Twinkling Watermelon

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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Coisa mais lindinha do mundo esse dorama

Gostei da mãe dele se desafiando a viver sem deixar que a surdez fosse um obstáculo e ver todos que fizeram mal pra ela no olho da rua. As expressões faciais do irmão mais velho do protagonista falando em libras são fantásticas, pena que apareceu poucas vezes. O final foi até onde deveria, talvez se estendessem mais ficaria estranho, mas achei meio forçado eles ficarem ricos. Queria ter entendido melhor como foi essa transição e ver mais sobre alguns personagens menos explorados como a mãe da menina surda e os pais da menina que viajou no tempo, não ficou bem claro o motivo do divórcio.

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The Blurred Lines Between Family and Friends

Twinkling Watermelon is a heartwarming slice-of-life drama that blends time travel, music, and story about friendship. It follows a high school student who is a CODA (Child of Deaf Adult) who has a deep love for music. One day after a fight with his father who doesn't agree with his passion, he stumbles into a mysterious music shop and is transported back in time where he meets a younger version of his father. As he explores the unfamiliar world of meeting the younger version of his parents, he forms a band and tries to change the course of his family’s fate while discovering the power of friendship, love, and self-acceptance.

One of the drama’s strongest points is how it portrays the reality of being a deaf person and those around them. Instead of treating it as just a plot device, Twinkling Watermelon dives into the struggles and emotions that come with it. It also shows the challenges of communication, the isolation, and also the beauty of understanding between friends and family.

Another highlight is how well the drama explores friendship and brotherhood. The relationships between the characters, the bandmates, friends, or family—feel genuine and heartwarming. The way they support, fight, and grow together makes the story so good.

Music definitely has a huge role in this drama and it’s one of the things I loved the most. The OSTs in particular are catchy which reminds me again how OST is a vital feature of K-drama.

When it comes to acting, Shin Eunsoo, who plays the younger version of main character's mother is the star. She delivered an incredibly moving and natural performance (irl she is not deaf). Some cast members have scenes where their acting is a bit off, but because the chemistry between the actors is so strong, it’s not that hard to overlook it.

Again, it isn’t a perfect drama, but it’s definitely one that leaves a lasting impact. I just love how the drama managed to make me as If I am a part of the line-up and delved into the growth of the characters. It is definitely worth watching.

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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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I believe the makers of this misunderstood who the main characters are…

This was amazing, I actually watched it twice before finishing the last EP cause I wanted to watch it with my sister before finishing it.

I enjoyed pretty much every part of this each time. I cried, I laughed…

This could have been a 10/10 drama, but the ending made that impossible. It wasn’t a terrible ending. Just way too much missing. Too many unanswered questions, leaving me vastly dissatisfied. This is the first time I believe a drama might need another episode, just to actually make the story be complete.

This in part had to do with the fact that I was watching this thing for what appears to have been the „side couple“, which for me was 100% absolutely the center of the whole series and they should have 100% elaborated a lot more on that.

Overall I still 100% recommend watching this though.

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Mastercall

It has been a staple ever since I remember, that K-dramas are associated with, corny, mid, pacey, and shallow stories on the level of every other bland soap opera trash show. With all the rosey plots that have the same characters, the same build-ups, and the same resolution. They feel like lazy reskins of otherwise, very boring third-grade media releases. Or so I thought, prior to watching Twinkling Watermelon.

Before watching, or even attempting to give this show a go, I was recommended to do so, but to avoid looking at any posters, or reading the synopsis, or even looking up the tags or the genre. I went completely and utterly blind on the show, and I think, that was the best way to experience it, as those mentioned give off way too much about the whole mystery running the narrative.

Think of it as the coming-of-age story that would change your outlook on all sorts of levels. Family, friendship, education, compassion, and dreams.

For me, this show taught me not just about life, but also that I shouldn't underestimate Korean dramas anymore, because this has been peak television.

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I feel like I want to eat watermelon too

when I saw the dragon studio logo, I was obviously going to watch the drama. At first I wasn't interested but there are lots of videos on TikTok showing footage of the drama which looks warm.

Sure enough, when I watched episode 1, this drama was already very interesting. Maybe the plot was a little slow in episode 1 and almost made me distracted, but in episode 2 it started to get more interesting.

I appreciate the acting of all the actors in this drama which is very soulful and beautiful. The sign language they displayed really made me want to remember the sign language lessons I had studied.

I really enjoyed the acting, ost, storyline, production and all the details. I hope this drama will get an award because it is very beautiful and heartwarming.

thank you to all the crew and cast for creating this very beautiful drama.

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Good Enough

Korean Drama '' Twinkling Watermelon '' is a slice of life, music, and fantasy drama.

The drama uses time travel to its fullest, smoothly using it to push the story forward, without forgetting about it once the plot starts unfolding. Rather, it is always there, and spices up the story here and there.

Also, the family drama was at its finest, intense enough to keep things dramatic, but also with sensitivity and sweetness throughout the family interactions.

The music, in addition, was pretty enjoyable, as were the performances by everyone in the cast. And even though the romance was cheesy and not its strongest suit, it was nice enough.

So, overall, seven out of ten.

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A High Quality Drama But The Emotional Weight Is Not As Consistently Strong As You Would Hope.

I’ll start by saying I put off watching this one. I purposely did not watch it while it was airing. There are certain dramas that I know I won’t get the most out of them if I don’t watch them at a time I am most receptive to them.

Disclaimer * I don’t think this was the most receptive time either, even though I enjoyed watching it. I plan to watch it again in the future to see if I can get more out of it.

That said, for now I think it is a 9/10 drama and not a 9.5 or a 10/10 drama. The positives for me are what makes it a 9/10 and not the usual 8.5/10 that I give to solid k-dramas is that it is a heartfelt story, the plot is pretty solid and the acting is pretty good. The reason I won’t elaborate on the positives is because I’ll be honest; apart from recognising it as a solid production, this story did not get me as deep as it ought to have. I’ll go into why I think this was.

Starting from episode 2, although I was aware that time travelling was involved, the abrupt introduction of the time traveling element at the end of ep 2 felt like a sharp turn transition wise. It was not smooth at all. It was like being in a race car and suddenly making an extreme turn with little to no preparation, except this was done with the theme. Usually in dramas that include fantasy, they sprinkle a little bit of the fantasy elements in the lead up to the full blown reveal of the fantastical part of the drama. With this one, it was almost two full hours of a slice of life family drama that seemed rudely interrupted by the fantasy element suddenly being dropped in. And this was my reaction as someone who WAS waiting and expecting the fantasy element.

Another thing was, I couldn’t help but feel like this drama was an amalgamation of several movies, music and popular culture storylines and references, all pieced together. It made a huge chunk of the drama feel like a knock-off, ensuring that I could never really get into it as all I could think was, “they’re copying so and so”. I don’t mind things serving as an inspiration for others but you really have to make it your own and create something new with it, but with this drama, a lot of the concepts and scenes seemed borrowed. Whenever I was drawn into the drama, I’d notice that a scene or concept resembled something else and it would immediately take me out of the scene.

I have a minor point to make about the way the scenes were cut/edited together. It didn’t affect the majority of the drama much, as it fit that youth-indie style type of visual aesthetic but when it came to the emotional scenes, it felt somewhat choppy aka not-so-smooth transitions. It meant that the emotions didn’t hit fully 100% because the viewers weren’t able to sit with those scenes and absorb the depths of emotions before it suddenly changed to another scene. Typically for emotional scenes to work best, there needs to be a build up of emotional tension that is finally released and the cameras should not cut away in the middle of that emotion being expressed. For example, the cameras should not cut away in the middle of someone’s heartbreaking crying scene as it’s like cutting off the climax of emotion right at the top, which results in an immediate plateauing of the emotional weight built up when our focus is shifted to another scene. Instead it should be like a hill with a slow rise to the climatic top and a smooth decent to the other side of that intense emotion. This must be done in order to properly build and sustain the emotional weight of what the characters are experiencing and their plight, to help forge the bond between the viewer and the character and to allow the viewer to really connect to what the character is feeling.

This fourth reason was the most jarring for me. I have to preface this by saying I’m not trying to assume what’s best for the hearing impaired community, I’m coming at this solely from the perspective of someone who knows what storytelling mechanisms resonate with an audience. That being said, the thing about this drama that made it the hardest for me to get into it was the fact that they dubbed the deaf characters. I can understand from a practical pov why this was done but surely someone in the creative chair should have known how much of the connection and the power of the performances of the actors playing the deaf characters would have been lost by doing this. If you don’t understand what I mean, go watch CODA and tell me that by having the focus of communication solely on the deaf characters’ facial expressions, the movements of their hands and only the silence to convey their ‘lines’; you didn’t feel everything they signed just a little more deeply. That you didn’t feel the frantic and the hard hitting angry signing or the soft signing in tender moments that much more. That you couldn’t feel the frustration of the characters through their hands more than with a dubbed voice overlayed on top to explain what they are saying. I’m sure it was useful for Korean viewers to not have to read subtitles but I’d argue they lost some of the power of the performance by doing this. Of course, I’m not saying you shouldn’t have dubbing. I understand that having dubbed dramas makes it more accessible for different types of audiences such as vision impaired viewers. I’m not saying dubbing should not be available. Just like I’m not saying subtitles should not be available. I know these are both very useful features for making dramas more accessible to others. What I’m saying is that these should have been optional and the drama should have been released un-dubbed with the option to select dubbing as needed, as you do with subtitles.

If at the end of this you are wondering why I rated it so highly if I had so many critiques. It’s because of three things. One, this drama had excellent characterisation. Like truly excellent (especially the father and son). Two, I did enjoy watching it. It won’t make it on my favourites list but I really did enjoy it. And three, I like to give dramas and movies their dues. Even if I don’t fall in love with a drama, I still rate them objectively by what they have to offer and what they do well. This drama was a solid, above average and at times, truly above average, drama.

If you ask me what could have made it a 10/10, I’d say, not rushing past the emotional scenes too quickly, not dubbing the deaf characters and finally; trusting the foundation of the story more - which was a story about a boy’s love for his father and vice versa, while grappling with the difficulties of being a CODA. If they did this without trying to borrow from other films, dramas, music or American popular culture; it could have been a 10/10 drama that stayed with me.

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solid show with great actors

I binged this show in 2 days!!! I was totally hooked!!! I seriously adored all of the actors, every one of them played their parts really really well (especially the young cast) !!!!!

HOWEVER, I found parts of it a little cliche, I honestly expected a better soundtrack for a show about music, and I didn't like the ending. The ending felt very rushed and like they just wanted to put a bow on top of everything all pretty without doing all the effort to get there. I actually didn't hate the love triangle in this show, I felt the time-travel aspect put enough of a twist on it so it wasn't too cliche. I also sincerely appreciate how the love triangle didn't last for the entire show like many others do. I felt like the plot got a little messy in the fourth quarter, but it was acceptable, there really is no way to make a time travel show not have plot holes and weirdness going on. I also felt like they kind of overdid it with the connections thing, like not everyone has to be connected in weird ways... sometimes people just live unrelated lives.

BUT I still found many many things I loved about this show. I loved how good the actors were and I felt like (as someone who isn't deaf and knows exactly 0 deaf people) it was good representation of deaf people and the struggles they face. I really liked
Ha Eun Gyeol's character arc, and Ryeoun's acting was quite good. He really mastered his character and I felt that he wholly cared only about the others, without a hint of selfishness (for the most part). . I also sincerely loved every single second that Ha Yi Chan was on screen (he's so hot). I felt that Choi Hyun Wook absolutely devoured this role, like there wasn't a single time during the entire length of the show where I felt like his acting was off. Same thing for Shin Eun Soo she absolutely ate up this role and perfectly conveyed her character in every single scene. Seol In Ah's acting was good, but I didn't feel the same greatness that the other actors delivered. I really can't pick anything out in particular that I thought was bad or wrong, but her vibe wasn't quite there as much as the others.

FINAL THOUGTS:
It was definitely worth the watch and I might recommend this to friends and such. It was a fantastic coming of age story and it was very touching. The time travel was much better executed than many other similar shows, and overall I enjoyed this show. I wasn't bored once!!

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Viva La Vida! ✨

This was my first time travel drama, and it surely did not disappoint!

I thought it would be a simple story of a boy travelling back to the past to meet his parents with a bunch of crackhead moments, but this was a tearjerker. :')

Things I loved:
- I SOOOO LOVEEE both the female leads. Both have such strong characters !!!
- The chaotic relationship between Eun Gyeol and his father!
- The family dynamic between the bandmates!
The friendship that was made even if it started out as a chaos between them
- Episode 15!
- The OSTs! Chef's kiss! Shining was so good!
- RYEOUN! He got my heart tbh.

Even though he wasn't able to change the fact that his father lost his hearing, he absolutely changed how he viewed life from then on and got him to enjoy what he actually loved. He also helped his mother which was my favorite scene, by the way.

Everything about this drama was seriously worth the hype despite its minimal flaws.

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