Critic’s Rating: 3.8 / 5.0
3.8
Things were not so bright and cheery on this episode of Sunny.
While the series has always had a foot firmly placed in the intense thriller category, it’s managed to maintain a lightness through its use of comedic dialogue.
Long gone are the days of sharp, witty, and perfectly timed quips on Sunny.
The tides have turned into a darker and much more serious story.
It may be time for viewers to adjust to a different kind of show.
Like life, circumstances and situations can change on a dime, and Sunny manages to portray that despite a story deeply rooted in science fiction.
Although, if Sunny is consistent with one thing, it’s not answering what the heck is going on.
You Can’t Keep The Yakuza Down When Hime Is Ready To Be The Head Honcho
For the last few episodes, we’ve gotten a closer look at Hime and her struggles.
We know she was close to Masa on some level, whether intimately or just through work.
Then, there is the passing of her father, who has left a power vacuum in the yakuza.
Now, we know definitively that she has been hunting for, or at least parts of, the “Dark Manual.”
Whatever that is, it must be a total game-changer if Japan’s most significant organized crime group is trying to get their hands on it.
The only thing we know about that precious book is that it lets people reprogram their homebots.
Thankfully, we haven’t seen any more depictions of homebot owners using their robots for sex. That was a new kind of disturbing I wasn’t prepared for.
Remind me never to watch Westworld.
However, I doubt the yakuza wants to get jiggy with walking, talking computers. Not Hime and her cousin anyway.
The main thing with the homebots is that they have built-in protocols that stop them from harming humans.
That didn’t stop Hime from literally throwing a homebot at Councilor Ito.
The writers deserve praise for their development of Hime. The character has become as pivotal to the plot as Suzie, Sunny, or Mixxy.
Mixxy Has Been Mixed Up With Suzie And Sunny For Far Too Long
Speaking of Japan’s most questionable best friend, what is up with Mixxy?
Is it me, or does it seem like she’s in love with Suzie?
What other reason could she have to keep coming back to the mayhem and madness surrounding the widow?
She basically told Suzie herself that trouble and drama follow her wherever she goes.
So, why would Mixxy hang out so much with someone she hasn’t even known for a month?
Something is going on with that character, and it would not be shocking if she were some kind of plant.
She could be working for the yakuza or even the company that Masa worked for to access his research and creations.
In all honesty, Mixxy, played by annie the clumsy, doesn’t serve much of a purpose beyond being Suzie’s punching bag.
Until there is more info on who she is and her backstory, I’m with Sunny.
I don’t trust Mixxy as far as I can throw her.
Still, it would be nice if Suzie had actually made a friend in the end.
Suzie Certainly Needs A Reason To Be Sunny Since She Can’t Stop Being Sarcastic
If there is one thing Suzie isn’t trying to do, it’s make friends.
As mentioned above, she hasn’t exactly been a stellar companion to Mixxy, despite the suspicions of the latter.
We were also sort of introduced to Suzie’s past with her former friend, Dee.
Whether that’s the name of a woman or man, lover or friend, it doesn’t matter. Dee made it clear that whatever Suzie did to them was too big to forget.
Suzie’s downward spiral continues to affect every person and thing in her vicinity.
That being said, Rashida Jones is killing it.
Coming from so many squarely comedic projects, it’s been amazing to see her stretch her acting muscles.
She fully embodies the character and grounds the story with her raw expressions of emotion.
As for the character of Suzie Sakamoto, she is more challenging to digest than Rashida Jones.
Everything that has happened has only seemed to make her meaner.
We still don’t know much about her past but I can’t imagine she came from a Sunny, happy home.
Still, Suzie deserves a win after all the things that happened to her. Or, at the least, someone she can relate to.
Sadly, Suzie is far too caught up in her drama to see she already knows the perfect woman for the job.
Sunny Manages To Answer Questions With More Questions, Driving Viewers As Crazy As The Plot
The only other character struggling as much as Suzie is Noriko.
I wish the two women would let go of their pride and be honest with each other.
Like Suzie, Noriko lost her son and grandson, and like Suzie, Noriko isn’t handling it well.
The grandmother is obviously lonely if she’s okay with hanging out in jail as opposed to being alone.
There’s another similarity because, like Suzie, Noriko is great at making enemies.
Suzie and Noriko need to hash out their differences and move on.
Maybe Sunny can facilitate some arrangement since she seems to be Noriko’s best buddy.
However, that’ll have to be after Suzie figures out what is happening with the homebot.
It’s unclear if Sunny’s ability to punch Mixxy was pre-programmed or put in her by the yakuza.
Except that if the yakuza does want the “Dark Manual” for the express purpose of using bots to hurt humans, they’ve already achieved it.
That’s why I don’t think Sunny’s new attitude is the yakuza’s doing.
Hopefully, we will get some answers on this Apple TV+ show now that Suzie is confronting the man who brought her Sunny.
For the love of all things good, please give us viewers some answers to what this craziness is all about.
Especially since there are only a few episodes left of the first season.
Are Masa and Zen alive?
Is Sunny a product of Masa’s research?
Will Hime take over the yakuza?
Can Mixxy be trusted?
What in the world is the “Dark Manual?”
There are so many unanswered questions, and each episode brings more.
That being said, Sunny is still an incredible series. Being so invested in the story and its many moving parts is a testament to the show.
Sunny is shaping up to be one of those series you rewatch after all the twists have been revealed so you can go back and catch all the subtle hints.
Whatever the case is, I love this show with its wonderful writing, incredible visuals, and amazing acting.
Let’s hope Sunny is in a better mood by the next episode.
What do you think the yakuza did to Sunny?
Is Masa and Zen still alive and in hiding somewhere?
Drop a comment below to let us know, and join me again when I review the next episode of Sunny.