Pachinko Series Premiere Review: A Sweeping Saga Begins
Michael T. Stack
at
.
Pachinko's scope is no laughing matter, spanning four generations and three languages.
Pachinko Season 1 Episode 1, set in 1915 and 1989, proves that filmmaking can match the expectations of the scope.
Unlike the book, Pachinko is told non-linearly, which makes for a fantastic adaptation.
Pachinko follows Sunja, a young girl born to a Korean family and growing up during Japan's occupation in Korea.
Pachinko Season 1 Episode 2, set in 1924 and 1989, shows the Sunja will get acquainted with deeply throughout the series.
A strong point in the series comes from its display of true familial love.
Father: When you were just a week old, your mom and I, we barely slept saying up night and day to watch over you. That's when I swore to you... as long as you kept breathing... I would do anything to keep the ugliness of the world from touching you.
Young Sunja: Mmm
Father: I'm going to keep that promise.
All of the performances in the first three hours impressed us.
Every performer (including the child who played young Sunja) displays immense acting prowess and is some of the best performances on Television.
Aside from the performances, the production design and directing are brilliant.
The first three episodes are directed by acclaimed director Kogonada (After Yang).
Kogonada's unique directing style serves this series quite well and elevates the show significantly.
Based on the book of the same name by Min Jin Lee, the writing in Pachinko follows the 2017 novel closely.
Sunja is a strong character, and the periods switch seamlessly.
So far, the show has proved to be one of the most exciting things we've seen on Television.
Sunja's arc seems to be moving quickly, a bit quicker than in the novel, and they seem to be covering much of the book.
Sunja's mother had to go to a healer to try and have a healthy child, which she was unable to do in the past.
Domestic troubles, religious discrimination, and racial differences weave a large tapestry.
The series sets itself against the backdrop of Japan's occupation of Korea, starting in 1910.
The Koreans' treatment caused many issues for small-town families like Sunja.
Money and food were scarce, and they had to pick and choose where and how they spent their money.
Things were made more accessible by Koh Hansu, a new fish broker that became enamored with Sunja.
Under customs and laws, having a relationship with Koh Hansu would be forbidden.
That didn't stop them, and sparks flew.
Koh Hansu saved her from being sexually assaulted by some Japanese boys.
Sunja: What did you say to those boys?
Koh Hansu: If they bothered you again, I'd kill them, and feed their bodies to dogs. I say this to put your mind at ease.
After that, he became a kind of mentor, promising to teach her things because she didn't attend school.
Eventually, their relationship took a sexual turn.
He would often need to disappear to Japan for work, but their relationship would pick up when he returned.
Even though it was illegal, they seemed to fall in love.
In Pachinko Season 1 Episode 3, Sunja revealed to him that she got pregnant.
Sunja: I'm with child. You must say something.
Koh Hansu: Are you sure? Sunja! You bring me my son!
Sunja: You have no way to know it's a boy.
Koh Hansu: But I know it. I'm certain of it.
He is baffled and wants to pay for everything but cannot marry her because he is already married.
She's devastated, as is her mother.
Sunja: If we marry quickly she'll be put at ease.
Koh Hansu: Why are you suddenly speaking of marriage? I thought you knew what this was.
Sunja: Knew? What does that mean?
Koh Hansu: I can't marry you. I have a family. In Osaka, I have a wife and three daughters. It's not exactly a marriage of love, but a necessary arrangement.
Sunja: A necessary arrangement?
Koh Hansu: Necessary for business reasons. There's no affection.
Being an unmarried woman with a child may not seem like a big deal, as times have changed.
But back in the 1920s, it got looked down upon no matter where you lived.
Things were rigorous in countries like Japan and Korea, and she most likely would be disgraced.
She and her family's honor would get tarnished unless she found someone to marry.
Her mother ran a boarding house for people, which provided them with their primary source of income.
One of the men that stayed in the boarding house had tuberculosis and, with the care of Sunja's mother, recovered.
Isak: If I'm going to Osaka, I need to get stronger.
Yangjin: Must you go? I know a church is waiting for you, but if you were to die there, so far from home...
Isak: I have nearly died so many times. I know it too well. I am not scared of that. Living, on the other hand... That's the hard part for me.
At the end of the third episode, he took Sunja out for noodles and questioned her.
It wasn't in a mean way, but he wanted to know more about her intentions with the child.
Isak: To raise a child on your own, the repercussions-
Sunja: I'm not under any illusion about my fate. I understand my child and I will be outcasts. That I'll have to leave the boarding house so as not to ruin my mother's business. I know all this. And yet-- I... I was loved by an outcast. My father. It's strange how much I am thinking of him now. For most of his life he was told he'd never marry or have a child of his own. But here I am. I am here even though I shouldn't be. And now... my child is here even though he shouldn't be. And he will be loved. Even if I must work until my fingernails break and my back aches and my stomach foes empty. My child... He will want for nothing. That's my promise to him. My father... he made the same promise to me when I was born. No. I will not... give up this child.
He continued to ask her if she would ever care for another man.
We speculate that he will agree to marry her and raise the child as his own.
He worked as a Pastor and proved to be an extremely respectable man named Isak.
We wonder how soon the marriage will happen and if they will fall in love.
The romance in Pachinko may take center stage, but the other parts of the drama also got featured in the premieres.
In 1989, Sunja is now a grandmother living in Japan.
Her grandson, Solomon, visits Japan on a business trip from America.
The story deviates from the novel here, but almost for the better.
The quality isn't affected, as seeing two different sides of Sunja at once proved to be fascinating.
The older Sunja is masterfully portrayed by recent Oscar winner Yung Yuh-Jung (Mirai).
Both she and Minha Kim (the actress playing the teenage Sunja) portray the character well, matching each other's energy.
The extent of the different periods shows Sunja's evolution as a person, even without us knowing all of her details.
These episodes are a solid start for Apple TV+, and we hope that the series continues in this trajectory.
There are many other periods in the novel, with part of the series set during World War Two.
The show portrays the lifestyle of a Korean person family in Korea during Japan's occupation.
They (so far) are showing the political situation respectively and accurately while also keeping the drama and romance at the forefront.
The Japanese police were a significant entity of fear (as well as any influential person with money).
How writer Soo Hugh constructed the adaptation provides respect towards Min Jin Lee's novel while only making slight pacing changes.
The pacing for the series is keeping us immensely entertained and intrigued.
In 1989, Sunja's family scattered across the world.
She's a strong woman and makes many difficult decisions throughout her life (even just in what we've seen so far).
We are excited to see more of Sunja's life and how she evolved into the woman we got to see in 1989.
The perfection of the series resides in all of the elements blending perfectly: the acting, the directing, the story, and the production aspects.
It may be too early to say this, but Pachinko may be one of the year's best series.
So fanatics, what did you think of the premieres?
Are you as impressed as we are? What do you think will happen next?
Let us know in the comments below! Pachinko airs on Apple TV+ every Friday.
Michael Stack is a former writer for TV Fanatic..
