‘Pachinko’ Season 2 Review: Stylistically Elegant And Warm With Brimful Compassion

Melodrama generally gives me an ick. Yet here I am, appreciating this show, Pachinko, where melodrama comes crashing into your senses, taking hold of your emotions like a magician hypnotising your mind. Read our review of Pachinko Season 2 below.

The character work in Pachinko is so solid, that the sentimentality that this show often uses to convey the sentiments feels very natural instead of feeling mechanically shoehorned into narrative. I have to admit that there wasn’t one week where this show failed to make me teary eyed.

The tale of Pachinko spans four generations. While every generation endures, perseveres and overcomes its torments in its own ways, the one single beauty common to all these characters happens to be the crux of the story, that is, we shape our own destiny.

Season 2 continues the journey seven years after we left Sunja (Kim Min-ha) selling kimchi, the narrative alternating between the 1940s and 1980s. The title sequence is new, the emotions are still the same, the conflict is even more tricky now that there’s a literal war, and the kids reaching the age of adolescence, all the while Sunja tries her best to provide for her family, making all those motherly sacrifices. While Sunja happens to be the north pole of the series, no character this season is spared from pain.

By frequently shifting in timelines, the show manages to sustain the intrigue, to look ahead and then to look back from that future point, which induces a true-to-life bittersweetness. The same to-and-fro movement across timelines packs a lot of details in the shortest amount of time, wonderfully executed mostly, however the same causes a little unevenness in pacing. In comparison to Season 1, alongside the absence of director Kogonada, the pacing is not always smooth this season, which totally does not mean that it made me feel bored for a single moment.

In the 80s timeline, Solomon (Jin Ha) is rising up in the world, his character trapped in the net of ethics and morals, his relationship with Naomi (Anna Sawai) moving on that sinusoidal curve, the man is making choices that start to cloud his character with a thin enigmatic layer. On the other hand, in the 40s timeline, we see the deconstruction of the enigmatic personality of Koh Hansu (Lee Min Ho). It is Lee Min Ho’s performance that makes us sympathize with Hansu, even though the character, on many occasions, fails to behave sympathetically.

Youn Yuh-jung is such a perfect vessel to play Older Sunja, one look at her face and a wave of compassion flows through the mind, the life she has endured and the sacrifices she has made so that her kids never have to feel the depravity she did as a kid. Even in her serene age, Sunja isn’t free of all troubles. In one of the season’s early scenes she faces a racist outburst from a Japanese baker; later on in the show her new Japanese friend, Kato (Jun Kunimura), offers her solace, only for her friendship to be haunted by the ghosts of the past.

One of the major arcs surfacing this season is that of Noa (Kang Tae Joo), no pun intended. While Sunja tries her best to provide a sheltered life for both her kids, Noa is often struggling with his identity. Pachinko is a show that shines in its silent moments; the bonding between Mozasu (Soji Arai) and Noa, the brothers helping Yoseb face the world after an ordeal, Sunja folding clothes for Noa’s college departure and many of these little gestures make the show feel so full of warmth.

The production value seems high and the show certainly looks rich; the detailing of the time-period, the culture, and the architecture, are all so impressive. Cinematography continues to be a strong pillar this season, there are genuinely good transition scenes. Nico Muhly’s soulful score is a perfect tone setter for the show.

I may or may not have shed tears while watching Pachinko season 2, but I will certainly piss my eyes out looking at the type of shows Apple TV+ makes and the lackadaisical approach they show towards marketing them. This is not only one of TV+’s best shows, but one of the best shows of 2024 in general, and hardly anyone is aware of its existence. While Apple TV+’s lineup for upcoming months is stacked, with Severance season 2 on its way next year, Shrinking season 2 next week and the first two episodes of Disclaimer* already out, their marketing team needs to pick up a megaphone asap.

As for Pachinko, Season 3 is yet to be greenlit, season 2’s finale is such an absolute knockout that the thought of waiting another 2 years for a third season is unbearable to me.

Pachinko is an Apple TV+ series created by Soo Hugh based on Min Jin Lee’s novel of the same name. It stars Lee Min Ho, Minha Kim, Jin ha, Youn Yuh-Jung, Anna Sawai, Jun Kumimura.

Thanks for reading. If you liked this review of Pachinko Season 2, check out more of our stuff here at Feature First!