PACHINKO, Season 2

PACHINKO, Season 2

Episodic

Apple TV +

Showrunner: Soo Hugh

Director: TBA

Season 2 Casting/Producer: Su Kim

Casting Director: Laura Rosenthal (US), Jodi Angstreich (US)

Start Date: January-mid-June 2023

Location: Toronto, Canada + Japan

Seeking:

 [ MR. KIM ]
Character portrayed is male, Korean, 30’s. Also known as Kim Changho, Mr. Kim serves as Hansu’s trusted right-hand man. Around town, this means he is Hansu’s punitive fists. But as we will learn throughout our season, he is also a man of fascinating contradictions. Armed with the body and strength of a brute, he reveals himself harbor the soul of a philosopher. And it is in his deepening relationship with Kyunghee that Mr. Kim feels the stirring of a life he never thought possible for himself. SPEAKS STANDARD KOREAN AND BROKEN JAPANESE. SERIES REGULAR.

[ NOA (AGE 14) ]
Character portrayed is male, Korean, to play 14. Noa is Sunja and Isak’s firstborn son and perhaps our show’s most tragic character. He grows up as the good and dutiful son who diligently bears the burdens of the eldest son as his cross to bear. This boy dares to dream of a life in which his achievements and his intelligence earns him a rightful seat in the inner circle and affords him the opportunities to pull his family out of the very margins of survival. SPEAKS KOREAN AND FLUENT JAPANESE (KANSAI DIALECT). RECURRING GUEST STAR.

[ NOA (AGE 19) ]
Character portrayed is male, Korean, to play 19. Noa is Sunja and Isak’s firstborn son and perhaps our show’s most tragic character. He grows up as the good and dutiful son who diligently bears the burdens of the eldest son as his cross to bear. After witnessing his father’s heart-rending death, however, Noa sets himself on a new path. He dares to dream of a life in which his achievements and his intelligence earns him a rightful seat in the inner circle and affords him the opportunities to pull his family out of the very margins of survival. But when past secrets finally resurface and he learns the devasting truth of his origins, Noa finds himself unable to steer on his set path. SPEAKS KOREAN AND FLUENT JAPANESE (KANSAI DIALECT). RECURRING GUEST STAR.

[ MOZASU (AGE 8) ]
Character portrayed is male, Korean, to play 8. Mozasu is the second son of Sunja and Isak. Mozasu is a restless child with a mischievous streak who nevertheless endears himself to both children and grown-ups alike with his fearless attitude and enormous heart. Though he will never reign at the top of his class, Mozasu’s street smarts and keen, emotional intelligence serve him just as well. SPEAKS KOREAN AND FLUENT JAPANESE (KANSAI DIALECT). RECURRING GUEST STAR.

[ MOZASU (AGE 14) ]
Character portrayed is male, Korean, to play 14. Mozasu is the second son of Sunja and Isak. Growing up in the shadows of a seemingly perfect older brother, Mozasu will never reign at the top of his class but his street smarts and keen, emotional intelligence serve him just as well. Now in his adolescence, Mozasu puts his wiles and cunning to troubled use by running small-time cons in the alleys of a postwar Ikuno Ward. But he tempts fate one too many times and the law comes down on him. He finds salvation in the world of Pachinko, and a new future awaits. SPEAKS KOREAN AND FLUENT JAPANESE (KANSAI DIALECT). RECURRING.

[ HARUKI ]
Character portrayed is male, Japanese, to play 14. Haruki is the new kid in class. And even though he is Japanese, he is taunted. mercilessly by some of his fellow classmates for his threadbare clothes and his single mother. But over the years, an unlikely friendship blooms between Mozasu and Haruki. The two eventually become as close as blood brothers transcending nationality. SPEAKS JAPANESE(KANSAI DIALECT). RECURRING.

[ MINORU ]
Character portrayed is male, Japanese, to play 14. Minoru is the top-ranking student in Noa’s class. He is Noa’s academic rival as well as his tormentor—the first to taunt Noa for his Korean background and his stinky lunches. But when Noa finally usurps Minoru for number one, Minoru’s verbal lashings turn physical. The view from second place is unacceptable to him. SPEAKS JAPANESE (STANDARD DIALECT)…RECURRING

[ KATO ]
Character portrayed is male, Japanese, 70s. Kato is a Japanese widower who lives in Osaka. He steps in to help Older Sunja at the grocery store when she is mistreated by a Japanese Counterman for not being Japanese enough. A surprising friendship sparks between Older Sunja and Kato who recognize in one another the outlines of loneliness from a world that no longer seems to have a need for them. Kato is kind, patient, and charming, and able to draw Sunja out of her usual habits and routines in a way she hasn’t experienced in a long time. SPEAKS JAPANESE (KANSAI DIALECT). RECURRING.

[ KIYOSHI ]
Character portrayed is male, Japanese, mid-40s. Kiyoshi is Ryoichi’s son and successor by blood, but he finds his position usurped by Hansu, his father’s replacement son figure. Fueled by jealousy and resentment of Hansu, Kiyoshi is vocal about his distrust of Koreans and works undermine his rival at every turn. SPEAKES JAPANESE (STANDARD DIALECT). RECURRING.

[ GOTO ]
Character portrayed is male, Japanese, 36. Goto owns a neighborhood pachinko parlor. In his line of work, Goto interacts with all members of society and the community at large – from Zainichi housewives to Japanese salarymen. He keeps a watchful eye on the goings-on in the neighborhood and is a beloved figure who is good to all. Goto takes a fatherly interest in Mozasu, perhaps because he recognizes elements of himself in the scrappy adolescent. SPEAKS JAPANESE (KANSAI DIALECT). RECURRING.

[ TAKASHI ]
Character portrayed is male, Japanese, 30s. Takashi is a rising star in Japan’s new Liberal Party, an ambitious conservative politician favored by Ryoichi, Hansu’s father-in-law. Ryoichi hopes to arrange a marriage between Takashi and Keiko, Hansu’s eldest daughter, thereby washing away a checkered past in order to cement a new legacy of legitimacy. For Takashi, the marriage offers him a war chest to make a quick rise in national politics. He is the gleaming future of a country rising out of the ashes. SPEAKS JAPANESE (STANDARD DIALECT). RECURRING

[ AKIKO ]
Character portrayed is female, Japanese, 20. Akiko was born into one of Japan’s most distinguished families, raised in a life of affluence and privilege. High-spirited and headstrong, Akiko immediately attracts Noa’s attention when they first meet. Akiko espouses the modern and progressive views sparking the rising youth of the country. Beneath it all, however, is a spoiled young woman who determines to always get what she wants. She doesn’t take no for an answer. SPEAKS JAPANESE (STANDARD DIALECT). GUEST STAR, POSSIBLE RECUR.

[ OGAWA ]
Character portrayed is male, Japanese, 30s. Ogawa is Noa’s schoolteacher. His parents were poor, illiterate farmers who could barely afford to send their bright son to school. But Ogawa endeavored hard to climb in the world and was accepted into Waseda University. He passes on his hopes and dreams to Noa, who wonders for the first time whether a different future is possible for him. Ogawa’s kindness and encouragement are deeply affirming for Noa, especially at a time when Noa needs a father-figure the most. SPEAKS JAPANESE (KANSAI DIALECT). GUEST STAR.

[ YUKI ]
Character portrayed is female, Japanese, 30. Yuki is one of the young, enterprising hostesses working at Hansu’s nightclub in Osaka. Like many of the women who work at these clubs, it is her job to charm and cater to the men who frequent these establishments, often American G.I soldiers. She quickly becomes a favorite of Hansu with her sharp eyes and seductive ways. SPEAKS JAPANESE (KANSAI DIALECT). GUEST STAR.