Keep your Tissues close.
I have been watching KDramas for a while now, and I would not consider this one as a kdrama, nevertheless, I feel the struggles through generations of what happened before and after war, occupations etc. is not been talked about enough. That is why I am so happy about this show. I have yet to read the book, since yes, there are some loose strings in the show, also some confusion with the time jumps. Anyway, the acting is amazing, the feelings are real for this one. Made me ugly cry, for the pain and the losses people had to endure.Was this review helpful to you?
Pachinko: The game of life?
I happened to have read the book before I started watching this series, week by week patiently (even though I'm more of a characteristically binge-watcher!) and first things first, i was engrossed in the world presented before my eyes. The cinematography is stunning, and I particularly loved the way they synchronized shots cutting through the different timelines of young unmarried Sunja and grandmother Sunja.One of my biggest criticisms would be how they handled the relationship development of Sunja and Isak. Both the actors were extremely well suited for their roles, but Isak's character should have been handled in a more authentic way. He was glossed over (in my opinion) to make way for Koh Hansu. Koh Hansu's backstory (which was entirely made up by the shows creator and has nothing to do with the original book) which took up an entire episode, was very jarring, they should have launched it after all the episodes were out, maybe as a season's special or something of a similar fashion. It broke the flow of narration.
That being said, I am still looking forward for the next season.
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A masterful adaptation...
Pachinko, in many ways, was a wakeup call for me. Xenophobia as per a Eurocentric narrative, has always been so intrinsically linked to a difference in the color of your skin, that it was jarring to see it happen to a group of people who are almost visually indistinguishable from their oppressors on the basis of skin color. Even then, it was humbling to see that the human heart is capable of so much hatred, that such experiences are almost universally unifying, irrespective of which side of the globe you're in. You'll always be an 'other' to somebody's 'us'. Nationalities, ethnicities, language and cultural differences are merely human constructs to 'leave other people out'.With an Oscar Winner and a Hallyu star onboard, the team behind Pachinko could have easily succumbed to letting either of them steal the spotlight, but I'm happy to say it turned out to be the kind of project where the actors serve the story, and not the other way round. Kudos to the team for telling the story with 100% honesty and sincerity!
Within half a standard k-drama runtime, I'm impressed with the number of SO many wonderful cinematic moments of storytelling! And a large part of the credit must be given to the absolutely genius creative decision of telling the story un-chronologically. It's poignant to see parallel intersplices of the past and present within the same episode (like a young Sunja preparing to leave for Japan VS the elderly Sunja packing to revisit her homeland). But it's particularly even more poignant, when the events interconnect across episodes (a nostalgic elderly Sunja tasting her homegrown rice in ep3 VS a young Sunja being fed the same grains of rice, lovingly cooked by her Mum on her bethrothal dinner as perhaps the last meal on her homeland, in ep4). There is so much of bittersweet and poignant context that would have been lost, had the story been told linearly.
Kim Minha as Sunja is nothing short of a revelation, especially in the more emotionally demanding scenes. I felt as invested in her story from the first glance, much like her future suitors. Minha's freckled beauty, husky voice and her acting style sets her apart from cookie cutter k-actresses, and I feel she has a bright future ahead, similar to the likes of Kim Go Eun and Kim Dami. Minha's performance made me feel all of Sunja's desperation, conflict, and bravado. I do think humbly, that her line delivery could see some improvement....
While the story itself is the main meat of the show, it is elevated to the level of a visual feast because of the technical and hardware department. The cinematic vibe and the grand scoring were the absolutely perfect seasonings required for the 8ep serving, satisfying the drama-watcher's heart in me. I do hope Pachinko gets renewed for season 2, as it will be such a shame not to see Sunja's story be completed on this visual medium.
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an inspirational family saga
this story is just so powerful that can make anyone heart feel the love, hatred and awed. The cast is superb specially Lee Minho and Kim Minha. Their character Kohansu and Sunja is just made for them to play. It was also aesthetically pleasing, that can bring any viewer a relax feeling while watching thise beautiful and artistically made sceneries. I recommended this to anyone to watch this as its a story that can be enjoyed by family or anyone who wants to feel inspire, to thrive hard despite the hardship in life.Was this review helpful to you?
DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS .
I finished watching ep 4 of this yesterday afternoon and have been thinking about it for a while now. I felt the need that I should put my cents out on this somewhere, so..here am I. I will edit the review once I finish watching the whole of it too.The story is basically about Japanese colonization of Korea and how (much) it affected the then people, and the generations after. When you look at the broader perspective you will understand this is the story not just about the Japanese Korean issues (rivalry?), but also of all the countries many of us are from. In this biggggg world where the countries are divided into the first, second and third world's, the third world nations are always looked down. And within the same country there is (are) whole pyramid(s) of hierarchy of people - as in who stands where in the society, and then them calling eachother low and roaches. I have seen a world like that. TBH I'm living in one too. So I found this drama very relatable on many levels due to many reasons.
Moving on, this series also deals how one has to (read, is forced to) leave their land, culture, traditions and language in order to survive. Barely survive. These are also somethings we can find on newspapers every single day.
The production value is ✨. The actors, OST, CINEMATOGRAPHY, coloring (are they same?), SCREENPLAY, everything, everything is just so fine you wouldn't wanna move away from it.
I heard the series is a lot different from the original book(which I haven't read yet) and also about the backlash it got in Japan. I need to finish this totally in order to totally understand about the whole situation.
Even if you find it to be a bit slow paced I hope you hang on to it and watch. I'll be back here again after ep 8 and I hope you too will finish it by then.
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Must watch TV
Fave book since 2018. Had high expectations after reading all the critical rave reviews. Pachinko far exceeds these expectations and now I know why critics were claiming masterpiece. The cinematography, opening credits, casting, music, acting, everything is outstanding! First time too where the characters, especially all three Sunja & Hansu, are even better than my imagination! I especially like the time switches as it highlights how some things have changed whilst others remain the same. Must watch TV!Was this review helpful to you?
Great Story, Great Feeling
One of the most powerful stories and execution in a long time. The characters are strong and it gives a glimpse of the history - the suffering of Koreans living in Japan, where even fourth-generation Korean-Japanese are treated as aliens. It's such a heart-touching, heartwarming story. This family story shares the political turmoil of Japanese colonization, the hardship of wartimes, seeking a new and better life in Japan, and witnessing the home from far. Everything about this is rich and detailed.Was this review helpful to you?
ITS WORTH IT
Let me just start of buy saying that i dont really like those time traveling dramas. Butvthis one they was something about it1 THE REASONS WHY I LIKED THE DRAMA
A. It was fast passed = like it takes a long time for the couple in usual k drama to fall in love and kiss. But this one it was fast and so good
B. The acting = they is a reason why LEE MIN HO is called one of the best in korea. To me it felt go . It looked like I was watching someyhing in real life . It gave me goosebumps. Lets not talk about the female lead KIM MIN HA wow she can act. Her acting skills were good before I watched this drama but in this drama she took it to a whole other level. She is so relatable which is quite rear for me to feel towards k drama characters . Just to some it up the whole cast was so good and the fit their roles so much . Like YOUN YUH JUNG ,JIN HA and the rest .
C The music= it added to the show and it made it very so true . It was not cheesy or weird it was good
D learning part = I feel like that was the best part of the show was learning about the history of Japan and South Korea. To be honest i went into that show without full understanding the whole history there . It's and an eye opener it made me really contact deeper with what the story teller was pushing forward
2 WHAT I DID NOT LIKE ABOUT THE SHOW
A. I could predict the ending of love between MALE CHRACTER AND FEMALE CHARACTER . = WHEN we got to episode two I knew that they did not end up together which made me so pissed because I feel like they should have worked more hard on that.
B hate the ending = wow they had to finish it off like that . Like they put you on this feeling of high emotions just so they can drop you fast
I recommend that you should watch it . It's a good show and one of the benefits its that it's a short drama and you will not be disappointed trust me
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I like that they address difficult topics such as being a foreigner/immigrant and how it affects you when you first move away from your home country, how these things change over time and how they change you as a person in relation to others from your home country and to yourself as well as to the new country.
Then it is interesting in the storyline how they make it a recurring thing with the younger generation also going abroad and their experience being very different but also similar. And then of course the topic of Japanese colonial rule in Korea was also a big part in the series - that adds an extra layer of complexity and depth.
I like that there is a strong female character in the centre of this and that we see her at an old age too!
Also, it is visually done very very well!!
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This review may contain spoilers
A good drama to watch
It's not a K-drama so don't expect to see any silly or comical act that makes you laugh until your stomach hurts.I enjoyed this drama by binge watching the entire drama in one day.
One woman's determination to ensure her only daughter (Sunja) to survive life obstacles and a mother's (Sunja) determination to provide for her unborn child when she decided to decline Ko Hansu's offer to make her his concubine/ mistress shows how strong these females were during the time when Korea was colonised by Japan.
Sunja began her life journey from the moment she decided to take up Issac's offer of giving her unborn child a name for saving him.
It's a story about one should make the right decision that makes him/ her content and happy.
Watch it. It's a good drama.
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Takes the novel and elevates it beautifully
I read the novel this show was based on, and while parts of it were beautiful the detached writing style, and the introduction of certain storylines later in the novel, made it difficult to connect with some of the characters (particularly the younger generations). The show's decision to tell the story in a non-linear way--introducing us to Sunja and her grandson and their particular challenges at the same time, and weaving back and forth between them--seems to be a good one. While Solomon's storyline is always going to feel lower-stakes than Sunja's, I feel a connection with him I never did in the novel.Two episodes in all of the performances are top-notch (including Lee Min-ho's, which I know people had been nervous about) and the cinematography is great. The intro credits -- the music, the way the characters are dancing together-- is nothing short of astonishing.
I look forward to seeing how the rest of the show unfolds.
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Um Drama Bom e Só
Pachinko é um drama bem-feito (ou eu deveria chamá-lo de série por não ser uma produção asiática?) e segue o padrão das megaproduções estadunidenses: é muito bem produzido, o enredo se desenvolve sem enrolação e contém algumas cenas de s*.A heroína da história é interessante e te faz querer saber mais sobre ela. Um ponto que me deixou um tanto incomodada foi a forma como a transição das cenas entre a juventude e a velhice da protagonista transitaram ao longo da trama, por diversas vezes esta transição foi bem confusa, exigindo bastante atenção.
A atuação de todo elenco é boa mas a da protagonista é excelente, realmente o ponto alto do drama é a sua atuação. Quanto ao Lee Min Ho, ele enfim conseguiu se desvincular de sua imagem até então consagrada de "namorado perfeito" para inaugurar sua carreira como adulto de fato, interpretando assim, papéis que exigem mais de sua atuação. Neste quesito ele foi bem-sucedido e se saiu muito bem.
Foi um bom drama e só, nada além de um 6 apesar da soberba atuação da protagonista jovem. Não consegui ver uma obra-prima aqui como alguns apontaram. Para mim é mais uma produção americana mesmo, com todos os joguinhos que eles sabem muito bem fazer.
P.S: Não teve final, então presume-se que haverá 2º temporada. A Apple TV confirmou que haverá continuação.
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