I’m sure I won’t say anything that hasn’t already been said, but I had a blast watching Twinkling Watermelon. Between this show and Weak Hero Class, Choi Hyun-wook has become a must-watch actor for me and I think his character is the highlight of this show.

The time travel plot is nothing new, but what really made this show work were the characters. Eun-gyeol is possibly the least chill time traveller there has ever been but it was hilarious to just see him calling other high schoolers mom and dad immediately. His dynamic with both of his young parents was so good. The relationship between his young parents was my favorite part and I wanted so many more scenes of young Yi-Chan and Chung-ah. The friendships between all of the characters were so much fun and I loved the nineties setting.

This drama almost made it into my top five ranking, but I did have some issues with the plot. The first couple of episodes were hard for me to get into and I think all the scenes taking place in 2023 just were so much less interesting than the ones in the past. While the adult versions of his parents were fine, they were not the beloved young versions that we got from the past. Especially for his dad, I think it was very hard to see him as the same person as young Yi-Chan, even after everything he had been through. The pacing also felt pretty off, with a lot of the mysteries or secrets being drawn out really far and then the show not really having time to resolve them effectively. The show could’ve either tried to make some of the plot points less drawn out or it could’ve used a couple extra episodes. The last episode felt way too rushed as the show tried to wrap up all of the loose ends.

The characters in Twinkling Watermelon became so dear to me by the end of the show that it really did make up for most of my issues with the plot. The show is worth watching for Choi Hyun-wook’s performance alone.

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I am floored by how much I ended up loving this. I do not normally watch many Chinese dramas and I felt a little bit bored at the beginning. Once the main friend group was formed and the characters started feeling more developed, I was hooked. WIFTY is an amazing coming of age drama. The entire friend group is so well-written and each character is endearing and relatable in their own way. They really all felt like friends.

Lurang and Zai zai are one of the best drama couples. Their relationship is so healthy and the transition from friends to something more felt very natural. There was so little drama around this couple; they communicated, trusted, and loved each other in a way that felt so beautiful and rare to see. The actors did such a great job with their characters. They expressed their affection and emotions very differently but it was clear that they both felt just as strongly about each other. Zai zai was Lurang’s sunshine and he was her safe place. I actually cried at how beautiful and pure some of their conversations were.

The second lead couple was very different but still fantastic. Gu ran and Jiang Jia start off really disliking each other, become best friends, and eventually acknowledge their feelings for each other. The chemistry between the two actors was great and they had a lot of very funny scenes together. This couple should’ve had more screentime together.

WIFTY is a perfect comfort show. There is not a lot of major plot points or drama, it just focuses on the characters and their relationships with each other. While there are some sadder themes explored, primarily Lurang’s backstory, this is mostly just a feel good show that warms your heart.

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