#just finished watching pachinko on apple tv+

[eastgaysian]

sorry if you've already said, but can i ask what ur favorite books r? including of the variety about a depressed korean man getting a divorce

truthfully i don't read as much as i would like but i am trying to change that 🥲 need to become a guy who goes to the library regularly i love the library

stuff i've read and liked enough that i'd tell other people to check them out:

native speaker by chang rae lee (this is the depressed korean man one LOL though he is not technically getting a divorce they are estranged. for reasons)

bestiary by k ming chang (not an especially easy read, but imo worthwhile and interesting)

the cabinet by kim un-su, tr. sean lin halbert (this one's just fun)

universal harvester by john darnielle (i understand why it has kind of mixed goodreads reviews, but i enjoyed it and have enjoyed turning it over in my head after finishing it)

em and the big hoom by jerry pinto (made me cry the first time i read it; i suspect i might have different feelings on it now but you can tell it's a very personal story and it Got to me)

the argonauts by maggie nelson

basically anything by chuck palahniuk

i also really liked crying in h mart though i have complicated feelings wrt how people talk about it (to some extent including michelle zauner herself) lol

stuff i haven't read/finished but want to:

dictee by theresa hak kyung cha (i mention this like once every two months. i want to finish it so bad it just takes so much of my brainpower)

baru cormorant series by seth dickinson

pachinko by lee min jin (watched the apple tv series w/ my family and liked it; my mom said she tried to read the book and thought it was boring LOL but i kind of want to check it out)

tender is the flesh by agustina bazterrica

kim ji-young born 1982 by cho nam-joo

[michthebay]

..

[curious-glitch]

Pachinko

I just finished binge-watching Pachinko this weekend. Here are some of my random thoughts about the show:

Apple TV is punching above its weight - such an amazing lineup of shows!

Pachinko is such a brilliant name. It connotes that life is a game of luck and fate, and in that gamble the 'house' always wins. It depicts the intersection between Korea and Japan.

The show is so different from the book, but they are both brilliant. While the book focuses mostly on the characters' lives, the show is a lot more forward in depicting the social issues - discrimination and sexism.

The casting is top-notch, from the leads to the child actors. Not easy casting trilingual (English, Japanese, Korean) actors!

The intergenerational dynamic is well-portrayed. It reminds us of the sacrifices our forebears went through, and the reason why it's so hard for this generation to relate to them.