Sumith Prasad
In Apple TV+’s dark comedy series ‘Sunny,’ Suzie Sakamoto is introduced to a home robot named Sunny, developed by her husband for his company ImaTech. Without letting his wife know, Masa Sakamoto serves as a key player in the tech company’s efforts to develop robots that can even be alternatives to human beings. The narrative progresses through Suzie’s efforts to unravel the mystery behind Masa’s profession and his contributions to ImaTech. Since Japan is known for being at the forefront of groundbreaking tech developments, especially in the field of robotics, the show may tempt us to believe that the company has a real-life counterpart. However, that isn’t really the case!
The Reality Behind ImaTech
ImaTech is a fictional Japanese company created by Colin O’Sullivan for his novel ‘The Dark Manual,’ which is alternatively known as ‘Sunny.’ The TV show and its source material explore the intricacies of technological developments and how the increasing presence of AI-powered robots and gadgets affects human life. On the surface level, ImaTech represents countless companies that have released home robots to bring this change to the standard of living in Japan. These establishments include heavyweights such as Sony, SoftBank Robotics, Toyota, Sharp, etc. However, none of these companies has to deal with homicidal robots or robots that have participated in any sort of crime.
The mysterious experiments that take place in ImaTech are fictional answers to one of the most prominent questions raised in the field of robotics: “What could go wrong?” Colin’s novel and Katie Robbins’ television adaptation of the literary work respond to this question with a cautionary tale without any roots in real companies or tech-related crimes. Even though industrial robots have been involved in deaths of varying kinds, reminding us of the demise of the Ford Motor Company employee Robert Williams, home robots are deemed safe. What happens in ImaTech in ‘Sunny’ is only a worst-case scenario without any basis in reality.
The robots we see in ‘Sunny’ are developed and manufactured by a renowned special effects and prop company based in New Zealand rather than an AI firm in Japan. Wētā Workshop is a key player in the industry, and the company’s works are featured in highly popular productions such as ‘The Lord of the Rings’ film series, ‘I, Robot,’ ‘Avatar,’ ‘Dune,’ etc. Furthermore, the dark comedy show is primarily shot in Toho Studios and Kadokawa Daiei Studio in Japan. The scenes set in the headquarters of ImaTech must be filmed in these production facilities rather than in a real tech company.
Read More: Sunny: Where is the Apple TV+ Show Filmed?
