By Hanna Rantala
LONDON (Reuters) – Critically acclaimed TV series “Pachinko” returns for a second season with a much bigger cast and higher stakes for some of its protagonists, the show’s creators said ahead of the new episodes’ debut this week.
Based on Min Jin Lee’s best-selling novel of the same name, the show’s multi-generational story is told in three languages; Korean, Japanese and English, and Season Two opens in Osaka, Japan, in 1945.
“We always said the heartbeat has to be the same, no matter what, but I think the biggest difference is just how much bigger the world has become for our characters,” writer and executive producer Soo Hugh told Reuters.
“We added so many more characters in Season Two because that’s how families grow.”
With World War Two aggravating the already strained circumstances of central character Sunja, who is played by Kim Min-ha, and her family, Sunja gets back in contact with her former lover Hansu (Lee Min-ho), a businessman with criminal connections.
In a parallel storyline, Sunja’s grandson Solomon (Jin Ha) tries to climb his way back to the top in late 1980’s Tokyo, while the now elderly Sunja (Youn Yuh-jung) is energised by a new friendship.
“With Solomon’s storyline in the present day, the stakes feel more dire for him,” Hugh said.
For Kim, expressing the growing maturity of young Sunja, now a mother-of-two was a challenge.
“I have never been a mother before, so it took quite a long time for me to figure out how to be like a mother,” said Kim, 28, who drew inspiration from the women in her own family.
Lee, one of South Korea’s biggest stars, said Hansu, a character “who is always looking forward, never back” also felt different from the first season.
“It felt like taking on a new character,” said the 37-year-old actor.
“‘Pachinko’ came to me at a time when I needed new energy and provided me with new perspectives and ideas. It’s very meaningful work for me,” he added.
The first episode of Season Two is out on Apple TV+ on Friday, with new episodes released weekly.
(Reporting by Hanna Rantala; Editing by Helen Popper)
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