Erika the Secret Agent (2011)

series

(15)

Country: Japan
Genres: Mystery
Release: 2011-10-06
Director: N/A
Writers: N/A
Language: Japanese
Stars: Chiaki Kuriyama , Tetta Sugimoto , Tetta Sugimoto , Takuya Ide , Takuya Ide , Toshihide Tonesaku , Toshihide Tonesaku , Jun’ya Taniai , Shin’ichi Chiba , Yoshihiko Hakamada , Ayaka Komatsu , Yôko Mitsuya , Ryoko Kobayashi
Runtime: min
Awards: N/A
AKA: Erika the Secret Agent (United States of America) , Himitsu Chôhôin Erika (Japan) , Himitsu Chôhôin Erika , Erika the Secret Agent , Erika the Secret Agent (United Kingdom)
Plot: Erika Takahashi appears to be an ordinary Japanese housewife living with her husband and step son but unbeknownst to them she used to be a spy. One day she gets a call from her old boss saying that he will tell her husband about her past if she doesn't start working for his detective agency... so begins Erika's double life. Early episodes of the 'case of the week' variety and involve such things as a woman conning men into giving her money so she can help them start up in business and a woman working at a maid café who feels her life is in danger. As things progress however a senior member of Japanese Intelligence asks her to keep an eye on her boss for him as it is believed he is actually a traitor. All the while she is taking these cases she must find excuses to tell her family about why she is going out so often.I think this is the first live action Japanese series I've seen and I rather enjoyed it. Chiaki Kuriyama, best known to western viewers for her portrayal of Gogo Yubari in 'Kill Bill pt1' does a fine job as the eponymous Erika and her 'serious' look while wearing a cute maid outfit is priceless! The rest of the regular cast are pretty good too. I found the cases enjoyable and it got better towards the end when the plot line involving her boss's possible treason started. It isn't without its faults however; at thirty minutes the episodes weren't really long enough, they would have been much better had they been stretched to forty five minutes or an hour; as it was they frequently seemed rushed. Anybody who has watched Kill Bill will know that Chiaki Kuriyama is more than capable of doing action scenes but many here seem poorly choreographed... thankfully they improve as the series progresses and the final action scene of the series is impressive, far more believable and genuinely exciting... talking of the final episode; the conclusion wraps up the mystery concerning her boss but leaves things open for a possible second series should the makers decide to create more.
IMDB:tt2041944