Living as an immigrant can be tough. Anyone who has moved a lot in their life will be able to relate to Pachinko, a television (TV) series that depicts the harsh reality of immigrants. Told from the perspective of Zainichis, ethnic Koreans living in Japan, Pachinko is a sprawling, epic drama series that tells the story of a four-generation family line sweeping into the themes of endurance, identity, and acceptance. Adapted from Korean American author and journalist Min Jin Lee’s bestselling novel Pachinko, Apple TV+’s most ambitious project Pachinko will undoubtedly give audiences not only a heartfelt insight into the harsh enduring lives of Korean immigrants, but also the bitter historical legacy of Japan’s colonial rule over the Korean peninsula.

The eight-episode series revolves around the life of the main character Sunja by walking the audience through the upheavals in her life, beginning from her birth in the coastal city of Busan during the Japanese colonization of Korea to her life as an enduring grandmother living in the 20th century. The title Pachinko is derived from the Japanese word pachin (the onomatopoeic sound that a game machine makes) and the diminutive suffix ko, which together refer to a type of illegal gambling slot machine game that has long been popular in modern Japan. Combined, Pachinko signifies the discrimination against Korean residents in Japan, representing those who sacrificed everything to come to Japan as a “gambling” game of chance and survival.

With its immersive multigenerational storytelling, Pachinko was nominated as one of the 10 best books of 2017 by the New York Times and was even on former United States (U.S.) President Barack Obama’s recommended reading list. With the increasing popularity of Hallyu, a term used to refer to the popularity of South Korea’s culture, there is no doubt that South Korea’s rich culture is receiving more recognition from the Western world. Pachinko touches on a part of Asian history that's rarely tackled in the West and offers a distinct yet objective perspective on the representation of the deeply intertwined history between Japan and Korea.

Lives of the Zainichis

“Zainichis” refer to Koreans who immigrated to Japan either voluntarily or forcibly during the Japanese colonial era and are, in fact, Korean ancestors who formed one of Japan's most prevalent ethnic minorities. From this, Pachinko draws on the real-life experiences of the Zainichis as audiences come across the bitter discrimination and violence faced by these immigrants. In the series, Sunja immigrates to Japan and undergoes extreme hardships while making a living in a country where she is not welcomed. By showing how Sunja sold kimchi, a traditional Korean vegetable dish, at the local markets to support her family, the series reflects how Zainichis were relegated to demeaning jobs.

The story of leaving one’s homeland to forge a better life portrays the universal experience of immigrants. The nonlinear construction of the series marks a significant contrast to the original novel where the story progresses chronologically and portrays the characters' dreams and intentions. Just like the lives of Zainichis, many people are forced to move and families must make difficult choices about how to survive. Therefore, Pachinko suits all viewers as it is a story of an ongoing quest for perseverance and endurance as a family.

Remembering the Dark Legacy of Japanese Colonization

Although Pachinko is an all-encompassing epic fictional story of self-identity and belonging, it also touches on historical trauma throughout generations and highlights the painful history between Japan and Korea. Under the growing influence of the Japanese Empire in Korea from the 1900s, many Koreans lost their livelihood as their freedoms were deprived. Throughout each episode, audiences can recount the tragic history of how Koreans were mistreated by the Japanese tyranny. The drama depicts several scenes showing Koreans being conscripted as forced laborers to support the Japanese economy for scant pay, as well as Korean women being taken as sexual slaves for the Imperial Japanese Army.

For instance, episode seven recreates the devastating historical account of the Great Kantō earthquake and massacre that struck Japan on September 1, 1923. When destruction and fire raged throughout the towns, several Japanese military officers scapegoated Koreans for the chaos, committing a horrific massacre against innocent Koreans. As this episode stepped outside its narrative viewpoint and focused on integrating it with a historical event, viewers become aware of the truth behind the awful violence that Koreans had to face.

In a speech for the 2018 Dayton Literary Peace Prize Runner-Up in Fiction, Lee mentioned that “if literature bears witness to true narrative and if it awakens compassion, reconciliation may indeed be possible.” Moreover, at the Julia S. Phelps Annual Lecture in the Arts and Humanities in 2019, Lee stated that her works had been trying to be truthful to history as she believed that with honest history, the historical conflict between Koreans and Japanese may be resolved. As Lee intertwines personal stories along with political contexts in creating the heartbreaking story of Pachinko, audiences are given the opportunity to delve deeper into the history and be able to define the world where the novel is set in.

The epic series of Pachinko is an artfully staged historical masterpiece that unflinchingly approaches the painful history of Japan’s colonization of Korea. Through its distinct symbolism underneath the delicate and heartwarming stories about the hopes and dreams of Korean immigrant families, Pachinko is garnering favorable reviews for bringing life to those stories of suffering that are deeply embedded within the Korean consciousness up until today. Following the success of the latest episode, Apple TV+ officially announced the production of a second season, creating great anticipation for it to continue carrying the message of how resilient people can be despite what life throws at them.

Television Series Information
Genre: Drama, History
Creator: Soo Hugh
Starring: Lee Min-Ho, Kim Min-Ha, Youn Yuh-Jung, Noh Sang-Hyun, Jin Ha
Running Time: 47–63 minutes
Streaming Platform: Apple TV+