Starts off slow and builds into an amazing story
I wasn't sold on the first two episodes like many people seem to be. But I stuck it out, and I'm so glad I did because this is such a beautiful story, and honestly is probably close to the top of my list of favorite kdramas.This show made me cry a lot, and I honestly love when that happens. The cast did such a great job in each of their roles, and I believed every emotion they were trying to convey, even from the children. It usually takes me a long time to get through dramas because my attention span isn't that great, but I got through this whole series in just two weeks, which is the fastest I've ever watched anything because I just couldn't stop thinking about this show and I wanted to do nothing but watch it as soon as I was home and able to. I already want to go back and rewatch it
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A drama I didn't know I needed
I don't watch shows until they are completely available to watch. I've been burned too many times by sad/terrible/rushed endings. I skulked around daily under the comments for this show, reading everyone wax eloquent about how wonderful it was. That's normally the kiss of death for me. If everyone thinks it's the best thing in the world, I'm usually meh about it. Then, add to that my aversion to time travel movies (they always raise more questions than answers for me) and that this sounded exactly like Back to the Future, I wasn't holding out much hope. My hand is raised here, I admit it, I was wrong.I won't reiterate the storyline, but I will say this didn't reach out to me as a romance so much as a family/friend-fest. I didn't even feel that the focus was so much on the school aspect of it, but the kids themselves, which I loved. This show had so much heart. I laughed a lot, I cried quite a bit, and I vacillated back and forth between "hurry up and show me what's going to happen next" and "slow down, because I really want to savor this." The story was great, but the characters themselves, and the actors portraying them, were what kept me coming back for more. I really liked the direction they took with two people going to the past, one to save a life and one to end a life.
Ryeoun as Ha Eun Gyeol. This was a teenager that was old for his years, by necessity, as he was the mouthpiece for the whole family. That's a lot of responsibility to have from a very young age. Ryeoun was excellent, and I felt his wonder at meeting his younger father and finding him completely different than he imagined. Most of the scenes that made me cry involved Eun Gyeol. He was trying so hard to make things right, time after time. I could feel his desperation, as well as his sense of being unsuccessful. This story arc spoke a lot to destiny - are certain things that happen in our lives fixed? If you change something in one direction, does the river of destiny re-route itself to make it happen anyway?
Choi Hyun Wook as Ha Yi Chan had the gangly puppy/bouncy behavior going for him, moving from one thing to another quickly. If you are going, you run, if you are talking, you yell, if you don't know how to react to someone, you put them in a headlock. He was very immature, which was a perfect foil for Eun Gyeol, who had to switch places and become the father in the past. I did struggle with the length of time that he liked Sy Keong, so when he switched to Cheon Ah, it was kind of sudden and didn't necessarily flow well.
Seol In Ah as Choi Sy Kyeong/On Eun Yu. I had difficulty with this character. First, her voice is so distinctive, I kept flashing A Business Proposal when she talked. Other than that, my difficulties were more character related. Eun Yu was a totally repressed young woman, being driven by her mother's wishes. I don't feel that she would have been able to have the personality change that she did in the past. And, to me, there was something not always very nice about her, like she thought she was better than everyone else. And we didn't get to see any difficulties with her adapting to the past.
Shin Eun Soo as Yoon Cheon Ah. She was the standout for me. Eyes wide with sadness, living in silence, being betrayed by those that were supposed to take care of her, the character of Cheon Ah had a strength about her. I was so glad they didn't make her a doormat. It is really hard to act without using your voice, and Eun Soo was wonderful.
Go Doo Shim as Lee Chan's grandmother - she was terrific. She surrounded herself with students, cared for everyone and kept everyone fed. I love how she didn't baby Lee Chan, but was raising him to be a responsible adult, supporting him in every way she could.
The band mates were fun to watch, full of pen-up energy, running here and there. It was like they were all amped on caffeine, then I remember that's what it was like as a teenager. The Master was mysterious and brought levity to a lot of the scenes. I loved when he'd throw random English words in. Cheong Ah's step-mother - don't even get me started.
The soundtrack was very good and, of course, went along with the theme of the show.
BONUS - the lengthy BTS reference was a hoot!
Small nit-picky things:
I would have liked to have seen Yi Chan and Cheon Ah together for a longer period of time in the past, and watch their relationship develop.
So much bullying by so many people. And what about Yeom Byung Ho and his mother? They made a big deal about them and then they disappeared.
All the past band members, in 2023, thought Eun Gyeol "looked familiar". Did everyone get amnesia or something?
It was very vague as to whether his father remember him from the past as well.
Bottom line? Watch it!
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Quite a refreshing plot
I did not expect to enjoy this drama as much as I did. The title sounded comedic, while the entire cast looked very young, but it was not really a comedy.It was a drama on love – family love, relationships between family members and just a small portion on the usual love between man and woman. It was a rather refreshing plot to me. Simply put, it was mainly about a boy who travelled back in time to when his parents were at his age. He was able to see for himself the things that happened to them and what led them to become the persons they were. Seizing the opportunities to control his family's future, he tried to prevent all the bad happenings and hoped to eventually change his parents' destinies.
As in all Korean dramas, the pace was on the fast side. Things happened quickly, so there was never a boring moment. The first half was a little slow, but come the second half, you will want to keep watching till the end.
There were loopholes here and there, but I was still able to overlook them for the story and the acting. *Like in most Korean dramas, the leads were always able to run to one another’s houses in minutes, as though they were all living on the same street lol, not a major loophole, but still not very realistic after a while.
I give kudos to the main cast for their acting. The four main leads were young, in their twenties, in fact two of them were only 21 years old. However, their acting was convincing enough. I would not say impressive but it was sufficient for the roles in this drama.
The OSTs were melodious. The fast ones were catchy and full of life while the slow sad ones were touching and good enough to bring tears to my eyes.
All in all, it was one of those dramas I would not re-watch, not because it was bad but because I already know the story, the meaning of their actions and the ending, so I do not see the point of re-watching, but I think it was one of those dramas that was worth at least watching once.
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My thoughts about the drama......
Yi chan, I felt bad for him add the end. This character had to go through alot..?? the actor did justice with him.Overall, the plot is alot of people's dream I guess,
want to go back and fix things....
but what about the grandpa, I mean from the it was understandable he was mr.viva/the dieti,
but how did he got Power... ?
and another plot hole was like, how do you not know someone is living at your house, using electricity, and the hole place . you didn't put any caretaker for the house, never call them or anything???? ??
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Dont think too much and you'll be fine!!
Twinkling watermelon was a refreshing watch for me. The plot is pretty interesting too. It has a happy ending for those of you wondering.Now, do not compare this drama to the other time travel dramas that you might have watched before. Its a little different in a way. And this change is fresh. Plus, you'll enjoy the cast. Their acting is top notch. You will laugh, feel sad and yell even at the little-est moments they have with eachother.
The romance is good. The bromance(idk what else to say) is better. The cutest thing ever. Lol.
A little teeny tiny bit of spoiler------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The ending is a little rushed. I mean it's not like super bad. But the pacing isn't super awesome either. If only they had ended it with possibly an extra 10 minutes, things could have wrapped up clearer.
NEVERTHELESS. ITS GOOD. GO WATCH IT. DONT THINK OF ANYTHING. DONT HESITATE. WATCH.
Love, Skye~
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Kindred To A Time Called Us!
January 2024
07th/8th
I liked ALMOST everything about this drama except:
a: The casting of one of the main female leads despite the fact she has always been amazing in other drama series. Had always hoped to see her in a main role - just not as a high school student.
b: The music on the most part is okay - maybe just a few songs were better than okay. Really loved the bass and guitar battle! I was really hoping for music that stays with you for a long time after - nope!
c: Didn't appreciate Eric Clapton's "Tears In Heaven" song referred to as a "chick magnet" - like it is a "romantic love song" or something.
It could be that the translation was incorrect and hoping that is the case.
It isn't a love song in the sense that someone's heart is broken by someone else (romance) - it is a song about the loss of someone deeply loved (Clapton's son) and them being in heaven.
d: The son in 1995 (from 2023) should have spent more time with his mother rather than the girl from 2023 - there were times she really could have done with his intervention and he just wasn't there.
Even his "dad" more so than the 2023 teen female, but I do get that they were both there for a reason.
What I did LIKE:
a: Seeing what would happen and develop between the "mother and father " in 1995 more so than the 2023 teens.
b: The bromance and friendships.
c: The story with it being similar to "A Time Called Us" with the time travel and trying to change the past to save someone in the future or future for the better only "Twinkling Watermelon" wasn't as dark.
Highly recommended! A+
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You will binge watch it in a day #Guaranteed
It's one of those shows you cannot put down and it satisfies you completely by the end too.I would definitely be putting this in my top 5 list among my fav including cloy,hometown cha cha cha, 18 again etc.
Now the show is such a great and i mean by far the best genre blend without a single loophole or inconsistency in story.
Everything just finds balance from mystery to comedy , everything is consistent and the direction is next level.
Not your typical rom com kdrama but something uniquely intresting.
The show has not completely ignored logic if you are concerned since it involves time travel but the places where logic is near 0 or very low the show carries that part so beautifully (you just don't care) and anyone would be 100% stupid if they don't like this show for this reason. It is not meant for that, it is not a serious thriller based mystery with sci fi logic.
Ignore the music rating if your into that, i personally am not a huge music guy and it mostly runs on the bg of my brain but they werent bad i would say that.
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Viva La Vida!
Likes1. One of the most satisfying ending i've watched in recent years. I was crying and smiling in the last two episodes.
2. The strongest part of the drama is the close relationship between the father Yi Chan and son Eun Gyeol in whatever timeline they were in. Pre time slip, during time slip and post time slip.
3. High school love story of Han Yi Chan and Yoon Chung Ah was so cute.
4. The Watermelon Sugar band and the band mates. Plus the cameos as adult versions. And their songs.
5. Eun Gyeol and Chung Ah didnt have a lot of scenes because Eu Gyeol was always with Yichan or Eunyu but he did best thing to his mom, which is to get rid of the evil stepmom and let her be free to live her life.
Dislikes
1. I didnt like Seol Inah's character. I dont know if it was the actress or the character itself. But she kinda grew on me in the end. Im curious to find out what happened when she wentback to the present. Is her family still together? Did Segyeong become happier?
2. I think we needed an extended 15-20 mins to see what other changes happened to the present or maybe i just couldnt believe it was all over.
Rating: 9/10
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Long Live Life ─ with flaws, scars and healing
This was one of the dramas I actually didn't plan to watch until I saw the spoilers of the first episode on Twitter ─ and absolutely liked how the premise was about CODA. I also enjoy watching dramas of a child time travelling and meeting their teen parents so I didn't hesitate to give it a try and I am so glad that I did.Starting from the name, throughout the episodes they made a reference to Frida Kahlo's Sandías / Viva la Vida (Long Live Life). In Mexican folk culture, watermelon is commonly found in representations of the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration ─ so at first, I thought the story might mostly focus on angsty side of life. However, it was just another connection with how Eungyeol's life changed thanks to music shop owner and how his death affected more than one life. So, it wasn't about sadness or fear of death but mostly about natural path and development. Thus, Sparkling/ Twinkling Watermelon is such a nostalgic name for this drama because it can be interpreted as: Radiant life/youth, sparkling performance, or a sparkling period of time in youth before they became adults. And I really like it when the name actually summarises the storyline.
When it comes to acting, everyone did a great job at portraying their characters. As for characters, I must admit, for me, mostly Ha Yichan and Yoon Cheongah stood out ─ as teens and adults. Their characters were beautifully written and acted. They weren't perfect but they were perfect with their flaws, scars and their healing processes.
The drama also showed beautiful dynamics ─ whether it was friendship or parental relationships.
At the end, just like any other time travel drama, there were unanswered questions, discrepancy and some "what if" scenarios. But overall, it was an enjoyable watch.
link to edits: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLI-LyvxxdMxDG3OaZjOkQIQUXWkuLTosF&si=HlG3s3wpE07lYOTL
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Refreshing
Honestly one of the best series that I have seen where persons that have a different way of life is depicted. The family life that was shown is so accurate to the ones that persons with hearing limitations have to face. As someone that knows sign language but doesn't have to, it was nice to see a story that revolved around it. All the concerns that go with being in their situation was real and I appreciated having them in such an amazingly positive light.The story was new to me, having the hint of mystery and time travel and a sprinkle of romance...Sorta. The life conversations I couldn't follow because I don't know the signs used, but it was still beautiful to watch. I must say, for a person that supposed to be "super smart" Gyeol was pretty dumb too many times, but it was funny so I excused most of it. His passion and understanding were his driving force to help everyone he met, I mean he did have direct relation to them, but even if Ha Yi Chan was a stranger I would risk it all to help him also. He is honestly so amazing, his thirst for life and living it to the fullest because he wants to help his grandma. I wish he got the world, but he got the next best thing. He was kind and caring while being a fool, there was no reason to not love him. I literally cried when his tape got left in street because of you know what. Worst yet when he was standing on the roof of the hospital after his grandma visited him. I tell you there was no more heartbreaking scene than these moments. Yoon Cheong Ah was such an amazing example of resilience, strength and determination seeing her growth into having friends that she trust was sweet. Her teacher though, lets just say she needed more than a time out and I was sooooooo happy when all her maids got fired.
The ending honestly wasn't amazing but I loved how things turned out, it was slightly underwhelming but I still liked it.
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MY NEW COMFORT KDRAMA
I was in a HUGE kdrama slump. i had no interest in watching any new releases especially ongoing dramas… i was even in my cdrama era for awhile but Twinkling Watermelon brought me out of my slump. I had like no expectations for this drama. I just kept seeing it on my TL and saw it was highly rated on Viki so i wanted to give it a chance. The first 2 episodes were really depressing and confusing for me so i kinda had to push through and i’m so glad i did because i instantly got hooked on episode 3 and i’ve been tuning in every week since episode 7 from then on. I love everything about this drama from the storyline, family, friendships, romance, music, comedy, angst, acting, etc. It’s everything i look for in a kdrama. ‘90s youth band dramas will always be my comfort. I know people refer to this as a time travel drama but i see it more as a youth drama. Anyways, we have 4 more episodes and i’m wishing for a happy ending because i can’t really predict the ending at all… I just know i’ll go back to this drama a lot and you’ll see my talking about it 3 years from now.Was this review helpful to you?
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un answer question
a lot of unanswer questions1. his father in 1995 just only hurts his ear ,but he still can talk but why? for 28 years he never talk?
2. what happen with yoon chung ah before ha eungyeol back to 1995? how she becoming so poor?
3. what happen with choi se gyeong birth secret? her mom death and her adoption
4. why choi se gyeong nice with yoon chun ah?
5. chung ah mother?
6. it really doesn't make sense, oh eun ya goal is to find her mother's first love, then make them together? But her mother has gone to the US, even if she is close to her mother's first love it won't change anything, because they are different people. so this is a useless effort
7. so choi se kyung first love is oh?
8. about oh eunya suicide friend?
9 and in the last how eun ya know that who the la vida music man is? mr jonathan young face in magazine still same with 1995
10.didnt know what happen with yoon chung ah and ha yi chan before ha eungyeol back to 1995
11. didnt know what happen with choi se gyeong and oh eun ya after they back to 2023
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