Kazuya Shiraishi’s Bushido

Kakunoshin Yanagida is cursed with a dishonorable nemesis. He unwaveringly abides by the Bushido code, but Hyogo Shibata does not. For most of his film, Yanagida must settle for his dignity but there comes a point when it is time for revenge in Kazuya Shiraishi’s Bushido, which releases today in theaters.

Yanagida and his long-suffering daughter Kinu eke a subsistence living. She takes in laundry. He engraves seals. His only indulgence is the occasional game of go, but, as in all things, he plays with an almost perverse sense of honor. However, that makes quite an impression on go-obsessed pawn broker Genbei Yorozuya, who also recognizes Yanagida’s superior knack for strategy. Soon, they become unlikely friends, but Yanagida faces potential ruin as result of Yorozuya’s own negligence.

Just when Yanagida’s reputation in the provincial town craters, his old samurai comrade arrives with news. His former clan wishes to welcome Yanagida back to the domain. His duplicitous rival Shibata has been exposed as the real thief of the lord’s precious scroll. That was the same crime Yanagida was scapegoated and banished for. True to form, Shibata fled like the dishonorable coward he has always been, so Yanagida intends to extract the justice demanded by the Bushido code. However, he needs time, so Kinu buys him a year, by essentially mortgaging herself.

Bushido is aptly titled, because it is as much about the rigorous ethical framework of the Bushido Code, as the swordplay necessary to complete Yanagida’s mission. In fact, Shiraishi holds back the Chanbara hack-and-slash action until late in the third act—but it is worth the wait. Instead, he invests the time establishing Yanagida, Kinu, Yorozuya, and the merchant’s adopted heir, Yakichi, which makes the potential tragedy they each face hit with powerful force.

Sunny, on Apple TV+

Maybe Asimov's "Law of Robotics” will be more of a suggestion in the future. For Suzie Sakamoto’s husband Masa, it was just something to code around. Supposedly, he and her son “Zen” died in a plane crash, but his code is still out there. Much to the American expat’s surprise, Masa also left behind a specially programmed homebot (robotic housekeeping assistant) that will introduce herself to the grieving Sakamoto in creator Katie Robbins’ 10-part Sunny, which premieres this coming Wednesday on Apple TV+.

Sakamoto always resented robots, because her mother was killed by a self-driving car. She had been led to believe her late husband worked in the refrigerator division of his technology company, so she is shocked to learn he oversaw their robotics.

Masa’s mother Noriko Sakamoto is obviously Japanese, but she is also a classic mother-in-law. Consequently, Sakamoto would rather drink than deal with her. She also has little patience for the annoyingly chipper homebot delivered by Masa’s senior colleague, Yuki Tanaka. Sunny, as Masa named her, tries to help Sakamoto process her grief, but she is having none of that. However, Sakamoto discovers Sunny has other talents, so she recruits the bot to investigate the accident. The more she learns of her husband’s secrets, the more determined she is to recover the secret memories buried within Sunny’s directories.

Sakamoto does not make friends easily and she alienates them quickly. However, she somehow also recruits Mixxy, a part-time mixologist at her local cocktail bar, to help her investigation. She soon starts suspecting the involvement of a Yakuza clan currently mired in a power struggle. Hime’s cousin expects to succeed her father as chairman, but she has different ideas. To out-maneuver him, she must find the long-rumored codebook for reprogramming robots in illegal and potentially dangerous ways.

The robotics in Sunny represents comparatively light science fiction, but it is integral to Robbins’ story, based on Colin O’Sullivan’s novel. The humor is largely tied to Sakamoto’s incredibly profane mouth, but it is frequently amusing. It might have grand ambitions, but it is no Severance. Yet, Sunny is engaging and not overly taxing sf-dramedy, which is rather impressive when you consider it is centered around a grieving mother.

It turns out Rashida Jones can curse like a sailor. She needs to, because Sakamoto’s swearing plays an important role in the story. She gets a lot of laughs as a result and has some spectacular meltdowns. Judy Ongg’s Noriko is a lot to handle, but she humanizes her and ultimately flips viewers’ assumptions and sympathies in later episodes. Plus, veteran Japanese character actor Jun Kunimura is wonderfully wise and sly as old Tanaka.