Reviews

love it!!?

I don't have any words left to describe how beautiful this drama is. Apart from the storyline, the production crew also made sure that the songs included in this drama were all amazing and meaningfully beautiful.
Hats off to the story writer and the fantastic production crew. Also, a big round of applause was given to the actors who portrayed their roles perfectly. While watching the drama, you can see and feel that the actors became one with their respective characters
I think that this was by far the best drama released in 2023!

I'll be waiting for season 2 desperately!
?I didn’t want it to finish; I wanted more. It's such a refreshing story. It's one of my favorite ones.

I'm just amazed by this perfect drama?

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A stomach-full and heartfelt Food BL with a lightweight and slow pace slice of life story.

The movie is very subtle, lightweight and to our heart's content. Beside A LOT of food, the movie captures stories of two college students with their struggles about living tgt, study, career and life. It’s a very soft and peaceful movie with just a little bit of angst. Some people may regard it Bromance. and it's understandable because they stay bros 95% of movie. But there's a confession. Aki didn’t let Haru finish it but we all know what it is. At the end, they promised to live together "in any cases" and "drink plum wine together every year". Doesn’t it sound like a proposal? And I think they leave the romance for Sequel! Yes, there is a sequel!
If you like What Did You Eat Yesterday series or She loves to cook, She loves to eat, you will like this one because it takes a similar approach – telling stories on the dining table. You hardly hear any confession, but their bonding is very strong “no place for anyone else".
What I don’t like about it is the "legendary" yellow color we see everywhere in JBL. Everything else is good and enjoyable. However, average BL watchers may expect the story to speed up and spice up (more drama) a little
I think it's up to you whether you like it or not, just like some people like light foods, others like spicy ones.

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um drama de morte e ressurreição depois do terceiro dia...

Um Dorama de morte e ressurreição depois do terceiro dia, pq o tanto que esse povo morreu e voltou eu já tava desacreditada. A primeira parte e o final dele me prendeu, mas no último episódio da segunda parte como ela voltou (de novo) e pra piorar como ela ganhou uma calda de sereia, eu fiquei tipo ?????? ela não era uma raposa, e a forma como não exploraram os poderes dele nessa segunda parte fiquei desapontada, parece que usaram todo o poder dela na primeira parte e isso foi totalmente esquecido depois. Tem momentos bons, e emocionantes que até chorei, mas no 30° capítulo (que faz parte da segunda parte) eu já fui ficando cansada, muita enrolação. o casal não tem química, alguns personagens são forçados ao extremo e com tantas histórias paralelas fica difícil ter algum interesse genuíno depois de tanto tempo. Torci muito mais pelo coadjuvante, chorei naturalmente (e olha que no início nem fui muito com a cara dele) mas com o passar dos episódios me peguei torcendo pra ele se dar bem e no fim ele acabou igual ao pai dele, paraplégico e "sozinho", o tanto que ele foi humilhado pra salvar ela e o povo, foi o verdadeiro plot que me conquistou. O sereiano também não teve um desenvolvimento tão satisfatório, a gente não sabe quase nada sobre a vida dele no mar, sua família, tudo ficou apenas focado nessa obsessão e romance entre ele e a protagonista, que francamente se no início eu gostei um pouco com o decorrer foi apenas decaindo. Não esperava que eu fosse me desapontar e achar tão chato, pois sou fã desse gênero de dramas. Mas, a produção é bem bonita como esperado das produções chineses (tirando é claro alguns momentos da dublagem que fica desincronizado). Assisti pq gosto da dilraba e acabou que não foi por ela que continuei pois me apeguei ao personagem que eu menos esperava.

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The drama I would have waited for but got lucky because it was airing already!

To start off, I love the colourful bright poster.

The drama was amazing. I can't really say that a lot about the dramas I've recently wat
ched (not just korean) because I don't have the motivation to finish them but for this I was waiting on edge for every episode to release until the last two because I didn't want it to finish bit I also wanted to know how it ended.

I'm not going to say oh wow it says a 10 star ending but it's a 9.5 stars for me because I feel like an extra 15 / 20 mins or a mini special episode would have allowed a proper good bye for every character for Ha Eun Gyeol to meet for the last time.

So this next tquesfion always comes up with time travel dramas/movies. What happened to the versions of the characters before the time travel took place? Is that simply another timeliness now or they simply don't exist? It can be argued either way. So many questions related to time travel but as a drama, this was fun to watch.

I would so recommend for you to watch this.

This is actually a 10 star watch overall for me but I'm rating it a 9.5 stars considering I feel like a little extension to the ending would have been a bit better but it wasn't bad either. It was a good ending.

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A decent time-travel drama

it’s taken me a while to actually finish this drama. getting to only episode 9 on my first attempt and than placing it on hold for a few months. I’ve only just came back to it and completely restarted the watch as it’s a rather complicated show to just jump head first into. It is definitely a drama worth being in the time-travel genre (Not As Good As signal though) with its constantly changing dynamics, unexpected plot twists etc. I haven’t rated it higher because I’m just generally not a overall big fan of dramas like these, at times it felt really confusing to know which was the past and which was the present. But overall, the changing relationships between the ML and his family, the strenuous affair of the wife and the secretary, and the FL’s unyielding spirit in finding out the truth made it a worthwhile watch. it isn’t one of my favourite dramas, but is definitely something I can see myself revisiting in the near future to pass the time.

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How appetizing!

Watching Twinkling Watermelon was a rollercoaster of emotions for me. I laughed so loudly at times that I'm pretty sure I disturbed my neighbors, and there were moments when I needed to grab my box of tissues. Regardless of the emotion, one thing was certain—I absolutely enjoyed every moment of it!

I have to confess, I'm a bit biased when it comes to anything related to time travel because time travel shows are just plain fun for me. A series has to be really bad for me to give up and walk away, and Twinkling Watermelon was far from that. Every week, I eagerly looked forward to watching it, and it quickly became a priority over other shows on my list. Usually, in a series, there's a point where it slows down and gets a bit boring, but Twinkling Watermelon never hit that hump. Instead, it always left me frustrated that I had to wait for the next episode. If they had released it all at once, I'm sure it would have taken up an entire weekend for me.

It's difficult for me to pinpoint what I loved most about it—whether it was the captivating main characters, the awesome music, the engaging storyline, the meaningful dialogues that made me rewind to listen again, or the mix of fear and pain with sweet romance. So, I'll just conclude by saying that I loved the whole package—from the beginning to the end, it was a delightful experience.

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Good time-travel drama in a while but

The story, cast , music everything was perfect until last episode, the ending felt too rushed, that many important points that connect past to present were missed.
I wanted to know how Eun gyeol life changed in terms of wealth and family relations, did Yi Chan and Chung Ah meet again in US, what about the story that was present before Eun Gyeol time travelled and they didn't show anything about Eun Yu's & Se Gyeong story. I think a special episode where all the missed story should be aired to answer most of my questions.
Overall the drama was pretty good. Had many emotional scenes that had me in tears, osts are also pretty good. Do give it a watch. The idols have also acted well memorising the sign language.

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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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How to outwit your frenemies & enemies and bag yourself a Prince

I choose to watch this drama thinking I was in for a lighthearted rom-com between 2 young actors, working as farmers labouring in some rural province of China. Turns out, it wasn't. The title is rather misleading. Although the setting starts off in a farm (a virtual computer game farm, to be precise), the story is really about how the female protagonist, the underdog stacked with the odds against her, schemes her way in order to survive and thrive. Her male lover is an undercover prince, who takes on the identity of a humble farm boy. He becomes her brainy side-kick and partner-in-crime.

The Meta-context
Lian Man Er, portrayed as your average girl-next-door person, is invited to beta-test a company's new computer game that is set in a virtual Farm. Once the game begins, she is parachuted into a rural farming village as a player with a mission to earn 1000 taels of money. Every new character in the computer game is always introduced by their names, and every episode concludes with a total tally of money that Lian Man Er has earned or expended in her account.

Obstacle 1: The Heroine's Toxic Family
The bulk of the drama's storyline quickly becomes engulfed by the petty rivalry and silly squabbles between Lian Man Er's family members. The only saints in her family are her long-suffering parents, her cute little 7 year old brother and a mild-mannered weak cousin. The rest of her biological relatives, from her grandfather grandmother, aunties, uncles and cousins are portrayed as lazy, gluttony, dumb passive useless and scheming personalities who go all lengths to frustrate Lian Man Er's morale and diminish her hard-earned money pool to line their own pockets.

Obstacle 2: The Hero's Undercover Takedown
Shen Nuo, the Male lead of the drama, is an undercover spy sent from the palace sent to find evidence against a marquis, who is secretly accumulating wealth to mine weaponry to wage war against the Emperor. He is picked up by Man Er while on the run, and makes use of her hospitality to claim a resident status on her family's farm in order to keep a low profile and gather more intel about the marquis's secret plans. As an "ordinary plebeian" who makes a sudden appearance in town, he faces difficulty establishing links to the illegal business organisation that is funding the marquis's political rebellion.

Obstacle 3: The Couple's neverending obstacles and challenges
In order to earn money to fulfil her game mission, Lian Man Er has to constantly hatch multiple businesses, from selling roasted peanuts, then to selling fresh leafy greens, then to selling grape wine brandy and then setting up a restaurant in the city. Every one of her successful business plans is always met by competitor saboteurs and internal espionage, but Man Er and Shen Nuo have a very winsome way of working together to outwit their rivals and dissenters while achieving their own goals and bottomline. Their like-minded thinking and easy-going partnership is what builds their chemistry, and eventually the bud of romance.

The Romance
Lian Man Er meets her prince-charming in a forest when he is severely injured and on the run. Out of compassion or perhaps his sheer good looks, she takes him (a complete stranger) in and allows him to stay on the farm when he agrees to help her breakaway from an arranged marriage. Shen Nuo continues to hang around the farm to help Man Er & her family, contributing more of his brains than actual hard work. Their budding romance experiences a short disruption when Shen Nuo abruptly disappears from the village without a proper farewell because he is unable to disclose his mission to Man Er and her family. When he abruptly reappears back on the farm and finally reveals his true identity and agenda, Man Er accepts him without much resistance and readily assists him in his undercover mission. The only rival for Man Er's affections is her goody-two-shoes kind-hearted neighbour, Youheng, who silently yearns for Man Er from afar, as most wallflowers are scripted to do. Thankfully, there is no other toxic romantic-rival to make the story defocused from its existing sub-plots.

The (Virtual) Happy Ending
An abducted family member gets rescued by Man Er, the mastermind enabling the illegal ore-mining scheme gets nabbed by Shen Nuo, the villagers get to return to their homeland and Lian Man Er's toxic family members magically morph into angelic souls who forgive each other's past transgressions over a heartwarming family reunion dinner. Shen Nuo disappears to return back to the Capital and returns years later to reunite with Man Er on the farm, promising a more committed relationship in the near distant future. But why not now, we wonder? All seems well.

The Reality
Man Er is brought back to reality once she completes her game mission and is sad to leave behind the virtual farm village world. The last scene is intentionally left ambiguous and open-ended: Will Man Er ever meet her prince-charming Shen Nuo in real life? I am left feeling utterly unsatisfied with such an incomplete ending.

The Bad Parts
The biggest weakness of this drama is it's setting. Most of the story revolves around how a Heroine meets her Hero and how they overcome their struggles and outwit their enemies together. But their relationship and romance (as the Title suggests) has no closure. Instead, we find out from the bonus special episode that Shen Nuo is actually the CEO heading the gaming company. Does this mean that he controlled the game settings all this while he was also a player in the game? What was the whole point of the game challenge? Will they ever continue to build their romance and live happily ever after after the computer game ends? The ending was so ambiguous and unsatisfactory because it did not answer these key questions, it makes the computer game meta-context feel pointless and irrelevant for me. This drama could have just focused on the Farm instead of trying to add a computer meta-context setting to make the story feel different.
The second issue with the drama is that I found many of Lian Man Er's family members scripted to be so unbearably toxic and grew tired of their petty politicking and fast-forwarded many of those scenes. I wish this drama could cut back on the toxic family squabbles and give more screen time to the key plot.
Which is the 3rd issue I have with the drama. The illegal ore mining scheme is stuffed across the last few episodes and the actual mastermind villain behind the supposed political rebellion does not even make an appearance in the show. Instead all we see are his cronies, the leader heading a powerful network of businessmen, deploying their wealth and resources to execute the illegal ore-mining business.

The Good Parts
This drama is a mini-masterclass about politicking your way out of sticky situations, whether it be a toxic family or unfavorable business and living conditions. The female protagonist does this very successfully with her smarts, sass and big sunny smile. Personally for me, Man Er and Shen Nuo's couple chemistry whenever they had level-headed strategic discussions on how to deal with different challenges were the real gems of this show. They would make fantastic MBA professors. So perhaps the title of this drama could have been Slaying it on a farm, albeit a virtual gaming one.

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Good reborn/revenge-plot with a solid storyline

This is a really nice reborn/revenge-plot story that might have a simple storyline but contains all the ingredients it needs.
Character wise:
The Second Prince is a ruthless and power hungry man that will stop at nothing (including eliminating his brothers) to become Crown Prince and later ascend the throne.
FL is the daughter of a powerful General and the obvious choice for the Second Prince to marry - and in her first life he does, since FL sacrifices her own happiness for her family.
The Emperor’s Nephew is a warm and caring man who grew up with and loves FL wholeheartedly. He will stop at nothing in order to protect FL - even at the cost of his own life.
Acting wise this is very good and the actors do a fantastic job with their characters.
Well, if you love a good reborn/revenge-plot with a solid storyline, this is definitely well worth watching.

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It was completly fine. Yes. Just fine.

Its a well made drama with clear effort and care behind it. Its kinda funny to see that the longer the show goes on the more money they have to work with? It starts off very bare bones in terms of production value and that changes by the end.

I thought the story and mystery was consistent. Some things interested me for a while but not for long.

The biggest ick for me is the romance between the leads. No chemistry whatsoever, I feel like this could be blamed on the "innocent" nature of the FL? I just could not get invested in their romance. ML was pretty stiff with her too so its not just her fault. The 2nd leads had much better scenes with better banter.

The ending was so anticlimactic and abupt I found my self asking... "Thats it? Really? Well ok I guess."

Yea it was alright, I'd never watch it again.

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deliciously sweet (please watch so we get the sequel :)

Overall: this is a gentle slice of life food-themed movie. Runtime is 90 minutes with a funny post credit scene. Aired on GagaOOLala.

Notes: see my comment with a spoiler as to a tag that I think this series/description is missing.
They have already filmed the sequel https://natalie.mu/eiga/news/527213

What I Liked
- delicious looking food
- cute/sweet moments
- funny moments
- cleared up problems that cropped up relatively quickly/easily

Room For Improvement
- how Aki didn't know that about Haru (around 46 minutes)
- I think this relationship/what they don't do would be pretty unrealistic in real life but I didn't deduct points because it's fiction

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Color me impressed

I have watched a few Japanese shows and movies that were dark or mind bending thrillers but this was my first movie and I was not disappointed. I’m looking forward to a follow up. I’m sure it won’t disappoint either.

This movie was better than expected for a suspenseful love story. The writer did a good job building in the backstory and the blooming love story which I’ve noticed is a talent of the Japanese film industry. The actors successfully exuded the emotions and character depth that draws you into the story. Also, absolutely loved the costumes since I’m a costumer myself. Everything went together nicely to give a beautiful and addictive story.

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YOU WILL NOT REGRET WATCHING THIS SHOW!!!

I cannot explain how much I love this show, it has seriously taken a big spot in my heart and I feel empty now that's its over.

I'm not joking when I say that I was so desperate for more that when the ending credits on the last episode played, I saw the 00:59 at the bottom and thought that there was another 59 minutes left. I'm not sure what I was even hoping for, bloopers or maybe a second epilogue, but even though in back of my head I knew it was seconds not minutes, I still needed to double check in hopes that that voice was wrong and the editors were just pranking me.

as much as this show leaves me empty, it will always have a special space in my heart. the ending leaves me satisfied and as much as I want more, more might just ruin the perfection that this show is.


this show has helped deal the hole in my heart that was meant to be filled by my youth, I feel like I lived my teenage years through them. I love a good youth show, but this one takes the crown.


the first 2 episodes are more of a build up to the plot, but you'll be completely lost without them. they're incredibly interesting and were great to watch, but episode 3 was the one that's really captured me. I just needed to know what was next.


this show was truly an emotional roller coaster, the writers need to open classes on cliff hangers bc this show really just kept me hooked week after week. I bore very easily and often drop shows, but this one really drew me in.


I'm not someone who is great with emotion, I often can't understand emotional shows and drop them bc I'm unable to feel what I need to which just makes everything feel very isolating and confusing, but this show really hit me. maybe it was the acting, maybe it was the writing, but this show was absolutely amazing, it's a piece of art.I do wish we got to see eunho and chungha more, I adore them so so so much.


thank you to the random tiktoker who put a very curiosity stricking tiktok on my fyp, the second I saw that video I just knew I had to watch the show and that was one of the best choices I have ever made.


if you've read this far and are still wondering if you should watch it or not, watch it. just as the title if my post says, you won't regret it. this show is so deserving of its current 9.2 rating, so much so that it deserves more.

I've said so much, I'm not sure i why, I just can't stop.


I'm not sure if any show will be able to hold my heart the way this show does, but I don't think I want that anyways, this show is so special to me and I hope it continues being this way for a very long time, maybe even 28 years.


thanks you very much to everyone who worked on this show, even u you did a "minor" job, your hard work helped bring this masterpiece to life. thank you to the writers who wrote this beautiful piece of art and thank you to the actors who brought it to life. you did so well and I hope you are proud of yourselves. you've touched my life and my heart.


this is the end of my very very long review, I tried to keep it spoiler free!

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Refreshingly good! Viva la vida!

This is a failure as a time travel drama since its ending has loopholes galore but as a family drama full of heart, this is one of the best. It doesn't have any major mind boggling concepts. You can almost predict the storyline but with cast's solid acting, their on point facial expressions, the simple story was really brought to life.

The main character, Ha Eun Gyeol, is kind, smart and handsome, the perfect son any parent would want to have. As a child of Deaf adults (CODA) with an older brother who was also Deaf, he always felt some guilt for being the only hearing member of the family. He tries to excel in studying so that people wouldn't say that his parents didn't raise him well because they were differently abled. But because of this, he began to feel like he was a trophy. It was only when he time travelled to the past that he was finally able to understand the struggles his parents had in their own youth.

When the MC returned to the future in the end, a lot of logical questions remained with me. Because I mostly enjoyed his journey and I kind of expected the changed future because of his interventions in the past, I chose to let them go and accept the drama logic as is. Everyone received their just ending so I'm good.

My main takeaway from this drama is Viva la vida, long live life. No one can live your life you. Life, like a watermelon, may have many seeds/struggles but it doesn't take away the sweetness that you can experience. Enjoy it, let it twinkle, but always choose to be kind when you can.

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