Twinkling Watermelon

It wasn't what I was hoping for

I guess I should be blaming myself for this, but after watching the first two episodes of Twinkling Watermelon, I was VERY interested in what could happen to Eun Gyeol after traveling back to 1995. The premise of the story also made me wonder how would the plot unfold, and what would be the overall message and the ending. My problem with this drama is that, unfortunately, even now that I'm done watching all the episodes I'm still wondering what were they supposed to be.

The beginning of the story introduces us to Eun Gyeol and his life as a CODA: the way he had to grow up and be mature at a young age, the responsibilities and burdens he felt on his shoulders throughout his childhood and his teenage years, and the way he felt guilty whenever he tried to actually live his youth.
As he went back in time, I thought to myself: "okay, so I guess that this time-travel will teach him to actually live his own life and stop looking after others and sacrificing himself for them, right?"

...except that Eun Gyeol does the exact opposite for the entire drama. He looks after his parents, works as hard as possible to fix their problems and make them happy, even puts himself in danger for their sake. The theme of living his own life and letting others live theirs is barely hinted at until the very last episode, where it's exposed like some sort of lecture rather than something Eun Gyeol has actually internalized and made his own. It also goes against the entire plot, because Eun Gyeol changed the lives of both his parents for the better, which actually ended up influencing the future of many people for the better as well. It felt more like Eun Gyeol was truly supposed to take care of his parents after all.

I also wondered if this time-travel was about him learning that his parents had to struggle in life, and that he wasn't the only one who had to suffer, but I really hope not because that would be a horrible theme. His life as a CODA and the struggles he had to face in his youth are not magically erased just because he finds out that Yi Chan and Cheong Ah suffered as well. Especially with the ending, I felt like Eun Gyeol's hardships were just swept under the rug and there was no actual communication between him and his family, which was truly a shame.

Something else that I couldn't understand at all was On Eun Yu's presence in the story. I might be biased here since I didn't like her character at all (and as much as I like Seol In Ah, I don't believe she was a good casting choice for a teenage character), but I seriously believe her presence was useless for the sake of the main plot. Even her "plan" didn't make any logic sense and felt like a huge waste of time. The screentime spent for her story could have been used to better explore Yi Chan and Cheong Ah's characters, or even better: it could have been used to create a more complete and satisfying ending. It really felt like the writers wanted to give Eun Gyeol a love interest at all costs, which was frustrating to see.

I can't say that I hated the story. It has a very interesting premise, most of the characters are loveable and it's a drama that makes one want to binge-watch everything in a day. I laughed, giggled, kicked my feet, got angry and cried with the characters, which is always great. There were multiple plot holes, but for the most part they were easy to ignore. I just had bigger expectations from it.

The production overall seemed good to me, but I wish they showed the characters better when they spoke in sign language, and I also wish they didn't use voice-overs whenever someone signed. The acting was also great, I especially loved Shin Eun Soo's performance as Yoon Cheong Ah and Choi Hyun Wook as Ha Yi Chan (and their moments together! So adorable!). The pacing is perfect in the first 10 episodes or so, then it started to feel a little draggy, but it wasn't too bad overall. The music is pretty good, I really liked the song choices for the different performances both in the past and in the present.

Overall I can say I had fun, so maybe give it a try for yourself! I can recommend it if you're looking for something that is both fun and tear-jerking.

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A Time-Traveling Melody of Love and Nostalgia

oh my! "Twinkling Watermelon" is a time-travel love story that hit me right in the feels. Picture this: Eun Gyeol, a high school whiz by day and a guitar-wielding maestro by night, accidentally stumbles into a 90s time warp. Yes, you heard me right, time travel!

Now, this isn't your average time-travel tale. It's a heartwarming blend of laughs, romance, and music. Eun Gyeol's meet-up with his young dad, Yi Chan, is like a comedy goldmine. Imagine trying to play matchmaker for your own parents while your future dad thinks you're a lunatic. Hilarious, right? But the twist? Yi Chan ends up falling for a cellist, not Eun Gyeol's future mom. Talk about turning the love story playbook upside down!

Let's talk tunes. Oh, the music! It's not just a soundtrack; it's a time-traveling jukebox of 90s hits and soul-soothing originals. Eun Gyeol rocks out with his dad's band, trying to play cupid through melodies. It's like a musical journey that transports you to the good old days.

The characters are the cherry on top. Eun Gyeol's struggle to keep his parents' love on track while navigating the awkwardness of time travel? It's relatable, and you can't help but root for the guy. The band members add spice to the mix, making you wish you had a gang like that in your own life.

Well, the pacing hits a few bumps, and some story bits could use a little more TLC. But who cares when you're swept up in a whirlwind of laughter, romance, and sweet tunes? This series hooked me with its charm and left me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

"Twinkling Watermelon" isn't just a show; it's a time-traveling symphony that'll make you laugh, cry, and maybe even dance a little. It's a sweet escape into nostalgia, exploring the messy business of changing destiny. Trust me, you're in for a treat – a watermelon-flavored treat that'll leave you smiling and maybe a little teary-eyed. 🍉💫❤️

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Charming Characters with Frustrating Storyline

Recently, I have a bad experience with all these new dramas with an overwhelmingly positive reviews and ratings. So, I went on with the intention of changing my opinion on this one, but sadly, that didn't happen.

I have watched enough dreams to distinguish what the writers main focus is on, which definitely not the story in this one. Their main focus was just to capture the attention of the audience by charming and endearing characters when they couldn't make up for the lose and boring storyline.

1st episode after the second one, it started to get boring. I get it that every drama has a boring phase but this one just didn't get better. Boring, dragging and remains always the same. Everything that happens seems like a straightforward continuation of what was previously established. When it comes to the characters they have a mindset of a 10yo. No one was willing to give up anything in order to get what they want and in the end there were no negative consequences , only the positive ones.

In conclusion mostly teenagers and new audience are the watchers for this show who calls everything they watch a masterpiece. Hope soon mature audiences will pick up the show and the ratings will got down a bit. The storyline remains unfinished in the end and the fate of several characters remains undecided.

Final Note: Don't trust MDL ratings and waste your time on this one there are many drama's better than this one.

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Sadly not for me

Everybody seems to love this show (as shown by the very high rating on here) and based on the premise it had EVERYTHING I love and thus it should've been perfect for me.

Sadly I didn't love this show.

Firstly, let's talk about some of the things that I personally loved:

● The deaf representation I thought was wonderfully done imo and they also didn't fall into some clichés that I personally despise.

● I loved Yi-chan, his relationship with his grandma and the band.

● Cheong-ah storyline was my favourite and I loved her character.

● I think they handled the themes of depression and suicide quite well and I was impressed by some of the conversations that were being had.

● Also I thought they way generational trauma was hanndles in the show was really nice.

● Tge parents relations in the present and in the past was the cutest and I love it, I genuinely would've loved a mini series just on their original timeline story.

Now let's mention some of the things I didn't enjoy:

● For almost the whole show I just couldn't stand Se-kyung, I was constantly annoyed by her and just couldn't find her likeable at all. As I said I did enjoy some of the themes that were explored through her character but because I was just so annoyed by her for more than half of the show, it became hard to enjoy the show itself when she's one of the main characters.

● After a while I just stopped being interest in the story and the characters, it just didn't manage to keep my attention. The plot itself to me just felt a bit too predictable and like many other time travel stories we've seen a thousand times so it was the characters job to keep me engaged, however, past a certain point, the characters and their relationships and stories just weren't strong enough for me to care.

● I personally hate the ending. I don’t want to spoil anything but yeah, just didn't like the rout they decided to go with.

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Refreshing like a watermelon

I have no words to express how much I loved this drama. This was like a breath of fresh air for me. The characters are well-written, and the story is so emotional and enjoyable and has so many lessons and emotions carved into it. At the beginning of the last episode, I was destroyed emotionally and cried a lot, but the ending made me so happy T^T.

My only complaint, and also the reason I don't give this drama a 10, is that I would have liked to see more of their lives in the future, both Eun Gyeol with his family and Eun Yu with her mom. Also, Eun Gyeol and his father playing the song they wrote together would have been nice.

This is my first time doing a review, and I'm glad it's about this story. I'm so grateful to have watched such a great drama. It was just perfect. I'll miss them so much T^T.

Twinkling watermelon will always have a special place in my heart.♡

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Too Many Flaws To Overlook

Before started watching I have the feeling that this drama is overrated, but I wanted to give it a chance because of the premise. Unfortunately, Twinkling Watermelon was not up to the expectation thanks to several issues that I will explain later.

Overall, this drama was a mix of "good visual, make-believe, cute moments" with "draggy, non important, filler moments".

With the long duration of each episode (to me 1 hour is long LOL), people tend to remember the former more than the latter, creating a wrong perception that it was a decent drama while it's actually not. Perhaps this drama could only be considered good after we remove all the unnecessary? Or maybe it will be good if the following issues can be handled better by the production team, and then only we can overlook the filler moments;

1. Failed to focus on small details
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This is the major issue in this drama. The writer was lazy to take care of the small details resulting in many afterthoughts writing "cover up". There were also some questionable illogical actions from the characters that felt unnatural throughout the drama. The representation of deaf people was more on the superficially dramatic side instead of the believable one.

2. Non consistency in main character
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The main character, Eun Gyeol sometimes was portrayed as smart, responsible, and genius. But at other times he was portrayed as plain stupid. Because of that we had to deal with unnecessarily TIRING misunderstanding between him and his teenage father, Yi Chan for like half of the duration of the drama in each episode. I understand the writer wanted to create the so called cute moments and pseudo bromance but it felt repetitive and too forceful (and tiring). His slow ability to read the clues left by Eun Yu was another example of his character stupidity, where the writer used this to drag out the plot to the max.

3. Disappointing music/band element
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The other major disappointment in Twinkling Watermelon is its music direction. Some may say this is not the main focus of the drama. But please remember that the whole thing start and end because of music. From the young Eun Gyeol learning the guitar until he joined SPINE9.

Firstly, they superficially made Eun Gyeol as the genius guitarist. However it wasn't clear what was his style of playing and what kind of music genre he was into. Showing some random guitar techniques and Canon Rock did not help.

Secondly, the whole band-forming arc in the 90's was a JOKE! They confused making a band with making a sport team, where you need to find the most powerful player...LOL. It would have been great if they could show what kind of music Yi Chan listened to, rather than randomly picked Nirvana but didn't show anything close to that genre/sound in the end.

Thirdly, the choices of music, sound, and styling for the band was not ROCK enough for a band that's formed in the 90's. Similarly the background music selection did not vibe the 90's. Considering good budget the Korean have for their drama it won't hurt paying royalty to appropriate western songs if needed.

Finally, the band members were shown as doing all sort of things except playing music. It was not until Ep10 that we see them play and practice together. Even so it was like magic that everyone could blend in so quickly and able to play like professional backup musician at one try.

4. Pseudo 90's portrayal
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I guess 90's era is one of the selling point of the drama but the writer and production failed to utilize it. I didn't get the nostalgic feeling even though I was there (not in Korea though LOL). Nothing portrayed in the drama was really a fair representation of the era except for maybe some posters and vinyl album covers at random places. The technology limitation did not play an important role to the plot at all. Instead, the writer chose to overuse PAGER as one size fits all solution for the writing, which is a bummer since it was not a must have device unlike smartphone of today.

5. Pacing
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Most people found this drama boring during the beginning right up to Ep4 before it turned into better. For me, Ep1 was okay but it started become draggy and overstretch right after that. Only the last 6 episodes were showing some progress, with the following breakdown:

Ep11 - Ep12: They show more of the band and its members in action
Ep13 - Ep14: They show more of the romance
Ep15 - Ep16: They show MC solve the mission and conclusion

Even though many found the ending rushed, I personally liked it because they didn't explain everything and left it for interpretation. It was an ideal ending for this kind of drama IMO, albeit typical and predictable. Or maybe I just wanted to finish the drama quickly IDK...LOL

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"Maybe a little more to the ending?"

"Twinkling Watermelon" started as a time-filler, but it ended up tugging at my heart. Viva teaching Eun Yul guitar was sweet, and the drama between the father and son had me on edge. The "Master" twist and the 19s lifestyle kept things interesting. Ha Yi Chan's romantic story was a highlight.

But, man, the feels hit hard when Eun Yul couldn't dodge the accident, and Yi Chan lost his hearing. Why didn't they spill the tea on Choi Se Keoung and her dad's story? Yoon Cheung Ah's happy ending was a win, but I needed more deets in the finale. Overall, emotional ride, but give me a fuller ending, please!

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Watermelon on a sunny day vibes

Nov. 14, 2023

Twinkling Watermelon is the best KDRAMA of this quarter for 2023. Everything for me was just perfect. The writing, the dialogue, the execution of the scenes, the pace, and the ending. It was so well-done.

I genuinely haven’t felt this type of emotion within the past few years, but this KDRAMA gave me all the feelings that I need. There wasn’t any unnecessary filler and sub-plots. All the things that were presented, were in tied and put well together. There is nothing I can even say that is incoherently bad about Twinkling Watermelon. There is so much life lessons that were shown here like living for yourself and not for your parents. Live the life that you want. It is such a heart warming KDRAMA. I have definitely can say that this is an S-TIER KDRAMA.

It deserves the hype and the love that it is getting right now. Twinkling Watermelon has given me so much comfort that I know that I will be rewatching this again and again. I love how the youthfulness was shown. The fantasy aspect was amazing and I really feel that inner child of mine being healed in a sense.

The cast is amazing from the current time period to the past time period. They all executed their roles well and I cannot believe I am saying good bye to them. My Mondays and Tuesdays will now be feeling more hollow and the joy that this series have given me was truly just spectacular.

To Yi Chan and Cheong Ah: I truly believe that you guys are such important figures in terms of showcasing that you really gotta fight and push through with life. No matter how things can get rough and challenging. Seeing them push through and over coming their challenges is definitely a life lesson that I will be keeping in my mind. As I also flourish with age, and my youth will slowly disappear. I wish I can age and find a love that they have to each other.

To Eun-Gyeol and Eun-Yoo: I heavily relate with you guys. Having that expectations from my own parents definitely have made me feel super pressured and it did boggle with my mental health. I think your scenes have definitely triggered some of my own hidden emotions that I have been running away from as well. I guess a letter to myself is that like how you two were able to succeed and fight through the course of life. I will be able to tackle my problems head on too. And I will not have to resort to just running away from it.

I truly felt the roller coaster ride type of emotions while watching Twinkling Watermelon. I do find myself having comfort with the cast and the series. I wish you guys can give this show the love that it deserves. This show has definitely jumped into my top 5 Kdrama series for sure.

Viva la vida !

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It's really a ✨twinkling✨drama!!

This is one of the best kdrama i have ever watched. I regret watching it so late but anyways deciding to watch it was the best decision of my life lmao. The story was so amazing and i could really feel the emotions through the whole drama!! I cried in the last two episodes because the acting was done so deeply that it touched my heart, i could feel the emotions of characters lol.


I literally loved ha yi chan's cheerfulness. The bond between ha yi chan and eun gyeol made it perfect, the little fun, teasing among them just like best friends was a chef's kiss in order to show the fun have in youth. I loved the band members so muchh viva la vida~😭✋🏻


If there's a good side then there's also a bad side...but I won't say it bad but it could have been better when i talk about the last episode, it was good, but it was little rushed. We could have get some scenes of how ha yi chan moved on from the accident and how cheung Ah was able to meet yi chan back after her father was making her study abroad.


But overall, it's definitely give it a try, i literally loved this dramaaa so muchhhhh!!!! It has all the things a drama should have imo, a bit of perfect humour, funny support characters like bal san 😭, and most importantly emotions that can touch your heart and make you enjoy the drama even more. Everything is perfect here. Those who are still waiting to watch, just give it a try it's really amazing. Have a good binge watching. <33

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Every imperfection is an opportunity for a new perfection in life!

This is one drama that is really great among the few time travelers – dramas. First, I'll start with the story. The genre itself tells us the story, time travel, youth, friendship, first love, musical. But what separates this drama? What makes it special, different from the rest? First, the whole story is divided into sections (retrospect) through which we get to know the characters and their lives from different angles, their problems, and through them we arrive at the main plot. Something that underpins this drama is that we get to know the story through the main characters and their little prologues that are really emotional. Throughout the drama there were various emotions and feelings that were a major part of the story, and the characters conveyed all the emotions perfectly to me and the rest of the viewers. And in fact this story gives us a much deeper meaning, which is that life is perfect with our imperfections, and sometimes we have to learn to live without thinking about the past, because the future is in front of us. These are some of the best impressions this story has left on me, and certainly on anyone who has seen this great play. As far as the characters, as I mentioned to you, they did a great job. They conveyed every emotion so realistically, and in my opinion, the main characters did the best job, especially the ones who couldn't speak, because they fascinatingly introduced us to their personalities and conveyed each emotion in sign language. I liked that they actually handled the main characters' backstories very well, getting to know them better and getting us into the whole drama. I want to start with Ha Yi Chan, the one ML. His character was really dynamic and difficult, but still so interesting and funny to watch. His character was represented from two sides. One is from the perspective of the mature and experienced Yi Chan with his difficult life situation with his family, and the other is from the perspective of the first image we had of his character who is energetic, lively, cheerful, so carried away in his youth. We see the huge contrast between the two characters of him, but we actually see that they are very similar. They are content with what they have, they value their things as if they were most precious to them, and they live as if it were their last. Although his difficult story was told through both personalities, he managed to stay who he was and did not give up on his dreams. His character was the most interesting and also the hardest to watch, but both actors did a great job. And then there's Chong-ah. As I mentioned earlier, I'm fascinated by the grief of her character. We have the same case as Yi Chan. We see her character from two perspectives. But I would talk more on her character in her youth, because that's when we get to the heart of her story. I actually liked that at first she was portrayed as a shadowed person, but over time we realize and discover how combative, strong, and filled with grief and pain she is. Through love, she confronts herself and her problems and learns how to fight in life, and we see the same with Yi Chan. The other FL was also fantastic. As for her character, there was the most contrast between the two personalities of her character. We have a cold, insensitive girl versus a cheerful, playful, free-spirited girl, but both have experienced a lot of trauma and difficult situations. We see her way of wrestling with herself and with life. I liked that her character was included in the main plot because it all made sense in the end. And finally, we have the other ML. His character, like the others, is seen from two perspectives, but in a different way from the other characters. We've seen the whole story throughout his life, and that's why I think his role was really the most important. I liked that in the other characters the lives were presented as a flashback, but in his character it wasn't. We see his perseverance and great desire to improve the family, and to do something that will make everyone happy. I think that even though his character is seemingly portrayed as the most mature and self-aware, the main message of the drama is conveyed through his character, which is that no matter how hard we try sometimes we can't change some things and situations in life, but we can accept those things and use them as an opportunity for something new. Something better. All the characters are interconnected, and although they all have different problems, coming from different backgrounds, they find happiness in the darkness, and turn insecurities and imperfections into opportunities for struggle, for success, for life and happiness. Some may not want the ending because the second main couple in the drama didn't have the ending they imagined. But I think it's great that for them we're back in retrospect, but now with a new and better life for them as well as for all the other characters. It's this ending that suits the drama the most and makes it even better, and all the characters get what they really deserve. As for the OST, there really aren't any words here. Because it's a musical itself, the characters express all the feelings through songs, it's actually great that music is one of the main genres in this drama because it's the one that brings the characters together even though maybe not everyone can hear it, they can feel it. A lot of funny and interesting moments were told through it, but also the traumatic and bad things that the characters went through. Although the drama was filled with countless happenings and things, there was a flashback to time travel and multiple plots, it is still perfectly good and excellent, so I reckon everyone would have liked it. As you can see, this drama is one of the few that deserves a 10 for everything. Except for the value of re-watching. Yes, the drama is perfect, but one viewing is enough to grasp the point of the drama and the message it carries. I personally would watch it again, if only because of the wonderful songs that were part of the drama and the fantastic acting of the characters. All in all, my final rating is 9.5, for this masterpiece, which will definitely remain etched in the hearts of many viewers. Finally, I want to share my favorite message from this play, which has really taught me a lot. In fact, a person is like a fortress, which is built of a myriad of virtues, perfections, and beautiful traits, but there are also flaws, imperfections, scars, and whiteness that make that fortress even stronger and stronger. It is up to us whether in life we will fight and tear that fortress behind us or give up and tear down our personality (^o^)

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Doubtful beginning and amazing ending

First few episodes made me doubtful and I was thinking about dropping this drama, but I'm glad I didn't do that and chose to watch further. The actors were amazing and the soundtrack was strong, it kept me going.
The strong meaning of the main idea was portraid so beautifully and interesting. The relationships between son and father, grandmother and grandson were so important and pure and growing connection between father and daughter made me happy.
Although ending still left so many question, that I tried find the answers online, little details that were shown answered some of them. The last episode made me weep, it was so emotional and strong. This is by far the best Kdrama I had ever seen. I wish I could watch this drama again as new.

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