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Critic Reviews
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"Pachinko" takes an often beautiful, artfully cinematic and languorous journey through the history of 20th-century Korea, and Koreans. ... But considering the catalog of characters and multiple languages—helpfully, the Japanese subtitles are in blue and the Korean in yellow, linguistic orthodoxy being a critical aspect of the story—it might be tough for some of us English-speakers to engage, especially given all the flashing back and forth. In this case, an ever-shifting storyline is a deterrent to traction.
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The TV series compellingly channels this unknowability of Sunja to her grandson, too. But after Solomon washes his hands of the deal he came to Japan to finesse, the show gives him an overly familiar and rather soapy storyline that, no matter how skillful the tugs at the heartstrings, deflates the season’s back half.
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As visually satisfying costume drama, the period sections of “Pachinko” are unimpeachable. Also impossible to argue with is the excellence of the show’s large, mostly South Korean and Japanese cast. ... Too often, though, their work is wrapped in several layers of Hollywood gauze; the subtlety of their performances gets obscured by the general tendency of the production toward tasteful schmaltz. ... The TV “Pachinko” melted away while I watched it.
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While she [showrunner Soo Hugh] conjures moments of immense power, and of connection, throughout, “Pachinko” does not, finally, cohere. One yearns for the show that let its key moments sing without the at-times forced collisions between eras, ones that can keep viewers feeling both on the hook and in the dark.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 52 out of 71
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Mixed: 10 out of 71
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Negative: 9 out of 71
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Mar 25, 2022The entire cast is very stunning and natural. I can keep watch the joyful opening credit sequence forever.
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Mar 27, 2022
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Mar 25, 2022