Maybe our real friends are the robots we meet along the way.
Artificial intelligence has become an integral part of our lives, serving as a shortcut for everything from daily tasks to filmmaking and even human companionship. This latter aspect is the focus of “Sunny,” the latest sci-fi series from Apple TV+. Following in the footsteps of shows like “Severance,” “Silo,” “Foundation,” and “Hello, Tomorrow!,” “Sunny” delves into the burgeoning friendship between a grieving woman and her domestic robot as they unravel the mysteries surrounding her husband and son’s disappearance. The result is a sweet, darkly fun thriller that examines human loneliness and connection through a light sci-fi lens.
Adapted from Colin O’Sullivan’s novel “The Dark Manual,” “Sunny” introduces us to Suzie Sakamoto, played by Rashida Jones. Suzie is an American expat living in Kyoto, grappling with the disappearance of her husband Masa (Hidetoshi Nishijima) and son Zen (Fares Belkheir) in a plane crash. Shortly after the crash, she receives a domestic robot named Sunny (voiced by Joanna Sotomura), designed by Masa for her at Imatech, the company he worked for. While some might find the gift of Sunny comforting, Suzie sees it as anything but. She despises robots, a fact Masa was well aware of, and she believed Masa only designed smart refrigerators. This revelation casts their relationship and his disappearance in a new light, prompting questions about what Masa was really up to at Imatech and whether his plane crash was truly an accident.
As Suzie and Sunny embark on their investigation, they navigate through robot fighting rings and gang strongholds. While some plot diversions, such as a succession storyline within the yakuza, feel like streaming bloat, the series shines when it focuses on the relationship between Suzie and Sunny and the reasons behind Sunny’s design.
At its core, “Sunny” is an odd-couple series. Suzie is anti-social and prickly, still reeling from her family tragedy, while Sunny, an impressively designed animatronic puppet with a glowing face, is her opposite, constantly trying to cheer her up. The series explores whether Sunny’s behavior is purely due to programming or if there is genuine feeling involved. This question drives much of the narrative, focusing less on the pros and cons of AI and more on the possibility of an authentic relationship between a human and a robot. While this isn’t groundbreaking in the realm of sci-fi, it does lead to a delightfully off-kilter episode that takes us inside Sunny’s mind for a tour of her sense of self.
Rashida Jones excels in her portrayal of Suzie, capturing her grief and exasperation. However, the show could have delved deeper into Suzie’s backstory, especially given the emphasis on Masa’s background, including a flashback episode. Despite this, the series effectively uses Suzie’s memories to illuminate her present questions about Masa.
Suzie’s adventures with Sunny lead her to interact with a fun batch of side characters, including mixologist Mixxy (annie the clumsy), Masa’s mother Noriko (Judy Ongg), and aspiring yakuza head Hime (You). These interactions, whether antagonistic or unexpectedly connective, add depth to Suzie’s character. Meanwhile, Suzie teaches Sunny about human emotions, even if it means Sunny picks up some unsavory habits along the way.
“Sunny” is rich with technology, featuring phone-like “Devices” and AR headsets, but it doesn’t pass judgment on AI. Instead, it explores technology’s capacity to create connections, with some potentially homicidal robots along the way.
Rashida Jones leads the Japan-set series “Sunny” on Apple TV+, a thriller with dark comedy elements based on Colin O’Sullivan’s novel “The Dark Manual.” Created by Katie Robbins, the show is a fascinating and impeccably stylized look at the evolving relationship between humans and robots while solving a complicated mystery.
For Robbins, themes of loneliness and the aftermath of great loss and trauma were particularly compelling. She was also intrigued by the idea of AI as a transitional object or surrogate during times of grief. This led her to adapt the novel, making the robot a female to explore themes of female friendship, a personal interest given her own experiences as a mother.
Throughout “Sunny,” Suzie’s cynical and sarcastic disposition, executed appealingly by Jones, makes her character relatable. Paired with Sunny’s overly joyful personality, the dynamic between them is captivating. Director and executive producer Lucy Tcherniak found Suzie’s sardonic sensibility complex and fascinating, especially as a coping mechanism for her grief.
Music plays a significant role in “Sunny,” with a soundtrack featuring ’50s, ’60s, and early ’70s Japanese pop songs. This choice adds a unique feel to the show, amplifying emotions in various scenes. The music, combined with the visual appeal of Japanese aesthetics, creates a multidimensional storytelling experience.
“Sunny” feels particularly relevant in today’s world, where AI’s potential and risks are hot topics. The series proposes that robots can help people discover their humanity. For Robbins, her feelings about AI evolved during the making of the series. She sees AI as reflective of human creativity, with both potential greatness and inherent risks.
“Sunny” premieres globally with the first two episodes on July 10, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through September 4.
Source: Mashable, Yahoo Canada
