Twinkling Watermelon

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With an enjoyable first half and a confusing second half, the main characters are well written. Acting is very good. Solid 8.5/10. ❤️ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

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Even our parents once had sparkling youth

Ever had argument with your parents? Ever had differnce of opinions with them regarding career ? Ever wanted to know how their youth was?

This drama picked a very beautiful concept and executed it flawlessly. This is a whole package .

This brought tears in my eyes, made me laugh when most unexpected and left me with mixed feelings.
I would say the ending was not very perfect and would have been beter had they explained it in more detail but overall i loved it.

The characters stole this show, especially Yi Chan is such an inspiration. The music was good and i felt the concept was similar to perfect stranger but what makes this different is the mix of all genres.
Overall this is worth a watch!

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The ending....

I have seen people rate this 10 and I agree with them if it's only the story of Ha Yi Chan and Yoon Cheong Ah. Their story was perfect for me. But there was no other story apart from theirs.

There was a part where they introduced On Eun Yu's friend's death, but there was no follow-up on that. And the future, I was so curious about how things will end up for Choi Se Kyung, but the only ending we saw was of Ha Eun Gyul's family. Choi Se Kyung, being one of the main characters in the drama, and her ending wasn't even shown.

So yeah, the drama was perfect in the time traveling era, but the future and ending wasn't enough for me.

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First Rank???

This is my first time reviewing on this website. Honestly, I watched this drama while it was still ongoing. The drama is good, especially in the early episodes, which were quite sad. While watching, I somehow preferred the scenes with the four main characters (Ha Yi Chan, Eun Gyeol, Se Kyung, and Cheong Ah) because they're funny and cute, which made me laugh. The appearance of other characters, like Yi Chan's friends, felt boring. The plot and conflicts were also too simple and not complicated, especially for a time travel genre. For the first rank, I think it's a bit overrated compared to other dramas with more complex plots and issues.

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A Hell of a Drama, hell yeah!!

Twinkling Watermelon is a beautifully fleshed-out drama that is mostly well-written, well-acted, and well-directed. From its main characters to its support characters, everyone shines!

- First the Story -

I would've given a 10, if it wasn't for that evil stepmother plotline. I REALLY dislike that trope where the stepmother gets all the blame and the poor father/other responsible is blameless. "He didn't know, poor him :(" hell nah! The "he was out of the house this entire time" excuse doesn't stick, and I honestly wanted him to suffer the consequences also. Yi-chan was right, Cheong Ah didn't have to forgive him! I can't imagine any plot holes on the top of my head, so that's a good thing, I suppose.

Other than that, I'm frankly surprised they managed to keep this drama so consistently good, the story never fell flat, or had I lost interest (something that happens very often if I'm being honest)! Eun Gyeol is not a one-sided protagonist who is not allowed moments to show how flawed and immature he is at times, he IS flawed and he IS immature, he's a teenager and he acts like it!! Another Surprise was Eunyu who is a compelling deuterogist to this story. She is not a damsel in distress and knows very well what she wants and her growth was masterfully done!! Her romance with Eun Gyeol is one of the high notes of this drama and I was craving for some more cute scenes between them.

Ha Yi-chan's and Cheong-Ah's romance is REVIGORATING. So cute, so adorable, so pure. Ha Yi-Chan is a lover boy on the deepest sense of the word and Cheong-Ah is an angel that fell from heaven, frankly. Something someone pointed out that really stuck to me was that every scene between Ha Yi-Chan and Cheong Ah was kept between them, not even Eun Gyeol was there to see it and I thought that was so sweet, it's their moment, their story.

Every scene between Eon Gyeol and his parents was a blast! That poor boy was bullied to hell and back while he was just trynna help, lmao. The scenes in the final two episodes made me cry like I was a recently born baby, who just put his wrinkled lil face to the world, I was sobbing hard.

I was also really happy deafness was not treated like a horrible, life-destroying thing in here. It happens, people are deaf and they can and will live happy and fulfilling lives like it's shown in this drama. Really glad that this disability was treated with the respect it was supposed to be given.

THAT twist was also super cool, had me crying hard.

- Second The Acting/Cast -

Brilliant, simply brilliant, every single actor chosen in this drama was stupid good (and the script they were given is partially credited for that). I want to say that the one actor who shone the most is Choi Hyunwook, that kid's gonna go far, I'm telling y'all, he's brilliant! Every scene of his is fresh and funny and STUPIDLY well-acted. He acts so naturally at times I almost feel like I'm just seeing a random ass boy doing stuff instead of a drama. Secondly, Ryeoun is also phenomenal here, I loved him in '18 Again' but seeing him here was just a blast, he acted beautifully during the whole drama, and like Choi Hyunwook I was delighted by his presence as a protagonist.

Shin Eunsoo is AMAZING, she didn't have a single line of dialogue but her expressions, and mannerisms really talked for her. She's an insanely good actress who kept an insanely good performance from beginning to end. And the talk of the town Seol In Ah, do I even need to say something? Girl had two roles in one drama and she was a genius in both of them, giver her an award already.

The support actors were also amazing, special thanks to Ha Yi-Chan's adult actor, that man copied his counterpart's mannerisms to a TEA, insane stuff.

- Thirdly The Music -

The weakest link I'm not gonna lie, the BGM's were alright but the only one that I remember a lot is the 'nananana' sad music, it is engraved in my brain. The vocal tracks tho, were pretty good, however, 'SHINING' is generic and forgettable and I don't even remember the SPINE9 song, 'A song for you' tho... ahh, the strings of my heart.

- Fourth The rewatch value -

I would watch it again, yeah. I heavily recommend this drama to those who want to laugh, cry, and get nostalgic for something you never lived, an amazing experience.

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A beautiful journey to heal yourself thanks to music, brotherhood and 1990's vibe

This youth drama with a fantasy twist and set mainly in 1995 provides a great nostalgia throwback feeling as you follow a group of high schoolers starting a band together. The drama approaches in a wholesome way profound topics about friendship, family, as well as differences and disabilities that overall resonated well with me as the characters grow and learn. Though both romances were pretty cute, it is the brotherhood within the band and especially the father-son relationship that really got me invested.

In terms of storytelling, I truly enjoyed the set up and introduction. However, I cannot help to think that the conclusion would have deserved more time to reap properly all the rewards of the set-up done in the show. I was expecting the way it ended, there was a lot of satisfying emotional payoff but it could have gone deeper on the aftermath for all the characters following one of the major event happening in the last episode as well as regarding the evolution of the main protagonists and their relationships (especially regarding the female leads where it felt a bit short).

Overall, the quatuor of main characters work very well together, and I am pretty satisfied by the performances of the ensemble cast (especially for some of the more secondary characters). Choi Hyun Wook delivers a consistent and reliable performance in the role of the frontman of the band. I loved him in Weak Hero Class 1 and I love him as well here. The only little flaw I see is that his character tends to be very shouty. I think it is both bound to the role as well as to some of the directing. It is not at all detrimental to the story but it prevents some range in the acting as the character is always at 100%. Despite this, he (and his character) was clearly my favorite part of the show.

The filmmaking is pretty great with a colourful and boyish atmosphere perfectly fitting for the scenario. I love the soundtrack with its "older indie rock" feels. Every song done by the band is super catchy and the musical scenes each time delighted me.

I would recommend this to people looking for a very solid youth drama set in the 1990's. If you enjoyed movies like "Back to the Future" and dramas such as the "Reply" series, you will for sure immensely enjoy it! If you are a fan of musical genre shows, this one is also clearly made for you. I personnally really loved it despite some issues with the pacing of the script and the way I would have liked a bit more development on some elements, especially towards the ending.

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As fresh as summery fruits, as hopeful as green grass in the winter

When I watch Twinkling Watermelon, I remember that Shakespearean idiom:
"My salad days. When I was green in judgment, cold in blood. To say as I said then!"

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The plot revolved around two teenagers who feel that their whole lives are mere fulfillment of their parents expectation. Until one time they find themself in the year of 1995. This time the two teenagers able meet their parents in their salad days, youth as bright and as sweet as summer fruits.

Yi Chan is a bright, passionate teens, living his youth to the fullest. Cheong Ah, a lonely deaf teens, keeping her desire to communicate with the world in silent. Se Kyeong, the cello queen, living as replacement, unable to owning her own live. Now the two teenagers able to see them not just as 'mom' or 'dad', but individuals with their own struggle and dream.

Here they begin the journey to understand. Journey to accept. Journey to learn to listen (because apparently it's not deafness that make you unable to listen, it's unwillingness).

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Actually the beauty of this drama didn't lie in the plot. It's heavily rely to the charm of the characters and relationship between them. Their bonding moments, how some slowly falling in love, the desire to help the person you love, youth friendship. But overall the vibe is summery bright, no somber at all. At the end, there is no regret.

The main attraction is Eun Gyeol and his parents. Yi Chan, this man is the frontman of this drama. His way of live, how he treat others, this charming youthful energy. Cheong Ah, the sweet girl that's been treated unfairly by the world. Her journey to connect to the world is the highlight of the show. This two is my main couple. Our appa and eomma, haha.

And Eun Gyeol, a CODA, the dutiful kind child who do everything to protect his family. He is so precious, his burden was too heavy. I'm glad some of this burden lifted from him. The ending is working in a sense that it's hopeful and satisfying. It's so fantastical but it's keeping some of realistic take. That no matter what happen in your life, don't take all burden by yourself. Communicate with the person you love. And even though life doesn't give everything you want, it has unexpected present for you in many points of your journey. It's keeping the spirit of living.

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Uhm...

It's currently 1 AM and I'm on episode 10 of Twinkling Watermelon, and I'm considering dropping it. I started watching this drama with high expectations(my mistake), because the kdrama enthusiasts I follow seemed to love it, and it fell short.

I feel like the storyline or the plot is going in circles and it's going nowhere fast. I mean I am halfway through episode 10 and there seems to be no progress and it's really frustrating me. I don't think the storyline is bad per se, but I do feel like it's stretched out and it could have been a couple of episodes shorter(maybe 12 instead of 16). Or maybe it's just not my cup of tea? Which makes me sad because I was so excited for this drama. I was so confident that I was going to like it but I just want it to end so that I can continue with my life.

Would I recommend this series? Yes, it's not bad I just wish there weren't so many filler episodes. The actors were amazing, honestly, they were a 10/10 for me I feel like the portrayed the characters amazingly(which is another reason to watch this series). The music is also another reason to watch this drama.

I don't know if I'm going to finish this drama. I'm seriously considering dropping it especially after I accidentally saw a HUGE spoiler(the person did not flag it for spoilers, which is annoying). I am so sad I really wanted to enjoy this and it's also discouraging me from watching the other dramas I was excited for(i.e The Demon). I think I'm going to rewatch one/some of my series to get back my MOJO.

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A Masterclass in Heart and Harmony: Why "Twinkling Watermelon" is a Perfect 9.5/10

1. A Script with Substance
Unlike dramas that rely on frustrating silence, this script thrives on communication and connection. The time-travel element isn't just a gimmick; it is a tool used to explore the "what ifs" of our parents' youth. The pacing is tight, the stakes feel real, and every episode moves the story forward with purpose. There is no "filler" here—only heart.

2. Characters You Actually Root For
The characters in this show are incredibly well-developed.

Eun-gyeol: A brilliant protagonist who is smart, empathetic, and proactive.

Yi-chan: Instead of a typical "annoying" lead, he is a ball of pure energy and sincerity.

The Dynamic: The bond between the father and son (across different timelines) is the soul of the show. Their interactions are often hilarious but deeply moving, avoiding the tired tropes of unnecessary drama.

3. Phenomenal Acting
The young cast delivers "expert-level" performances. They don't just act; they embody the spirit of youth. The portrayal of the CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) experience is handled with immense grace and sensitivity, making the emotional beats hit much harder than your average melodrama.

4. Music as a Language
The soundtrack and the band sequences are not just background noise; they are integral to the plot. The passion for music is infectious, adding a layer of joy that balances out the more somber, emotional moments.

Final Verdict: 9.5/10
"Twinkling Watermelon" is everything a drama should be: smart, sincere, and beautifully executed. It proves that you don't need "toxic" conflict or "frustrating" leads to create a compelling story. It is a vibrant, "twinkling" reminder of why we love K-dramas in the first place.

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POV: The demon to my sleep paralysis

You don't like this drama? You actually do 😐🔪.

Twinkling Watermelon is like the demon to my sleep paralysis. You think it's done with you just because it didn't showed up for months? You think you can keep it away from you by having a regular sleep schedule? You think you can feint it by faking falling asleep? No it will always find its way toward you 😈

On a more serious note someone help me, this is my favorite tv show ever, I've watched it countless time during the last 3 years and still can not get sick of it.

There is the perfect balance between serious and light moments, a lot of characters are well developped and will move you (not only the main 4). It simply healed the teenager inside me and will remain as the most comforting show ever.

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