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A masterpiece that blends youth, music, and heartfelt family bonds
Twinkling Watermelon (2023) Korean drama…It’s truly a masterpiece in its own time slot. Watching this coming-of-age drama with a touch of music was an exciting and emotional experience. It teaches the value of family, friendship, parenting and all .
ACTING AND CHARACTERS:
The cast was perfectly chosen, making the drama feel alive. The innocence and charm of each character were worth watching, and every role was carefully written with well-crafted stories. Ryeoun gave one of his best performances, perfectly capturing Eun Gyeol’s emotional growth and innocence. Choi Hyun Wook (well-known from Weak Hero Class 1) and Seol In Ah added even more depth and endless charm. My favorite was Shin Eun Soo — her breathtaking performance was full of emotion and surely captured every viewer’s attention. Not a single character was wasted each had depth and purpose.
MUSIC:
Since this is a music-centric drama, the OST deserves more recognition. The songs were not just meant to be heard, but to be felt. They carried emotions, elevated important key moments, and sometimes even told the story better than words could.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED if you enjoy heartwarming youth K-dramas blended with music and emotional twists.
For me, it’s a perfect 10/10, a drama I’ll always recommend
one you should watch at least once in your lifetime.
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A Symphony of Youth, Family, and Second Chances
“Twinkling Watermelon” is a rare coming-of-age gem — a series that glows with warmth, humor, and unexpected emotional power. It weaves music, time travel, and family into a beautifully resonant story about self-discovery and love across generations. More than just a fantasy, it’s a heartfelt reflection on communication, understanding, and the bonds that define us.Ryeoun shines as Ha Eun-gyeol, a hearing child born to deaf parents, whose passion for music becomes both his gift and his burden. When a mysterious event sends him back in time, he meets his teenage father — not as a son, but as a bandmate. Through this surreal encounter, the series explores the beauty of empathy: how truly listening to someone often has nothing to do with sound.
The performances are exquisite. Ryeoun carries both youthful energy and emotional depth, while Choi Hyun-wook, Seol In-ah, and Shin Eun-soo add charm, humor, and complexity. Every relationship — whether romantic, familial, or friendship — feels organic and tenderly developed.
The writing is sharp yet sentimental, blending time-loop mystery with grounded human emotion. The pacing never drags; each episode adds new layers of nostalgia and catharsis. The music — vibrant rock performances and gentle acoustic scores — is the heartbeat of the story, expressing what words often cannot.
Visually, the drama is gorgeous: sunlit classrooms, glowing night concerts, and soft hues that echo memory and hope.
What truly makes “Twinkling Watermelon” unforgettable is its sincerity. It’s about dreams, regrets, and the courage to connect — even across time.
Funny, moving, and full of melody, this drama doesn’t just sparkle — it sings.
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As refreshing as a watermelon on a hot day
I love this drama. The casting, storyline, and characters in this drama were perfect for me. It teaches many lessons overall. I loved Yi Chan and Cheong Ah's love, which was very innocent and pure. Every single person was a green flag in this drama. This drama may or may not be everyone's cup of tea. Highly recommend for everyone to watch. Many comedic moments throughout the drama. The ending was a little rushed, I wish to see more of Yi Chan and Cheong Ah's story. Their whole catchphrase, "Viva La Vida", is wholesome. Major found family trope. This drama got the hype it deserves. The OST "Shining" is one of my favourite OSTS of kdramas. Overall, a good drama to binge-watch, to have a good laugh, learn lessons and is very nostalgic. It'll make you miss your friends and will make you regret not enjoying your youth. When you watch some of the scenes, you feel like you're one of the members since it's very chaotic. Each episode is full of surprises, I never got bored watching it, so yeah. You will not regret watching it!Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A Breezy Time Travel Romance
Time travel romances seem to be in trend and joining the foray is tvN’s latest offering “Twinkling Watermelon”. If you are wondering about the title (as I’m), maybe it is a mere connotation to the storyline which sparkles with youthfulness and has varied tones of friendship/love. Starring Ryeoun, Choi Hyun Wook, Seol In Ah, Shin Eun Soo in the lead roles, the drama premiered to high expectations and certainly it was worth the hype. The first two episodes set up the premise decently while introducing intriguing characters as well as the time travel element which pops up randomly. The storytelling is little out of place and at times without context (when they randomly switch between two timeframes), but the chemistry between the characters is reckoning and it manages to tide over those discrepancies. For now, I’m invested in this drama simply because the storyline is interesting and I’m hoping for some solid character development in the future episodes.Read the complete article here-
https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2023/09/27/twinkling-watermelon-first-impressions/
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Most funny drama have seen this year
One things I like from this drama is that number 1 all the characters they use especially this mad guy Choi Hyun Wook omo that guy I always like his acting both bully and comedy though I like his comedy acting the most all of his drama that have watch he always make me laugh, And also the first ML his reaction when he say (AJHUMA IT IS REALLY YOU) funny, I don't know for other people, but am really curious how he got deaf but from what I see from the episode 4 ending is that everything will change in the remaining episode because from what I watched do the trailer the CHOI SE YOEON didn't travel but am sure the future will change am really curious how this drama will endWas this review helpful to you?
A Beautiful Blend of Youth, Music, and Emotion ??
“Twinkling Watermelon” is the kind of drama that sneaks up on you — it starts light and cheerful, but soon becomes something profoundly emotional. It’s a story about family, youth, and communication, told through music and time travel, yet it feels so real and grounded.The writing is heartfelt, beautifully connecting the past and present while exploring themes of love, regret, and understanding between parents and children. Every character has depth; even side stories carry genuine warmth and purpose.
What truly elevates this drama is its emotional sincerity. The performances are outstanding — Ryeoun’s portrayal of Eun Gyeol is both vulnerable and inspiring, and Choi Hyun Wook captures the youthful passion and pain of Lee Chan perfectly. The chemistry among the cast feels natural and alive.
The cinematography and music are equally impressive. The retro atmosphere, guitar soundtracks, and emotional OST pieces create a nostalgic yet healing experience.
“Twinkling Watermelon” isn’t just about time travel or music — it’s about finding your own voice and learning to listen to others’. It’s warm, funny, touching, and unforgettable. Truly one of 2023’s best K-dramas.
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BAWLING MY EYES OUT
I AM NOT OKAY. I finished episode 16 like 2 hours ago, and I’ve just been lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling, emotionally wrecked. My eyes are red from crying, and the OST is haunting me. Like, what was this show?? Why did it hurt this much??Let’s get one thing straight—this drama was special. The emotions, the storytelling, the music, the relationships—everything was crafted so well that even when it wasn’t perfect, it still left the kind of impact that lingers. But GOD, the last few episodes needed more time.
First of all, Eunyu. What happened to her??? How did her time in 1995 change her relationship with her mom? Ofcourse we can deduce that they have a much better relationship now as Eunyu understands her mom but also did her parents stay together, or did they still separate? And Jonathan—was his fate altered?? The show built up so much for her, but in the end, they just let her fade away with zero closure.
Then there’s Yi-chan and Cheong-ah. We went through SO much pain for them, and yeah, we know they end up together and the ending of them becoming so succesful was truly incredible but imagine how much more fulfilling it would’ve been to see them in university, at their wedding, even as Eun-gyeol’s parents in their new life.
And don’t even get me started on the accident. The entire show had been building up to it, making us dread it, making us fear it—and then they just drop it at the end of episode 15 like a side plot?? No time to sit with our emotions, just boom, next thing you know, we’re in clean-up mode..
The last few episodes needed better pacing. The accident deserved more time. The emotional consequences deserved more weight. And instead of just rushing to wrap things up, we could’ve gotten more moments of Yi-chan realizing his feelings for Cheong-ah. Because let’s be real—he was chasing Se-gyeong until episode 11. Which he was probably doing unconsciously tbf, because he even practiced the song for Cheong-ah like if that isnt love idk what is. But yeah more moment before they got together and even after they got together would have been appreciated. It would’ve been so much more satisfying if we actually saw it develop naturally over time.
Despite all this, I GET why this drama hit so hard. Like i dont think i have cried this hard for any show, EVER. It wasn’t just about romance—it was about family, music and fates. It was about Eun-gyeol carrying the weight of his father’s fate and trying to fix something he didn’t even need to fix. It was about Eun-yu growing into her own person, about Yi-chan’s struggles, about Cheong-ah’s loneliness.
And honestly?? Eun-gyeol and Eun-yu supremacy. Why do people not like them?? Their dynamic was so interesting, layered, and emotional. They had one of the most compelling relationships in the whole show. I love them so much it’s insane. I SCREAMED everytime they had a moment like ohmygod they are my parents.
Final Thoughts: Twinkling Watermelon wasn’t perfect. But it was DAMAGING. It hit deep. It made me feel things I wasn’t prepared for. I wish we had just one more episode to wrap things up properly, but even with its flaws, I can’t deny how much it meant to me. I don’t know if I’ll recover from this anytime soon.
Would I rewatch it? Yes.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely.
Would I sell my soul for a special episode that gives me the closure I need? 1000%.
Anddd now 1 week later, i have a viva la vida pendant and a keychain :)
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Melhor dorama de 2023!
Tentando superar essa obra de arte chamada "Melancia Cintilante" até hoje sem sucesso!Que dorama encantador, fechou 2023 com chave de ouro e entregou tudo: Comédia, romance, drama, amizade, fantasia… Foi realmente muito prazeroso e divertido acompanhar Eun Gyeol, Yi Chan e os demais personagens e a sua juventude mais que brilhante. Fiquei impressionada com o desenvolvimento da trama e dos relacionamentos entre os personagens e com a sensibilidade do dorama ao abordar a deficiência auditiva e a linguagem de sinais, não apenas como uma ferramenta, mas como parte integrante da narrativa.
E os atores me impressionaram muito (principalmente os protagonistas) por precisarem aprender linguagem de sinais, a cantar, tocar instrumentos, tudo enquanto atuavam transmitindo tanta verdade e naturalidade para a tela. Eu saí apaixonada pelos intérpretes do Eun Gyeol e do Yi Chan.
Enfim, definitivamente foi o melhor dorama que eu assisti em 2023, me emocionou, me fez rir e me cativou do início ao fim com uma história e personagens que se permitiram brilhar lindamente.
"Você nunca pode recuperar sua juventude. Você precisa se soltar e se divertir um pouco aqui e ali. Farei tudo o que puder. Vou fazer tudo o que vai fazer a minha vida brilhar".
OBS: Só não dei nota 10 para a história porque eu senti que alguns pontos da narrativa ficaram meio jogados ou foram passados muito rapidamente por cima, sinto que o dorama precisava de mais tempo para trazer algumas resoluções de forma mais satisfatória, mas esse realmente foi o meu único problema.
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El Mejor Dorama de 2023
Personalmente creo que es uno de los mejores doramas de 2023, es un refrescante. La historia en general es graciosa, bella y con un montón de emociones, y además te mantiene enganchado y con ansias de querer mas. Yo no suelo ver doramas en emisión, porque odio tener que esperar una semana para ver un nuevo capitulo, pero con este no pude evitarlo, cada semana estaba esperando nervioso que iba a suceder en el próximo episodio.Lo recomiendo mucho para personas que les gustan los doramas juveniles y de romance, este es muy fácil de ver y además transmite varios mensajes muy bellos e importantes.
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