This review may contain spoilers
I wish everyone’s youth twinkles and shines!!
I loved everything about this drama be it cast, acting, storyline and music. The idea that we all want our youth to shine and be full if great memories is what made this drama very endearing. I then thought that my parents were also a kid once, who had their own dreams and desires, who wanted to enjoy their youth and fall in love with life. But the responsibility of growing up made most of their dreams to be locked up in their heart. Yi chan and Cheong ah had to sacrifice a-lot to keep their children safe and happy. On the other hand, both Eungyeol and Eun Ho were understanding and kind hearted children. I really loved how they portrayed all characters as positive even though life gave them so many tough events.Cast and acting: Hyun Wook is an exceptional actor. You can feel every emotion that he is trying to convey like sadness, happiness, love, denial and acceptance. All the other cast were also exceptional in delivering their dialogues and emotions. Moreover, the chemistry between each cast is so good. It made me attached to watermelon sugar. Also loved the relationship between 1995 Yi chan and Eun gyeol.
Story: Although time travel plot is nothing new in kdrama world, I would say the story is definitely unique. I had gotten some spoilers from SNS, so some plot twists were not jawdropping for me, but for those who haven’t seen any spoilers, I’m sure you will be shocked. I really liked the whole setting of the drama which was in 1995. To be able to see your parents youth where something major in their life happens would be so cool. I cried ugly tears while watching the last episode because I got really attached to every characters. To see how all the band mates were still together in 2023 and how it transitioned to their youth days made me weep so hard. I also thought about how my youth will go someday and all I’ll have is memories of it to reminisce.
I wouldn’t say that romance is the main theme of this drama, since it mainly revolves around Eun gyeol trying to fix his parents destiny, but nonetheless the love story of both leads is really adorable. I wish we got to see more in depth about Eun gyeol and Se gyeong’s relationship in 2023 and how things patched up between Yichan and Cheong ah after the accident.
So to all those who are debating whether to watch this drama or not, I strongly recommend you to give this drama a try. I love that this drama has all the elements like romance, slice of life, comedy, family love, friendship and brotherhood. You will really love this drama.
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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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This review may contain spoilers
I was expecting a different ending-SPOILERS****
****SPOILERS AHEAD***Since the whole show deals with the value of family and understanding that your parents were also young once, I really didnt expect the ending to be so based on career "success". The main character ends up being famous but he doesnt even know how he got there, hasnt even lived through it, Also, his parents would be completely different people since their lives have been different so i wonder, wouldnt that be disappointing for the main character? how is that a happy ending? I wish they had focused more on whats important: love, family and not on materialistic stuff
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Viva La Vida!
Likes1. One of the most satisfying ending i've watched in recent years. I was crying and smiling in the last two episodes.
2. The strongest part of the drama is the close relationship between the father Yi Chan and son Eun Gyeol in whatever timeline they were in. Pre time slip, during time slip and post time slip.
3. High school love story of Han Yi Chan and Yoon Chung Ah was so cute.
4. The Watermelon Sugar band and the band mates. Plus the cameos as adult versions. And their songs.
5. Eun Gyeol and Chung Ah didnt have a lot of scenes because Eu Gyeol was always with Yichan or Eunyu but he did best thing to his mom, which is to get rid of the evil stepmom and let her be free to live her life.
Dislikes
1. I didnt like Seol Inah's character. I dont know if it was the actress or the character itself. But she kinda grew on me in the end. Im curious to find out what happened when she wentback to the present. Is her family still together? Did Segyeong become happier?
2. I think we needed an extended 15-20 mins to see what other changes happened to the present or maybe i just couldnt believe it was all over.
Rating: 9/10
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Long Live Life ─ with flaws, scars and healing
This was one of the dramas I actually didn't plan to watch until I saw the spoilers of the first episode on Twitter ─ and absolutely liked how the premise was about CODA. I also enjoy watching dramas of a child time travelling and meeting their teen parents so I didn't hesitate to give it a try and I am so glad that I did.Starting from the name, throughout the episodes they made a reference to Frida Kahlo's Sandías / Viva la Vida (Long Live Life). In Mexican folk culture, watermelon is commonly found in representations of the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration ─ so at first, I thought the story might mostly focus on angsty side of life. However, it was just another connection with how Eungyeol's life changed thanks to music shop owner and how his death affected more than one life. So, it wasn't about sadness or fear of death but mostly about natural path and development. Thus, Sparkling/ Twinkling Watermelon is such a nostalgic name for this drama because it can be interpreted as: Radiant life/youth, sparkling performance, or a sparkling period of time in youth before they became adults. And I really like it when the name actually summarises the storyline.
When it comes to acting, everyone did a great job at portraying their characters. As for characters, I must admit, for me, mostly Ha Yichan and Yoon Cheongah stood out ─ as teens and adults. Their characters were beautifully written and acted. They weren't perfect but they were perfect with their flaws, scars and their healing processes.
The drama also showed beautiful dynamics ─ whether it was friendship or parental relationships.
At the end, just like any other time travel drama, there were unanswered questions, discrepancy and some "what if" scenarios. But overall, it was an enjoyable watch.
link to edits: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLI-LyvxxdMxDG3OaZjOkQIQUXWkuLTosF&si=HlG3s3wpE07lYOTL
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Refreshing
Honestly one of the best series that I have seen where persons that have a different way of life is depicted. The family life that was shown is so accurate to the ones that persons with hearing limitations have to face. As someone that knows sign language but doesn't have to, it was nice to see a story that revolved around it. All the concerns that go with being in their situation was real and I appreciated having them in such an amazingly positive light.The story was new to me, having the hint of mystery and time travel and a sprinkle of romance...Sorta. The life conversations I couldn't follow because I don't know the signs used, but it was still beautiful to watch. I must say, for a person that supposed to be "super smart" Gyeol was pretty dumb too many times, but it was funny so I excused most of it. His passion and understanding were his driving force to help everyone he met, I mean he did have direct relation to them, but even if Ha Yi Chan was a stranger I would risk it all to help him also. He is honestly so amazing, his thirst for life and living it to the fullest because he wants to help his grandma. I wish he got the world, but he got the next best thing. He was kind and caring while being a fool, there was no reason to not love him. I literally cried when his tape got left in street because of you know what. Worst yet when he was standing on the roof of the hospital after his grandma visited him. I tell you there was no more heartbreaking scene than these moments. Yoon Cheong Ah was such an amazing example of resilience, strength and determination seeing her growth into having friends that she trust was sweet. Her teacher though, lets just say she needed more than a time out and I was sooooooo happy when all her maids got fired.
The ending honestly wasn't amazing but I loved how things turned out, it was slightly underwhelming but I still liked it.
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Viva La Vida! Viva La Music!
In short: This Kdrama worth the hype, and it's not overrated! It's almost perfect!Why it's not perfect? Because I think, they could've done more with the storyline in the present, and of course, in some cases the time-traveling plot is inconsistent, but honestly, I don't really care, because THIS ISN'T A SCI-FI, this is Kdrama about FAMILY!
I don't really know what should I say, I don't want to go into spoilers, so the only thing I can say is that, this show is well-written, every character is amazing, and so called "villains" are good too. I mean, not good people, just well-written and the actors did a fantastic job!
The show captures really well how hard it is to be a teen, or being a parent, or just being alive in general.
I was a bit disappointed that they didn't do much with Se Kyeong and Eun Yu, but I get it, the main focus was Eun Gyeol's family!
If I'm being honest, my favorite character was Cheongha, after all the bad things that happened to her, she never lost hope, never give up and raised her kids later. I liked her adult version, but I LOVED her young version even more! Shin Eun Soo is an incredible actress, and she's very likable as well.
Anyway, I don't want to mumble for long, if you didn't watch this Kdrama yet, watch it now!
Lastly: The OST is also amazing. For 16 hour, I was a teen again!
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MY NEW COMFORT KDRAMA
I was in a HUGE kdrama slump. i had no interest in watching any new releases especially ongoing dramas… i was even in my cdrama era for awhile but Twinkling Watermelon brought me out of my slump. I had like no expectations for this drama. I just kept seeing it on my TL and saw it was highly rated on Viki so i wanted to give it a chance. The first 2 episodes were really depressing and confusing for me so i kinda had to push through and i’m so glad i did because i instantly got hooked on episode 3 and i’ve been tuning in every week since episode 7 from then on. I love everything about this drama from the storyline, family, friendships, romance, music, comedy, angst, acting, etc. It’s everything i look for in a kdrama. ‘90s youth band dramas will always be my comfort. I know people refer to this as a time travel drama but i see it more as a youth drama. Anyways, we have 4 more episodes and i’m wishing for a happy ending because i can’t really predict the ending at all… I just know i’ll go back to this drama a lot and you’ll see my talking about it 3 years from now.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
MUST WATCH!!
This drama is top 2 in my drama list and oh my gosh this shows the efforts of a man for a woman he love and A REAL SON i guess....... idk lets look at some pointers why is it a must watch kdrama!ACTING: The cast was veryyyyyyyyy goooddddddd every role is given suitable to every actor and they acted it so WELL! The couples, friendship,bond between son and father,efforts for love this drama shows all of this and if you like time travelling drama this is a must watch again we have found first point why is it must for you.
OST: Actually i don't notice OSTs much but it was soo good and fit soo well with the moments between the each other so it was a 9/10 for me.
STORY LINE: The story was a 9/10 for I'll tell you why. First of all it was a time traveling drama and i am watching time travelling for the first time it was confusing in between but then got it after sometimes. I know Yoon chung Ah was not his first love but the troope was veryyyyyy good it was SHE FELL FIRST HE FELL HARDER i love these kinds of troops yeah back to topic Yoon chung Ah was not his first love but his true love and i felt so bad when he acted rude with her in starting but poor boy he didn't know she was deaf but later they shared moments with each other, he learn sign language for her and i was melted at that point like THE EFFORTS!! He also protected her and she got along so well with his family, he ate her food even though it was not good, i have noticed one thing in kdramas that the efforts that is done by a man can also be done by a real man like in real life so why to lower girls standard and that is not that hard to do. The bond between son and father is like 😭🫶🏻 oh my god he did everything for his father that he doesn't go deaf but being deaf was in his destiny like meeting yoon chung ah!❤️ But i cuted 0.5 because second lead's screen was not much like their dating era they didn't show much😭 but still this drama i can't forget in my whole lifeeeee😭❤️🫶🏻
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easy and light watch
It was a bit messy, and there were some big holes and flaws in the storyline. They focused too much on things that didn’t really need that much attention, and because of that, many important parts were left out. There were several things that could’ve been explored in more detail, but they just gave us short glimpses of everything, so it ended up feeling rushed and disorganized. Still, it was fun to watch 🍉Was this review helpful to you?
This drama felt so real and touched me on a deep level
Twinkling Watermelon – 9.5/10This drama felt so real and touched me on a deep level. It made me reflect on my own childhood, my attachment styles, and the things I never fully healed from.
Twinkling Watermelon didn’t just tell a coming-of-age story—it showed what a truly healthy, loving family should look like. It reminded me that parents are just kids who grew up with their own struggles too.
The characters were written with so much heart and care. Watching them grow, heal, and love properly felt like a lesson I didn’t know I needed. Beautiful, emotional, and full of life.
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A Masterclass in Heart and Harmony: Why "Twinkling Watermelon" is a Perfect 9.5/10
1. A Script with SubstanceUnlike dramas that rely on frustrating silence, this script thrives on communication and connection. The time-travel element isn't just a gimmick; it is a tool used to explore the "what ifs" of our parents' youth. The pacing is tight, the stakes feel real, and every episode moves the story forward with purpose. There is no "filler" here—only heart.
2. Characters You Actually Root For
The characters in this show are incredibly well-developed.
Eun-gyeol: A brilliant protagonist who is smart, empathetic, and proactive.
Yi-chan: Instead of a typical "annoying" lead, he is a ball of pure energy and sincerity.
The Dynamic: The bond between the father and son (across different timelines) is the soul of the show. Their interactions are often hilarious but deeply moving, avoiding the tired tropes of unnecessary drama.
3. Phenomenal Acting
The young cast delivers "expert-level" performances. They don't just act; they embody the spirit of youth. The portrayal of the CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) experience is handled with immense grace and sensitivity, making the emotional beats hit much harder than your average melodrama.
4. Music as a Language
The soundtrack and the band sequences are not just background noise; they are integral to the plot. The passion for music is infectious, adding a layer of joy that balances out the more somber, emotional moments.
Final Verdict: 9.5/10
"Twinkling Watermelon" is everything a drama should be: smart, sincere, and beautifully executed. It proves that you don't need "toxic" conflict or "frustrating" leads to create a compelling story. It is a vibrant, "twinkling" reminder of why we love K-dramas in the first place.
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