It's really hard to be original, no matter the genre, so the best we can usually hope for is old ideas done with energy & perhaps a slightly new angle here & there.
Such is the case with this likable, 10 ep J Drama about Nami ( Haruka Ayase ), who grew up an orphan, became a secret govt agent & then swapped it for marriage because she craved the warmth/love of a family. Despite scoring a handsome husband & a house in an up-scale suburb, she soon discovers life as a housewife is pretty dull. So armed with her agent skills & with the help of two neighbour friends, Nami proceeds to explore a range of contemporary issues in the area & intervene where required.
We know from "American Beauty" that suburbia is often a hotbed of drama seething under a benign exterior & Tokyo is no different, while the concept of exceptional people forced into an average life is also nothing new. What makes this series interesting/watchable is crossing the two narratives & viewing events from a female perspective. After all, it's the wife whose usually stuck at home caring for children & fighting boredom while the man escapes to go to work. Each ep features a different incident & most are well-written, with periodic surprises & a sense of humour. What made me sad ( & I'm sure it's realistic ) is that the husbands of Nami's two friends basically ignore their wives apart from eating the food that's prepared for them. There's minimal conversation, let alone a hug/kiss or saying "I love you" occasionally. No wonder the Japanese birth rate is dropping.
Who you select as the lead in a show like this is crucially important & in the enthusiastic Ms Ayase we have an immensely affable character eager to do the right thing & help people ( & bash wrongdoers if necessary ). The rest of the cast is good, with guest actors also popping up regularly/effectively ( it took me a while to recognise Kana Kurashina as a glammed-down victim of DV ).
The direction/photography is functional without offering any real style, but you can't have everything. And I think the primary villain needed a LOT more punishment ( especially since a woman is badly beaten in unnecessary detail; suggestion was easily feasible ).
