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‘Pachinko’ returns with Season 2, a more muted but necessary chapter in the series

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'Pachinko' returns with Season 2, a more muted but necessary chapter in the series

As a devotee of cinematic art with a penchant for immersing myself in the rich tapestries of historical dramas, I must say that “Pachinko” Season 2 has left me both captivated and yearning for more. This intricately woven tale, much like a well-crafted pachinko machine, offers a multitude of engaging characters, each with their own unique stories, twists, and turns that keep the viewer enthralled.

In a return for its second run, the captivating historical saga “Pachinko” unfolds once more, this time delving deeper into untold stories, tying up loose threads, and venturing further beyond the pages of Min Jin Lee’s 2017 novel. This season can be seen as a bridge, leaving many unanswered questions and gaps to fill, but it continues to offer the emotional depth and visual splendor that marked its initial installment, immersing us in a tapestry of love and loss. Essentially, we find ourselves right smack in the middle of the story’s narrative arc.

Instead of following a straight timeline like a novel does, this series jumping onto Apple TV+ on Friday, switches between events happening in 1989 Osaka and the journey that leads up to it. The narrative started back in 1915 before the birth of the main character Sunja (Minha Kim) during Japanese occupation in Korea. We watched as she grew from a country girl into a woman, falling for the charming yet dangerous Hansu (Lee Minho). An unforeseen pregnancy led to a marriage of necessity with Isak (Steve Sanghyun Noh), a Christian preacher; their bond evolved from a practical arrangement to genuine affection. Together they migrated to Osaka to join his brother Yoseb (Junwoo Han) and wife, Kyunghee (Eunchae Jung). In Japan, they became known as Zainichi – Koreans living in Japan, a group often subjected to discrimination. Prejudice incidents are recurrently present throughout the current season, serving as a reminder of what the first season had already established clearly.

The plot progresses to find us in early 1945, with the story jumping ahead from significant portions of the novel. The times are challenging as Japan anxiously prepares for an imminent American attack; Sunja and Kyunghee struggle to make ends meet by selling kimchi, and their supply is running low. As time has passed, Sunja’s children, Noa (portrayed by Kang Hoon Kim) – the son of Hansu, who he resembles but unaware of his biological father – and Mozasu (Eunseong Kwon), the child of Isak, have grown. Noa is reserved and academically inclined, while Mozasu is outspoken and ill-suited to scholarly pursuits. Isak remains imprisoned for causing trouble, and Yoseb works in a munitions factory in Nagasaki, which should raise suspicion. A sympathetic new character, Mr. Kim (played by Kim Sungkyu), is present to aid them, and while Hansu keeps a watchful eye on the family, he will return and become further entangled in their lives.

'Pachinko' returns with Season 2, a more muted but necessary chapter in the series

In the fifth episode, the initial scenes of Nagasaki are filmed in black and white with a standard ratio, transitioning back to color and wide-screen once the bomb explodes. The subsequent title credit skips the traditional joyful sequences of the cast dancing to “Let’s Live for Today” by Grass Roots, as it was deemed inappropriate given the context. This makes perfect sense.

In the first season, almost all the funds allocated for the 1989 storyline were spent. Since then, showrunner Soo Hugh has been tasked with generating new content to keep the characters engaged, as the initial narrative is still playing catch-up. They still have three more decades left in the story.

In the present day, matriarch Sunja (Yuh-Jung Youn) continues her life in Osaka alongside her prosperous son Mozasu (Soji Arai), who has since taken over pachinko parlors – a blend of pinball and slot machines, which were one of the limited opportunities for Koreans during that time. Although Mozasu was a significant character last season, he plays a minimal role in this one. Solomon (Jin Ha), Sunja’s grandson who earned his education in America, is now engaged in finance and real estate in Tokyo. Last season showed him trying to evict an elderly woman from her home for a golf resort project to impress his superiors; however, he eventually advised against it. Sadly, Solomon finds himself repeating this questionable behavior, demonstrating a significant moral decline in the current season (I found the intricacies of Solomon’s business transactions somewhat confusing or simply not crucial to the plot).

As a longtime fan of ongoing series, I can’t help but see a pattern that reminds me of the classic Hollywood trope “boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets (possibly a different) girl.” It’s a cycle that seems to repeat itself in many shows, regardless of whether they focus on boys and girls or not. This pattern is a familiar struggle for me, as I too have experienced my fair share of ups and downs in relationships.

'Pachinko' returns with Season 2, a more muted but necessary chapter in the series

And of course we get enough of Good Solomon to justify our interest, just as we get enough of Good Hansu to make up for his criminality. Parts of Solomon’s story, which brings in some unsavory characters, do feel constructed as a deliberate mirror of Hansu’s; perhaps not coincidentally they are played by the show’s best-looking actors. As to Sunja’s new, extra-textual adventures, she’ll strike up a friendship with a man at the supermarket that allows for an adorable scene in a Mexican restaurant, something seemingly new to 1989 Osaka.

Despite significant historical events like World War II, the Korean War, and the Japanese asset price bubble in the future, this season emphasizes family life and domestic details, especially during periods of disruption. In 1989, Sanju embarks on a solo journey from Osaka to Tokyo to investigate her grandson’s well-being, sensing he may be troubled. A touching scene unfolds where she prepares vegetables with Solomon’s Japanese partner and ex-colleague, Naomi (Anna Sawai); initially, I considered this a casual or insignificant scene, but its naturalness is crucial to the series, adding authenticity to the grand, even melodramatic plot developments.

Food, scarce in the earlier plotline, becomes significant – it’s about preparing meals, earning a living, finding acceptance at the table, creating a home, and most literally, transforming a barn into their dwelling at the end of the war, shared by Sanju, Kyunghee, Noa, Mozasu, and Mr. Kim. Notably, Hansu supports the family, yet remains an outsider. The characters often discuss a “life lived well,” which differs greatly from simply living contentedly.

If you haven’t dived into “Pachinko” yet, now might be the perfect time to start from the beginning. Even if you’ve already watched the first season, it could be beneficial to revisit the early chapters to refresh your memory about these characters, their connections, and the challenges they faced in the past. If the second season appears less exposition-heavy or has a more subdued tone compared to the first, remember that the older Sunja will still express that her life was meaningful.

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2024-08-22 13:33

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