Reception of transnational TV in South Korea through fan videos: Pachinko

Abstract

This article explores Korean audience engagement with and reception of video reviews on YouTube, taking as a case study Pachinko (2022), Apple TV+’s screen adaptation of the New York Times bestseller written by Lee Min Jin. Given the importance of fragmentary redistribution of media materials in this streaming era that enables a faster bottom-up sharing of media than ever before, fan video offers an important scholarly resource for understanding reception of translated media. Many viewers go to streaming platforms like YouTube for a preview or fast viewing, but how these fan created materials influence subsequent media consumption and reception received scant attention particularly in the Korean context, especially in relation to translated media. Focusing on three video reviews about Pachinko Season 1 with over one million views on YouTube in South Korea, this paper analyzes the extent to which audience creators intervene in, and engage with, the production and circulation of translated media and how ordinary audiences receive them.