Set in a semi futuristic Japan, “Sunny” follows Suzie Sakamoto (Rashida Jones), whose life is upended when her husband Masa (Hidetoshi Nishijima) and their son seemingly perish in a mysterious plane crash. While speaking to authorities, the other victims of the plane crash are asked to call their loved ones’ phones to listen to their voicemail as a means of hearing their voice one last time. However, when Suzie calls her husband, instead of going to voicemail, it continues to ring. This sets her out on a mission to uncover the truth behind her husband and son’s disappearance, but a wrench is thrown in her path as she struggles to recover from her grief.
When a colleague of Masa’s shows up at Suzie’s door with a domestic robot named Sunny (voiced by Joanna Sotomura) as a consolation gift, things start to take an even stranger turn. Did Masa know he was going to die in the plane crash and knew Sunny would help Suzie in her grief? Or is there something else, an outside force that has brought the two together. Their unlikely relationship allows them both to achieve a connection they are longing for, despite Suzie’s initial hatred for robots.
The series takes an unlikely pair and brings them together for the show’s advantage. Without the presence of robots, this would just be another run-of-the-mill thriller, but the unique sci-fi angle raises some interesting questions surrounding corruption and free will. It’s hard to say if robots control their own fates in this universe, or if they’re at the complete mercy of the humans they serve. Sunny seems special in this regard, and the people around her—including Suzie—pick up on this too. It puts them in even more danger than they were before and leads them on what feels like a deadly game of cat-and-mouse as they seek to uncover the truth.
As “Sunny” expands, so does the cast of characters in the series. The highlight is undeniably Hime (You), a platinum blonde who enters the story with a terrifying calmness unfit for her harrowing surroundings. It’s clear that she will end up being one of the biggest adversaries in Suzie and Sunny’s search for truth, and You plays her excellently. Along with her, Rashida Jones is finally given a role that allows her talents to be harnessed. As Suzie, Jones is given the space to appear grief-stricken and brazen, allowing her to disappear into the character rather than succumbing to the typecasting of her post-sitcom years.