[Current Drama 2022 & 2024] Pachinko, 파친코 - Lee Min Ho, Youn Yuh Jung, Jin Ha, Anna Sawai, Minha Kim, Soji Arai, Kaho Minami - Streaming on Apple TV+ | Season 1 & 2

[syntyche]

20 hours ago, agenth said:

Thanks Pachinko friends for your help to make this event come true in anticipation of the upcoming drama!

 

I will use @syntyche's gif from Page 1 to promote the event

Please drop by the thread and share your Pachinko and other thoughts!

 

 

Love,

 

Your Event Organizers

 

@partyon @confusedheart326 @Sleepy Owl @agenth 

 

 

Thanks for organizing this event and putting a spotlight on this much-awaited series!

 

*******************************

 

cr: yeobo_waldiminho

The almost finished #PACHINKO Mural in #KoreantownLA 

 

 

 

 

[syntyche]

Pachinko, Apple's Korean drama

 

Epic in scope and intimate in tone, Pachinko begins with forbidden love and morphs into a vast saga that travels between Korea, Japan and America to tell an unforgettable tale of war, peace, love, loss, triumph and reconciliation. The story is based on the New York Times best-selling novel of the same name.

 

Pachinko will be broadcast exclusively on the Apple TV + streaming platform from March 25 in three languages (Korean, Japanese and English). The TV series stars Soji Arai as Mozasu, Jin Ha as Solomon, Inji Jeong as Yangjin, Minha Kim as teenage girl Sunja, Lee Minho as Hansu, Kaho Minami as 'Etsuko, Steve Sanghyun Noh as Isak, Anna Sawai (Naomi), Junwoo Han (Yoseb), Jung Eun-chae (Young Kyunghee), Jimmi Simpson (Tom Andrews), Yu-na Jeon (Sunja) and Youn Yuh Jung (Sunja).

 

“They say there are these projects that come along that change the very core of who you are as a filmmaker and as a person. Without a doubt, Pachinko is that project for me ,” said Soo Hugh, screenwriter and executive producer. “ It is not only about the story of my ancestors, but also about my homage to them, to all the Sunjas buried deep in our family history. It was an incredible honor to bring this series to life with such a dedicated and talented cast and crew. “

 

https://www.begeek.fr/pachinko-le-drama-coreen-dapple-366361

[syntyche]

cr: leeminka71920 IG

 

Final update: Pachinko mural painting in Koreatown Los Angeles is 100% done! It's gigantic!!! FYI the building stands 23 stories tall.

 

Wilshire/Western, Koreatown Los Angeles

 

 

 

 

 

 

[syntyche]

YPN - The Showrunners with Soo Hugh and Ria Tobaccowala

 

Q: What are you working on next?
Soo Hugh: Hopefully Season 2!

 

 

[Thong Thin]

@syntyche  thank you for updating this thread.  

 

I have just placed order Pachinko book and hope to finished reading and join in this thread when it airs.

 

 

[syntyche]

@Thong Thin that's great! Enjoy the book and soon, the series 

[syntyche]

 So the adaptation of the book is meant to be for 32 episodes over 4 seasons, and the 8-episode series to be shown this month is only the first season!

 

Speaking of authenticity, half of the writers of the series are Korean/Korean-American, with experience on the history and culture of Korea. The two directors, who handled 4 episodes each, are of Korean descent as well. Having them as directors is extremely important as they understood the heart of being Korean, says Soo Hugh, the show's executive producer. 

 

She also recognizes that language is a crucial aspect of capturing the immigrant story, so the series features Korean- and Japanese-speaking actors. The series is told in three languages - Korean, Japanese, and English - whatever language a character speaks in, that would be the language that we would hear.

 

More of her interview could be viewed here:

 

 

[msdot]

@syntyche, thanks so much for including that Korea Society interview. Terrific!

[syntyche]

''Pachinko'': Director Releases New Stills of Lee Min Ho and Kim Min Ha in AppleTV+ Series

 

Iconic Hallyu actor Lee Min Ho will shed his 'prince charming' image in ''Pachinko'' , an international series to be broadcast on the Apple TV+ streaming service. After the announcement of the release date and the release of its first trailer, the director Justin Chon reignites the expectation for this project with two unpublished images of the protagonists.

 

'' Pachinko '' series, filmed with dialogue in Korean, Japanese and English, is an adaptation of the best-selling novel of the same name written by Min Jin Lee (Korean-American author). This is the story of the experiences of a Korean family of four generations, who are forced to leave their country and emigrate to other countries.

 

Sunja is the main character that links the whole story. The older Sunja is played by Youn Yuh Jung, 2021 Oscar winner for the movie Minari.

Kim Min Ha will play the younger Sunja, when she crosses paths with Hansu, played by Lee Min Ho.

 

The first season of ''Pachinko'' has eight episodes directed by filmmakers Kogonada and Justin Chon (four episodes each). On March 8, Chon dedicated an Instagram post to South Korean actors Lee Min Ho and Kim Min Ha. “Coming soon,” he captioned it.

 

 

 

 

''Pachinko'' premieres on March 25 on Apple TV +, with the release of the first three episodes. An episode will then be released every Friday.

 

https://larepublica.pe/cultura-asiatica/2022/03/08/pachinko-nuevas-fotos-de-lee-min-ho-y-kim-min-ha-en-serie-de-appletv-publicadas-por-el-director-instagram-justin-chon/

[syntyche]

#Pachinko Creator/EP/Writer @shugh100: "It’s a seven-hour flight and I remember reading it and it just — I just tumbled into that world. This is the world of my family and my grandparents and their grandparents. And ever since then, I knew I had to do this show."

 

 

 

 

[Lindyloo421]

The early reviews are out and are so positive. There are some great comments about LMH and will shut up anyone who ever said anything derogatory about his acting.

I read them on twitter and am sorry I can’t post ( not sure how to do it on an iPad)but I am sure others including  Syntyche and Nina_mitrokhina will be kind enough to.

It’s wonderful!

[Kris Silva]

 

 

https://www.metacritic.com/tv/pachinko/season-1

 

Metascore = 93 after 5 reviews.  

 

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/pachinko/s01

 

Tomatometer : 100% Fresh based on 10 critic ratings

 

 

https://www.theilluminerdi.com/2022/03/11/pachinko-review-beloved/

 

PACHINKO REVIEW: BELOVED STORY TOLD BEAUTIFULLY AND WITH APLOMB

Posted by Tatiana Hullender | Mar 11, 2022 

Pachinko feels at once epic and intimate, tracking one family’s journey across countries and decades with detailed care. The 8-episode miniseries, arriving March 25 on Apple TV+, is based on the New York Times best seller by Min Jin Lee. Her highly acclaimed novel follows protagonist Sunja from her humble beginnings in the fishing village of Yeongdo, Korea to her new start in Osaka, Japan. From there, it the story of her children and grandchildren unfolds, traversing to Tokyo and New York over 70 years later.

Aside from being the first Korean drama announced by the streaming platform – though Dr. Brain aired before Pachinko in the end – the cast also garnered buzz for the project. The original Kdrama heartthrob Lee Minho was chosen to play the infamous yakuza boss Koh Hansu, and the fact that he had to audition for the first time in a decade only increased the allure. Yoon Yuhjung, who recently won an Oscar for Minari, plays the matriarch Sunja and adds even more prestige.

With so much hype surrounding it, and such a pedigree behind it, can Pachinko possibly live up to expectations? The short answer is yes. The longer answer is, as always, a little more complex. As someone who devoured the book many moons ago, I would consider the series a perfect companion to it. One cannot replace the other, but side-by-side, they each bring nuance. The novel took a much more linear and focused approach, while the Apple TV+ works from the outside in – and works outside of time to boot.

 

Current events (current as of 1989, that is) are remarked on in Pachinko, bookending Japan’s imperial history and hammering home its effect on Korea. The show dives into the politics behind the Japanese occupation of Korea (from 1910 to 1945) sooner than the novel did, which widens the scope of the narrative, but it’s almost always meant to add context to characters’ choices characters. The flow of languages can also be dizzying at first, but color-coded subtitles make it easy to follow. And from a historical perspective, it’s fascinating to hear the cadence with which Korean is spoken at start of the century as opposed to near its end.

 

The performances in Pachinko are stellar across the board, but it is especially impressive to see Lee Minho thrive in a role that’s very unlike what fans have come to expect from him. Partially because he’s speaking Japanese for such a large portion of the time, but also because his Ko Hansu is by no stretch of the imagination a good guy. Hard and cold, danger lurks below his gaze even when his eyes light up at the sight of Sunja.

Their romance, which kicks off the events of Pachinko, feels both tragic and inevitable from the start. Lee Minho and Minha Kim (who plays the teenage Sunja) have a chemistry that walks the tightrope between repression and passion, something which makes their scenes fiery yet uncomfortable to witness. Kdrama fans should know what I mean when I compare their dynamic to Lee Junho and Lee Seyoung’s in The Red Sleeve.

 

Speaking of Sunja, all of the actresses portraying her help breathe life into such a central character and emphasize important aspects of her personality at different stages. Child Sunja (portrayed by Jeon Yuna) is full of exploration and excitement, sassing the fish sellers when they fail to give fair prices. Young adult Sunja is more cautious and quiet, perhaps due to the hardships she suffers early on and the unsettled nature of the world around her. Yoon Yuhjung’s elder Sunja is, of course, as much of a standout as ever. The wisdom, warmth and melancholy are perfectly combined in each of her scenes.

The time jumps may be jarring for book readers, but they enrich the viewer’s experience of the generations of Sunja’s family. Though it feels strange to meet certain characters at later stages of their life first, like reading the skipping to the final act before watching the first one, it’s a comfortable rhythm to fall into after a few episodes. I never would have imagined seeing Sunja and Kyung Hee (played by Felice Choi in the present) growing old together before I saw them meet, for example, but those early interactions are sure to color their blossoming friendship in a beautiful and bittersweet way.

 

Some may also complain that Pachinko is too slow, and I won’t deny that it takes its time unspooling the necessary plot threads. But it all lends to the full circle feeling that the series seems to be going for. Besides, once the meat of the plot gets going, it’s easy enough to get invested without constantly harkening back to how things turn out. Not to mention that the shuttling back and forth exposes parallels between Sunja’s past and Solomon’s present that may not be as obvious when reading the book – and adds more that didn’t exist in the book to begin with.

Also: shoutout to Jin Ha’s Solomon for being such grounding force, both in terms of his performance and his character. Not only does he need to reflect the generations that came before him in his speech and mannerisms, but he must also deliver dialogue in Japanese, Korean and English with varying levels of certainty and familiarity. He may be one of the most delightful surprises in the series for the uninitiated, but I would expect nothing less from a man able to tackle the role of Aaron Burr in Hamilton on Broadway.

 

One thing I wished the early episodes of Pachinko had indulged more in is the interactions between Sunja and her mother Yangjin (lovingly portrayed by Jeong In Ji), as well as her lovely dynamic with the household staff and boarders. Another character that perhaps gets the short end of the stick in these early episodes is Baek Isak (played by Steve Sanghyun Noh). Finally, in later episodes, there’s a gaping hole from a thematically relevant arc – one that should be centered on a character whose name I dare not speak yet – that’s replaced with material that doesn’t do as much to expand on the theme of what parents pass on to their children.

There are all an understandable changes from a practical perspective, given the casting choices for Hansu and older Sunja, but they do hurt the story slightly. Then again, they also add an element of mystery that the skips through time would otherwise rob the series of completely. This is one of the biggest reasons I would encourage everyone to both read or listen to the book as well as watch Pachinko: both are part of a larger tapestry.

 

One final surprise, but of the best kind? The opening theme song, which is NOT what I’d expect when watching Pachinko. It immediately called another recent series intro to mind, but I wouldn’t wish to spoil the fun for anyone by saying it out loud. You’ll know when you see it, though – unless some other review beat me to the punch.

 

 

 

https://awardswatch.com/pachinko-review-oscar-winner-youn-yuh-jung-delivers-a-breathtaking-performance-in-this-epic-tale-of-immigrant-resilience-grade-a/

 

‘Pachinko’ review: Oscar-winner Youn Yuh-jung delivers a breathtaking performance in this epic tale of immigrant resilience [Grade: A-]

Min Jin Lee’s sophomore novel Pachinko is a stunning book about the life of a three-generation Korean family living in Japan during World War II. The story sprawls for almost eight decades and all the characters each get fleshed out intimately in every chapter of the book. So when it was announced that AppleTV+ would turn the novel into an eight-part miniseries, it caused both worry and excitement among Lee’s fans. But after watching the screeners, and even though there are narrative flaws here and there, I’m glad to say that the show mostly delivers.

Moving back and forth between the 1920s and 1989, the show focuses on a young woman named Sunja (Kim Min-ha) who was born to a very poor family in Busan, South Korea. Her mother Yangjin (Jeong In-ji) runs a small boarding house for fishermen, while her father Hoonie dies when she’s 13. Though the mother-daughter pair lives in poverty, they always find things to be grateful for and even take in two orphans to be a part of the family. When Sunja turns 16, she becomes drawn into Koh Hansu (Lee Min-ho), a rich Korean fish broker who moved to Japan when he was a teenager, and not long after, she’s pregnant with his child. Though Hansu genuinely cares about Sunja, he cannot marry her because back in Japan, he already has a family.

Afraid that she and her unborn child will be outcasts if everyone finds out she’s pregnant out of wedlock, Sunja agrees to marry a kind-hearted pastor named Isak (Steve Sanghyun Noh) and moves to Japan with him. For a large part, Sunja’s new life in Japan becomes the show’s main focus. We closely follow her from her first step in a new country and we also witness all her hardships throughout. Though at first this feels like just a story of a woman trying to survive and find a new life, what Pachinko depicts through Sunja is more than that. In fact, the show actually unveils a big part of Korean history that not a lot of people have heard before.

During World War II and under Japanese Imperialism, many Koreans decided to immigrate to Japan to seek a better life. While the number of opportunities that arose for them there seemed much more promising at first, the reality was anything but. Not a lot of Japanese wanted to hire Korean immigrants because they thought of them as less, often calling them as dirty and reek of garlic—this happened to the fact that many of the Koreans liked to make Kimchi at home. These microaggressions and racism are what Sunja and the other Korean immigrants face every day in Japan. And Pachinko, both the book and the adaptation, does not shy away from addressing it. In fact, through the plotline centering on Sunja’s grandson Solomon (Jin Ha) this theme is emphasized even more.

Unlike Sunja who has to experience the war directly, Solomon lives a far better life. He continues his study in America, and when he’s back in Japan, a great, high-paying job comes to him rather easily. But even then, he still has to face lots of discrimination from his co-workers who are mostly Japanese. When he achieves something, it’s the company’s name that gets celebrated, but when he fails at something, it’s his Korean blood who gets the blame. The world that Solomon lives in may have changed from 1930, but for an immigrant living on foreign soil, not much really has changed. Ultimately, this is what makes the show such an eye-opening and compelling watch.

 

While the main premise sounds very bleak, Soo Hugh, the showrunner, isn’t just highlighting Sunja’s struggles. If anything, it’s her resilience that Pachinko wants to give emphasis to. For all the challenges she’s facing, the show always makes sure that the ways she bounces back from them are also told. Pachinko, in the end, is a show that champions immigrants but in a way that doesn’t feel preachy, reminding us that they’re just like everyone; people who just want to love and feel loved, to live and also feel alive.

The duality of the story—on one hand tender and heartwarming, but on the other hand devastating—is vividly captured by Kogonada and Justin Chon, who each directed four episodes. They manage to show all the layers of the story without relying heavily on the premise’s darker parts only. What the two explore the most is the emotional journey of the characters, and while doing so, they’re also able to draw phenomenal performances from the ensemble. Lee and Youn are the two standouts. The former successfully offers empathy underneath his character’s tough personality, while the latter’s performance, though much less flashy than her Oscar-winning turn in Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari, will break your heart easily. The little details in Youn’s acting—the small, occasional pauses, the head tilts, the long gaze, the way she controls her breath—are signs of an actor at the top of her career. It’s just masterful.

It’s unfortunate that the show leaves out one integral part of the book—a storyline revolving around Sunja’s first child Noa when he’s a teenager— that would have made it twice a knockout. Still an epic, breathtaking multigenerational family drama, Pachinko will grab your heart and make it feel full by the time you finish the final episode. This is a love letter for immigrants everywhere, but especially for the Koreans living in Japan.

Apple TV+ will release Pachinko on March 25, 2022. The series will be told in three languages — Korean, Japanese and English — and debut with the first three episodes followed by new weekly installments each Friday during its eight-episode season through April 29, 2022.

 

https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/pachinko-review-get-ready-to-ugly-cry-with-the-apple-tv-series.html/

 

‘Pachinko’ Review: Get Ready to Ugly Cry with the Apple TV+ Series

Gabriela Silva 
Published on March 11, 2022

Apple TV+ might have a gem on their hands for awards season with Pachinko. The 2022 limited series is an adaptation of author Min Jin Lee’s The New York Times bestselling and acclaimed novel of the same name. In only eight episodes, audiences will find themselves deeply invested in a tale of endurance across four generations of a family. A matriarchal female character leads the story during the occupation of South Korea by Japan.

Audiences will need to have a tissue box at the ready. Pachinko’s emotional story will resonate beyond boundaries with the help of a stellar cast.

Apple TV+ might have a gem on their hands for awards season with Pachinko. The 2022 limited series is an adaptation of author Min Jin Lee’s The New York Times bestselling and acclaimed novel of the same name. In only eight episodes, audiences will find themselves deeply invested in a tale of endurance across four generations of a family. A matriarchal female character leads the story during the occupation of South Korea by Japan.

Audiences will need to have a tissue box at the ready. Pachinko’s emotional story will resonate beyond boundaries with the help of a stellar cast.

Main cast and characters for Apple TV+ 'Pachinko'

A young South Korean girl becomes her families push for survival
The story begins before the birth of the female protagonist in 1915. The prelude to the main storyline sets up the female character’s impact on the rest of the episodes. A woman seeks the guidance of a shaman as she has already lost three sons and is married to a man with a cleft lip. The shaman reassures the woman her next child will be the strength the family needs to endure.

Pachinko develops an emotionally driven story led by Sunja, played by Kim Min-ha. She tries to survive as she goes through the hardships of life and her country being taken over by Japanese rule. At the same time, Pachinko parallels Sunja’s teenage story with present-day 1989 and how her mindset to survive affected her family.

Sunja fell in love with the wrong man who couldn’t promise her a respectable life. Instead, she looked for stability and a way to endure with another. The political turmoil of the time changes her life forever. Audiences watch as they follow Sunja’s story as a young woman leaving behind her country. Sunja’s sacrifice reassured her future generations but at a cost.

After four generations, Sunja’s life story and her experiences as a young woman are still prevalent in modern society. Pachinko also tells the story of Sunja’s grandson. Solomon, played by Jin Ha, is blind to what it means to endure. He is unaware of what hardships his grandmother and other Koreans faced during the Japanese occupation. Solomon exists between three worlds, America, Korea, and Japan.

The main cast of ‘Pachinko’ brings the story to life.

South Korean actors are making a name for themselves on the global stage as Pachinko’s cast includes many notable names. The main role as an older Sunja is Academy Award winner Youn Yuh-jung. As seen in her other work, like Minari, Youn brings a level of profound emotion to every scene.

Her acting in Pachinko embodies Sunja’s story as she looks back on her life and journey. Audiences will weep as Youn brings to life her character’s heartache and is forced to relive her sorrows. Alongside Youn is Kim as a teen version of Sunja. Kim’s portrayal of the character holds a level of innocence rivaled by the burning fire to push foward.

As audiences watch Kim’s young Sunja, they will feel empowered by the actor’s ability to portray a strong yet fragile character. Rounding out the cast is K-drama actor Lee Min-ho. More notably known for his romance roles, Lee takes on a more villainous character.

Fans of Lee will see him in a new light as he portrays Koh Hansu, a Korean born who is taken in by the Japanese. Pachinko has a small romance rooted in reality. As Hansu assimilated into Japanese society, he holds power over Sunja. Their romance is anything but a fairytale as they take in the circumstances of their time. Jin Ha’s role as Solomon is complex as he strives to win but loses his sense of honor.

Pachinko is worth the watch when wanting a limited series with a storyline that is impactful with every scene. The cinematography, dialogue, and use of three languages bring across the impact of Sunja’s Korean diaspora story. The series storyline brings to light a dark history many Korean families were forced to live.

The Apple TV+ Pachinko will be available to worldwide audiences on March 25 through the streaming platform. Word of advice: have a tissue box ready and a backup just in case.

[syntyche]

@Lindyloo421, really amazing reviews of Pachinko!

 

 

 

 

 

Curation of reviews:

 

 

 

[syntyche]

'Pachinko' Review: A Masterful Tapestry of an Adaptation Made Brilliant in Every Loving Thread

 

Following multiple generations of a Korean family, this Apple TV+ series is as beautiful as it is devastating.

...

It is therefore a high task to capture the brilliance of such a work in an adaptation. Yet the new eight-episode Apple TV+ series does just that, bringing the characters to life on screen with such a sense of care that it proves itself to be one of the best adaptations of not just this year but of all time. Created by longtime writer Soo Hugh, it reminds us of how adaptation can be an art form in its own right in how she makes the story leap off the page. When paired with directors Kogonada and Justin Chon, who each helm four episodes apiece, the series weaves a tapestry that finds as much art in the quiet intimacy of conversations between its characters as it does in the vastness of the landscapes they inhabit over the many decades.

...

What proves to be the most notable difference is how the narrative structure is significantly changed, jumping around in time as opposed to taking a more linear progression. Save for one episode that largely stays focused on one character, this gives the show more of an episodic feel that turns elements midway through the book into climaxes of the show. This does initially take some getting used to as many of the arresting aspects of the story came in information being revealed about how the family would fit into history. However, the way the show flows forward and backward takes on its own pacing that becomes poetic in its construction. Moments in the lives of the characters, otherwise disconnected, seem to rhyme with each other as they are recalled and reflected on with the wisdom of age.

 

It adds emotional resonance when scenes across time are put in conversation with each other. One scene even melds the sound of singing and rhythmic drumming from the past into the future. It draws a parallel between two seemingly disparate scenes of rebellion in the face of repression and potential annihilation by greed that prove to be all too similar. It is moments like this that create a narrative structure that is akin to a river, occasionally diverging and splitting before coming back together again. It plays out in cycles, echoing themes about love through resilience that transcend each individual setting and era. As it washes over you with the force of time and the loss it brings, it is as devastating as it is moving.

...

As the characters’ interlocking lives become fully drawn, we are lucky enough to see a complete portrait that is wholly original and endlessly enthralling. Pachinko is a triumph of visual storytelling that goes in its own direction and finds a destination that leaves you absolutely floored in how masterfully it executes its vision.

Rating: A+

 

https://collider.com/pachinko-tv-series-review-apple-tv-plus/

 

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Apple TV+’s ‘Pachinko’: TV Review

 

This adaptation of Min Jin Lee's acclaimed novel about a Korean family's efforts to persevere through colonialism, occupation and war features an international cast led by Jin Ha and Yuh-Jung Youn.

...

TV showrunner Soo Hugh (The Terror) has kept the core characters and narrative from Lee’s book — one of the best things I’ve read in the past few years — but has given its structure a major shakeup.

 

Lee built her multi-generational saga over three “books,” told chronologically starting in 1910 and culminating in 1989. Hugh is, at all times, juggling two storylines simultaneously. 

...

And the performances are beautiful as well. Youn benefits from a liberal expansion of Sunja’s story from the last third of the book, and no actor so conveys the polar extremes of the material’s sadness and ebullience, sometimes with precious little dialogue. Ha, who has been on the verge of stardom with roles in Devs and Love Life and with stage work, bursts through with a swaggering, thoughtful performance as a man torn between three worlds. Building off of what the other two Sunjas accomplish in their scenes, Kim embodies the series’ ideas about the power of resilience in two cultures dominated by men, and it’s astonishing how she takes a character weighed down into solemnity by a difficult youth and turns dourness into determination. I admired how Lee keeps Hansu inscrutable, if generally stylish and menacing, as well as strong supporting turns by Steve Sanghyun Noh, Eunchae Jung and Arai in roles that will become more central in subsequent seasons.

 

Because of Hugh’s structural choices, Pachinko moves through the book’s first third completely and gets to most of the closing third in this introductory season, but there’s an entire middle of the book that has barely been touched. I’ll be interested to see how that material is woven together with what I would assume will be new material from the Solomon story and possibly beyond.

 

My biggest regret upon finishing the book was not having another 500 pages of this story, so I’m not just interested to see how future seasons go — I’m eager. This is a strong, stirring, timeless start.

 

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/pachinko-review-1235108946/

 

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‘Pachinko’ Review: A Gorgeous Family Drama That’s the Closest TV Can Get to a Shared Memory

 

This beautifully rendered Apple TV+ series traces the evolution of a family of Korean immigrants across opposite, parallel sides of the 20th century.

 

Very often, TV adaptations of books naturally play out like fixed objects. There’s a built-in framework for an episodic journey that fulfills what’s on the page as an exercise in transposing. Aside from the emotional richness of the new Apple TV+ series “Pachinko,” it becomes apparent very quickly that what sets this eight-episode season apart is that it plays out more as a collective memory than a written history. Drawing from Min Jin Lee’s sprawling bestselling novel, which traces the fate of a Korean family across multiple countries and generations, “Pachinko” is a gorgeous drama built around observing both the crisp and hazy all at once. It’s a century-spanning tale that draws on the untidy nature of remembering the past to fashion an experience all its own.

...

For a family history story so sweeping, “Pachinko” never feels comparatively dense. This adaptation is more intent on tracing the reverberations across generations, rather than sticking to a series of plot point markers. Lee’s novel follows a more chronological path, while series creator and writer Soo Hugh opts instead to follow the younger Sunja and Solomon along parallel tracks.

 

https://www.indiewire.com/2022/03/pachinko-review-apple-tv-plus-show-1234706842/

 

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‘Pachinko’ Turns an Intimate Story Into a Historical Epic — and One of the Best Things on TV

 

An adaptation of the bestselling novel about a Korean woman’s journey through decades of culture clashes is stunning from start to finish

...

Japan’s occupation of Korea, which lasted from 1910 through the end of World War II, hasn’t been chronicled much by Western art. But even if this were well-trod territory, Pachinko covers the subject with such artistry and grace that it would still feel special. It’s a family saga that combines the denseness of prose fiction with the specific advantages of television.

 

The first and foremost example of the latter comes from the ability to have actors bring characters from the page to flesh-and-blood life. All three Sunjas are wonderful. This is not surprising from Yuh-Jung Youn, a legendary star of Korean film and television who won an Oscar last year for her performance as the grandmother in Minari. But this is essentially the first screen role for both Yu-na Jeon and Minha Kim, and they hold the screen just as effortlessly as their revered septuagenarian counterpart. And their mannerisms are perfectly in sync, so that when one Sunja smiles, or cries, it instantly conjures up memories of the others doing the same.

...

Pachinko is technically impressive on all levels — it’s visually stunning, with a knockout score by Nico Muhl. The show is also gorgeous to look at in in each era it covers, with the lush greens of Sunja’s pastoral childhood just as vivid as the cool blues of Solomon’s modern world.

...

But early and often, Pachinko makes clear that where our people come from, and what they’ve been through, is always a part of who we are in the present. And it delivers that message with precision force throughout. Don’t miss it.

 

https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-reviews/pachinko-review-1317492/

 

 

[syntyche]

‘Pachinko’: Soo Hugh’s Stunning Asian-Led Series Reveals The Hidden History Of Those That Endured

 

“History has failed us, but no matter.” Laced with tragedy and defiance, these words open Min Jin Lee’s acclaimed sophomore novel. A sprawling, epic drama that stretches across four generations of a single-family, “Pachinko” examines — with tenderness and wrenching specificity — the lives of the ethnic Koreans of Japan, who have long been relegated to the margins of history. Breathing cinematic life into Lee’s sweeping tale is the new Apple TV series of the same name, which faithfully touches upon the novel’s themes of identity, acceptance, and survival: the story of a family tree shaken by the capricious hands of fate and the wounds of intergenerational trauma. It’s also one of the best new shows of 2022.

...

“Pachinko” is a groundbreaking, stunning, Asian-led production. Easily one of the best-looking narratives on Apple TV, the series weaves a meticulously wrought tapestry woven from the fabric of a scattered history. Reaching across decades, the series’ grandiose scope — fully realized with awe-inspiring costuming and production design — is filled in with minute details loaded with meaning. Even the simple act of a fisherman’s wife buying rice speaks volumes of a stratified society and the impact of colonization. The first season out of a planned four, many of the book’s threads, plotlines, and even characters are yet to be explored, but where “Pachinko” already shines most is as a voice for the voiceless. The novel, and the series, is an education through the drama of heartache and perseverance, slowly peeling back layers of a hidden history and the hopes, dreams, and miseries of a forgotten people. How are their stories unearthed? “Pachinko” gives a simple, repeated answer: “They endured.” [A]

 

https://theplaylist.net/pachinko-soo-hughs-stunning-asian-led-series-reveals-the-hidden-history-of-those-that-endured-20220311/

 

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‘Pachinko’ Review: Apple TV+’s Sweeping Korean Epic is TV’s Newest Masterpiece

 

Apple TV+’s Pachinko is a show about one family that somehow manages to be about all families. Kogonada and Justin Chon’s direction, Soo Hugh’s writing, and the work of Pachinko’s outstanding ensemble cast weave together a story that is both huge in scope and humble in its beauty. Pachinko is perfectly exquisite (though not quite perfect) and will stick with you long after the credits roll.

 

Pachinko is a gorgeous TV show that will transport you with its straightforward charm and epic soul. But like all art, it also pulls off that most holy miracle: it will make you feel more human. You’ll find yourself feeling more connected to your parents and grandparents, to strangers on the other side of the world, and the characters orbiting Sunja’s world.

 

https://decider.com/2022/03/11/pachinko-on-apple-tv-plus-review/

 

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Pachinko Review: Soo Hugh's Stirring Prestige Series Streamlines A Singular Immigrant Saga

...

For all my gripes about the show's structural and character shake-ups, there's no truer depiction of the second-generation immigrant experience than the "Pachinko" series. It gives us a fractured story in bits and pieces, but aren't all immigrant stories passed down to uncaring grandchildren little fractured? That's how we learn about our parents' darkest moments or our grandparents' greatest achievements — casually over lunch, or deep in our food coma post-dinner. And Hugh, Kogonada, and Chon's ponderous and breathtakingly beautiful vision of that classic immigrant tale is certainly much better than any half-told story I've heard over cocktails. It's a story told in pieces, but the pieces are more vibrant, earnest, and stirring than most any other show on TV today.

 

https://www.slashfilm.com/796204/pachinko-review-soo-hughs-stirring-prestige-series-streamlines-a-singular-immigrant-saga/

[Thong Thin]

Arrived this morning !.... gonna try to finish reading before it airs.

 

[nina_mitrokhina]

‘Pachinko’ Turns an Intimate Story Into a Historical Epic — and One of the Best Things on TV

 

An adaptation of the bestselling novel about a Korean woman’s journey through decades of culture clashes is stunning from start to finish

 

 

Apple+’s adaptation of Min Jin Lee’s historical-fiction epic Pachinko bounces back and forth between several phases of its heroine Sunja’s life: growing up in Korea under the yoke of Japanese rule, where she’s played as a girl in the 1920s by Yu-na Jeon, and as a young woman in the 1920s played by Minha Kim; then her late-Eighties retirement in Japan (where she’s played by Youn Yuh-jung), reflecting back on her life’s many triumphs, tragedies, and compromises. In one scene in 1989, Sunja and her banker grandson Solomon (Jin Ha) are in the home of a fellow Korean expat, who surprises her guests by serving them Korean rice. Solomon can’t tell the difference from the kind he grew up eating in Osaka, but Sunja explains that rice grown in Korea is nuttier and a bit sweeter, albeit harder to chew on. It’s too subtle a distinction for Solomon to grasp, but it means everything to his grandmother.

The pleasures and depths of Pachinko, adapted by Soo Hugh, and directed by Kogonada and Justin Chon, are so tactile that by the time you reach the end of this magnificent first season’s eighth episode, you will feel as if you can taste the sweet nuttiness that fills the elder Sunja with so much unexpected joy.

Japan’s occupation of Korea, which lasted from 1910 through the end of World War II, hasn’t been chronicled much by Western art. But even if this were well-trod territory,

The first and foremost example of the latter comes from the ability to have actors bring characters from the page to flesh-and-blood life. All three Sunjas are wonderful. This is not surprising from Yuh-Jung Youn, a legendary star of Korean film and television who won an Oscar last year for her performance as the grandmother in Minari. But this is essentially the first screen role for both Yu-na Jeon and Minha Kim, and they hold the screen just as effortlessly as their revered septuagenarian counterpart. And their mannerisms are perfectly in sync, so that when one Sunja smiles, or cries, it instantly conjures up memories of the others doing the same.

 

 

There are fewer opportunities for the Kim version to smile, as she exists in the most emotionally and politically challenging phase of the story. After growing up in the relative tranquility of the boarding house her parents run in a rural village, the teenage Sunja falls under the spell of Hansu (Lee Min-Ho), a sharp and charismatic local official who has decided that the best way to survive the occupation is to collaborate with the Japanese and adopt as many trappings of their culture as he can. (A later, incredibly powerful episode, involving the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, offers more insight into how he wound up this way.) Their affair inevitably grows messy, requiring the intercession of Isak (Steve Sang-Hyun Noh), a kind traveling Christian missionary.

Sunja recedes a bit for the Eighties scenes, which feature Solomon returning to Japan from his life in New York to help close a huge real-estate deal, and to search once again for his long-missing stepsister. He and a Japanese colleague swap stories about how every American they meet likes to play the “Which Asian am I?” guessing game. Because Korea is rarely a top guess, Solomon says he just nods if anyone suggests he is Japanese. Over the course of the season, we see how he feels caught between the country he grew up in, the one where he built his career, and the one his grandmother tells him about. And those questions of cultural identity wrap satisfyingly around an examination of the go-go Japanese economy of the era, which feels hauntingly similar to the moments before and after the bursting of the housing bubble over here in the late 2000s.

Pachinko is technically impressive on all levels — it’s visually stunning, with a knockout score by Nico Muhl. The show is also gorgeous to look at in in each era it covers, with the lush greens of Sunja’s pastoral childhood just as vivid as the cool blues of Solomon’s modern world. The earthquake episode not only shifts its perspective to Hansu for an entire hour, but adopts a rawer and more impressionistic style to capture both the devastation of the event and its uglier aftermath, in which Japanese citizens used it as an excuse to murder Korean immigrants. But even subtler devices like color-coding the subtitles to clarify when characters are speaking Korean or Japanese — or sometimes both in one conversation — work wonders at making the story feel more immersive and poignant. And the opening credits — a dazzling musical sequence scored to “Live for Today,” by the Grass Roots, and set at the pachinko parlor run by Solomon’s father, Mozasu (Soji Arai) — are, like the ones from Peacemaker, a great reminder that every show would be at least five percent better if it began with a dance number.

In the Eighties scenes, Solomon works for the American-born Tom (Jimmi Simpson), an American assigned to their bank’s Tokyo office for mysterious reasons. When the subject of Japanese-Korean tensions comes up, Tom wonders, “Why can’t people just get over that? It’s the past. It’s done.” He is far from the only character who only wants to, like the theme song says, live for today. But early and often, Pachinko makes clear that where our people come from, and what they’ve been through, is always a part of who we are in the present. And it delivers that message with precision force throughout. Don’t miss it.

The first three episodes of Pachinko will begin streaming March 25 on Apple TV+, with the remaining installments releasing weekly. I’ve seen all eight episodes of this first season.

 

https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-reviews/pachinko-review-1317492/

[syntyche]

Lee Min-ho’s new Apple TV+ drama “Pachinko” received compliments from foreign critics

 

The original Apple TV+ drama “Pachinko,” starring Yoon Yeo-jung and Lee Min-ho is receiving high praise from overseas media.

 

On March 11th, reviews of Apple TV+’s original drama “Pachinko” were posted on various overseas media outlets.

 

Hollywood media Collider commented on “Pachinko” as a really beautiful drama and gave it a perfect score of “A+.”

 

Critic Alan Sheppinwall said that it was a really satisfying and meaningful drama in his review on the American magazine The Rolling Stones.

 

The Hollywood Reporter, an American magazine, also praised Pachinko as a powerful, touching and timeless work.

The British media outlet Evening Standard also hinted that it is a masterpiece that will touch the world and gave “Pachinko” a perfect score.

 

In addition, “Pachinko” received high praises from various overseas media outlets such as Playlist, Decider, IndieWire, and AwardsWatch, raising viewers’ expectations.

 

The media outlets commented that the cast’s excellent acting skills elicited sympathy from the viewers.

 

Based on Korean-American writer Lee Min-jin‘s novel of the same name, “Pachinko,” the drama is about the dreams and hopes of a Korean immigration family who leave their home country to seek survival and prosperity.

 

Apple TV+’s ambitious work “Pachinko,” which the world is paying attention to, will be available from March 25th.

 

 

https://kbizoom.com/lee-min-hos-new-apple-tv-drama-pachinko-received-compliments-from-foreign-critics/

 

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Pachinko review: An epic, unforgettable story of a family and a people

 

Beautiful and brutal, this eight-part adaptation of Min Jin Lee’s best-selling book is enrapturing

 

You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, and you shoudn’t judge a TV show by its opening credits. But the title sequence for Pachinko — in which its multi-generational cast dance joyously, all flailing limbs and sliding feet, to the rollicking Let’s Live For Today by The Grass Roots, beneath the brilliant lights of a pachinko arcade — is so good that it could only introduce something spectacular.

 

It proves to be the case, and emphatically so. An eight-part adaptation of the internationally best-selling novel of the same name by Korean-American author Min Jin Lee, this Apple TV+ show is, like the 490-page book, epic in its scale — and enrapturing in its execution. It traces the fate of a Korean family across more than 70 years of the 20th century, flitting between timelines, traversing multiple countries, speaking Korean, Japanese and English, and employing various actors to play the same characters at different ages. In less delicate hands, it would be unwieldy; here, though, it emerges as one sublime portrait of both a family and a people.

...

https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/pachinko-review-apple-tv-series-b987553.html

 

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‘Pachinko’ Review: Youn Yuh-jung and Minha Kim Are Magnetic in Apple TV Plus Series

 

Apple TV Plus will release Pachinko on March 25, its adaptation of Min Jin Lee’s bestselling 2017 novel. Fans of the book were won over by the tale of family, survival and persevering women. When Apple first announced its original TV series, one overarching question arose: Would Min Jin Lee’s beloved novel be adapted in a way that captures the spirit and humanity of its characters while honoring the source material? The short answer is, yes. It’s elegant, it’s sad and it’s darn good.

 

Told in Korean, Japanese and English, Pachinko flows like a river thanks to outstanding cast performances that ground this family’s multigenerational journey. Though the first season is hard to watch at times, it’s a must-see. Youn Yuh-jung, Minha Kim, Steve Sang-Hyun Noh, Jin Ha and K-drama star Lee Min-ho breathe life into their characters with sincerity and nuance. 

...

 

https://www.cnet.com/culture/entertainment/pachinko-review-youn-yuh-jung-and-minha-kim-are-magnetic-in-apple-tv-plus-series/

 

[syntyche]

‘Pachinko’ Is A Rare Gem Of A Series About One Woman’s Resilient Spirit

 

Pachinko is a mechanical game popular in Japan and like any in-house betting game, the odds favor the house. In the Apple TV series Pachinko, the game offers one Korean family a chance to defy the odds, while also serving as a metaphor for the seemingly random events that shape their destiny. Based on Min Jin Lee’s bestselling novel of the same name, Pachinko tells the story of Sunja, a quietly resilient young woman who helps her mother run a boarding house during the Japanese occupation of Korea. The young Sunja, played by rookie actress Kim Min-ha, lives an uneventful life punctuated by trips to the market.

...

This tale of love and sacrifice is meticulously directed by Korean American filmmakers Kogonada (After Yang, Columbus) and Justin Chon (Blue Bayou, Gook), with a surprising singularity of vision. Although the directors split episodes between them, the plot seamlessly takes viewers from a small fishing village to the cutthroat boardrooms of 1980s Tokyo, contrasting how life has changed in just a few generations with how much it stayed the same.

 

In the 1980s segments of the story, the older Sunja is portrayed by Academy Award-winning actress Youn Yuh-jung, who soulfully captures the character’s inner strength. It’s a subtle and moving performance. Kim delicately portrays the young Sunja with steely determination, while Lee plays a Hansu that is both tender and cynical, adding dimension to a character that in print seemed more villainous.

 

The series takes some liberties with the novel’s storyline, adding backstory for one character and leaving out important developments that would take—and perhaps will yet take—a subsequent season or two to resolve. However, it succeeds at what it does present viewers. As well as being a heartfelt immigrant saga, told in three languages, Pachinko features an international cast and crew, which in its collaboration presents an innovative new chapter in the globalization of entertainment.

 

The series premieres March 25 on Apple TV.

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/joanmacdonald/2022/03/12/pachinko-is-a-rare-gem-of-a-series-about-one-womans-resilient-spirit/?sh=178901e55f67

[CallieP]

On 3/11/2022 at 10:53 AM, Kris Silva said:

 

 

https://www.metacritic.com/tv/pachinko/season-1

 

Metascore = 93 after 5 reviews.  

 

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/pachinko/s01

 

Tomatometer : 100% Fresh based on 10 critic ratings

 

 

https://www.theilluminerdi.com/2022/03/11/pachinko-review-beloved/

 

 

 

I saw you chattting with Laura on Twitter.

"Just his intensity is amazing in one scene that I did mention in my review, but avoiding spoilers. But, man, incredible."

 

I read her review but did not see any mention of LMH or his intensity in a particular scene.  Wondering what scene she is referring to.