User Reviews

Pachinko opens with a voice-over, letting us overhear snippets of gossip about Koh alongside Sunja. She notices especially the chatter of a woman in flashy western dress who makes it clear that she thinks she's possibly a romantic candidate for Koh. Sunja's gaze tells us that while she's trying to appear uninterested, she can't help but be intrigued by the handsome stranger, so much so that she (and we) deflate a little when we see the bossy western-dressed girl from the gossip voice-over chatting with Koh in the market.

Episode 2 of Pachinko begins with an introduction to Koh Hansu. He does the dirty work for a powerful man in Japan and he works as the District Fish Broker. Rumours are abound from numerous different men and women aboard the boat, as Sunja stays quiet and listens. When the boat docks, Sunja witnesses Koh Hansu's ruthlessness first-hand and eventually hurries away. Sunja is broached over the subject of the handsome District Fish Broker by some of the other women. The girls are all swooning over him but it's Sunja who receives a gift from the man. She isn't romantically inclined to him though, at least not yet anyway. When she heads back from the market, Sunja is stopped by several men who block her from boarding the ferry and take her belongings. As she's dragged into a storage room, two of the men look like they're about to sexually assault her until Koh Hansu shows up like a knight in shining armour. He saves her life and forces the men to apologize. Pachinko returns with another good episode, this time drip-feeding out more information about Koh Hansu and how he ties into Sunja's story. Their forbidden romance is well written, while the dialogue about getting away from Japan and starting anew in America is foreshadowed beautifully through those chalk outlines on the stones. What's particularly impressive here is something thAt a lot of other Korean dramas manage to nail too - show don't tell. Right at the end, when Hana rings Solomon, the dialogue is so natural that we don't need to be told immediately who Hana is until halfway through the conversation when Solomon tells her Etsuko is looking for her. It's little details and touches like this that help Pachinko really stand out as an impressive period drama. While the second episode does ease up a little, it's no less enthralling and this is turning into one of the must-watch shows of 2022.