Japanese netizens are furiously attacking “Pachinko,” a more destructive thing than any history book 

Japanese netizens are furious at the Apple TV+ series “Pachinko.”

The recently released Apple TV+ original series “Pachinko” is a delicate and warm story about the hopes and dreams of Korean immigrant families.

Based on the New York Times bestselling book of the same name, “Pachinko” depicts the real stories experienced by the Koreans living in Joseon and the Zainichis (Koreans in Japan) surviving in Japan from the Japanese colonial era to the post-liberation period.

“Pachinko” is facing strong opposition from Japanese netizens because of its content.

Japanese netizens are raising their voices through SNS that the content of “Pachinko” is based on a novel that manipulates history and can only be seen as a one-sided claim from Korea.

These netizens spread a forced claim that an American actor in “Pachinko” was deceived by these Korean lies and decided to appear, as well as leaving malicious comments when that actor posted a promotional post on his SNS about how the series was based on a true story. They also spread rumors that the author of “Pachinko” had funded North Korea’s missile development and protested against any overseas media that had written favorable reviews about “Pachinko.”

This is because “Pachinko” relatively deals with the Japanese colonial era in detail. The drama naturally incorporates historical facts such as Japanese rice exploitation, forced labor, Sexual Slavery in the Japanese Military, and the Kanto massacres after the Great Kanto Earthquake that occurred to the Koreans who were residing in Japan. The story also contains a discriminatory view of the Japanese local community toward the Zainichi, who lived in Japan but instead of becoming Japanese, they remained Koreans.

Japanese netizens argue that “Pachinko”, which points out the misdeeds and disgrace of Japan during its colonial period in Korea and has been receiving positive reviews from foreign media outlets, are fake.

However, to prevent any controversy over historical distortion in advance, the production crew of “Pachinko” has put effort into consulting 20-40 historians and experts in The Great Kanto earthquake, the Kanto massacres, etc. Historian Shim Yong-hwan recently revealed on KBS 2TV’s “Problem Child in House” that the “Pachinko” crew sought very detailed advice from him. For example, in the scene set in the 1920s where a child was given candy, he was even consulted if candy was eaten at that time. Or in the scene where the fisherman sang, he was asked if the beat of the song was correct. 

“Pachinko” is a drama-centric series, not a documentary. Screenwriter Soo Hugh said, “I tried to make it as accurate as possible by writing while referring to history. At the same time, I wanted to deal with emotions rather than dry stories like a history book.”

Based on historical facts, “Pachinko” is a work that focuses on building a solid story so that viewers around the world can immerse themselves in the lives and emotions of the characters. As a result, it can provide information on the tragedy that occurred in the Joseon dynasty during that period more naturally and effectively than a history book.