Himitsu Chouhouin Erika [ep 12]

I thought this is the finale, then I realized there's another episode before this ends. Well, I don't mind having another fix of Erika and Techie Guy xDD So what went down in this action filled episode. Erika found Totsuka fleeing the crime scene, leaving a dead Russian girl who managed to whisper some word to her before breathing her last and also gave her a pendrive. The pendrive however couldn't be accessed by normal computers. 

Erika then planned a break in to the Naicho headquarters to use the whatever super computer to open the files inside the pendrive which may hold some important information about Totsuka's involvement.

I like the flashbacks Erika had during her recruitment by Totsuka back in the days when she was younger and rebellious. One can see that both of them had long history and Totsuka meant like a father figure (okay that made him sound old), kinda like someone Erika really looked up to and respect. So she was determined to find out the truth, even though it could mean Totsuka was the murderer and was involved in passing out confidential government information to foreign countries.

 Totsuka was obviously NOT the culprit but why was he being so secretive to Erika? Why not just explain everything to her? Because at the end of the episode, Erika saw a similar phone number in the files, which was Inukai's number - their former boss in Naicho. Love the little twist here, though a bit predictive. Totsuka might be hiding all these from her probably because he didn't want to involve her any longer in the issues, as things can get really dangerous. Besides, he could be thinking for her family too. But looks like when Erika figured out the real culprit, her step-son was kidnapped by Inukai. 

Can't wait for the finale. I think if the son was involved, there's no way the husband won't find out about Erika's double life. Well, he should know the truth as I don't think Erika should hide it from him. And I also hope when everything's over, she'll continue working for Totsuka at their little investigation agency with Techie Guy. Something more trivial, not international stuffs, more like domestic kind of cases like the previous ones they'd been working on.

Rating: 7.5/10

Himitsu Chouhouin Erika [ ep 11]

Another episode before this ends. Erika goes against sexual harassment this time. A client comes in asking for help after suffering from a member of a sports gym who takes advantage of her all the time. Erika as usual, can't refrain herself from lending a hand having heard her story.

Disguising as a new sports trainer this time, she infiltrates the gym and tries to trap the guy, however to their despair, he seems too smart to bite the bait. And after finding out that Totsuka may have some connection with the guy, Erika's suspicion goes to the maximum as she seeks for more information from Inukai-san. She then follows the guy to the same place where they believe important information is passed on in and out.

The case was easy and it's really no huge hurdle for Erika to bring the guys down. Of course, with occasional techy help from the techie, Junpei, they do make a good team lolz. One thing you shouldn't miss in this episode was definitely the part where Junpei acted as a drunkard. He makes a bad drunk but it was real funny.

Things get more complicated too when Erika's husband begins to think she's hiding something from him, even an attempt to tail her, which of course failed miserably. Let's face it, Erika can't keep her past from him forever, if she's going to continue doing investigative jobs like these for long, she should just tell him everything. Although, knowing your wife had once killed probably tonnes of people before isn't going to make you look at her the same way again, truth is still the best way.

Totsuka grew more and more suspicious by the minute in this episode. Well, no matter how the writers make him look like the bad guy, they should try harder coz Totsuka has never strike me as someone who is capable of any bad deeds at all lol. He was obviously framed and now it's left to Erika to clean his name.

The finale is coming and it looks pretty good. We get to see Erika and Totsuka head to head. Though this is not a full length drama and there's not much development going on with the side characters, I still find myself catching every episode and now, before I knew it, it's almost the end already. I think because of its shorter time frame, it doesn't get draggy and everything's just faster paced.

Rating: 7/10

Himitsu Chouhouin Erika [ep 4]

It's official. Erika has the best ever husband. She has been suspecting him coming home late, secretive phone calls and also constant perfume scents on his coats. Things don't get any better when she receives a new case whereby the client suspects the husband having an affair. This causes her emotion to be bit unstable when working on the case and also drifting off to her own dilemma.

For the new case, Erika infiltrates a hostess club in Ginza, by being one herself of course as we get to see her in pretty dresses than her usual housewife clothes. Both her boss, Soichi and the assistant, Junpei get a taste of the club's service too for the final attempt to bring down the baddies. Good to see them having more screentime and help in the case.

Who is the woman with the blonde wig anyway who Soichi has been seeing in secret for information? Will there be anything more than just an informant there? Anyways, pretty fun episode with undercover hostess, Junpei as some spoilt rich kid, toy gun and yakuza influence involved.

Like I mentioned, Erika has one of the best husband. Her suspicion all went down the drain when it is revealed that he was just planning a surprise birthday party for her with other friends. Hence the secretive activities lately. Plus, the perfume scent is from the hunt for the perfect perfume for her. Well, Erika...before you suspect your own husband, make sure you remember your own birthday properly first xDD

Rating: 8/10

Himitsu Chouhouin Erika [ ep1]

Kuriyama Chiaki stars in this midnight short drama as Erika, a housewife but here's the catch. Her past life has been as a spy for the Cabinet Information Research Office, until she quit and decided to begin a new one as an ordinary woman. She found a good hearted salaryman who despite having a child from previous marriage, treated her really well. 

She then embarked on the new journey as an ordinary housewife, taking care of both her husband and child with the secret she kept tightly. Then one day, her previous boss comes searching and asks her to join his newly formed investigation company. This is as to not let his past spying knowledge go to waste - so he claims. Only then she finds out that he has been fired from their past organization. 

That still remains a dark zone because when asked why he no longer works there, he didn't answer. Tempted by her past life ans the excitement of being a spy, Erika finds herself walking into his office one morning after shopping for grocery. Talk about old habits never go away. Their first case is to help a victim who gets sexually harassed at a omiai gathering. Their client can't go to the police because she has no hard evidence of the incidence and there's no way she can get information about the guy who molested her.

So Erika agrees to work as a part-timer at his company and soon, she divides her time between the spy job and as the housewife at home. She acts as a customer at the marriage arrangement company looking for love - preferably a doctor - the guy is a doctor. And soon enough, they find the culprit, not one but two of them and teach them a lesson before handing them over to the police.

Thoughts:

I'm not sure whether Kuriyama Chiaki's been given lead roles before this, but this is definitely the first one for me. I last saw her back in Rebound as the No Matter How Much She Eats, Never Gets Fat good friend of Nobuko together with Aibu Saki. She didn't get much screentime there although I pretty much like her mysterious character, and kinda cool, emo-ish one too. So to see her in a lead role like this, even if this is a midnight drama (29 mins), it's a good treat for those who are curious or like her works. Although the storyline's pretty generic, I think the casts so far are good. Though I think her goodie husband is a bit too kind? 

So it's like housewife by day and spy by night kinda plot. I'm just waiting to see how long she can live this double life before her family finds out. First epi is okay. I'll continue for now xD

Rating: 7/10