A BLAST TO THE PAST ⏰✨
***DISCLAIMER: This is just my opinion. We don’t have to agree and I’m not here to argue with anyone.***This drama is about the dilemma that many young people face: whether to pursue a life that makes them happy by doing what they love or to follow their parents' dreams and satisfy their parents' expectations. Eun Gyeol, the main character who is a CODA (Child Of Deaf Adults), struggles between following his passions and servicing the needs of his family until he is given the opportunity to change the course of their life by sliding back in time to when his parents were his age. We are also confronted with the question “Would our lives be better if we could change the past?”
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Likes:
The plot is excellent. It basically combines all of my favorite genres, romance, humor, mystery, parent-child relationships, friendship, high school life, adolescence. This drama keeps you entertained and hooked throughout, providing stories that touch your heart. I don't want to give away too much or spoil, but it is a fantastic drama. While watching this drama, I felt warm and nostalgic, and I wished I could travel back in time to experience how my parents lived in the 70s and 80s. This show made me cry so much lol… I cried maybe 6 times out of the 16 episodes.
We witness some of the pleasures, tensions, and uncertainties of adolescence as the drama progresses. It explores the demands from parents and society, as well as mental health concerns and anxiety among teenagers. Beautiful friendships, misunderstandings and familial bonds are also portrayed in the drama. Even if it's pointing out details, there are flaws in the series. Logical issues arise with time travel – the characters broke almost every rule known to man. Additionally, a lot of cliché tropes are used to put the characters in difficult situations.
The young actors outshone the older actors. I was thoroughly impressed by Ryeoun, Choi Hyun Wook, Shin Eun Soo and Seol In Ah. Shin Eun Soo's portrayal of a Cheong Ah is quite remarkable, my heart broke every time she got abused by that horrible principal and they locked her away attempting to dim her shine. Choi Hyun Wook is a master in encapsulating youth's energy and enthusiasm, he was a delight to watch and I couldn’t help but laugh / kick my feet giggling in most of his scenes. I started crying at the last moment when he was recording the song on the cassette and referred to Eun Gyeol as his son and thanked him. Ryeoun is a young actor with a lot of promise. It was amazing how much heart he brought to every single scenario. You couldn't help but adore him, support his character development. I was so impressed and I will definitely be watching his future projects. Seol In Ah was a lot of fun. The fact that she and her mother were portrayed by the same actor bothers me since they were so strikingly similar (basically twins). She tried her hardest, and her performance was good, but I believe she's a little too old to be portraying a 17-year-old. I also liked the chemistry between the actors and their pairings. Both couples demonstrated that there is hope and that there are people out there who will embrace you for who you truly are. As many have said before, YI CHAN IS THE STANDARD (AND EUN GYEOL LEARNED BY EXAMPLE)
Overall, they mastered their roles seamlessly and you couldn't help but be captivated by their on screen presence, they truly brought their characters to life. I loved the use of sign language – it is such a beautiful language to learn and I wish more people would use this drama as an example to see how inspiring it is when someone steps outside of your comfort zone and strengthens / improves their overall communication skills. You never know when the opportunity will arise and you will be able to help someone.
Dislikes:
I did not watch this drama from the beginning like everyone else, and I believe that is why I enjoyed it so much more. I was able to binge-watch episodes 1-14 all at once, and I honestly felt that this drama was something extraordinary, as other commenters had stated. Having said that, I became uninterested after waiting a week for the last episodes. I believe that episodes 15 and 16 could have been fleshed out and developed further. It appeared rushed, as if they were attempting to assemble the final parts of the puzzle and conclude everything on a high note. Personally, I was curious in what happened to Yi Chan and Cheong Ah and how they eventually reconnected. I wanted to know what life was like for them, especially Yi Chan, who had lost his hearing but still had so many goals. It's clear that his aspirations came true, but I wish they'd shown me more of his backstory instead of only telling me.
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Quotes I Loved:
"Life didn’t have to be perfect for it to shine. It’s the little moments that make your life twinkle, and happiness is what you experience when those moments come together.”
“If you push the wall, it becomes a bridge. If you fall somewhere, there will be a hidden treasure.”
“You don’t have to try so hard to be impressive. Continuing to live is already a great feat.”
“I was always lonely. I felt lonely and isolated as if I were stuck on an island by myself and couldn’t join the world where my family was living. But you see, I now have a chance to live in the same world as you do. I want to seize this opportunity.”
“I’m done being the girl who is only loved when she is needed or useful. I don’t want to be anyone’s trophy, war booty, or accessory.”
“Music isn’t something you listen to just by ear. Music is something you can feel with your eyes, mind, and heart.”
“There’s no scale that can measure who’s hurting more, and there’s no one who can judge that. No one has the right to judge others’ pain, and we have no duty to have it acknowledged by others.”
“I can’t hear your voice but I see it. I can feel it. You shine the brightest when you’re doing music.”
“Looking back, I realized that this song wasn’t the only thing you helped me complete. When I wanted something, when I felt like I lacked something, when I was in despair, and even at my most radiant moments, you were always there with me.”
“You lied that you were my son. But you know what? For some reason, I felt as though you were like my father. Even though I have never experienced a father’s love, I got to experience something similar thanks to you.”
“The moment you give up, it’s game over.”
“Here’s a thing about life. It may not give you everything you want. But it does hide a small present for you from time to time. I hope you can endure the cruel hardship life throws your way. So you can receive the present life has tucked away.”
“Life is filled with all kinds of metaphors. Interpretation is solely up to the receiver. There are no right answers.”
“When your life can twinkle again on its own, I hope it twinkles as radiantly as possible.”
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Final Thoughts:
Would I recommend this drama? Well yes, after I watched it I immediately begged my friend to watch it and she was hooked as well. I think this drama is very comforting / healing especially during this time of year and I feel like everyone no matter what age people find some enjoyment in it whether that’s nostalgia or portrayal of friendship, love, family etc.
My advice is don't allow the drama's title or the ensemble of actors stop you from watching it. I guarantee you will be surprised. It took me some time to decide to press play, but it was an absolutely incredible experience!
The premise is that if we can identify our flaws and limits, we can rectify them and grow as people. The other recurring theme is that we don’t really change. We can try as we might to control and assume personal responsibility for our own fate but nothing in life is certain. It seems as though life has selected a predetermined path for us, and we are simply just along for the ride.
This drama reminds me of this quote that says “You can be the master of your fate and you can be the captain of your soul but you have to realize that life is coming from you and not at you – and that takes time.”
With all of that said I give this drama a 8.5/10
VIVA LA VIDA! || LONG LIVE LIFE! ₊˚⊹♡
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(Tysm for reading!)
❤️
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2A YOUTH DRAMA WE DIDN'T KNOW WE NEEDED
So what actually happens?There is a guy named Ha Eun Gyeol, he's passionate about music but he is currently the trophy son to his deaf parents and the only person who can communicate with the outer world in his family. And boy got a deaf brother too (Ha eun ho) who does taekwondo... So dude gotta be responsible for all of them but his guitar keeps calling him and he's unsure if he should pursue music or not... One night magical shit happens and he lands in 1995 where his parents are now his age and he is now going to play cupid for his future parents as younger version of his father (Ha Yi Chan) is a lively youngster who is in a band, is chasing a popular girl, has no interest in studies or Eun Gyeol's future mother (Cheong Ah)
Twinkling watermelon is another sunshine kinda, wholesome, cute cum melodramatic sometimes yet funny and enjoyable youth drama that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys this genre.
This show has a lot of music, dramatic comedy (often overdramatic with exaggerated expressions but trust me it will make you smile), two cute couples and a bunch of high schoolers who would apparently form a band and great friendships (usual to such youth dramas).
What I loved the most in this drama is Yoon Cheong Ah, the bunny girl who is literally the word "cute". A deaf girl who has not received much warmth growing up but she isn't all weak and tries to protect herself in whatever ways possible. I love how they chose the right actress Shin Eun Soo for this role because her smile is honestly all pretty and as worthy as Eun Gyeol talks about in some scenes.
Younger Ha Yi Chan acted by Choi Hyun Wook was again a bonus because we know he's great at portraying this funky outgoing guy vibe. Chemistry of Ha Yi chan and Cheong Ah was also so mushy and natural that made me root for them all along... Ryeom and Seol in ah also did a convincing job at their roles... haven't seen Ryeom before but he was good at acting all those frustrating scenes when he had to face the mess of his time travel.
Also I don't think I need to mention this but you gotta love the father-son duo, be it 2023 or 1995, you'll love how they fight, bicker, protect or kick each other or have emotional conversations. They're simply adorable.
A noteworthy character here is Yi Chan's grandmother acted by Go Doo Shim. Loved her positive presence throughout the show... somehow this show is such a comfort watch thing and quite entertaining if you end up liking the characters. I watched it as it aired so I actually become reluctant towards the end that like "is it really ending tomorrow? I'll miss them"
You'll get the suspense of "if Ha Eun Gyeol can make things right" as a bonus. The ending might have raised questions but most of the major questions were answered in micro details while some mysteries like the time travel link, the shop Viva Music are better left unanswered (because I don't think a satisfying backstory or explanation can be built for that) so its better being left like that.
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Brain says "Flaws!" but heart says "I don't care!"
When I started this drama I expected a light and funny story with a time travel twist. The synopsis looked interesting- a boy going back in time and meeting his own parents when they were the same age as him. But as I got on with the drama, I came to know that this might not be as light as I expected it to be. This drama has made me laugh, be on the verge of tears, and was even was kind of thought provoking.The story mainly revolves around Ha Eun Gyeol, a model student with a passion for music. He is a CODA (i.e. Child Of Deaf Adults) and is the only peron in his family that can hear, so he acts as the bridge between the silent world of the family and the outside world. (Actually, I went into this drama not knowing this crucial piece of information, and in the first scene when Eun Gyeol and Eun Ho, his brother, were at a coffee shop and were interacting in sign language, I was all confused, and was like are they trying to act cool or did they not want the waitresses to hear their conversation? lol. Everything only became clear to me after the narrative explained it.)When his father, Ha Yi Chan, learns that Eun Gyeol is in a band after school hours, he orders him to quit. Ha Yi Chan is proud of his son's academic achievements and considers Eun Gyeol the family's "trophy." Eun Gyeol rages at his father and runs away. Torn between familial obligations and his passion, he chooses to abandon his passion and destroy his guitar. But then the quiet night turns into a night with two moons, and the strange, mysterious music instrument shop Viva La Vida lights up. As Eun Gyeol walks into this mysterious shop, his adventure begins.
The 1st ep of this drama was the best ep for me, it pulled me in right away. This ep focused on Eun Gyeol's backstory and on Eun Gyeol's family and their bond, which, imo, is the best part of the story. To me, this story is not about romance, but the development of each characters as the story progresses and the people that they come across in the journey.
Among the main characters, I like Yi Chan's and Eun Gyeol's interactions the most. Despite the fact that Yi Chan is Eun Gyeol's father, the bromance between them during the time travel is what I'm all for. I also really liked how Yi Chan and Cheong Ah's romance developed. Cheong Ah had a crush on Yi Chan before he knew she existed, back when he was all smitten with Se Kyeong. Their conversations, how Yi Chan learnt sign language for her, and everything were so heartwarming. Amoung the suporting characters, I liked Ha Eun Ho and Viva the best.
The cast did an amazing job is portraying their characters. I had seen Ryeoun in 18 Again only, where he had a minor role. But I liked him there. I liked him even more here, he has the potential. I had set my eyes on Choi Hyun Wook since 25-21 and Weak Hero Class 1 and I loved him here too. But my only comlpain, which is unrelated to the drama, is that he does only the same kind of roles. His roles in all the dramas that I've seen him in, including this, is very much similar. Seol In Ah also did a good job but.. I was kinda annoyed at her though out the series, idk if it's her fault or the character's. I loved Shin Eun Soo in this. This is the first drama I've seen of hers. When her character was introduced at first, I thought she had stiff expressions. But as we began to explore her character more, I liked her more and more. I also liked the actors playing Eun Gyeol's parents as adults.
The comedic timings in this drama were perfect. After all Choi Hyun Wwook is there in this drama. I loved Ha Yi Chan blurting out random english words in the middle of the sentences. lol
Overall, this was a very good drama. I really loved it. A solid 9/10 from me. But there were many plotholes and things that were not explained and didn't have a proper closure. Though the ending wasn't rushed, I think that a few more minutes or an addictional episode would have been good.
***SPOILERS***
I actually have many questions about the ending.
First of all, how did Cheong Ah convince her father to let her marry Yi Chan if he was going to sent her abroad to study and never let her return? They should have never shown that scene where her father said this if they weren't going to answer this.
And did Yi Chan recognise Eun Gyeol? I kinda understand that they left this for the audiences' interpretation and why.. but I would have liked an answer to it.
I also think that they should have added scenes with what happened with Yi Chan and Cheong Ah after the accident and Eun Gyeol left.
Another question is does Eun Gyeol remember his life after the time travel like the 18 years of his life when he grew up wealthy?
And how and why did Viva become a time traveller? This is another question left open. But it would have been better to leave him as a mysterious man who helped them.
OMG there are so many questions! But this is a rare kind of drama that makes me forget it's flaws. If I were to take all the flaws into account, the rating would have been much lower.
I kinda knew that it was going to have a 'fate can never be changed' kind of ending. If everything was going to change nothing would have remained the same and there wouldn't have been any guarantee that Yi Chan and Cheong Ah would have ended up togther just because they were dating during high school.
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This review may contain spoilers
"PERSONALLY" ONE of the BEST K-Drama in 2023.
First let me say that this review could be biased since I personally like the cast so much. But seeing the positive ratings from pretty much most of the people watching this drama, I hope that this review could relate to most.Story, the story is so good. Perhaps saying that it is just good can't possibly show how good it is. This drama doesn't only provide entertainment, but also a lot of hidden messages that have meanings where we can relate in real life. I thought at first that it would be like 18 Again, but instead this drama actually went back in time and instead of the dad being the lead, the son will try to change his dad's fate and make sure that his dad would not change his love interest whilst also trying to prevent him from getting into the accident that made him lose his hearing. (My prediction is that I think him preventing his dad's accident is so when he returns to his timeline, he wants to perform in front of his dad knowing he could hear the music he's playing). The best quote on this drama is where Balsan shares what HEG has been doing for HYC without him knowing and says that he almost cried when he said,
"I want him to shine. First, on the stage. Then in life."
- Ha Eun Gyeol
Casting, there is no other words I can use to describe HOW each and everyone FITS exactly where they should be. I can't even imagine anybody else playing the main roles other than them. Both couples, Ryeorina (Ryeoun and Seorina) and Hyunsoo (CHW and SES)'s chemistry is so good. Even though I ship Ryeoun and Eun Soo more than... nvm since it would've been weird if the drama took that turn.
Music, I personally like both the OSTs and songs covered or used in this drama. For the OSTs a few that I personally liked the most is A Song For You by Joonil Joon, and Higher by JU-NE. But this drama also features Canon Rock, Walking to Heaven by Jang Hyunchul but I think in the drama they used Song Jin Wook's rock version, and much more (including their band's songs like Shining, etc).
Rewatch Value, I can't tell you how many times I've watched this drama from episode 1-8 while waiting for the 2 new episodes each week. I would rewatch this drama over and over again since I can't wait for the next episode. (And this is during my mid term exams as well..).
10/10 for me. If I could rate it higher I would.
UPDATE:
I just finished it and currently in the middle of debating whether I should be happy or sad that it's over. Even though in my head I had thought of a very different ending,
*SPOILER*
I half hoped that the accident that HYC had in episode 15 wouldn't be the same as what had happened before and he wouldn't be deaf, and the ending would've been them (HEG's band) performing in front of him and him being proud of his son's band.
*END OF SPOILER*
but the ending that happened in the drama didn't disappoint me at all, but I think that this is one of the most acceptable happy endings and didn't make me change the rating for it. Personally I felt that the ending was quite rushed, since a few things haven't been cleared up (Such as OEY's trip back, HYC's coping mechanism to his new condition, HYC and YCA's love story after the accident, and the band's fate ). But still a well deserved 10/10 drama near the end of 2023. Hoping that this drama would bring a few awards back home to either the production crew or the acting casts since this was a blast.
Currently waiting for Sweet Home S2, Squid Game S2, and All Of Us Are Dead S2 and hoping that they would come sooner and not end up as a disappointing season 2.
Dictionary for the Abbreviations:
1. HEG - Ha Eun Gyeol
2. HYC - Ha Yi Chan
3. YCA - Yoon Chung Ah
4. OEY - Oh Eun Yu
5. CHW - Choi Hyun Wook
6. SES - Shin Eun Soo
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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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Good but something was missing
I know ... I know... It's loved by many and has a 9.2 rating on MDL. I'll give it a 6.5, which is not bad at all. It's good in my rating system. I can totally see why so many loved this show and why it has a high rating. But my expectations were really high and left me disappointed. This is because I was looking for something different. Here are a few point I want to say:- The first two episodes could not grab my attention. I was not invested and because I was desperately looking forward for the romance between Yi Chan and Cheong Ah... but it took too long to get there
- Yi Chan and Cheong Ah: I was super invested in their romance but it fell a bit short. I wanted to see Yi Chans feelings develop but they did not have that many scenes. That being said, the scenes they had are the ones I loved.
- Honestly, I was just not interested in the main couple and I did not feel the chemistry
- The ending felt a bit short
- I loved that it covered the topic of being hearing impaired
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WILL BE THINKING ABOUT THEM FOR A LONG TIME ⯎
I have no words to describe this feeling, but Twinkling Watermelon is one of the best things that I happened to watch this year. This and Moving got me out of a horrible drama slump, the kind where you want to watch something so much but you still can't manage to focus on anything.I recommend Twinkling Watermelon to everyone, it is such a perfect and comforting drama. The cast is simply amazing, Hyun Wook is, at this point, the king of high school roles in 90's youth dramas, it's like this boy was created to play soft but cool high school boys, it suits him so well. But it is beautiful to see how all of these roles are different and how he can give layers and emotions to different characters. He still shows so much variety. Ryeoun is so talented and is such a pleasure to watch always, I love his acting so much. They were so perfect in their roles that I cried and laughed with Yi Chan and Eun Gyeol.
I loved every single character from the Watermelon Sugar members and Ma Joo to Yi Chan's grandma. Cheong Ha made me cry so much but I am so happy for her growth and empowerment. Although the father cannot be forgiven for neglecting her throughout her childhood, I am still so grateful that they managed to fix their relationship thanks to Eun Gyeol and that Cheong Ha now has an additional member of her loving family. No one could have portrayed Cheong Ha the way Shin Eun Soo did and I am so amazed by how strong of an actress she is. I found Eun Yu annoying at the start as I couldn't understand her motives and there were so many parts when she was almost on the verge of ruining everything but after a while, I started to enjoy her and Eun Gyeol's banter and goofiness. It was beautiful how she and Eun Gyeol finally understood that they were not there to change anyone's fate but to help their parents fix some of their regrets and enjoy their youth and life's little moments. Everyone in this drama has become my comfort character and I loved all the songs so much. I believe that OSTs really complete a drama and I only truly enjoy a drama if the OST is just as good. The music, the friendship, the nostalgia and the youth of the 90s created pure magic altogether and I will be thinking of this drama for a long time. Usually, with time travel dramas they end up giving a rather unsatisfactory ending but I felt the happiest watching the final half hour of the last episode. I feel like nothing could have been done better. Yes, I hoped that Yi Chan's accident wouldn't have happened, but I had a feeling that the accident was always meant to occur one way or another and that Yi Chan was bound to lose his hearing. However the ending makes up for all of it: Eun Gyeol is finally back with his family, their love and support for each other is just as strong and their life is still what it was always supposed to be: shining and bright, no matter their situation. It was so beautiful to watch Yi Chan and Cheong Ha be so successful and happy, using something they considered their 'weakness' to shine ever more brightly.
And this is not even everything I wanted to say, but like I said above words are not enough for me to describe how good this drama was, and how wonderfully the actors portrayed the beautiful characters in this drama.
Thank you to all the writers, directors and producers for bringing this gem to us. Thanks to the amazing staff and the brilliant actors, main leads and all the support cast, I had the most beautiful time watching this the past couple of months. Thank you for making my autumn 2023 so memorable, I will be thinking about Twinkling Watermelon with affection for a long time ♡
"From time to time, let yourself enjoy the moment. You can never get back your youth. Let yourself twinkle while you can. Do things that make your heart flutter. It won't make your world come crashing down." (Ha Eun Ho)
"Life didn't have to be perfect for it to shine. It's the little moments that make your life twinkle, and happiness is what you experience when those moments come together." (Ha Eun Gyeol)
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Refreshing like a watermelon on a hot day
Here is a drama that is about youth, coming of age, with hints of romance. Overall the whole feel to this drama is nostalgic and friendly, tragic sometimes, happy sometimes, it gives a lot with just the first two episodes alone.The first twenty minutes of this drama is really good. The chronology of events are easy to follow, and I personally love how they had the childhood backstory at the beginning. It is a smart way to get you to know your characters upbringing, and you will understand them better because of this. The child actors are amazing and for the most part none of the actors I have a problem with.
Ryeon gives an amazing performance, and his parents and brother have hearing loss so the communication between all of them is nice to see. I like to see how they adapt to their circumstances, and how it holds them back, etc. Ryeon's character Eun Gyeol has a lot of depth to him, and it is a hard character to fill. He acts as a bridge between hearing and silence, a communicator and a 'trophy' for his family. He is a very good son and doesn't put himself first other than his music. So that right there is a well written character/family.
The pairings and relationships between characters are where this drama shines. I loved all of them and was looking forward to each episode to see how the characters grew. I can tell they had fun filming and everyone really cared for the roles they were in, so when watching it didn’t feel like roles, everything felt natural.
For Seol in Ah and Ryeon The chemistry between the two is so fun and credit to Seol In Ah, she really is good at differentiating her roles here. It’s really fun to see her character develop. She seems at first to be arrogant and not caring about how she affects others around her, but she is actually very perceptive and has tragedies that shape her to who she was, and she also grows as a person through the drama and her journey. I am finding her to be one of my favorites if not my favorite character.
These plot lines of time travel are tricky but very interesting. Because in the end it is about growing and learning about characters, rather than them shaping their own fates. Maybe Gyeol's future will change because of this. The logic is confusing with this, that is ok thought because it is a drama and its just fun.
As the plot developed those stories and characters become more clear, personally I am rooting for the parents to get together (as I’m sure we all are). I love how this drama just gets better and better with each episode.
This drama really was a gem out of all the dramas I have seen this year. The amount of care and learning that went behind the roles particularly amaze me. I enjoyed this a lot and it is one of those I would recommend to anyone honestly.
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This review may contain spoilers
"Twinkling Watermelon" radiates warmth and knows how to touch. Cheers to life. (And to magic, too.)
What a nice surprise in 2023!Full of heart and love for music, too. Though neither major, nor minor, but plenty of both. Fresh, cheeky, cheerfully playful and yet with complex substance. RomCom inclusive. “Twinkling Watermelon” follows the trend of 2023 productions: time travel. A journey into the past, into the parents' late youth - as a gift that offers the chance to understand a little more about them and thus at best make peace with life here and there. Charming magic is also involved, as life is full of surprises if you just open and follow your heart... that's the wonderful motto that offers balm for troubled souls. Viva la Vida!
In fact, the story's ostensibly cheerful melody is supported by an emotionally serious basso continuo. This gives this KDrama a warm, complex, lasting depth, despite all its youthful playfulness. The protagonist is a hearing child of deaf parents (CODA). He is an extremely talented, eager, responsible, loving son and brother, but he is inevitably somewhat overwhelmed by his responsibilities (as a child), out of guilt loading even more responsibility on his shoulders. He feels lonely at times with his experiences of the acoustic world that he cannot share with his parents. And he also suffers from the social marginalization that he and his family experience.
Eun-gyeol (for all his positive approach to the challenges of his life) embodies the psychological conflicts of any CODA, that he, too, has to deal with by living between the worlds (with and without acoustics). He does it quite well, yet deep down he understandably suffers from the great responsibility he has to bear as a child already. Sooner or later he has to come to terms with this conflict in a self-loving and self-confident manner, so that he may allow himself to go his own way in life, too, despite the challenge. Basically, it is precisely this inner psychological dynamic that is the dramaturgical driving force of the story.
It is not uncommon for CODAs to seek professional support or ask for help, if the emotional burden feels too heavy. (Just like anybody else would as long as they acknowledge.) Here the support comes unexpectedly in the form of a magical journey through time, and there is help, too. But significantly, Eun-gyeol got so caught up in his trained behavior pattern that he (almost obsessively) only sees the time travel as another challenge to prove himself and being in charge - no matter what the cost. It is almost verging on megalomania to believe that he might now be responsible for the fate of his parents in their past, too. (However, throughout the series this aspect opens up room for fun and comedy.) On the other hand, the immense inner psychological pressure that he puts on himself also subtly reflects the sad dilemma that keeps him trapped. (Which in turn latently contributes to the emotional depth of the KDrama.)
In fact, “Twinkling Watermelon” opens up space for even more serious topics in different storylines. Aside from the social stumbling blocks in the lives of deaf people, there are child abuse and suicidal tendency, too. Thus, overall, there are pretty profound themes that the KDrama tackles bravely and plays through with a lot of feeling, yet still in a digestible manner - despite all the seriousness, embedded in colorful joy of life. "Twinkling Watermelon" radiates warmth and knows how to touch. Cheers to life. (And to magic, too, that can re-shuffle the cards of time and space... who knows?)
PS:
Would have, could have... if only the sign language hadn't been processed acoustically... but authentic silence was probably too daring... and would probably have neutralized the lively esprit of the music band's approach towards life... hmm... everything altogether probably doesn't work...
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Fun but NOT complete
A good way to waste time, without realizing your wasting time. Yes, it's that fun to watch. There are a lot of funny moments and the bromance is spot on and it makes you cheer for the family.However, there could have been thinks that were done better. For example, it took way to long for both of the main characters to realize that they were both from the past (around episode 13 or 14). The ending also feel rushed and we didn't get to see a lot of time in the future. It would have been better to see how Yi Chan and Ah Chung went through and not just the main characters coming back to the future, and boom everything is fine and they are rich(?).
One thing that really bothered me is how they protrayed Yi Chan as deaf. Just because he is DEAF, does NOT MEAN he CAN'T SPEAK! Especially since he was not born deaf. I have a deaf friend, that can read lips and speak fine. So, it was annoying to see that being glossed over.
Reccommendated if you want to see something light-hearted with, just a bit of a plot and not just fluffyness. The acting was good. Ah Chung, really made an impact and how she expressed her self through her eyes!.
The female character (from the future) was annoying because she kept trying to mess things up for Eun Gyeol unintentionally. Also, the solution she had to solve her problem was so stupid. She cannot live her life for her mom, so how is finding her first love and setting her up going to do anything...?
Overally, recommend for something light-heart. It's NOT perfect, but it a good watch.
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Just want to air out my frustrations
(as the headline suggests this is subjective)I initially liked the concepts of the show enough to overlook some problems with the execution but I can't pretend that I didn't feel a huge disconnect when it switched to the present in the last episode. The questionable aspects clouded my thoughts and took me out of the experience. Maybe I should've been more prepared for how much Eun-Gyeol's interference in the past would naturally affect the present, but I still feel like they could've done way better to make it less jarring and evidently divisive.
It's just so bizarre to think about how alone Eun-Gyeol is with his memories of what his whole life was like before he went back in time, and he's basically just now starting the life he's responsible for creating. Also the fact that everyone who knew him in 1995 has the worst memory ever and can't tell that he looks exactly like the guy they befriended and have pictures of and also has the same name. Idk I'm just disappointed and the emotional moments that really landed don't even feel like much anymore.
Eun-Yu as a character was very solid though I love her.
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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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