![]() ![]() In many ways, the collective experiences of Sunja and her family are a microcosm of the Korean diaspora, a summation of the lives and struggles of three different generations of Koreans. ‘ Pachinko ‘ by Min Jin Lee is a sweeping four-generational epic based on the survival struggles of a poor Korean family in the midst of social and economic hardship brought upon by colonialism, earthquake, and World War II. ![]() These juxtaposed timelines tell the multi-generational story of not just Sunja's family, but also that of many other Korean families living in Japan after the war. Pachinko Review: A Multigenerational Epic on the Racial Feud between Korea and Japan. Decades later, they join the thousands of Koreans who emigrate to Japan, and eventually become wealthy in the '80s by running pachinko parlors, a Japanese pinball-type game popular in Tokyo. In the early 20th century, a young girl named Sunja and her family live comfortable but ultimately uneasy lives as second class citizens in their own country in Japanese-occupied Korea. That said, while Pachinko is entirely fictional, much like other historical period dramas such as 1883, Vikings, and Downton Abbey, Pachinko is based on the real lives and experiences of the people that existed in its different time periods. Pachinko tells the tale of a Korean family who emigrated to Japan in the early 20th century, but is it based on a true story? The short answer is no. ![]()
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