LakshmiIn 2022, Apple TV+ released the multi-award-winning Season 1 of this show based on Min Jin Lee’s 2017 novel. Four generations of Korean immigrants’ hopes and dreams are chronicled in this novel, which starts with a tale of a forbidden romance and progresses into a grand narrative set in Korea, Japan, and America.
Now, in 2024, the second season was announced, set seven years after the end of the first season. It picks up in Osaka, Japan in 1945, as Sunja (played by Kim Min-ha in her youth and Youn Yuh-jung in her elderly years), bravely battles life as a single mother with the help of her kind sister-in-law. However, desperation due to unexpected circumstances, makes her turn back to her son’s father, Koh Hansu (Lee Min-Ho).
The teaser trailer featured a performance of Coldplay’s iconic song “Viva La Vida” by Rosé of the K-pop group Blackpink. In a particular shot of the trailer, after nearly two decades apart, Koh Hansu and teenage Sunja re-unite in war-torn Osaka, Japan. “It’s been 14 years. How did you find me?” Sunja asks upon seeing Hansu. “I never lost you,” he responds quietly.
Korean heartthrob Lee Min-Ho and his co-star Kim Min-ha made waves recently while attending a preview event for the show in NYC on August 14. The second season of ‘Pachinko’ also stars Anna Sawai, Jin Ha, Eunchae Jung, Soji Arai, Junwoo Han, and Sungkyu Kim.
Collaborating with Michael Ellenberg and Lindsey Springer from Media Res and Theresa Kang from Blue Marble Pictures, showrunner Soo Hugh serves as executive producer for the show. The lead directors for Season 2 are Sang-il Lee, Arvin Chen, and Leanne Welham.
Having viewed episodes’ one and two, it’s safe to assume that ‘Pachinko’ Season 2 will most likely win several accolades this year, possibly surpassing the amount received in the first run. After all, who doesn’t love a good old immigrant story?
The first episode of “Pachinko” Season 2 premieres on Apple TV+ on Friday, August 23, with the seven remaining episodes airing weekly on Fridays through October 11.
Lakshmi
