Twinkling Watermelon

Too many plots

First of all the things I liked about this drama:

◇the Ha family before the time-travel
◇portrayal of deaf people and their struggles
◇Cheong-Ah as a character
◇Eun Gyeol as a child and teen
◇the relationship between Eun Gyeol and Choi Hyun before the time-travel

Now to the things I did not like. They tried to put in as much plots, subplots and storylines as possible to make it shiny, the problem was though, that the quality dropped because of it. It's like trying to learn 5 languages... you will be mediocre at all of them instead of choosing one and using it perfectly instead. So what was this drama trying to be? A story about a boy who is a CODA? A story about music, passion, teenage dreams? A time-travel story?
After choosing that, they again had to choose on which character they wanted to go with. Eun Gyeol? Lee Chan? Cheong-Ah or even Eun Yoo? It was all over the place and like that, the story was half-heartedly executed. And even with all those plots, subplots and storylines... it was still boring. It was predictable and not a special drama to remember in the future.

There were characters without a real purpose and who did not even get introduced properly, like the people who would dine at grandmas. And then there was Eun Gyeol who I felt like was carrying the whole drama. The screenwriters must have realized this too because in the last 2 episodes, his character got cheesier and out of character lines.

The characterization of Lee Chan was not the best either and he was one of the main leads. In his old form, he is way different character-wise and this is not something that can be explained with age or trauma. Old and young Lee Chan were 2 completely different people and I couldn't put them together. Also the casting of Choi Hyun/master. All 3 actors were so different from eachother... it was just not good.

The ending was not executed well either. Eun Gyeol and Eun Yu arrived in the present and it had no consequences. The parents didn't recognize Eun Gyeol and Eun Gyeol himself got all his memories from his first life. It just felt like lazy writing.

I was trying to find reasons to love this more, but sadly I couldn't.

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"Change No Circumstances in my Life"

It’s somewhat ironic that most people are obsessively focused on changing their life situation rather than being focused on changing themselves. Kobe Bryant was once asked in an interview if he were given the opportunity to go back in time to change something, what would he change. He replied, “I would never use it. It would undermine and destroy everything I’ve worked so hard to be. Without those challenging circumstances, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.”

Ha Eun Gyeol is a young man who is a great student, and thanks to a mysterious man he meets in a local music shop, he finds that he has a love and passion for music. He is a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults). His parents are deaf as well as his older brother. Life isn’t easy for Ha Eun Gyeol as he is blessed with the burden of often being the translator for his parents and his brother.

The one time Ha Eun Gyeol attempts to live for himself, rather than constantly being there for his family, he incurs his father’s anger when he finds out that Ha Eun Gyeol has been sneaking out to play in a school band. And then, one mysterious moment, Ha Eun Gyeol finds himself suddenly transported back to 1995 when both of his parents were in high school. Yes, the series does have common themes and storylines to “Back to the Future,” but while the great film trilogy was largely fun and entertaining, the series endeavors to go much deeper. I’m sure that if most people were given the opportunity to go into the past to change something, they’d jump at the chance.

Ha Eun Gyeol makes the mistake of trying to “fix” everything, especially in regard to both of his parents, not understanding that everyone has burdens. Everyone has struggles, but that it’s those struggles that make a person who they are. It strengthens them. A diamond can only be created by immense pressure. So, too, can the human spirit be strengthened in helping a person realize who they are.

Ha Eun Gyeol finds that he’s not the only “time traveler.” On Eun Yu is another soul in great despair, believing that her life is nothing but a tug-of-war between her parents, she gives up wanting to live, and so her ulterior motive for returning to 1995 is to find a way to, either change it to her benefit, or give up trying.

The series is remarkable in how it demonstrates how so many people believe that something in their life needs to be fixed or changed. Both Ha Eun Gyeol and On Eun Yu find that their mysterious benefactor—the man who arranged to have them sent into the past—refuses to really help them. Thus, leaving them to come up with their own answers. Such is the method of a true teacher. Find your own way.

There are many heartfelt and touching moments throughout the series. Ha Eun Gyeol is a young man who wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s prone to breaking down into tears, which is a true strength and not a weakness. However, he’s also prone to taking the blame for every “bad” thing that seems to happen, and thus he carries a tremendous weight on his shoulders. Only in the end does he realize that nobody can live anyone else’s life for them. Everyone walks their own path, and no two paths look exactly alike. People impel, but they do not compel.

We have more than enough to do with focusing on ourselves. Of course, offer help and advice when asked, but never intrude upon someone else’s path. It may seem noble to carry someone else’s burden for them, but the interesting thing about carrying a burden is that sooner or later, it will make you strong. However, when you carry someone else’s burden for them, don’t ever expect them to get strong enough to be able to carry on without you.

The budding romance between Ha Eun Gyeol’s parents is especially touching and poignant, especially when we see the abusive circumstances that his mother lives with. Ha Eun Gyeol spends so much time trying to help his parents, that he scarcely has time for anything else.

This is truly a beautiful series with some very deep spiritual truths, and the music is captivating with some great songs. I can easily understand why this series is beloved by so many. By the time you reach the end, hopefully, you will make it a point to focus on your own life rather than everyone else’s.

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I don’t see the hype around it

There were many plot holes in this.
-How could Eun-geol not recognize “grandpa” in his younger years. Pretty sure grandpa would have told him his name at least while he was giving him guitar lessons so did Eun-geol not ask his name in the past and put two and two together?
-Why don’t we get to know ANY about On- eun you’s life once she returns. And how is her mom not going to remember seeing her look alike who knew so much about her from the past?
-HOW DID NOBODY REMEMBER EUN-GEOL FROM THE PAST HIS FACE OR EXACT NAME…
-Eun-ho clearly liked On-eun yoo from when they were in the hospital together sooo…is he just not mad that his brother is with her RANDOMLY. Was he not also wondering why SUDDENLY Eun-geol likes her when he’d never met her in the previous 18 years?
-Where is On-Eun yoo’s mom once she “returns” from the u.s. Did the school seriously just not call her mom or dad EVER to let them know she was at the school instead of the u.s.?
-WHY WAS YOON-CHEONG-AH’S MOM TAKEN AWAY AND NEVER CAME BACK FOR HER?!?!
-Maybe I missed it but who was the scary lady at their house now who locked her up? Her new stepmom? Again whereeee was her biological mom?!
-You’re telling me Cheong-Ah ‘s dad actually loved his daughter but didn’t see she was a shell of herself who didn’t talk to anybody? Saw no bruises from abuse? Had a hidden room in his house he didn’t know about?

I could go on and on and on.

Episodes 1-13 were so awful that i couldn’t justify it being a good show just because it had a good emotional heart wrenching last 2 episodes.

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I have so many emotions

I watched this show a while ago and after I finished it, I felt so empty because all the characters had grown on me so bad. I legit screamed when I saw one of the actors for a split second in another show.

Anyways. The plot is very easy to understand, but still intriquite with a lot of beautiful messages in it. I love the different types of characters you get to see, the different personalities and the different sceneries that other shows do not give you in the same way.

I also think all the romance in the show really felt true and not fabricated which I love because it can often feel very fake in kdramas.

The music! THE MUSIC! I friggin die for the music. The soundtrack can put me in a trance Istg. Like it's very thought through and fun when it needed to be. The music made the show much more lively and added a lot of emotion to the sadder scenes.

The show manages to be serious, sad, romantic and also friggin funny at the same time. I can't even count how many times I laughed during each episode because ir just felt like hanging out with your friends while watching.

I recommend very much! WATCH IT, Im holding you at gunpoint🫶

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Viva la Vida!

When this show was airing I did not watch it I just think that it might not be good. I am happy I did not watch this drama while it was airing it would be torture to wait on new eps. What I love about this drama was the 20th century theme as someone horned in the 21st century I loved it the music the friendship the characters had and what it taught me. Even though Eun Gyeol was not able to stop his father from becoming deaf he changed everyone’s life. This taught me that even though life is different from what we want it to be it is the people in it that makes it worth while. I loved the cast energy hope to see them again soon. Until then “Long live life!”. Viva la Vida, Watermelon Sugar!

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He Saved Everyone, But Who Saves Him?

Twinkling Watermelon begins with a premise that already sounds like a recipe for emotional chaos in the best possible way. In 2023, high school student Ha Eun Gyeol lives a double life. By day he is the perfect model student, but by night he secretly plays guitar and pursues his love for music. As a CODA, a child of deaf adults, Eun Gyeol grows up in a family where both his parents and his older brother cannot hear. He becomes the bridge between their silent world and the noisy outside world.

One day, after discovering a mysterious music store, Eun Gyeol is suddenly transported back to 1995. There he meets his father, Ha Yi Chan, who is still a lively high school student. The problem is that Yi Chan does not recognize him and is currently infatuated with a cellist named Choi Se Gyeong instead of Eun Gyeol’s future mother, Yun Cheong A. Determined to restore the timeline and bring his parents together, Eun Gyeol joins Yi Chan’s band while trying to guide fate back onto its original path.

One of the things that touched me the most about this drama is Eun Gyeol himself. He is not just a good son. He is genuinely a good person. Growing up with deaf parents and a deaf older brother never made him resent the world or feel like his life was unfair. Instead, he accepts it with a maturity that is honestly heartbreaking at times. There is a moment where he says that if he does something wrong, people will criticize his parents twice as harshly. That line alone shows the weight he carries on his shoulders. Being the only hearing person in his family means he constantly connects their quiet world with the loud outside one. He translates conversations, helps his brother with Taekwondo practice, and quietly takes on responsibilities most kids his age would never imagine.

The end of the first episode introduces young Yi Chan, played by Choi Hyun Wook, and even though I already saw clips of the drama before watching it, that moment still made me excited to see where the story would go. Choi Hyun Wook did such a charming and entertaining performance as young Yi Chan. As expected, Choi Hyun Wook is able to bring out Yi Chan’s lively, fun, and kind side.

Of course, not everything is perfect. Episode four had a small logic slip that made me pause. Eun Gyeol has lived his entire life with a deaf family, yet when he wakes up at the guesthouse in 1995 he casually mumbles “Mom, give me water.” Realistically, that kind of habit should not exist because his mother would not hear him anyway. It is a tiny moment, but it felt like clumsy writing in an otherwise thoughtful show.

As the story moves forward, the time travel shenanigans get more interesting. When Eun Gyeol first meets Se Gyeong, the slow motion moment made me worried the drama was about to throw a love triangle at us. Thankfully, the story quickly reveals a twist. The short haired “Se Gyeong” is actually On Eun Yu, Se Gyeong’s daughter from 2023 who also time travels back to 1995. I suspected this early on because the real Se Gyeong’s daughter in the present timeline was never shown. Same face, totally different personality, and the way she knew the house so well were all big hints.

The show also uses a fun narrative technique where several episodes begin with different characters narrating their own stories. We hear from Eun Gyeol, Yi Chan, Se Gyeong, Cheong A, and later Eun Yu. These narrations help us understand each character from their own perspective rather than through someone else’s interpretation.

Musically, the drama has its charming moments too. I loved that the show used Ditto by NewJeans to symbolize Eun Gyeol’s connection to the present day. As a Bunny myself, hearing that song appear made me ridiculously happy.

The emotional core of the drama, however, always circles back to Eun Gyeol. The more episodes I watched, the more sympathy I felt for him. Ryeo Un delivers such a heartfelt performance that it is impossible not to feel for this character. Acting emotional scenes is already difficult, but doing it while also performing sign language convincingly adds another layer of complexity. He absolutely nailed it.

One of the most powerful moments happens in episode eleven when Eun Gyeol finally tells Yi Chan that he is from the future. For the first time, he admits how lonely he feels. All his life he has tried to be the cheerful son who takes care of everyone, but underneath that smile is a boy who feels isolated in a world his family cannot hear. When he hugs Yi Chan and cries, I cried with him. That scene felt like years of suppressed emotions finally spilling out.

Another relationship that I loved is between Cheong A and her father. Their bond is not perfect, but it is sincere. Watching him try to connect with his daughter by hiring Eun Gyeol to teach her sign language was incredibly sweet. The way his expression softens whenever Cheong A smiles at him is one of those small details that quietly warms your heart.

Episode fourteen might be the most emotional episode of the series. The scene where Cheong A teaches Yi Chan how to say names in sign language is beautifully filmed, with soft lighting that makes her look almost like a portrait. Yi Chan looking at her with those gentle eyes before kissing her is innocent and sweet. But the episode also delivers heartbreaking moments, especially when Eun Gyeol finds his mother locked in a room by her cruel stepmother. Watching him realize how much pain his parents went through when they were young is devastating. Sometimes as children we think our struggles are the hardest, only to realize later that our parents carried burdens we never saw.

Episode fifteen breaks the heart once again. Despite all his efforts, Eun Gyeol cannot prevent the accident that causes Yi Chan to lose his hearing. What makes it even more painful is that Yi Chan gets injured while saving Eun Gyeol. Fate can be brutally ironic. The moment when Yi Chan said that Eun Gyeol is like the father he never had almost brought me to tears. When he says that in the next life he hopes to be Eun Gyeol’s dad, it hits right in the heart.

In the final episode, when Eun Gyeol eventually speaks to Yi Chan in sign language, the moment carries a strange emotional weight. No matter how much he tried to change fate, the story still circles back to that connection between father and son.

The ending is technically a happy one, but to me it feels more bittersweet. Many characters receive better futures, but Eun Gyeol is the only one who remembers everything that happened. All the loneliness, sacrifices, and emotional weight remain with him. The weight he carried was too heavy that it leaves a dent even after it has been lifted off. Everyone else gets a clean slate, while he carries the memories of both timelines. His expression when he returns to 2023 feels more like relief than pure happiness.

There are also a few unanswered questions. The show does not clearly explain how Yi Chan and Cheong A reunited after she was sent abroad. We also do not see much about Eun Gyeol’s brother’s future or what Eun Yu’s life looks like after returning to the present. The final episode moves quickly to wrap things up, which makes the ending feel slightly rushed.

Still, despite those small gaps, Twinkling Watermelon remains an incredibly heartfelt coming of age story about family, sacrifice, and the complicated ways love shapes our lives. It mixes music, time travel, humor, and emotional storytelling into something that feels both nostalgic and deeply moving.

By the end of the journey, I was happy for the Ha family, but my heart still felt heavy for Eun Gyeol. Sometimes the person who saves everyone else ends up carrying the heaviest memories of all.

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After watching the series "Last Twilight", I wanted a similar type of series which had portrayal of a visually impaired or hearing impaired character. Last Twilight involves visually-impaired characters, whereas Twinkling Watermelon involves hearing-impaired characters. The story is amazing and I cried almost every episode. I personally love Time Travel genre series and Twinkling Watermelon was a Time Travel series that focused on the ML's family. I really liked that the ML could connect with his parents and understand them better through this series. I really enjoyed the storyline and relationship development of Yichan and Cheongah. Even though I liked the ending for this series, I think there could be room for a season 2 which focused on the relationship development of Yichan and Cheongah after Yichan becomes hearing impaired and his journey continuing to learn sign language. This is one of the best series that I watched in 2024 - even though I do not usually watch sad and emotional dramas, this was a great series and would probably watch it again.

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Viva la vida -- Long live life!

This Korean drama is at turns delightfully light and emotional. The music is superb. The actors are adorable. There are elements of coming-of-age, rom-com, and fantasy time travel. But, foremost, it embodies a celebration of life -- especially of aspects that are sweet and sparkly like the title, Twinkling Watermelon.

The emotional core involves the enduring dilemma faced by young people: whether to live a life that makes their heart beat or follow the lead of their parents. The main character Ha Eun-gyeol, a CODA (child of deaf adult) youth, grapples between following his passions and serving the needs of his family, when he is presented with an opportunity to change the trajectory of their lives by slipping back in time when his parents were his age. We're also presented with the question, would life really be better if the past changed to our liking?

As the story transpires, we see some of the joys and sparks of youth, its conflicts and uncertainties. It delves into teenage anxiety and mental health issues and the pressures from parents and society. The show also portrays beautiful friendships and loving, albeit sometimes misunderstood, family relationships. The deaf character portrayed by Shin Eun-soo is a gem. And Choi Hyun-wook is a master at capturing the spirit and zest of youth.

In a way, the show follows some of the winning formulae of other recent successes. As in the movie CODA, it peers into the lives of the deaf who face many challenges but lead meaningful lives. As in Someday or One Day, it makes you dream about rewriting the past, preventing accidents, and letting go of guilt and resentment. As in 2521 and the Reply series, it taps into 90s nostalgia, when times were simpler, when you had to run to a pay phone to answer urgent beeper messages and could drop by your friend's home anytime. So, in a way, it is not groundbreaking but a good story nonetheless.

If splitting hairs, the series is not without imperfections. Time travel presents logic problems. It's apparent from the proficiency of signing that the actors are not deaf themselves. And there is a reliance on common tropes to create obstacles for the characters. But I recommend you watch this for its emotional journey and uplifting message.

The main character's parents are deaf, but they are 'cheerful, healthy, and happy because they could communicate with their eyes, their hearts, and their hands.' We all have problems, but we can also grow, adapt, and have fun. The show promotes embracing music and loved ones: Seize the day, its joys and opportunities! ¡Viva la vida!

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