Is it too soon for Lee Min Ho’s new drama to be praised by international critics as “the best show of 2022”?

Lee Min Ho’s new work has not even been released yet and it is only March of 2022.

Only a few days are left until Lee Min Ho‘s Pachinko officially airs the first episode. As it is an international project, the drama has received a lot of reviews from world experts although it has not been officially released yet. The drama tells a story about four generations of a Korean family who have to face countless difficulties as they go through events during a traumatic period in the country’s history. The work is mainly told from the perspective of the female lead Sun Ja, who leaves Korea to come to Japan after the heartbreak from her first love and in search of a better life.

Recently, the drama has attracted a lot of attention, especially around Lee Min Ho‘s villain role and the reappearance of veteran Oscar-winning star Youn Yuh Jung. In addition, the release trailers have also increased the audience’s expectations for the work. On March 23rd, a writer for the American magazine Entertainment Weekly published an article praising the drama, even saying that Pachinko could be the best drama of 2022 even though we have just gone through the first 3 months of the year.

Entertainment Weekly writer Kristen Baldwin wrote in her article, “Pachinko – a sprawling, stunning drama chronicling four generations of an immigrant Korean family – is truly “it’s time to start tossing around words like ‘masterpiece'” TV.”

Besides the audience’s expectations towards Pachinko, many think that this comment is too flattering, especially when it is only March of 2022 and Pachinko has not yet officially premiered. The mass audience is also concerned that Pachinko will not be to the taste of the majority and that Lee Min Ho‘s role is not important enough for the media to promote it as “Lee Min Ho’s drama”.