User Reviews

Episode 5 of Pachinko begins with Sunja and Isak arriving in Japan. We're up to Osaka 1931, as the hustle and bustle of Japan's dock paves way for Sunja meeting Yoseb, Isak's brother. He's not exactly thrilled to see them, forcing a smile, as he admits that he and Kyunghee were shocked to learn of what's happened. Sunja feels like an outsider, especially as speaking Korean is frowned upon here. Sunja is silent while the two brothers talk. There are spies everywhere, and Isak is warned to keep his guard up (and his wits about him) as they arrive at the seaside town of Ikaino. There, Sunja meets Kyunghee for the first time. She's kind, even showing off a tray full of food laid out for her. Of course, upon seeing this (especially the rice) she grows homesick and begins breaking down into tears. Pachinko bows out this week's episode with yet more evidence that this show really should have been told in chronological order like the book is. Don't get me wrong, this is a fantastic drama but at the same time there are special character ties and bonds that we feel like an outsider to because we're not following Sunja's life as she is. Comparably, that would be like watching Forrest Gump and seeing Lieutenant Dan at the end of the movie before jumping back and seeing him in the army. That journey would still be appealing and emotional, but nowhere near as effectively. Beyond that though, the story, directing and acting is absolutely on the money and there's a lot of fascinating character ties and issues going on here that makes this a must-watch drama. Is it the best show this year and deserving of overwhelming critical acclaim all over the place? That'll be one for you to decide! For me though, Pachinko is a very, very good drama but it's certainly not perfect.