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Pachinko is an American drama series on Apple TV+ that recently premiered its second season on August 23, 2024. The show follows a multi-generational Korean family, with the daughter Sunja as the protagonist.
In the storyline, Sunja moves to Osaka, Japan after living in Japanese-ruled Korea. Sunja's journey as a Korean immigrant is explored as she faces adverse living conditions and discrimination in the new Japanese society.
The characters in this series are fictional, but the setting and circumstances of the story are similar to the Japanese and Korean situation around 1930.
The official summary for the show reads:
"Based on the New York Times bestseller, this sweeping saga chronicles the hopes and dreams of a Korean immigrant family across four generations as they leave their homeland in an indomitable quest to survive and thrive."
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The story of Pachinko is not based on real people
Pachinko is based on a 2017 novel of the same name, written by author Min Jin Lee. The story is not based on real people, but the setting and the major historical events included are drawn from real life. Showrunner Soo Hugh spoke to Newsweek about the creation of the series:
"This is obviously based on a fiction work, it's a fictional series. But I think it's so, so crucial to remind the audience that these stories are built on people who actually went through these experiences."
The series explores the lives of the Zainichi community of Koreans as a minority group in Japan. It depicts how Koreans were subjected to much discrimination and disrespect in 1930s Japan, simply because of their ethnicity.
An episode of Pachinko even depicted the real-life 1923 earthquake that hit Japan, and what happened in the aftermath.
Season 2 has also not shied away from these depictions of real events through a fictionalized medium. The new season is delving into the impact of World War II on the story and on Sunja's family.
Also read: 5 shows to watch if you like Pachinko Season 2
Who are the cast members of Pachinko?
The prominent cast of the series includes Sunja and her family, who are at the center of the plot. The Japanese and Korean characters who have an immediate impact on their lives are also part of the overarching storyline. The main cast members of the series are listed below:
- Youn Yuh-jung as Kim Sunja
- Kim Min-ha as young adult Sunja
- Yu-na as childhood Sunja
- Soji Arai as Baek Mozasu
- Carter Jeong and Koren Lee as baby Mozasu
- Jin Ha as Solomon Baek
- Yoon Kyung-ho as teenage Solomon
- Jung Eun-chae as Kyunghee
- Lee Min-ho as Koh Hansu
- Kaho Minami as Etsuko
- Steve Sang-Hyun Noh as Baek Isak
- Anna Sawai as Naomi
- Kim Sung-kyu as Kim Chang-ho
The series also features multiple recurring and guest characters who return to the plot frequently. Some of them are:
- Louis Ozawa as Mamoru Yoshii
- Takahiro Inoue as Arimoto
- Park Hye-jin as Han Geum-ja
- Yoshio Maki as Katsu Abe
- Martin Martinez as Angelo, Mozasu's employee.
- Hiro Kanagawa as Mr. Goto
- Jeong So-ri as Jiyun
- Yeon Ye-ji as Shin Bokhee
- Lee Dae-ho as Kim Hoonie
- Hiromitsu Takeda as Totoyama Haruki
Audiences can watch the second season of Pachinko streaming now via Apple TV+.
