Americans are scared of artificial intelligence. According to a YouGov survey54 percent use the word “cautious” when explaining their feelings toward AI, and 49 percent feel “concerned.”
In the new Apple TV+ series, Sunnya futuristic backdrop of Japan and distrust in robots is revealed through dark comedy, unbelievable grief, distrust, and a battle between what’s real and artificial.
Rashida Jones plays Suzie Sakamoto, an American transplant who relocates to Kyoto for a new beginning. After meeting Masa (Hidetoshi Nishijima), they marry and have a son named Zen. However, disaster soon plagues the family when a suspicious airline crash leads to the disappearance of Masa and Zen, and Suzie is left alone with Noriko (Judy Ongg), her mother-in-law, to pick up the pieces.
Suzie finds herself dealing with ImaTech, the refrigerator company Masa worked for. A former employee named Yuki (Jun Kunimura) brings a gift for Suzie during her time of grief: an excitable and giddy home robot named Sunny. Soon, Suzie starts to wonder if Masa even worked for a refrigerator company at all.
Throughout the episodes, Sunny, the robot, reveals details about Masa that only Suzie could have known, drawing her closer to conclusions about her husband’s disappearance.
Although set in a semifuturistic landscape, the mystery series isn’t incredibly modern. In fact, the soundtrack features songs from the 60s, and the robots themselves aren’t sleek and sexy. They are charming but clunky and outdated, with big eyes and bobbleheads.
With so many people suspicious of the robots already present in their lives, it’s easy to see how this silly but thrilling series connects with viewers. Their cautions and concerns mirror Suzie’s in some ways, as she obsesses over finding out the truth, taking us along for the ride. TV-MA, ten hour-long episodes
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