Pachinko
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Pachinko is a historical saga that deals with issues of geopolitical occupation, oppression, and survival. Set in early 20th-century Korea and Japan (with some scenes in the United States), it follows a young man's quest to make money in Tokyo real estate as it coincides with his grandmother's recollection of her youth. His father owns a pachinko parlor, where people gamble on rigged machines. People smoke, drink, and a female character is lost in a drug haze. Themes include unintended pregnancy, sexual assault, and revenge. Language includes "f--k," "damn," "hell." The U.S. release is available with Japanese and Korean subtitles with some English.
Community Reviews
Great writing, wouldn’t recommend for sensitive readers
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What's the Story?
In PACHINKO, a grandmother named Sunja (Academy Award winner Youn Yuh-Jung, Minari) cares for her sister-in-law at home in Osaka, Japan, as she struggles with cancer. She feeds her homemade broths and dumplings that hide her medicine. As she tends to her sister-in-law, Sunja recalls her childhood in Korea, her parents who ran a boarding house in a village called Yeongdo, and her trips to the city of Busan to buy fish. Her grandson, Solomon (Jin Ha), is in Japan to attempt to buy property for his American firm, striving to climb the ranks. Their heritage is shared, but there are secrets that snake through their shared history. Will Sunja share her past with Solomon? Or will his greed blind him to what is most important?
Is It Any Good?
Riveting, knife-sharp, poetic, this adaptation of an acclaimed novel from Min Jin Lee holds secrets; an epic family saga that integrates meaning within meaning. In Pachinko, an ambitious young businessman from the U.S. returns to Japan, where his family lives. They are ethnic Koreans who emigrated to Japan during the Japanese occupation of Korea, and many unresolved feelings remain. His visit coincides with his great-aunt's illness; she's being cared for by his grandmother. Memories are triggered as his grandmother recalls her childhood in Korea.
Visually riveting, this is story-telling at its finest. Adults might enjoy it more than teens, but the romantic stories, the mysterious family ties, the sleek production might draw in fans of K-Dramas and family sagas.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about occupation of countries in Pachinko. How do the characters cope with the oppression that comes when one country invades another? Is there anything in the news today that is relatable?
Families in this time period experience separation from loved ones when they cross into other countries for survival. How do we understand what this means if we haven't experienced it? For those of us who have, how do we process the trauma?
Characters smoke indoors in this series -- there were no laws banning indoor smoking at the time. What do you think when you see drinking and smoking in shows like this?
For kids who love drama
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