Twinkling Watermelon Review: A Melodic Journey Through Shining Youth

Title: Twinkling Watermelon 

Episodes: 16

Genre: Romance, Comedy, Fantasy 

Main Cast: Ryeoun, Choi Hyun-wook, Shin Eun-soo, Seol In-ah 

Streaming Platform: Viki, Viu

Image Credit: Viki

What if a rebellious teenage boy could travel back in time and meet his father as a teenager? Twinkling Watermelon takes this imaginative premise and turns it into a touching story filled with music, unspoken emotions, and self-discovery.

“Twinkling Watermelon” is a South Korean television series aired on tvN from September 25, 2023, to November 14, 2023. Written by Jin Soo-wan and directed by Son Jeong-hyeon & Yoo Beom-sang, this romantic time travel series is available to watch on Viki and Viu with 16 episodes. 

Plot Summary 

Ha Eun-gyeol is a model student and child of deaf parents. His father wants him to be a doctor, but Eun-gyeol has a passion for music and loves playing guitar. One day, Eun-gyeol's father caught him performing in a band, and Eun-gyeol fought with his father, who didn't want him to be in a band.

After the fight, Eun-gyeol visits a mysterious shop called “Viva La Vida” to sell his guitar. Following this, he travels back to 1995, where he meets his teenage father, Ha Yi-chan, who is not deaf at that time. However, he is not the only one who has traveled back to 1995; On Eun-yoo, the daughter of Choi Se-kyung, has also arrived, and she bears a striking resemblance to her mother during her teenage years.

Eun-gyeol starts a high school band with Yi-chan and his other friends, while Eun-yoo starts living as Se-kyung to enjoy her freedom. But both of them have a mission to complete, and they also have to find a way to go back to 2023. Eun-yoo starts looking for her mother’s first love so both of them would marry, and she doesn't have to be born to live a life as a puppet of her mother.

Meanwhile, Eun-gyeol has to prevent the accident that caused his father to lose his hearing and set up Yi-chan with his mother, Yoon Chung-ah, who is trapped in a house where her stepmother abuses her by not allowing her to use sign language. Eun-gyeol decides to rescue his mother and eventually receives help from Eun-yoo to make the best out of their trip to 1995.

My thoughts 

The story of the show is written skillfully by weaving a seamless time-travel with a beautiful ending. The cinematography takes us to old times where people used to appreciate the small joys found in daily life. The show presents bright, youthful vibes with an energetic high school setup.

All the soundtracks presented in the series are heart-touching, and all the band performances will make you groove with them. The selection of the cast and the direction of the drama are exceptional. The lead actors portray their characters in a way that captivates the audience with their enchanting performances.

The show successfully assembled a variety of genres like romance, comedy, emotional drama, and youth themes, all accompanied by soulful music. It also showed the difficulties and discrimination faced by deaf people in general. Honestly, after watching this series, I got to know that sign language is such a beautiful language, which almost made me want to learn it.

Although there are many dramas with a common time-travel plot and predictable ending, this show managed to keep the audience hooked with the story till the end and wrap up the show with a satisfying ending. 

Overall, “Twinkling Watermelon” is the most enjoyable time-travel series with charming characters. I loved this drama and would recommend watching it to everyone. 

Did Twinkling Watermelon hit the right notes for you? Share your favorite scenes in the comments. 

If you like watching such youthful high school dramas, read my review of True Beauty. 

My Rating: 8/10