Reviews

Original, funny and absolutely charming

What a great surprise. The take on contract marriage is very original. This charming light-hearted drama made me smile and laugh throughout. Zhou Yu Tong, The main actress plays her role to perfection, she’s solar, extremely cute and funny despite her assertiveness, a great character hiding her sensitivity behind an armour. Now One of my favorite FL in a drama…and I regret that we don’t see more of ZYT in dramas on Viki.
Because she needs to get married and have a baby within a year, she has a way to try and seduce Gung Jun (before and) after their wedding which is just hilarious, …until he understands that it’s all for the show, because she never had a boyfriend and gets scared as soon as he plays along. So it’s not the regular storyline of they live together and slowly fall in love…
I must say that Gung jun, if not perfect, has a way to look at her that does the trick, his eyes can truly sparkle and shine love… the second ML who was a model before being an actor, is extremely handsome… which adds to the pleasure of watching this drama ;)

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Cringe

**Brief Synopsis**
B (Student): Toh
T (Student): Neua

- Beginning: B has a crush on T but isn’t in the same circle as him. But one day he takes a picture of T that gets popular and T notices him.

- Middle: He start spending more time with T and realizes that he might like him a little bit too. They ended up together.

- End: Story ends with them together.

**My Opinion**

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT IT:
N/A

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE ABOUT IT:
- The acting is really cringey. B’s friends are very cringey and B looks like a creep. All his actions are exagerated, making it unbearable to watch. I don’t understand why it is only with him when T and his friends seem perfectly normal. It’s really difficult to watch when you can’t even like the main character. If B had been normal and less extra, I would have loved this show because I really like T and I love the concept (I read some reviews saying it was fluffy, I think I agree).
- Their relationship seems really superficial. There is a lack of buildup before they got together. I really don’t understand why anyone would like B. I only continued watching wondering if B will change but he doesn’t.

**Conclusion**
An OK watch but probably won’t be revisiting.

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Fresh Plot and Good for Horror, Mystery, Psychological, and Suspense

I love to see new pairings and new plots because they're adventurous and mysterious. As for myself, I was frustrated because of the same or lame story plots. But this is quite a fresh plot and good for horror, mystery, psychological, and thriller genre lovers, but not that terrifying. We all know that Singto and Fluke are well-known actors in the Thai entertainment industry. Of course, their acting in Shadow is superior. Their chemistry was okay, but there were no sparks. I think this is because both of them are acting calmly. The drama itself is a Pandora box. Because when you start to watch the drama, it feels like every character is somehow hiding something from the world. Specifically, you cannot identify who is the white or black character in the drama, though they include villains. Somehow, the main or minor characters tangled with the unsolved mystery. And the setting of the drama is quite unique because everything happened at a missionary school. Because within Christianity, there are a variety of views on sexual orientation and homosexuality, which raises a high level of doubt about a happy ending.

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THIS IS THE BEST DRAMA OF ALL TIME…AT LEAST FOR ME.

Twinkling Watermelon will take you on an emotional roller coaster ride. A perfect blend of romance, comedy, and drama. One moment you’re laughing, then you’re bawling your eyes out a few minutes later, then you’ll find yourself smiling from ear to ear as you feel butterflies in your stomach. It’s very well written from start to finish—truly a masterpiece.

Saying that the cast did their job very well is an understatement like you’ll literally be blown out of your mind. All of them did a perfect portrayal of their characters especially the four main leads—Ryoeun, Seol In Ah, Choi Yun Wook, and Shin Eun Soo.

Ryoeun showcased his versatility in acting. He never failed to deliver, be it comedy, drama, or romance, he nailed them all. Seol In Ah’s character here might be frustrating to some as she was getting in the way of the CheongChan ship, but she did very well especially as her character was like an icebreaker to the 1995 time slip era. She really excels in romantic-comedy dramas. Choi Yun Wook’s acting here could catapult him to a rising star status, if not already. It’s like you’re feeling all his character’s emotions first-hand with his acting, especially in his tear-jerking scenes. Meanwhile, Shin Eun Soo might have the least screen time out of the main leads, but boy, oh boy, those facial expressions were the best. She roughly had no dialogues because her character was deaf and couldn’t speak properly, and all she had were voiceovers of her thoughts. But her eyes tell a thousand words. I think she is the most impressive in this drama.

This drama got me hooked from the first episode, and up until the very last second of the finale. For me, there were no dull or boring moments that you would want to skip. Not to mention all the cliffhangers every episode, it would only make you look forward to the next episode.

The romance here may be a slow burn but it made the story a whole lot more exciting for me as the moment when the leads were finally together, it was sweeter and more heartfelt.

The best parts for me were the endless banter of our Ahjumma-Ahjussi couple, the CheongChan sweet interactions, the Watermelon Sugar band friendship moments, and our Best Grandma scenes. Everything was perfect.

With regards to the ending, it kind of felt like it needed one more episode to explain some things but I guess that was how they wanted the drama to wrap up as they seemed to add an element of surprise for the ending scenes. They kept things to viewers’ creative imagination. Nevertheless, it didn’t make it less impressive for me. All I can say is that everyone should watch this god-tier drama and enjoy it as much as we did.

Story: 100/10
Acting/Cast: 200/10
Music: 100/10
Rewatch value: 100/10
Overall: 1000/10

Disclaimer: I'm a sucker for RomComs and my Top 10 were all that so I may be a bit biased here. So for non-romcom fans, take this with a grain of salt.

VIVA LA VIDA!!

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Seaside, friendship, and that inimitable summer feeling

This show is something truly special and by the time I heard the opening theme for the first time I was already head over heels in love with it. It takes a simple premise - two kids meeting and forming a friendship which then develops into romance - and elevates it to a new level.
Not only are the characters incredibly endearing, they are also given a level of complexity and depth which is rare for a romance centered around high school age characters.
For instance, Amane, who has put the idea of romance behind him after a brutal rejection, is not jaded, closed-off, and celibate. Instead he is portrayed as being happily sexually active and secure in his sexuality even if he does eschew romantic relationships.

Furthermore, the progression of Amane and Ryuji's relationship is phenomenal. We get to see Amane slowly opening up and become less defensive especially where his sexuality is concerned. He slowly stops hiding behind barbed quips and preemptive self-deprecation and starts to regain some of his faith in the people around him.
Meanwhile we get to watch Ryuji deliberately opening himself up to the possibility of romance with Amane while still staying true to himself and his own feelings, which he does by being unfailingly honest both with Amane and with himself.

Add to that a beautifully scenic seaside town and an incredible soundtrack and you get one of the most charming and genuine shows I've ever seen. It is truly a rare gem that deserves to be seen and appreciated by straight and queer folk alike.
I simply cannot recommend this story highly enough, I implore any- and everyone to watch it, watch it right now.

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A Very Well Written BL

**Brief Synopsis**
B (Student): Tian
T (Village Chief): Phupha

- Beginning: The story starts when B starts looking in to the person who donated their heart to him and once upon finding out who the person was (and getting ahold of their diary), he decides to fulfill that person’s last wishes and move to the village where she had been teaching. He is met by T, the chief, who at first is not happy by his arrival.

- Middle: Despite the rough opening, T and B starts spending more time together and starts falling for each other. B also starts getting used to life at the village and life as a teacher. However, his tranquil life is disrupted when the village is attacked and B and T ends up in the hospital. B’s father finally appears and admits knowing where B was all along and asks B to go back home with him. T asks B to go knowing it was the best option and make him promise not to forget him. B goes back unable to forget T. However, he has grown and knows he wants to study to become a teacher. He decides to go to the US to study. On the day of departure, T appears and B finally realizing their feelings are mutual, make T promise to wait for him.

- End: Some time passes and B finally returns from oversees and goes to join T again at the village. He tells T he won’t leave again and they will be together forever. The show ends with them happily living together.

**My Opinion**

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT IT:
- The actors playing B and T. Their chemistry was amazing and some of their interactions were cute and sweet. They also do a great job in portraying the affection between the characters.
- I like the small looks they gave each other when they are still unwilling to admit their feelings.
- The writing is pretty nice despite the plot being predictable and cliche. But the story flows really well and the ensemble cast make the village they live in seem alive. This show isn’t exaggerated like some BL can be.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE ABOUT IT:
- Very tame intimate scenes which can be a disappointment.
- Angst comes from T constantly denying his own feelings which is an overused trope.
- The show is very slow burn with them only kissing in the last episode. I would have liked to see more of their interactions as a couple.

**Conclusion**
An OK watch but probably won’t be revisiting.

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Cute, fun, & interesting, but...

I definitely enjoyed this drama. It had me coming back for more all the way until the end. Unfortunately the ending itself felt rushed and incomplete. There was so much about the after that we didn't get to know about, and even the last moment was too quick imo.

I really wish there had been more expansion into after the return and how everything that was left behind unfolded to become how it was when they made it back.

I liked how their connection was consistent the whole time, but it still felt somewhat incomplete and rushed etc. I think he deserved his own explanation in the "after" - and more about their family relationships with him!

Very enjoyable, but not without it's many many plot holes.

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THE BEST YOUTH DRAMA EVER!!!

This was definitely one of the best youth dramas I've watched. It made me laugh so hard, cry so much, warmed up my heart and brought me so much comfort. This had the best squad, family & the most precious couples!!

I loved the way they wrapped up the story. They showed how a person can make their life twinkle so brightly despite the hardships we face. With our passion, efforts & along with our loved ones we can overcome anything. This whole drama and the characters were such an inspiration.

I fell in love with every character and all the actors did an amazing job. The casting was literally PERFECTION!! Ryeoun did a flawless job as Ha Eungyeol, Hyunwook was the perfect casting for Yichan, he just made me fall hard for Yichan so bad, Eunsoo nailed the role of Cheongah & won over everyone even without talking at all, she did a great job portraying such a hard character & In Ah also did so well with acting 2 different characters though I felt like it could've been a bit better

The story did have flaws from here and there but regardless of that it was such an enjoyable drama. If you watch it without complicating it too much, anyone would definitely enjoy it because it just brings you so much joy. You can simply have fun watching it though the last eps were so painful and made me cry a whole river but the ending so good that it felt like all that pain was worth it ♡

DEFINITELY ONE OF MY ALL TIME FAVOURITE DRAMAS!!!!

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Comforting and fun, but has pacing issues

So I still enjoyed this quite a bit but definitely not as much as everyone else.

To start with the good things, it's definitely a really heart-warming and inspiring show about following your dreams, connecting with loved ones, and finding what sparks your happiness in life. Every single character ends up in a better place than where they started and for that reason alone I think this drama is worth the watch.

To nobody's surprise, my favorite plot in this story was the story of Cheong-ah and Yi-chan. It's so much more than a romance; it was also about the importance of communication and how people with hearing disabilities can stay connected to the rest of the world, and about how Yi-chan would learn to face the world again after losing his hearing, this time with more people who cared about him in his life. Or rather, it should've been more about the latter.

It seems like most criticism of the plot surrounds the last episode being rushed (which I do agree with) — we get the big accident, some hugging and deep talks, and then jump back to the present day, all without any interaction between Yi-chan and Cheong-ah, who should've been the most important person in his life and the one who would've most understood what he was going through.

Which brings me to the biggest issue I had with this: pacing. Eun-gyeol's main goal to prevent his father's accident and stop him from losing his hearing goes all the way up to ~episode 15, while he also tries to get his parents together and Yi-chan still chases after Se-kyung until about episode 11. I was definitely getting really tired of the same plot points by this point and could start to see the ending coming.

By these episodes I felt like it was pretty obvious that the accident was not going to be prevented because one, it would've gone against the ethos of the show — Yichan does not have to hear for his life to be good, and to let his son follow his dream of playing music — and two, there was just not enough time to explore a brand new timeline by that point.

I really think they should've had the accident happen earlier and shown just a little bit more of the aftermath and interaction between Yi-chan and Cheong-ah and everyone else; I understand the counterpoint of not needing to show it because we've already seen Yi-chan's development and can infer how the future would change, but for me it would have been preferable to see this over a faux love triangle plot that started to get really repetitive, and then wait for Eun-gyeol's perspective shift to happen as late as the 15th episode.

The side characters were fine — I liked them as a whole but only a few of them had interesting subplots. And antagonistic side characters like Cheong-ah's brother seem to come in and out of the show when it was convenient. Eun-ho was a side character I expected to be a main character and I still wish he had gotten more screentime, whether it was with Eun-gyeol or with the parents.

Overall, none of this is a deal breaker by any means, and I still really enjoyed this drama throughout and would say it's worth watching. It's light-hearted and cozy, but I would be lying if I didn't say it stopped being plot-driven and started fizzling out for me.

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A mixed bag

Filmed several years ago, this drama bears an air of nostalgia of past harem/palace dramas, especially in this first 1/3. Luo Qinglian unexpectedly finds herself forced in a position to become a servant-concubine of the third son of Prince An, and her story of surviving the treacherous life in He Lianxin's household thus begins.

Unfortunately, her story never really soars as those of other strong female leads in other past palace/harem dramas such as Story of Yanxi Palace or The Sword and the Brocade. The drama tries to involve too much story - brothers fighting for the title of Prince, Qinglian's former lover Lv Beiyi's story, and the 11th hour secret oath our ML's father made to the Emperor to rescue him are just some of the other story lines. However, due to so much being edited out, the story is choppy and does not flow together well. It may have been better to end the drama around episode 30 when our ML achieves the title of Prince and focus on building the characters' relationships better.

What I am left with are some very nice moments of dramatic performances from a seasoned cast but an overall disappointing story structure, making it difficult to give this any more than a 7.5. It is perhaps higher than it should be, but I guess I do miss how dramas were shot in the past - a lot less crazy camera work and more focus on lighting and allowing the performances to breathe and speak for themselves. My favorite parts were the quieter scenes when the actors just are speaking/performing to each other.

If palace/harem dramas are your thing, you may want to check this out casually, but there are likely far better ones out there more worth your time.

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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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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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