part of this series was Yi-chan and Cheong-ah's younger storyline. The actors were adorable, played their parts super well, and they were just eye grabbing ♡ I couldn't stand Se-kyung's daughter though. It seemed like they just added her for a love story with Eun-gyeol! Overall I rate this a stretched 8.5! I'd like to put it lower, but it's definitely rewatchable, thinking about all the great parts to this series.Was this review helpful to you?
