Sparkling Watermelon (2023)

A drama to discover love

I'm still trying to process everything I felt watching this drama. Despite seeing everyone saying that it was one of the best or the best they had ever seen, all I could think was "It's not possible, it seems so boring", but I was wrong, my friends. I don't think I've ever seen a love story as beautiful as this one, and by love, I don't just mean romantic love, it's love in all its layers, the love of friendship, family, human relationships, all of this in a way so beautiful and sentimental, that it makes anyone watching it have a silly smile on their face.
I wish I could talk specifically about each character, as they all captivated me greatly, but so this review doesn't get too long, I would like to highlight the character of Eun Gyeol, a boy with so much love in him, who did everything to make his parents happy, making their love story even more beautiful, showing such great affection for everyone and consequently captivating the entire audience that watched the drama, and leaving us sighing in their scenes with Choi Se-Kyung, which were very cute.
In addition to them, I want to separate part of this review to talk about the couple Ha Yi-Chan and Yoon Chung-A, simply one of the most beautiful couples I've ever had the pleasure of watching, their entire dynamic was surrounded by small gestures of affection, making love between them grew, but at the moment of the declaration in sign language, that's when my heart fell deeply in love with this couple, who honestly won't leave my thoughts anytime soon.
I would like everyone to have the pleasure of watching this drama and feeling love in its purest form, like all of us who fell in love with "Twinkling Watermelon".

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The best drama. The cast and Characters, especially , Yoon Cheong Ah and Ha Yi Chan ❤️. Their Chemistry, was the couple of the year. But I need the music to be an album, because it was OFFFF the Charts. Every song they played as a band ( Watermelon Sugar) was addicting. I was already hooked when I saw the trailer. I normally wait for all episode to drop, but I could not wait. Every episode that aired I Wanted more. I was in Joy when when Ha Eun Gyeol (the son), Ha Yi Chan (the dad) and Yoon Cheong Ah (the mom). Their chemistry was GOLD, but changing his dads faith for going deaf, was emotional. The 1st, 2nd, 3rd episode had me LOL. Ha Eun Gyeol was surprised to see his dad interested in music and he did not know his dad and his mom knew each other from the past, not from when Ha Yi Chan was learning sign language. The more I get to the story, the more I end up spoiling. THIS is my first review. MY rating: 10/10 and even more.

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THE BEST KDRAMA OF 2023

I rarely watch ongoing shows but this drama made me change my ways .each week has been amazing watching this .

the acting is just top notch .I discovered 2 amazing actors through this drama and I'm so grateful for it. Choi Hyun wook and Shin eun so,both brilliant actors who brought so much depth and to their characters .ha yi Chan and Cheong ha will be an iconic characters in kdrama history .just like reply 1988 this drama will become a cult classic .
The chemistry between Ha yi Chan and Cheong ha was off the charts I've never seen such chemistry between the leads since reply 1988's deok sun and Jung hwan.

The story is exciting and attention grabbing .the last episode did wreck me emotionally in the beginning but the ending was just so beautiful.im so jealous of those who get to binge this bcoz watching this as an ongoing drama was torture bcoz it was so good and we couldn't wait one week for the next episode.

When I end this drama I can truly say that Ha yi Chan has captured my heart .And I'm so happy I decided to watch this drama

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Perfect Youth/Family Kdrama with lots of story to tell

Not only have I binge-watched all 16 episodes in two days, but I also cried my eyes and laughed my heart out. Though it is true, that this drama does contain some minor plotholes and a few questions at the end, I think its strength definitely lies in its heart and story it's trying to tell. Honestly, I think that for a "heartful" and "youthful" drama it did an excellent job at finishing it up and there were way more connections than I expected. It's the kind of drama you want to experience once again right after you finish. It tells a story about family, friends, life's hardships, and most importantly in my opinion: Gratitude.

I loved seeing Eun Gyeol and Lee Chan chemistry, especially how Eun Gyeol kind of took on the "father"-role when he traveled back to 1995. Not only that, but the whole friendship with Ma Joo and the other band members was really heartwarming (especially after we come back to 2023 and they were still friends omg).
Some might say they had problems with the pacing, but I actually enjoyed how some things unfolded in the latter half (for example Cheon Ah's plot with her family). I was worried about the story, because at some point it seemed very messy, because no matter what nothing seemed to be working out, but somehow it did and it was satisfying enough for me at least.
Honestly, even though Lee Chan lost his hearing in the end, the story ended a lot more positively than I thought it would. The fact that Eun Gyeol's whole childhood and family situation changed, I wasn't expecting that kind of ending. But I appreciate it a lot, that they ended the story on such a bright note (even though I wished it ended with his family and friends and not with a kiss with Eun Yu).
So, about her! I wasn't really expecting another time traveler, that was cool imo (I haven't watched many time travel dramas, and those that I watched never included more than one time traveler). I kind of wished they had found out about each other a bit earlier though, and was I the only one that thought, that their romantic chemistry dropped a lot after they found out? Like, the chemistry was great before, but it just suddenly stagnated and they seemed more like friends after they found out (which was weird, but I thought they'd be happy, since it meant they'd be together in 2023 as well).

Other than that, I loved Cheon Ah and Lee Chan's love story (too freaking cute) and Lee Chan's grandmother! They also did a great job of highlighting the disabled part of the story and raising awareness.

All in all, I loved it so much! It made me reminisce about the youth that I never had (I feel like in asian schools it's totally different). It was cute, heartwarming, sad and fulfilling! A perfect youth kdrama that I'd recommend to everyone! I swear, you won't regret it!

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Beautiful, Sweet School Drama

This drama blew me away. The plot, the cast, the acting, and the music were absolutely amazing!
The director showed us multiple angles to character's and their thoughts which I always love. Its like being a detective while enjoying a romcom.
I think that it was really great to see the experiences of people living with hearing disabilities as it is not often portrayed in media.
Twinkling Watermelon explores high school romance, music, friendship, and family across time and space.
Shin Eun Soo and Choi Hyun Wook were in my opinion the best actors in this drama. Shin Eun Soo did such an amazing job not only learning sign language but being able to portray her emotions without even speaking.
I think the best part of this drama was how the director put the story together. As the watcher you are only given bits and pieces and they slowly begin to come together as the story unravels. I will not lie and say that I was a bit confused in the beginning of the story but it all makes sense in the end.
I also really liked how we sit along side Ha Eun Gyeol as we together as he realizes that he is not the only one that has hardships and wishes in his life. He begins to see his parents as individuals, ones that have much deeper stories that don't all revolve around being "Mom" and "Dad".

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the best thing i ever did was watching this on my youth

How can I start? This drama was extraordinary! The characters, the ost's, the plot, the couples, the comedic timing, the acting, everything was on point!! I wasn't expecting it to be so good and become my all time favorite.

Starting with the characters, I fell in love with every single one.
Eungyeol was extremely relatable, the burden he was carrying in such a young age made me understand every attitude he had on the show. I think Ryeoun's amazing performance made me love his character even more (I related to him SO MUCH in various times)
Yichan was amazing too. Even though he was first shown to us as a boy with a bubbly personality, we also got to know, later on the show, how much suffer he went to, with the absence and the lost of his hearing in the last episode. Choi hyunwook's performance was extraordinary too, he really incorporated the essence of the character.
Cheongah was a girl really broken inside and by far my favorite character on the show! I loved her storyline and how she was healed by having people on her side that loved and accepted her the way she was. Also loved how they managed to make her relationship with her father be fixed on the future. Shin Eunsoo is a great actress and this was really shown in this drama, the amount of emotion she gave in some scenes without having a single line was insane.
Also loved Eunyu, I have no idea why people hated her. She was just a teen with mental health issues, she went through a lot and didn't know how her action could affect anyone else. Like eungyeol, she was thinking about her mom (in his case his parents) happiness.

The plot was on point, even though i missed somethings on the finale like cheongah finding out about yichan's accident, the fact that she was probably leaving for studying abroad, how mister viva was the master, everyone meeting eunyu in the future, but the drama is so good that you actually ignore this things. Since i'm in my teenage years rn, I think this drama was targeted for me. Watching this on my youth was literally the best ting ever, the message was even deeper for me. The lessons that I will take for my life from now on because of this drama are countless.

The couple were fantastic too and with an insane chemistry, specially cheongah and yichan. These two were the reason I was excited for mondays and tuesdays and begging for more scenes of them. Seriously, I need Choi Hyunwook and Shin Eunsoo in another drama together for them to show all the potencial of their chemistry. I also liked Eungyeol and Eunyu too, they fit together so well and Seol Inah and Ryeoun also have some decent chemistry together.

The acting I already talked a bit about, but I have to enphasize that every single actor was on point. Ryeoun's and Shin Eunsoo's acting made me emotional, Choi Hyunwook's way of incorporating the character was pheonomenal and the versality of Seol Inah's acting was amazing too, I could feel that Choi Sekyeong and On Eunyu were completely different characters.

All I have to say to end this review is thank you twinkling watermelon for the lessons you gave me and the amazing message that touched my heart, specially being a teenager right now. I don't think any other drama will be better and more emotional and relatable than this for me, because it was really emotional and targeted to me because of the phase I am right now.

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A must watch in my opinion

From episode 1, this drama had me captured. It had a certain essence to it. Ha eun gyeol was such a well written character and made me relate to his struggles hard. I was able to relate with every single character in this drama. The last 2 episodes even had me bawling in some of the scenes. The music was such a fun thing to listen to. A very light but with some hard hitting scenes when needed. A drama that I would have binged in a day had I not been watching it while it was being updated.

My kudos to the cast to be able to bring each and every character to life whether they had a major or minor role. It really felt like I was with them seeing it all happen, feeling what they were feeling and seeing what they were seeing. One of the best 2023 dramas and for the lucky me, it finished on the day of my birthday so I am going to shamelessly claim this as my birthday gift.

Everyone in thsi drama has done such a good job that it is making the ever relucatant me to type this review out while my wifi is on the brink of death. I have nothing else to say, you will know when you watch it - How good it is.

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THIS REALLLLLY DESERVED MUST WIN AWARD FOR REAL!!!!!!!

I'm deaf (but I'm using implant that helps me hear and ofc I can speak).. Whole drama was SO SUPERB!!!!!!! I never cried so much many times,, this just made me HIT so HARDDD,, I really hate cheong ah stepmother abused her and did not allow to use sign language. But nowdays many is allowed use signlanguage which im really so happy..I really really really understand how cheong ah feels (deaf people understands more) IM SO FREAKING SO HAPPY THAT DIRECTOR MADE THIS AND COOL IDEA....Director needs win too. THIS IS MT TOP 1 KDRAMA BEST EVER I HAVE SEEN SO FAR. I hope future they can make possible many using sign languages ❤️✨️??

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Refreshing Twinkle of Youth

Unlike the name this drama is not light hearted but yet very beautiful in it's own way,
The story stars with Ha Eun Gyeol, a musical genius lives in a deaf family. he lived upto his parents expectations and put his family over everything,, Eun Gyeol find himself free only in music. he had to sacrifice his youth spirit and become mature despite of his age . But after a conflict with his dad he tried to gave up everything and even tried to broke his guitar, a mysterious master shows up and send back him to past when his father was also 18 years old just like him .........
Now Eun Gyeol will experience the Twinkling youth and also unfold the past of his parents . His dad was not born deaf but became deaf after a certain accident , he will learn his parents also go through hard times in their youth ....... I don't want to spoil so watch it yourself
This is one of the best drama of 2023 .

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One of the BEST!!

I’m going to try to keep this short so there won’t be any spoilers. This is not an epic drama but it will take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. This also took you into the world of the deaf which hasn’t been done very much.

The acting is superb. The two male leads have stolen my heart big time. Ryeoun and Choi Hyun Wook are just fantastic.

Ryeoun has the most expressive face and acted out every emotion flawlessly. I read that he even learned to play the guitar for this role.

Choi Hyun Wook was great in the heavier drama Weak Hero Class 1 but I think comedy suits him better. He had me laughing so hard at just his silly interactions with his grandmother.

Seol In Ah won me over in Business Proposal and she played her part perfectly.

Shin Eun Soo is a new actress to me but she is beautiful and talented.

No details about the plot. Let’s just say I laughed and cried (happy and sad) several times. I was so caught up in the story and was on the edge of my seat. This was just one of the best!

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B.O.A.T , G.O.A.T, DOTY.

My first time writing a review. This is how much I loved this. I cried when there was a sad scene but this is the first time I also cried when they were showing happy moments at the end.
First of all, a big round of applause and standing ovation to the directors, casts and other staffs. This has been a beautiful journey.
I love that person who casted the actors so much. and thanks to him for bringing Ryeoun and Choi Hyunwook together.
In my opninion, Choi Hyunwook and Ryeoun are of the best new generation actors. Their chemistry is top notch. It felt so natural. Eunsoo, it was my first time seeing her acting and really, she suited the character the best, it was like no one could've done better. Seol Inah being Seol Inah slayed her roles of Choi Se Gyeong and On Eun Yu, I only saw her in The Business Proposal, but with this I concluded that she's an versatile actor. The actor playing Majoo! I was surprised to see him here after Duty After School haha. Gave me quite a surprise with his versatlity. His character likability meter went from -100 to 1000 and actor liability from 100 to 1000. If you are reading this for deciding whether you should wacth it or not, You should really really go for it. Best Drama. (for me atleast).
Contains spoiler:
No. 1 likability of this drama for me would be the chemistry it showed among the friends(both the characters and the actors ). I was jumping with joy with tears running down my cheeks when they showed Yichan's friends in 2023.
No. 2 I must appreciate the writer who developed Yichan and his personality, because I didn't see a single character like him in my whole life. He's just so perfectly perfect as well as imperfect. The fact that after returning to 2023, Yichan's personality was same as Yichan in 1995, which at first(past 2023 iykwim) it wasn't, added onto my emotions.
No. 3 I think I will keep on saying this, Choi Hyun wook, woah he is such a good actor, I can't get enough of him. I want him to get more opportunities like this so that he can show himself. Ryeoun too, he has soo much potential , so he needs projects like these. I could feel emotions of Eungeol through Ryeoun's acting.
No. 4 The story ! The plot ! The big revealation at the end ! woah. The best. This is how you write a story, produce a drama and direct. It was really innovative with both Fantasy and reality mixed. Romance and comedy was also at it's peak.
I love how they didn't change that Yichan lost his hearing(even though I'm sad), because it connects to everything. If Yichan hadn't gone to the guitarist, the former wouldn't have gone deaf, the later wouldn't have made little Eungeol listen to the song and there would be no relation between them cause Eun geol would not feel the pressure of being the only one to have hearing ability in the family since Yichan would be fine too. And that cannot happen since the string that copnnected everything, Eungeol and On Eun Yu was the grandfather. It is really hard to relay what I'm trying to say cause it is really complicated hehe, but if you watch the drama, everything will be clear in your mind.
No. 5 The twist ? yeah the revealation of who the master really was. IT WAS NONE OTHER THAN THE GRANDFATHER !! THE GUITARIST, EUNGEOL'S SAVIOUR. It was so touching how Eun yu recognised him herself.
No. 6 I liked the editing of the drama at the end especially. The Watermelon Sugar band members in their adult form changed into the teenage form in Eun geoul's eyes, his mother Chungah's and father Yichan's transitions from young to adult. It was so beautiful. At last ! omg. I didn't expect that since I expected a plot hole of them not remembering Eungeol. But haha as expected of the writer, they gave a hint that the friends still remember even though they couldn't recognise and also that Yichan totally recognised Eun geol. Happy tears were running from my eyes.
Hence it was a good happy ending. Best production ! Best actors ! Thank you for hard work!!

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