Twinkling Watermelon

The BEST Kdrama I have watched in AGES!!!! ✨?

Before starting this kdrama I didn't know what I was getting into. I thought it would be just another drama with that clichè story of travelling back in time. And I swear I have never written review for any drama before but this drama is SOOOO GOOD I had to let people know what they're missing on if anyone hasn't watched it yet!

The casting has been done perfectly. The chemistry between the cast, their acting everything just feels so natural. All the funny scenes are so beautifully done it doesn't feel forced at all. It's a whole package it'll make you laugh, make you cry, make you get excited over the bromance and make you feel the romance.

The title fits perfectly this drama will actually make you feel refreshed like after eating a watermelon 🍉
It is one of those dramas that will lighten up your mood, give you that youthful feeling. I can't wait for my eun-se and chan-ah couple to end up together but at the same time I don't want this drama to end 🥺

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A masterpiece of a drama

Everything was done perfectly in this drama. This is the first time I'm not writing any negatives for a drama.

I usually steer away from school dramas and time travel since the former is always cheesy for me and the latter is usually full of angst. But this show had the perfect harmony of warm, angsty, cute, romantic and mystey vibes. The writer needs a standing ovation for making such a brilliant story. No! All the crew members and actors need a standing ovation for this.

Everything in this show was perfect. The story, world building, casting of the actors, character growth...... everything was perfect. Special mention to the actors who showed wonderful acting. Seeing them made me emotional and after finishing this show the vibes still lingered which is what you want from a good show. The chemistry between the characters were great and it was just so great to see disability representation done carefully and with appreciation.

Nothing can stop me from praising this show. If I'm allowed to be selfish, I just wanted another episode for the epilogue or an extended ending to see everyone's life in 2023. But still nothing to complain. But I wonder why this show isn't mentioned much in korea ? I mean, i regularly watch K-shows and it seems like this drama didn't trend among koreans like it was with international fans. If it's true, then koreans really missed out on such a hidden gem. This needs more recognition.

Overall, a wonderful example of what makes a drama a great show. Nothing but respect for the people who worked on this. 10/10.

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A little Treasure

Anyone who sees the 10 stars I gave might think that I am biased or that I may be a fan of one of the actors (which I am now after watching this). and maybe I am high on my emotions after just finishing this drama. Who knows.
I knew this drama was going to be special from the first couple of minutes of the first episode. I can't even make a proper review due to how much this drama means to me.
Some things come to you at the right time and heal your soul. It's so beautiful and full of hope and love. It made me reflect on my own life.

From the casting to the story and the music, everything was done with so much care. You can tell everyone involved in the production did their best to make this special.
I like many genres but somehow my favorite dramas always end up being stories about families, friendships, and people trying and chasing their dreams. And this one had all the above along with romance but romance wasn't the main point of the show. I think what this comes down to is a story about a father and a son. And it was so lovely to watch.

I cried and laughed a lot while watching it . I loved every moment. This drama is my little treasure that I found this year and I love it dearly.

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best drama I've ever watched

the acting was amazing, the storyline was amazing, the message was amazing, the filming was amazing, it was just such a good drama!! I've rewatched it twice already. It is a funny drama with one or two sob scenes. I will never shut up about this. i knew this would be an amazing show knowing choi hyunwook plays in it. if you liked Julie and the phantoms, you will eat this up!! the music is amazing! I was wondering if choi hyunwook actually sings in this as his voice is very similar to the singer of higher... but that doesn't matter because it's great nonetheless. the fact they used sign language makes me so happy!! the actors also actually learned how to play the instruments so it's very accurate :)

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A must watch kdrama with a lot of depth

As soon as I saw the trailer for this kdrama I knew I would be a big fan of it.

But ngl, after starting the first episode I thought it was a bit slow. That was until the show picked up. Then on it was a weekly painful wait for this show to release as I loved every bit off it.

This drama had a lot of big strengths, one of them being the extremely strong cast. Usually in some dramas I tend to forget about the side characters but particularly in this drama all of them have Soo much depth, that I loved every bit off it. Must I add more about the chemistry between the main leads ( all of them ) and their acting. Perfect in all sense.

The ost in this drama was amazing too. All of the different songs in the drama were very vibey and I thought it fit perfectly with the premise. The sets of the drama along with the funny moments just added even more to such an amazing drama.

My only wish was that the final episode was longer and explored a bit more. But apart from that such a big fan of the drama and cannot recommend it more.

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A beautiful story

Honestly, I'd put off watching this. Not because I thought I wasn't going to like it, because I knew I would, which is why I left it for a year on my to watch list. I wanted a time to savor it. Stupid me though decided to binge it during high stress this week though.
So first, take my advice and savor this if you haven't watched it yet, because it deserves full appreciation.

Now onto the spoiler review.

Cast:
Well done. Honestly, I'd only recently started to get into Ryeoun (Adult Trainee ep 3-5 is amazing), and I'd been a fan of Choi Hyun Wook since 2521. I knew they were going to give me stellar performances. And they delivered. They played the father-son/bromance so well. They had such beautiful vulnerable moments that left me gasping. They played amazing as leads. But I think the star of this show, for me, was Shin Eun Soo. She conveyed so much with her expressions. I was always waiting for more scenes with her. As a cast, they all did phenomenally well. I loved the band, who gave so much camaraderie and youthfulness to the show and the grandmother who supported them. They all complimented each other very well. The chemistry was wonderful.

Story:
The show is about living and shining in your youth, and how you overcome your obstacles. But it's also about having a fulfilling adulthood - your life isn't over after highschool, and I think the end really emphasizes that. HEG's parents still existed in the present, and they still shined brightly.
The story starts by showing us HEG's struggle throughout his childhood as he was his parents interpreter and their only link to the outside. It's a heavy burden to put on a child's shoulders, and you can tell that it isn't one intentionally done. Largely it's because of the lack of support, the feeling of being ostracized when you are disabled, and the lack of resources when you are poor (which, unless you are a wealthy heir, is very hard to overcome when you are disabled). It is clear that HEG feels burdened and doesn't want to - he loves his family. And it is also clear that he is unable to communicate with them despite being their only link to communicate. We know as an audience that if he expressed himself, his family would be understanding and supportive, but to him, it's almost insurmountable to actually be selfish.
HEG's chance to go back in time allows him to connect with his parents for the first time, and really speak to them and learn about them. He gets the opportunity to express himself and be accepted, and to right the wrongs in his parents past, saving them and himself.
I love that the story makes HYC's accident a fixed point. I think that it's important to show that it wasn't something in his destiny that needed fixing.

Music:
Very 90s with a hint of modern. I was a big fan. And you can see that they had great stage presence during their shows. I loved HEG busking on the street in the first episode and I think their charisma was very well done to portray them as musicians.

Cinematography
Very bright and youthful, even in the moments that were sad. There was always the draw to the light.

Rewatch value:
First I'm going to watch all the fan edits, then I'll rewatch.

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This is one of my favorite k-dramas out there

Twinkling Watermelon is one of my favorite K-dramas. I recently rewatched it for the first time, and it was just as amazing as I remembered.

When I first heard about this drama, I didn’t plan to watch it while it was still ongoing because I usually avoid ongoing shows. However, the spoilers people were posting intrigued me so much that I gave in. I kept telling myself to wait until it finished airing, but every day, it felt like the wait would never end. By episode 10, I finally decided to start watching. The main reason I was drawn to it was its focus on the experiences of deaf individuals, which resonated with me because my uncle is also deaf. It’s rare to find a drama that explores such characters so well.

Episode 1 is crucial for any K-drama since it needs to hook the audience right away, and Twinkling Watermelon did exactly that. The background story of Eun-gyeol’s family was heartbreaking, and his personal struggles were deeply moving. He had to hide his love for music from his family because he was the only one who could hear and speak, and he felt the weight of their expectations. If he failed, people would blame his parents. He couldn’t afford to be a failure, and that pressure built up so much stress. Music became his escape.

One reason I fell in love with this drama is that I love bands. But I was so frustrated—why wasn’t there a Watermelon Sugar version of the songs?! Did the actors not sing? Or was the band not skilled enough with their instruments to release a proper version? I was really disappointed about that.

As for the characters, my favorite is definitely Yi-chan. Choi Hyun-wook did an amazing job portraying him—he’s so funny and relatable. As someone who is the same age as the characters in the drama, I really connected with Yi-chan’s desire to form a band and make his youth shine. (I just wish I were extroverted like him so I could "twinkle" too.) It’s also incredibly sad because when he tells Eun-gyeol about his dream, we as viewers already know his future—one where he loses his ability to speak and can’t continue making music. That made me so emotional.

Chung-ah’s voice was beautiful. It was so soft and soothing, and I loved listening to her. One of my favorite moments was when she told Yi-chan, "You own your feelings, and I own mine." That line really stuck with me.

One of the saddest scenes in the drama was Yi-chan’s dream of getting into college and graduating. It was heartbreaking to watch.

Overall, this was a fantastic drama. I absolutely loved it. I’d rate it a solid 9.5/10. However, there were quite a few plot holes and unresolved questions that left me frustrated.

Questions That Needed Answers

I feel like the ending was rushed. Eun-gyeol returned to the present in episode 16, but that was already halfway through the episode, leaving very little time to wrap things up properly. They should have added more minutes to explain everything more thoroughly.

Here are the questions I wish had been answered:

1. What happened to Eun-yu? What happened to her family? Did her parents still get divorced, or did they reconcile? The ending didn’t mention her at all, even though she played a huge role in helping Eun-gyeol.

2. Did Watermelon Sugar and Chung-ah recognize Eun-gyeol? This is a major plot hole for me. It seems impossible that they would forget him when he was such an important part of their lives. He was the band’s guitarist, the reason Yi-chan had his accident, the person who helped Chung-ah escape her abusive stepmother, and the one who taught her sign language. How could they not remember him?

3. Why did Viva become the master? And how did Eun-yu know that the master was her grandfather? Just how?

Despite these lingering questions, I truly loved the overall story. It beautifully captured the essence of youth, and as someone who is still young, I found it incredibly relatable.

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THE DRAMA GIVES YOU A SPECIAL KIND OF FEELING ?

The story, the twists, the actors, the OST... almost everything is just amazing! 🤩 This isn't just any typical high school drama, it's a totally different one– one that would give you lots of realizations, lessons, and a new perspective.

Yi-Chan and Chung-Ah made my heart flutter so much ahh...! They had such a great chemistry and love story that's pure and tender. 🩷

The OST matched everything so well and I wasn't bored at all with the flow of the story, although I wished we all saw what happened between Yi-Chan and Chung-Ah when Eun Gyeol left. Like how they were when they are studying together in college.

Nonetheless, it's still amazing after all and I would totally rewatch it. TOTALLY!

VIVA LA VIDA!! 🍉🍉

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The acting carried the whole show.

Overall the show was ok. In my opinion, unfortunately, completely overrated. I've never watched a show that made me not wanting to watch it but, at the same time, I couldn't stop watching it. But only because the acting was very good and the character building was excellent.

The story was just bad though. I am generally not a fan of time travelling and this show didn't change that. Too many plot holes and the twist with the grandpa at the end was just unnecessary. I mean how the squirrel could they not remember Ha Eun Gyeol. He literally is the sole reason for their achievements. And this is only one part of the problem.

It also felt like they wanted to put everything in the show and that made it really overloaded. They should have focused on one or two things. The time travelling was definitely not necessary and caused more problem than it brought value to the show.

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Amazing Show

This show was amazing and I loved everything about it, especially the sorry line I have no complaints except for the fact that to me the main couple was kind of boring because they didn't really interest me. I liked Ha Yi Chan and Cung Ah more they were interesting and everything about their love story is just so cute. Another thing I didn't really like I that when Eun Gyeol came back to the future everything was different and now they were these rich people and I guess that's what happens when you change the past but I just feel as if it was sad that those sweet moments they had in his childhood technically didn't exist anymore. Also, the story doesn't make sense if Eun Gyeol went to the past and altered the future then when he came back to the future shouldn't he not remember his old childhood and now remember a new version with all the changes he made. Other than does small things the story is amazing and I would definitely recommend this.

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