Reviews

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.

Read More

Imperfect Yet Entertaining!

Okay, first of all, this is not the kind of drama that is insanely intellectually satisfying, obviously. But it’s still a decent watch. Although there were a few flaws and the ending felt really rushed, I genuinely enjoyed the chemistry between the leads.

Honestly, having a second lead in this drama felt unnecessary, and I personally didn’t like that part. Somehow, I knew from the very beginning that it wouldn’t be a heart-stealing series, and maybe that’s why I’m okay with it.

Since I still managed to enjoy several aspects of this drama, I’d give it an 8/10.

Overall, If someone asks me whether they should watch it or not, I honestly don’t have a clear answer.

Read More

The second part is WAY better

Love the acting, the effects, music - both parts were equal there.

What made the difference was the tempo - there was no part that I tried to miss. During the first 22 episodes I was really trying not to drop. This was my first time when I endured for so long and it was worth the wait. My patience gave me the best emotional rollercoaster in this year so far.

I fell that I need to explain tho 9's that I've gave.
The one for the story - there were some plot holes that they've unfortunately missed. For example, there was this "miracle, magical, mystical" mushroom, that they've spent centuries to obtain and later they've just trow it somewhere. I do understand that they needed that mushroom to complete parts of the story for many characters, but when you put each and every episode together and see this part something fells off.
That was the plot that I remember, I hope they've made a soup with it at least (this was one of the parts that where watched in 1,5x times speed and it was still hard to watch).

Rewatch value - there're some dramas like Eternal Love, Princess Agents, Nirvana in Fire, that are moving, loving, splendid, full of emotional rollercoasters and you just can't help to watch it again, despite knowledge what will come. There should be option to put score of the 100 near these dramas.
With these three dramas above, you cannot know each and every detail, unless you watch them milion times. Even if you think that you know everything, you do not. There's this strange feeling that you want to watch them again and again. Unfortunately I didn't feel that emotion here.
I really love the effort in The Blue Whisperer and the actors that are one of my favourites, but I can't help to overcome my mixed emotions when watching first part. I still would love to see new projects of each and every person that created this drama. Maybe it's just boredom, because everything was settled at the end (love open endings), or because I'm a bit mad after watching lots of episodes and still having hope for a better ones, like the reviews said.

Anyway, it's worth watching, even with some small flaws.

Read More

Good but could be better if we had-

I lovee the leads they have good chemistry on and off screen. Second couple was also very cute. Now, for the plot sometimes it feels slow but the leads chemistry and acting carried the show. Loved the childhood friendship trope, it was done very well and also the family core in this show was very touching. It had everything that I loved, the yearning, the comedy, the angst and the drama. But what kind of upset me was the constant absurdly done plot twist just to add drama to the show, which felt unnecessary. Because both the leads were already going through stuffs but the writer wanted to 'makjang' it so i felt annoyed lmao.

And the ending really made me upset. I know a number of people are too lol cause we had a really dedicated community for this show. Because we were so sure that Seunghyo and Seokryu was gonna get married after the multiple attempts at proposal only for them to postpone it?? and have Seunghyo's parents re-wed(?) instead, it was so baffling I'm avoiding Shin Haeun's drama forever. I was waiting for the wedding for so long, It could've been the perfect ending for the childhood lovers but they decided to add another final plot twist which adds absolutely NOTHING to the show. Ending really left me with a bitter taste

Read More

KISS N KISS N KISS N KISS

THERE IS A STORY BUT THE THEME IS JUST KISSING, WATCH IF U LIKE.

THIS IS A LONGER DRAMA WITH 40 EPS X 18MINS, HAVENT WATCH FIN THE ENDING. LAST 3 HRS. SIMILAR TO DRACULA, DRACULA SUCKS BLOOD, THIS IS KISSING KIND. ENJOY IT IF U LIKE.

AS ALWAYS, THE ML DETERMINED THE SUCESS OF THE DRAMA, HE HAVE SEXY DOE EYES, WITH SHADOW UNDERNEALTH, RED SEXY LIPS, FOREVER SEARCHING FOR THE FL FOR HIS ANTIDOTE.





(SIDE NOTE, NOWADAYS LOTS OF MINI DRAMA HAVE LOTS OF KISSING SCENES. SOME SHORT DRAMA IN UTUBE ALSO. THE TITLE IS ALWAYS BILLIONAIRE HAVE A ONE NIGHT STAND WITH SOME GAL THEN GAL DISAPPEARED N AFTER TWIST N TURNS, THEY FOUND EACH OTHER N GOT MARRIED. SOME EVEN HAVE SIMILAR STORY N HAVE DIFFERENT MAIN ACTORS N ACTRESSES.)

Read More

Spoilers ahead. If you haven't watched the ending, turn back now.

The writer thought that a 10/10 drama with such a plot doesn't exist. So they aimed for a good show instead of a perfect one.
And while it pisses me off—I can't help but understand their approach. Since a perfect ending would have been a lie. A perfect ending would have betrayed the deeply rotten world that the drama spent 12 episodes trying to expose.

For me, Honour can be reduced to one scene.
That final moment where HTJ said "We are one step away from a whole new world. Why must humans ruin everything... because they can't bear to shed the last drop of blood?"
HTJ could have broken the cartel. Maybe even built that "whole new world" where the wealthy and powerful have to re-evaluate their actions. A world where justice can finally reach the untouchable.
A perfect world that is too perfect to be real.

The show quotes itself, and in that moment, it's not just HTJ speaking—it's the writer, looking at the audience, at every viewer begging for catharsis, and saying: You know this isn't how it ends. Not really. Not here. Not in this world.

The tragedy is that the "devil" was more real than the law. He saw the rot, mirrored it, almost beat it—but almost doesn't change a thing. The powerful learnt nothing except how close they came to falling. While HTJ was just the weaker evil in this cartel who bore the weight.

We ended with the law being still played like chess among people in power. They all got away with a slap on the wrist. The world forgot & the cycle is repeated, worse than before. And maybe that's the point. The writer didn't aim lower. They aimed truer.

Read More

How Not to Make a Romcom

This one oddly fell flat for me. I'm the first person to line up for a good romcom, no matter how many cliches it recycles and how much plot armor they award their leads with. This drama was an example of poor execution. It contained everything I love about Asian dramas-- a sweet romance, a fun cast ensemble, over-the-top comedy, and a feel-good fluff ending. CEO ML and slightly insane secretary FL? SIGN ME UP! I can never get tired of the push and pull, the banter, the CEO wealth and power flexing, and the absurd situations.

But somehow.... it all just felt a little flat here. I never minded cliches as long as it had all the feels, because every couple has a way of making it different and beautiful. I wouldn't say it was the fault of the actors, more like the writing and execution. All the characters felt like caricatures following a script rather than real people. There was no... heart.

Let's start with the cast ensemble. I always love watching a big fun cast with unique personalities get together, and here it was the camaraderie among the instructors. However, the drama doesn't really flesh that out, even though I thought the actors' worked well together. The show spends way too much time dwelling on the multiple revenge arcs instead of utilizing the good cast. I just couldn't care about them, and I struggled to empathize with their situations. I felt like a lot of plot points were done very much like A Business Proposal(FL's younger brother + ML relationship, fake contract dating trope, etc.), but as I said, no heart and the characters were more like caricatures.

And the plot... all over the place. It was incessant with its revenge lines-- every other character was out to get the ML and it really got tiresome after a certain point. It just wasn't that deep. The misunderstandings, the motivations, the final resolution... it was all messily done. I cannot understand why some characters couldn't simply stop to verify claims before going to insane, dangerous lengths to achieve their revenge. The only arc I really enjoyed was the grudging friendship between the Gotop and Ilpum Edu CEOs.

The romance... uhhhhh I don't really know how to explain it. I felt like I was watching so many romcoms all at once, with none of the feels. I giggled maybe twice in the beginning but as it wore on, it kept getting tiresome. I don't know why they went through all the motions of a romcom but it felt so stale.

That said, the quality of the production was pretty good.

Everything was at the mercy of the writers. Characters entered and exited as they pleased. Even though the ending was fluffy, I left feeling unsatisfied and bored. It made me miss the old kdrama charm... how we were drawn to root for and love all the quirky characters, and how we could empathize with even the most insignificant roles.

Read More

Kind of all over the place

It has a little bit of everything, it is funny, cute, and cringy from time to time. At first I loved it a lot, but by the last two episodes I just couldn't wait to finally finish it. Still, it doesn't take away from the fact that it's a decent series that is underrated and overlooked.

Things I liked:
1. A lot of cute moments that had me giggling and kicking my feet.
2. The jokes and comedic sound effects are cringy at times, but they are tolerable.
3. ThanwaPeak. I really like their dynamic and they were my favorite couple for quite a while.
4. It was nice to see Peak grow a lot as a person.
5. Latte (has to be my favorite character). He is incredibly mature, understanding, and really nice and funny.
6. I love Latte and Almond's relationship after they get together. They are super cute and have quite healthy relationship.
7. Jane. Perfect friend, great support and help.

Things I disliked:
1. Peak running away from all of his problems instead of confronting and trying to fix them.
2. Unnecessary drama between Almond and Latte, weird conflict about nothing.
3. Almond acts really childish a lot of the time.
4. Parents. Peak's father is very weirdly demanding of Peak. While Almond's mother is too overprotective.
5. Almond getting jealous and upset over literally nothing in the last episode.
6. Last episode feels like a filler episode.

Read More

Cute but dumb

This one is more of a guilty pleasure watch for me. The story is fine, the music is great, and the entire case is adorable. It's not that the actors are bad at their jobs, it's just that the characters are truly written that way. Duang is just soooo over the top clingy and optimistic. I really though this was going to be a kind of Junior from Perfect 10 Liners situation where he uses being happy to cover for darker feelings, but it appears to just be who he is. I don't mind it, and I'm enjoying watching the series, but it's not really one that you are going to take seriously.

Read More

This is such a waste.

I give up.

Bloody Flower, you're an 8 episode kdrama. You don't have the time and pacing luxury of still not grabbing me by episode 2 on top of some of the worst acting I've seen in recent time.🤨

How do you even managed to make a story about saint or sinner serial killer so ungodly boring???

No critics on my guy Ryeoun though, he tried his hardest to make the kdrama works, and he did at least showed his range as a serial killer.

But everything else around this one just goes against him, I kinda feel bad for him. Hopefully his next project will be better.

Read More