Series review “Sunny”: Excellent television and a thoughtful look at humanity’s most feared creation

Of all the countless Hollywood titles that have attempted this fascinating subgenre of science fiction, Apple TV+’s latest series Sunny might even emerge as one of the authors who takes the most remarkable look at the complexity between humanity and its most feared creation: robots, also known as artificial intelligence.

Quite action-heavy, Sunny has too many ideas crammed into ten 40-minute episodes, but manages to leave no stone unturned in an impressive way. At the beginning, however, it presents a straightforward premise that you may be hesitant to give in to – it is Hollywood’s run-of-the-mill setup that is quite reminiscent of I Robot (which is about a robot named Sonny): There’s a grieving protagonist living in a world he’s given up on, and an immeasurably advanced robot who feels sweet and well-behaved rises up. But with the incredible pilot episode alone, Katie Robbins’ series builds a compelling plot and an addictive atmosphere, breaking conventions and offering plenty of conclusions for later, deeper exploration.

We’re first told what’s going through the mind of Suzie Sakamoto (Rashida Jones), a perpetually irritable, robotophobic, grieving white woman from Kyoto, Japan, whose life was turned upside down when she lost her husband Masa (Hidetoshi Nishijima) and son Zen in a tragic plane crash. She struggles with crushing grief, angry expressions of sympathy, persistent fears of being an outsider, her dyslexia, which requires a hearing aid to live-translate Japanese, and her nagging, controlling mother-in-law Noriko (Judy Ongg).

As if she didn’t have more to do, in an eerie turn of events, one of her husband’s colleagues brings her a home bot named Sunny (voice: Joanna Sotomura), which her late husband, who worked in the refrigerator department, “built and left to her.” With that, Suzie embarks on a mission of no return that will see her posthumously understand her loved one, form the most unlikely bond with a robot, and uncover a larger conspiracy at the hands of the Yakuza themselves.

A sign of a good science fiction story, Sunny The human characters are superbly fleshed out – we have Mixxy (Annie the Clumsy), a fascinating companion who may or may not have a crush on Suzie; Noriko, who deals with her grief in a peculiar way; and the terrifying Hime (Du), a sweet-voiced blonde Yakuza heiress who manipulates Suzie and Sunny as a puppet in a game of deception. What stands out, however, is the humanization of the titular robot. Sunnyis, as one character puts it, not a story about how robots learn humanity, but a story about how humans learn humanity from robots.

And so the robots are designed as less dangerous household machines with big round heads and cute eyes. The plot humanizes these robots to the extent that you start to like Sunny a lot, especially with countless dangers lurking around every corner. In a brilliant writing style, the first few episodes are peppered with moments where Sunny expresses frighteningly real emotions, like when she throws a packet of chips at Mixxy. We also expect an eerily advanced and seemingly sentient robot like her to be the killer robot, which was seen in the opening scene of the series. Treading this fine line ensures that we see behind Sunny’s metal facade.

As the story progresses, the sequences with Suzie, Masa, and Sunny that juxtapose timelines and memories are the ones that leave the strongest impression on you. This is where flashbacks become dreams that become nightmares, and you’re often left to sort fact from fiction as you watch Suzie sink deeper into paranoia and the depths of grief.

But make no mistake: this is by no means a thoroughly disturbing, dark science fiction thriller. Sunny is also that rare hit that juggles multiple tones, with black humor opening a window of lightness every now and then. With a saturated, high-contrast color palette and Japanese aesthetics, the visual tone of Sunny also gives the film a certain mood that is far removed from the grim tones that Hollywood usually chooses for such titles. Add to that the flashy, retro-style opening credits and the funky soundtrack and you’re reminded of a field of sunflowers growing crookedly through metal in a junkyard.

Of course, there are a few minor flaws, such as the series not having much to say in a few filler episodes in the middle, but in retrospect these minor issues disappear. With futuristic robots, outstanding performances, immaculate sets and the great production talent of Hollywood meeting stunning Japanese locations, Sunny is truly first-class television that cries out for a sequel.

Sunny is currently streaming on Apple TV+ with the first two episodes; the remaining episodes will be released weekly every Wednesday.