Twinkling Watermelon

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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The story that stays with you for awhile

I don't often come across drama that makes me feel so excited and makes me eagerly anticipate each episode till the very end. I didn't watch it as it was coming out, but since I was busy I couldn't binge it as much as I maybe wanted to. Even though it has it's flaws, the good feeling I was left with exceeds and overshadows them and at the end of the day, what matters the most to me is that I had a good time, and that I most certainly did!

I think it's the best way to go into a drama like this with as little information as possible, so I am not going to delve into the plot much. I'll just say it is super interesting with all it's twists and turns and I was genuinely surprised how creative and funny it gets, despite dealing with some very serious themes. Some of the the themes hit very close to home and I was touched with how they managed to present them and I think about them often even after finishing the drama. All the main characters and most of the supporting ones are so lovable that you want to protect them at all costs.

I have to give praise to the screenwriter Jin Soo Wan for yet another amazing drama, this woman has me in her grasp and so far everything I've seen from her I rated 9 and above.

Actors did an amazing job bringing these characters to life and they had good chemistry between each other. It was endearing to watch them and very easy to root for them. Music was fun and even as I'm writing this the main OST is playing around in my mind, little earworm that it is.

And for the end, I have to mention the few shortcomings. The main fault I'm finding with this drama (while completely ignoring the consequences of time travelling) is that I feel that at the end things got a bit rushed and there were a few loose ends and questions I wish we got an answer to. I also wish we got to see FL's story with the same amount of depth as the ML's, especially in the aftermath. I realize that with the drama this complex it's inevitable to leave some things in the shadows or use convenient solutions (I am looking at you, Master), but it was still something noticeable for me, although to repeat myself, it didn't ruin the overall experience at all.

I recommend this drama wholeheartedly if you are craving something sweet, but thoughtful to watch.

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A Nostalgic Melody of Family, Music, and Second Chances

Twinkling Watermelon weaves a gentle, time-slipping tale about a CODA (child of deaf adults) teenager with a passion for music who unexpectedly travels back to 1995. As he forms bonds with his father in his youth and joins a retro band, the drama builds a charming blend of warmth, nostalgia, and emotional resonance. The story’s heart lies in its exploration of familial love, deferred dreams, and the unspoken chords that bind generations. While the music is central and often delightful, some viewers felt it didn’t always hit the right emotional note. Still, the cast’s sincerity and the show’s uplifting spirit make it an engaging watch for anyone drawn to quiet, soulful K-dramas.

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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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Time travel, family, and retro jams—until the plot forgot which decade it was in

A Nostalgic Fantasy That Sings to Your Soul (Even If It Occasionally Forgets the Lyrics)

✨ THE GOOD:
Genius premise – A CODA teen lands in 1995 to join a band… with his teenage dad. Family therapy via electric guitar? Sign me up.

Emotion-packed cast – Ryeoun and Choi Hyun-wook nailed the son-dad dynamic, and Shin Eun-soo brought depth to a deaf character without a single wasted scene.

Nostalgia heaven – ’90s fashion, warm café lighting, and an OST that deserves a Grammy in the K-Drama Universe.

🐢 THE “WE’RE STILL WALKING?” MOMENTS:
Slow. Start. Syndrome. The first few episodes move like a cassette on low battery.

Mood swings much? Family drama, then magical realism, then rom-com, then trauma—pick a genre, bestie.

Ending felt like a group hug cut short – Not bad, but could’ve hit harder after all the build-up.

💌 THE “JUST PLAY ONE LAST SONG” FACTOR:
When it clicks? It soars. Mid-to-late episodes (esp. 6–8 and 13–15) were peak coming-of-age magic.

The side characters felt lived-in and lovable, especially the bandmates and that one chaotic village ajumma.

And yes, that ending song? It's got repeat button abuse written all over it.

🎯 VERDICT:
"Like digging up an old mixtape from your childhood—nostalgic, imperfect, but packed with soul."

Watch if: You want a warm hug from your screen, with music, tears, and time-travel therapy.
Skip if: You lack patience for a slow build or get whiplash from genre blending.

Best paired with: 🎧 A warm hoodie, your dad’s old playlist, and a little emotional damage (the good kind).

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Twinkling Watermelon – A Coming-of-Age Gift Wrapped in Music and Second Chances

I started Twinkling Watermelon expecting a cute time-travel fantasy. What I got was an emotional hug of a drama that made me cry, laugh, and just… sit with my heart full.

The story revolves around Eun-gyeol, a CODA (child of deaf adults) who lives in two worlds—silence and music. He’s a boy torn between being the “perfect son” in his family and following his own rhythm. When he accidentally time-travels to 1995 and meets his teenage dad? That’s when it really begins.

It sounds sci-fi, but Twinkling Watermelon is actually about something much more grounded:
Healing generational wounds, understanding your parents as people, and learning how to forgive—not just others, but also yourself.

And the music! The band scenes gave me chills—the way they used sound and silence, punk rock and soft ballads to carry emotions. You don’t just hear the songs… you feel them.

The father-son bond? Broke me. Rebuilt me. Broke me again.
The friendship, the romance, the little moments of laughter between big emotional waves—all of it was so well done. And the cast? Flawless. Ri-an's character arc especially grew on me so much, it made me rethink first impressions.

What I really appreciated was how it touched disability with sensitivity. It didn’t pity. It empowered. The scenes with sign language were some of the most emotionally powerful I've ever seen in a K-drama. As someone who loves family-centered stories with a heartbeat of music and a splash of fantasy, this felt like a personal gift.

Twinkling Watermelon is a love letter to misunderstood parents, to teenage dreams, to the messy journey of growing up and making peace with what you can’t change.
It’s for anyone who’s ever wished they could go back—not to change the past, but to understand it better.

Rating: 10/10
Perfect For: Dreamers, musicians at heart, emotional softies, and anyone who still carries questions for their younger (or older) self.

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