Sunny

I love Sci fi and I love Rashida Jones but I can't figure this show out. I'm not sure what it's about after 3 episodes. The fact that 70% of it is in Japanese makes it even harder. Rashida Jones' job seems to be to stand there half slumped and speak in English to people speaking to her in Japanese. She doesn't have any drive or maybe it's the way she portrays it I get no sense of urgency or even fear or trepidation from her as she's trying to figure out what happened to her husband and son. The writing is really uneven. This makes me sad. I wanted to like it, it's just too obscure for me I guess.

I'm only through 5 episodes but am pleasantly surprised. I tuned in because of Rashida Jones but have stayed for its delicate moments. For a sci-fi thriller this show takes a softer hand and is more creative than I expected. The plot is nicely decorated with philosophy and culture, of which none is overtly stated. The plot develops nicely and preserves its mysteries but it's the scenes in between that are memorable. My favorite so far comes at 23 minutes into Ep 5 and prompted me to write this review. No spoilers from me so if you can handle its loose grip then you may be as pleasantly rewarded as I've been for staying tuned.

Apple have done it again. Their content is often quirky and unusual and Sunny is no exception.

Rashida Jones's Suzie is a great character, spiky and sarcastic. As her relationship develops with Sunny her robot it becomes normal watching them interact.

Having Japan and Japanese culture, mixed with an American protagonist, and the difficulties this brings when a tragedy happens is interesting.

The futuristic elements are also really well conceived as they are believable, and not too unlike our present world.

I love to watch foreign films and series as subtitles don't bother me. Don't let it put you off.

The show started well, the future, new interesting technologies, Japanese culture, mystery and thriller... but at one point the concept changes. The story is supposed to be told from the eyes of Suzie and Mixxy as the main actors, but the story expands and spends a lot of time on background stories of other characters where it slowly starts to lose fun like at the start... but omg the ninth episode, is for children... little children... It's a shame a good idea was ruined, how it started could have been something special, this way it will be forgotten very quickly, and actors will have a harder time getting better roles because of a childish show.

P.s. The robot should have a dark mode on face/screen, how could Suzie sleep next to him when he is shining like cinema...

This could have been outstanding. But fumbled it. And they'll probably never put their finger on the why of it.

Whereas Severance (which seems to be the gauge against which this is being measured) turned dull, inexplicable and slow into something exquisite and satisfying, this is just dull, inexplicable and slow.

It is hard to create a convincing and likeable 'weird' on purpose. I sense a lot of borrowing from other sources. Maybe there is no formula for the magic? It just happens sometimes.

I just don't warm to Rashida Jones' character. And it's hard when you take against the central character. She plays it a mixture of flat, indulged and whiny. You just want to give here rigid botoxed face a slap. And I don't know enough about her to tell if this is deliberate and she is a genius, or she just can't act.

The rest of the Japanese cast are brilliant in a Quentin Tarantino homage kind of way. The supporting characters are way more interesting and you'd rather spend your time with them. But three episodes in and I can contemplate not watching until the end.

It's tolerable, not groundbreaking.