I was enthralled by season one of “Pachinko,” breezing through all eight chapters rather fervently. I found myself doing the same with season two, chapters 9-16 of this engrossing series.

Season two of “Pachinko” opens in Osaka in 1945, near the end of World War II. Sunja (Minha Kim) is selling kimchi as a street vendor, while her sons, Noa and Mozasu, endure bullying at school. Hansu (Lee Min-ho) is still around, lurking and strategizing as a figure from Sunja’s past.

The more modern timeline takes us to Tokyo in 1989, with Solomon (Jin Ha) continuing to wheel and deal in the business world, while his grandmother, Sunja (Yuh-Jung Youn), and father, Mozasu (Soji Arai), open another pachinko parlor.

As World War II ends, the sentiment leading to the Korean War builds up around the characters in that timeline, while the actions of the characters in the past start to have more direct effects on the characters in 1989.

My only big criticism of this new season of “Pachinko” is that in the middle of the season, they introduce a few new characters/ages of some of the characters in just one or two episodes, and it gets a little confusing to remember who is who.

For those like me who adored the vibrant opening credits with the cross-generation cast dancing in casinos in season one, rejoice that it not only continues but has an update with a new song and new dance moves from this multitalented cast.

Another favorite aspect is the bilingual subtitles, indicated by yellow for Korean and blue for Japanese. It is a great way for those of us who are unfamiliar with either language to pick up on some subtext.

The most interesting way this plays out is as the captions cross both colors while characters including Noa and Mozasu speak, indicating their experiences bridging two worlds.

In the second season, just as the first, everyone involved in “Pachinko” does a revelatory job of bringing the immigrant experience to life. What I found captivating, I’m sure others found relatable. From what I’ve seen in reactions from Korean people, it appears to do an especially relatable job portraying the lives of Korean immigrants in Japan.

Hopefully, there will be a third season of “Pachinko” to continue to bring these timelines together and expand the cross-generational character development.

Rating: 4/5