Reviews

Such an underrated gem

I enjoy some good action comedy from time to time and if its a crew or heist type of story? Sign me up ! I saw a very short clip of this drama and I was immediately intrigued. I mean who wouldn't be curious about a crew of random neighbors who are all former special forces soldiers and are now fighting against a terror threat against their quiet neighbourhood?!

I thoroughly enjoyed this and was left wishing for more. I was very impressed by the acting, directing, writing, the action choreography and the pacing of the story. Each character was different but believable and I loved their chemistry amongst themselves. The action, mystery and comedy aspect of the story was perfectly balanced and it stayed that way from start to finish. I wasn't tired or bored by the story progression and there were some very clever easter eggs and plot points in the story.

Now, it did have its flaws. Except Choi Kang, we don't go into much detail about the other characters. Their backstory, military career, inner workings etc are not clearly explained. I don't know if this is getting renewed for a second season but they left some plot holes that I wish was clarified. There were a lot of questions left unanswered like his reason to leave JDD, whether his wife knows his past, the real identity of his boss etc

Also, I found the villain to be a little boring. Sure his schemes are cunning and actually devastating but the character itself didn't make me feel anything (maybe its the acting ?). We're talking about a crazy terrorist lunatic but when I see him on the screen, he is just too stiff and emotionless. Even when he emotes, its a little forced and cringe (?) This drama would've benefited so much if they cast a great villain actor since the main plot is to stop the Villain's schemes.

Overall, this was a happy suprise for me and I enjoyed this to the fullest. I think this would've been more popular if this was aired through a television network or a major streaming platform instead of Coupang play since this genre of dramas seem to be popular both domestically and globally. It's a tragedy that this flies under a radar. 8/10 stars !

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Felt like they dropped the ball on this one

Was super interested in this when it was first announced because the gist of ai-generated boyfriends on the fly sounded kinda fun, and the early episodes lean into that fun part pretty well. The virtual worlds look great and make it too good to be true like it should be, the scenarios were cliche obviously but because it was supposed to be unrealistically fun (sometimes cringy in a fun way), and the production and costume work in those settings are especially well done.

The fun concept it built though starts to lose its momentum around the midpoint. The story felt like it kept circling back to the idea that each boyfriend is perfect but not real which is a good concept to build off of but they didn’t really explore how those experiences changed Mi Rae’s view on real relationships very well. The virtual boyfriend part was pretty much Lee Soo Hyuk, mostly Seo Kang Jun, and Seo In Guk's Yeong Il character with other minor appearances that were way to short so she pretty much just experienced two boyfriends in reality when i thought it was going to be something like a boyfriend per episode, that typa thing until the last few episodes. Because of that, they rely a lot on the virtual dates to carry the first half of the story while the real-world story feels underdeveloped and rushed to clean up when they gotta limit the BOD and mostly shift the real world in the 2nd half.

Mi Rae's character was kinda a mixed bag for me. Felt like she was too indecisive which made her frustrating at times and her not really understanding why the perfect boyfriends not only made her happy but sad reflecting on her relationship with Se Jun and how wanting to be perfect leads to imperfection. Her character gets a bit repetitive with the plot revolves around her journeying through her virtual boyfriends but again she didn’t really develop much out of it. I think Jisoo fits the role visually and the styling for her character is great (big credit to the costume team again), but her acting still feels like it’s developing and isn’t ready for a full lead role just yet. She’s not terrible like some others like to say just because she's an idol, but in scenes where her emotions need to show to she sometimes lacked the depth, which makes it hard to take a scene seriously. In my opinion she still has things to improve on which is normal and expected for someone with limited acting roles. I personally think a secondary lead would fit her better while she builds up her repertoire and refines the little things that she has shown she can improve but it’s pretty obvious because of her name that wouldn’t happen even if i think it would really benefit her.

The main romance doesn’t help much either in picking up the flat parts either. The chemistry between Mi Rae and Gyeong Nam feels pretty meh and just like you expect them to get together because they are the leads and not that they actually mesh together well which was a bummer. Could be that they pretty much just gave them just about 2 episodes to be together and not really letting them establish anything until around the second half. Could be also that Gyeon Nam's character remains very robotic even when he gets together with Mi Rae, which adds to romance feeling more forced than natural. One hated the other and one was more of a robot then the actualy AI-generated boyfriends somehow. I get he is not an expert at being social but even then still like they overdid his character being too monotonous.

Overall, it’s not bad, but the concept never feels as fully explored as it could have been and instead relied a bit to much on parts that didn't amount to much. It’s visually appealing and has some fun moments, but it ends up feeling a bit underwhelming by the end. The cameo appearances ended up being a highlight for me and where BOD showed its best colors. Seo Kang Jun really came out swinging in this and he definitely brought the most fun outta this.

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A survival show for shaman psychics? SO fascinating and fun!

I love getting my fortune told, but at the same time I usually do it just for fun and am not a total believer. But this show definitely made me think twice.

THE GOOD:
1) Fascinating to watch the shamans get the details right, especially if more than one agree on the details
2) The battle where they read each other or the celebrities fortunes. Man, I SO WANTED to book one of them to read my fortune!
3) Can be a bit catty but also supportive for what seems like a lonely job. That supportive element was nice to see
4) It's fun when I also was able to "predict" the right answer

THE BAD:
1) The judge panel's overreactions especially Park Nara. She annoyed the hell out of me with her over the top gasps. IMO the judges' whisperings and expressions helped guide shamans to know if they were on the right track and would help others also guess similarly. That's how fake conmen can read their clients. The judges should have had neutral expressions or be behind a screen.
2) Severely edited to limit the times the shamans were wrong. Obviously if the shamans were wrong too much, viewers would lose interest in the show cuz who would want to watch frauds. The PDs would have a hard time casting a S2 and probably would face defamation suits so the editing definitely sheltered in favor of the contestants.
3) The last episodes with the shaman rituals were in poor taste imo. It felt like fake acting, taking advantage of grieving people.

Throughout the show, I was so entertained and slowly questioned if there might be something to this. But then a part of me also felt like it'd be so easy to feed info to the shamans or it being scripted or if it's a small community, they might all know each other's past already. Also, I question why would ghosts know the future? Is it really spirits they are tapping into or maybe they are accessing a part of the brain that can pick up subconscious cues better and faster than the average person. Only time will tell if future predictions are real, but regardless of my doubts, I was thoroughly entertained and would def watch s2 if it comes out!

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literally surpassed my wildest dreams ?

This was just so much fun to watch!
I started it to watch in-between another show which was high on my watch list, but in the end I ran to this first!
I think above all they cast this perfectly💪🏻I mean I seriously do not believe Seo Kang Jun is real anyway, so playing an AI was perfect and their chemistry was next level! But her final choice, yeah he was perfect, it was the bottle tops on lined up bottles that did it for me 💯 and the complete green flag of a man and his AI to spice it up was a bonus!
It started out just cringingly wonderful, with each of these lovely men and honestly I was happy there, but her story was really nicely done, they pitched that perfectly, it was clean, simple and you could relate to this deeper and unexpected layer.
The comedy was on point and i howled at her new found athletic prowess ⛸️🥷
The office family, her friend, the AI sidekicks all added to the fun of this drama, we were spoilt as viewers.
I was left wanting more but at the same time I’m glad they didn’t distract from what for me was a simple, original piece of Romcom heaven.
I hoped it would be good, it surpassed my wildest dreams…literally 🤭

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It was such a good drama!

I loved this drama to pieces. The characters and everything were so good. All the characters had a great dynamic I can’t explain how good it was. It had lots of emotion in the drama as well. When Seunghyun and Tak weren’t talking cause of everything I was crying and sad when Tak withdrawed himself from being a police officer. I was crying so much episode 14. Even at the funeral it was really sad. Lots of tears fell out of my eyes. All the chapters had a special dynamic for themselves. They had their own flaws. Eunkang was an amazing character she was so helpful even in the rough times. She helped and brought great ideas. Ari is a very good person as well and works hard. She is cute with Tak btw! All together they make a great team. Hanna was an amazing character she doesn’t really stand out at first but then she does later and is a very good friend. Everyone single character in this show is amazing and I loved this so much. This deserves a second season like now! Tak has great acting his emotions felt so real it made me cry. He should take more main roles!

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The cast are amazing

Initially i watched this because of Ryan but stayed because of the story and the supporting cast.

I cringed during romantic scenes because i felt that the ML and FL's chemistry vibe was more of a "friendly-type" but the comedic scenes, especially the hotpot ones are enjoyable. The scenes with their friends are my favorite.

The supporting cast did a great job in portraying their roles, amazing actors and actresses 👏👏👏👏👏 Some roles might have been short but i still cried when they "went home".

I cried a lot in this drama. I have watched a lot of cdrama already but this show felt unique and different to me.
#mustwatch

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Cute, Short, and Unexpectedly Fun

I decided to watch this drama mainly because of the male lead, since I already like him as an actor. Even though my expectations weren’t particularly high at the beginning, the drama turned out to be a pleasant watch overall. It’s not a groundbreaking series, but it’s definitely enjoyable and I would still recommend it to people looking for something light and easy to watch.

Considering the drama only has 10 episodes, I think the writers managed to structure the story fairly well within that limitation. The episodes are about an hour long and they go by quickly. You can tell that certain storylines probably couldn’t be expanded much because of the limited number of episodes, but the pacing still works and the ending didn’t feel rushed to me. The male lead was definitely one of the highlights for me. I really liked his character and he kept the story engaging. As for the female lead, this was actually the first time I saw her acting. I had heard some criticism about her performance before starting the drama, but personally I wasn’t disappointed.

The romance itself felt a bit different from many other dramas. While the male lead already seemed to have some level of attraction toward the female lead and actively pursued her, the female lead was emotionally stuck after her previous serious relationship. She was clearly afraid of entering another relationship and going through the same pain again. Because of that, the story needed a very gentle kind of love to help her slowly overcome that fear, and I think the male lead’s personality fit that type of story very well.

However, my main issue is that this emotional aspect wasn’t explored as deeply as it could have been. Her fear is introduced, but she seems to overcome it quite quickly. The male lead does pursue her and offers reassurance and validation, but I felt like the story could have benefited from a bit more emotional conflict or drama to make that development feel deeper.

That said, the drama seems to intentionally go for a softer and lighter romance, so perhaps that was the tone they were aiming for. Still, I think with a few more episodes the relationship could have been developed in a more meaningful way.

The simulation concept was also interesting. The virtual “boyfriends” added some fun moments, and I have to admit they were all quite attractive, especially the personalized boyfriend who basically looks exactly like the male lead. That part was actually pretty amusing.

Production-wise, I don’t have many complaints. The cinematography and overall production were good. At the beginning, the 3D simulation effects looked a little strange, but considering the story revolves around a virtual dating simulation, it actually makes sense that it doesn’t look perfectly realistic.

As for the side characters, they didn’t receive much development. The female lead’s friend was a bit frustrating at times since she seemed to only think about dating. I also wish we had seen more awkward or funny moments between the main couple, and the storyline involving the female lead’s ex felt like it was simply left behind without much exploration.

Overall, this is a soft, light romance with an interesting concept and good chemistry between the leads. It may not have the deepest emotional development, but it’s still a pleasant watch for viewers who enjoy short, relaxed romance dramas without too much heavy conflict.

Rating: 7/10

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Cuteness Overload: This Couple Stole My Heart Again

We waited almost 10 years for this series, and honestly… it was so worth it. This couple was already super cute in the first show, but seeing them as the main leads with their own story just hit differently.

Their acting was amazing and the chemistry between them? Insane. The kisses were so emotional, and love scenes were so exciting. I watched all 12 episodes in one go and I’m definitely going to rewatch it again and again. I just love them.

The second couple was also really adorable. I wish them all the best in the future.

The ending did feel a bit rushed though. Maybe some scenes were cut, because it left a few question marks for viewers.

But overall the drama was great. I honestly didn’t expect something this open from China, so it was a big surprise in the best way. The quality was really high and now I just want more projects like this

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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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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.

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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.

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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

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