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Time travel¿
A charming and unique drama with an interesting concept. The time-travel element is well-executed, and the musical aspects add a lot of charm. However, some plot points felt a bit rushed or predictable. many emotional moments and strong performances made it worth watching.I mainly got into this show for the cast they had. I was surprised by the story this how had to tell. The time travel aspect was so confusing in the first few episodes because I didn't expect any supernatural elements to happen. Personally this lowered my interest in the show. The story was fine. I've seen similar stories that had much better writing. By the time I was finishing up the season, I was glad it ended but I wasn't disappointed.
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Emotional, satisfying, and heart-wrenching in the best possible way
When I finished watching this drama, I rated it a perfect 10 for my own list. Writing this review, I'm tempering it down to an even 9. That said, there really isn't much better you can do with a storyline like this, and when I say this show was satisfying, I mean it.THE GOOD
- The characters. Let's start there, because there was a LOT of good in this show. I absolutely adored every single character they introduced to this story. The most remarkable aspect was the sense that every one of them had a backstory, regardless of whether we saw it or not. That really made the characters live and breathe beyond their supporting role (in most cases). Eun Gyeol was an excellent lead to take us through the story, and he worked beautifully opposite the younger versions of his parents. It was incredible being introduced to character after character and growing to care for them as the series went on. I'm talking about the guitar grandpa, Se Kyeong, the band, Ma Joo, Eun Ho, the whole lot of them. Definitely one of the more superior ensemble casts I've had the pleasure of watching.
- The Deaf representation. I want to start by saying that I am not Deaf or HoH, nor do I know anyone who is, so my opinion here is secondary to anyone who's from that community. However. I really liked the way they handled the rep here. Not only did they show the struggles of functioning as a Deaf person in a hearing community, but they also showed the joys and beauty, too. I am always apprehensive at time travel plots that aim to 'fix' a person's disability, so I was really really pleased with how it actually played out in this show. There were some more subtle moments of respect as well--when Yi Chan gets to know Cheong Ah better and doesn't pull her out of the way of a car but rather lets her walk out of the way on her own. Deafness and differing abilities of any kind are not a burden on society and that was such a beautiful moment to show that. Cheong Ah had her fair share of abuse and bullying, but it was honestly incredible to see how her friends respected her and liked her and wanted to communicate with her the way she deserved. Similarly, showing Yi Chan's grief following the accident...that was incredibly real, too. I always thought the time travel was never about saving Yi Chan, but for Eun Gyeol to understand him, and I was very pleased to see the writers agreed.
- The pacing. Rarely have I watched a show that was so well-paced. The plot was constantly moving, and every piece of filler served to move the plot forward. It was very, very well done.
- The acting. From the child actors to the adult ones, everyone knocked it out of the park. There isn't a single one I can point out as an exception because they all brought their A-game. It was riveting to watch, truly.
THE BAD
- The last episode made me a little impatient. I had hoped for an earlier resolution in the 'past' so we could see more of the 'future'. That said, it was still fulfilling in every way that mattered.
- The time travel. So this part required a little suspension of disbelief. There really were no rules to how the time travel worked, and how big or small an impact changing the past had on the future seemed to depend entirely on what served the storyline. If you're a stickler for these details, then you definitely have to turn that part of your brain off. It's a little wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey...and that's OK. Things don't have to be perfect. It was still enjoyable.
- The new future. OK so...I was really hoping for Eun Gyeol and dad!Yi Chan to revisit their argument from the beginning (EP2) AFTER the time travelling so we can see them both grow to understand each other. That did not happen. In fact, their lives were changed enough from the past that the argument never existed. Which is...one way of doing this, I suppose, but I wasn't a huge fan. I didn't like the idea that Eun Gyeol returned back to a completely different life, even though the person he is was forged from all of these experiences that no longer existed. Again, wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey...but I would have liked to see some more subtle changes rather than some big ones.
There is no THE UGLY because there truly was nothing that bad. This show is such a comfort drama. Very rewatchable, and it really makes you want to live a more fulfilling life. It had me nostalgic for highschool as well, and wishing that I'd spent that time 'sparkling' a little more.
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Twinkling Watermelon Review - ZyKuu
"A teenage boy uncovers his dark past" - Perfection. The story is unique and unpredictable. This show will never fail to disengage you as a viewer due to the astounding plot and crazy twists written within. I loved the origin story between Yi-chan and Chung-ah. Watching how their first interaction blossoms into a romance is heartwarming. The relationship between Eun-gyeol and On Eun-yoo is entertaining, and their chemistry was on point. There were two character relations that stood out to me. One being between Eun-gyeol and Chung-ah, they shared many scenes that were impactful but there was one powerful scene in particular that brought me to tears. The second being between Yi-chan and his grandmother who had such a loveable relationship, and there was one scene specifically that had me crying. Chung-ah was undoubtedly my favourite character in the show as she was absolutely flawless and played her role perfectly! The OST was diverse and delivered a retro vibe that fit the theme of the show which made it astounding. This show has even sparked my curiosity to learn sign language! Beautiful show nonetheless.Was this review helpful to you?
It's good but slow
The Drama is not bad at all, but the pacing was way to slow. Form me the series started at episode 9. THe episodes before that felt like fillers for me. Love the cast and the characters. They could've made 12 or even 10ep out of the series and cutting the filler like episodes. Satisfied ending. Still recommend, it's a really good series except for it's slow pace.Was this review helpful to you?
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Cinderella Meets Minutemen
nepo baby goes back in time to make himself even more successfulA phenomenal addition to the vault of time travel stories. It was really touching to see a central storyline more focused on a son and his friendship with his parents. Cried a lot- the scene with Grandpa teaching Eun-gyeol how to speak guitar is such a beautiful moment, and probably the one that i’ll carry with me the longest. SO glad the writers decided to let Eun-gyeol improve his family’s circumstances without saving his father from hearing loss. This is the best, most thoughtful deaf representation I can recall seeing, and it’s sparkling.
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Once again, I gave into the hype a bit too late but you can always trust what the people like, right? I absolutely loved the story, and even though time slip dramas are considered to be some type of a cliche and overdone overall, I completely disagree and love to see a dash of supernatural occurring. More than the romance itself, I particularly enjoyed that the story revolved mainly about the son's relationship with his dad. It was meaningful, and truly a life-long bond being built while travelling to the past. However, I did feel as though the father-mother romance got a bit lost in the mix, and not to mention Cheong A's storyline. She seemed like a complete side character, and even the love story between her and Yi Chan seemed completely out-of-place (I did not see the sparks fly). Overall, a good slice-of-life watch bringing something new into the KDrama sphere, but personally, it was lacking something that I can't exactly pinpoint. Chemistry, further character development for some side characters, quicker pacing maybe? Could be a mix of all of these.
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youthful, romantic, comforting.
I'm not the biggest fan of time travel dramas, but this was one made me reconsider my opinion of it. I mainly watched it because of choi hyun wook as the other characters were slightly unfamiliar to me and it also included a hearing impaired character which always intrigued me whenever they appeared in dramas but I stayed until the end as the presence of the other characters made it even enjoyable.The mixture of friendship, high school, family and love was nicely potrayed. The most I enjoyed was the chemistry between yi chan and cheong ah. I loved and adored them very much!! Learning about cheong ah's past was aslo very interesting.
All the characters, especially the students were refreshing and heartwarming to see.
Honestly, I loved the setting whenever it took place in the past rather than in the modern days. The modern day scenes just seem a bit awkward to me for some reason. Maybe because I'm such a nostalgic person ^_^. So if you are one, you should definitely give this drama a chance.
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It is a good drama.
It's a good drama; it's funny and quite entertaining. I liked the acting of little Eun gyol. it was refreshing to watch it. The visual, acting and OSTs are the best. The relationship between father and son. It was a reality check that our parents too have gone through tough times , it is us who are taking them for granted. There are things that they did not get but tried really hard to give us the love and safety. They are willing to do anything for us, they too try hard to be a good parent. But there are many things that remain unanswered and kind of feel like a plot hole for me.Spoiler alert:-
1. Eun Gyol, the fact that he knew he was in the past and kind of accepted it, but still, he called Se Kyoung "ajumma" and wanted to hear answers from her about the things she did in the future. Like, bro, how is she going to answer it?
2. On Eun Yu, She got into time travel after finding out that her dad was cheating on her mom. First of all, she wasted so much time on finding 'her mom's first love'. After finding out that her mom's first love is her dad, she never even tried to know her father or follow him; she saw him flirting and all, but never checked what her father is doing. It was as if her whole point of going to the past was pointless, except for being a love interest of Eun Gyul.
3. If Eun Gyol and Eun Yu were supposed to go to a place together to meet the master, But for Eun Gyol it was the same bookstore from where he came from the future, If that was the case, then wasn't Eun Yu supposed to go to the airport since she came to the past from there?
4. The ending was so rushed that many things just got lost. Eun Yu never found out what her father was doing with the women. What happened between Choi Se Kyeong and her biological father?
5.Yoon Cheong Ah's father said that they are never coming back to korea, so how did they ended up in Korea? Where and when did Yi Chan and Chung Ha meet and get married?
6. We know what Eungyol's life is like at the end. But what about Eun Yu? How is her life going?
7. The fact that Ha Yi Chan and Yoon Chug Ha's love story starts after 10 episodes. when they are supposed to be the main couple.
8. What about Eun Gyol's brother? Does he still like Eun Yu?
These are my opinions. I liked the drama, but the fact that there are so many questions that are not answered and it made the ending really rushed and forced. The whole drama revolves mainly around Eun Gyol. We did not get the story of the other side characters.
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WATERMELON....SUGAR!
Surprisingly this is a good drama, the best of this drama was the casts. Everyone had genuine smiles and great collaboration between them. I would give credit to the main actors who made this drama special.Ryeoun as Ha Eun-gyeol
The only hearing person in a deaf family (Mom, Dad, & older Brother). Eun-gyeol was a perfect model student by day, but at night he lead a double life as a talented guitarist in a band. After having an argument with his father, where his father learned of his musical interest, he time slipped to 1995 and met his parents when they were Junior in High School. He surprise to know that his dad wasn't deaf but a hot-blooded youth whose in love with a girl from Seowon Arts HS, Choi Se-kyung: a student major in cello not his mother. Eun-Gyeol also learned there's accident causing his father lost his hearing and stirred his attention to the deaf girl Yoon Cheong-ah as he knew her as his mother. He strive to create a different outcome of his parent's future and to avoid the accident. ***Ryeoun was a delight to watch, he's not only great play guitar but also sign language, it wasn't fake sign language - no! He knows it well. His expression was excellent & great smiles, speech deliverance is awesome.
Choi Hyun-wook as Ha Yi-chan
A hot-blooded youth whose worry nothing but so cheerful and confident. He lives with his grandmother who owned an accommodation house named Snail House. He's in love with beautiful Choi Se-kyung: the cello goddess of Seowon Arts High School. Choi Hyun-Wook made a bet with Se-kyung he would be in a band and made her girlfriend. The bet was on, but out of the blue a crazy boy Ha Eun-Gyeol show up challenged him of her heart. With some reason that strange boy Ha Eun-Gyeol kept follow, helping & protect him. He finally warmed-up to him and they became good friend. ***Choi Hyun-wook is full of energy, has beautiful voice, good in play guitar.
Seol In-ah as Choi Se-kyung / On Eun-yoo
Se-kyung was a person considered to be everyone's muse with her beauty, talent and elegant aura, but she would have an unhappy marriage that made her a controlling mother to her only daughter On Eun-Yoo. Eun-Yoo was on the same situation as Eun-Gyeol, she determined to change her mother's love life so she would have a happy marriage, she looked for the man of her mother's first love. Eun-Yoo and Eun-Gyeol had an understanding to help each other shaping different destiny for their parent. ***Seol In-Ah beauty and sunshine character are significant with character she's portraying.
All ends well, great drama.
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I’m sure I won’t say anything that hasn’t already been said, but I had a blast watching Twinkling Watermelon. Between this show and Weak Hero Class, Choi Hyun-wook has become a must-watch actor for me and I think his character is the highlight of this show. The time travel plot is nothing new, but what really made this show work were the characters. Eun-gyeol is possibly the least chill time traveller there has ever been but it was hilarious to just see him calling other high schoolers mom and dad immediately. His dynamic with both of his young parents was so good. The relationship between his young parents was my favorite part and I wanted so many more scenes of young Yi-Chan and Chung-ah. The friendships between all of the characters were so much fun and I loved the nineties setting.
This drama almost made it into my top five ranking, but I did have some issues with the plot. The first couple of episodes were hard for me to get into and I think all the scenes taking place in 2023 just were so much less interesting than the ones in the past. While the adult versions of his parents were fine, they were not the beloved young versions that we got from the past. Especially for his dad, I think it was very hard to see him as the same person as young Yi-Chan, even after everything he had been through. The pacing also felt pretty off, with a lot of the mysteries or secrets being drawn out really far and then the show not really having time to resolve them effectively. The show could’ve either tried to make some of the plot points less drawn out or it could’ve used a couple extra episodes. The last episode felt way too rushed as the show tried to wrap up all of the loose ends.
The characters in Twinkling Watermelon became so dear to me by the end of the show that it really did make up for most of my issues with the plot. The show is worth watching for Choi Hyun-wook’s performance alone.
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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.Was this review helpful to you?
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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