Apple TV+’s Sunny Season 1 has left fans with a lot of questions, but the biggest one revolves around Masa (Hidetoshi Nishijima): Is he alive or is he dead? A number of hints are provided in the last episode but no definitive answer is provided as the audience has to solve puzzles on their own.
The Plane Crash and Masa’s Disappearance
Masa’s disappearance is portrayed as beginning with a plane crash that is assumed to have killed him and their son, Zen. This is a tragedy that mkakes Masa’s wife Suzie (Rashida Jones) discover a number of shocking issues over her husband. As she travels further into his past Suzie discovers that Masa was a long way from the man she married. He was into robotics they had Yakuza connections, and he never mentioned any of this to her, or to anybody else. However, despite with all these new informations the question of his fate is still left open.
The Letter at the Cabin
In the last episode, two Suzie and Zen go for a cabin which has an attachment with Masa’s family. Here Suzie traces a letter from Masa. In it, he writes that he did all that wrong just to make Suzie happy and adds that if she finds the letter then perhaps there’s still change for them. This line is important because it shows that Masa thought there was a chance either for him and/or for the situation that they are in now.
What the Letter Could Mean
There are two main ways to interpret this letter:
Masa Is Alive: The letter might have been a way for Masa to express himself to Suzie in the hope of stating that he is still around somewhere waiting for the opportune moment to return. This can be explained by the fact that new yakuza leader, Hime (You Ehara), throws Suzie Masa’s shoes – which is a death gesture. But this could be a way of telling Suzie that Masa is dead when in actual sense he is in a hide out. Masa’s return could be a good concern in the second season in which he could unveil some of his real intentions and the threats facing them.
Masa Is Dead, But His Legacy Lives On: On the other hand the letter could be quite symbolic in nature/ All the same, the letter could be a figure of speech. Suzie’s father Masa may be dead however he left behind Sunny the AI he created for the safety of Suzie. Indeed, her behavior indicates that she might have a portion of Masa’s consciousness: she helps him take care of Suzie even when he is gone.
Several elements in the finale hint at Masa’s true fate
Sunny’s Programming: Sunny behaves as if she knows somethings only Masa would, meaning that she has the knowledge of Masa. This was something that could mean Masa transferred part of the himself into Sunny and thus enable him to direct Suzie even if he has been dead.
Hime’s Actions: For instance, the possibility of Hime giving Suzie Masa’s shoes is an indication he is dead, or just fooling Suzie to believe the man is dead. If it is the latter then Masa might have faked his death just to avoid the continued danger of his family.
The Big Question: Is Masa alive or is he dead?
Thus the question; Is Masa alive or is he dead? The show never reaches any conclusions, regarding this, and it is up to the viewers to make their own conclusions. He may be alive now perhaps in a disguise waiting for the right moment to go over to Suzie and Zen. Or he might truly be gone, but incorporated Sunny with him – meaning that Sunny is really Orwell. The answer might be given in a potential second season, but for now, Masa’s fate is one of Sunny’s biggest unanswered questions.
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