The second season of Pachinko, which began airing on Apple TV +, was praised by critics as a masterclass in intergenerational storytelling.
The show is based on the epic historical fiction bestselling novel by Min Jin Lee that follows a Korean family who immigrates to Japan over the decades – against a backdrop of political turmoil and interpersonal problems.
Mainly, the show revolves around matriarch Sunja whom we meet as a teenager in Korea (portrayed by Minha Kim) and follows her through her marriage and travels to Japan and finally into old age as a grandmother (played by Oscar winner Yuh- Jung Yoon) .
The multi-language series, created by Soo Hugh, won the Critics Choice Award for best foreign language series after its first season aired in 2022.
The series also stars Lee Min-ho, Jin Ha, Soji Arai, Steve Sang-Hyun Noh and Anna Sawai in the core cast.
The second season picks up in Osaka in 1945 where ‘Sunja is forced to make dangerous decisions for the survival of her family during World War II.’
Minha, who plays young Sunja, teased Today.com: ‘The relationship with each character is deeper, and we have more stories individually and visually. It’s beautiful, and you can see the character has grown.’
And adoration has poured in for this quintessential family saga as it earned a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. This comes after the first season scored a comfortable 97%.
‘Pachinko has proven that it deserves to be part of the conversation about the greatest modern show,’ Collider wrote in its review.
‘The series continues to weave a sweeping emotional tapestry that spans decades in time with big and small moments that lay you flat.’
This sentiment was strongly echoed by Paste magazine who stated that ‘Pachinko has further asserted itself as one of the best TV shows in recent memory…
‘Unflinching in the depiction of history, but not heavy-handed; warm in the description of the family, but not overly idealized.’
The Daily Beast hailed season two as ‘one of television’s best’ while the Financial Times described it as ‘a brilliant, period intergenerational saga’ that ‘confirmed its status as one of the most visually and emotionally stunning shows ever. decades ago.’
The New York Times deemed it a ‘gem of a show’ and IndieWire called it ‘beautiful and irreverent’.
Meanwhile, the Guardian praised it as ‘a brilliant drama underpinned by a rare emotional intelligence.
Should I continue?
As put by Mashable: ‘These echoes of the past – some joyful, some tragic – remain throughout the main body of the second season of Pachinko, which remains very upright of the family between generations.’
Shogun star Anna, who plays Japanese financier Naomi in Pachinko, describes her work with Yuh-Jung’s industrial workforce. In the show, Naomi meets Sunja after becoming close to her grandson Solomon (Jin)
“They really bring this organic connection,” Anna told Vogue.
‘I was nervous to talk to her because she’s an amazing actress, but I think Naomi was also very nervous in her presence, meeting her grandfather Suleman for the first time… I think our relationship helped us live.’
And Soo is very happy to make the second season play the game and highlight more stories.
‘Season 1 is a very familiar story about Sunja and how that seed started to sprout. In Season 2, we really want to be given the opportunity to see more of the sprouting of the family,’ Soo told TheWrap.
‘One thing that’s a big challenge about the show is, how do you balance all the new characters? We want to make sure the next generation has a voice – Noa and Mozasu – and shine a light on their stories.’
Pachinko season two episode one is now available to watch on Apple TV + with new episodes aired every Friday.
Season on is available to stream in its entirety.
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