The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan (Agatha Christie's Great Detectives Poirot and Marple)

The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan (グランド·メトロポリタンの宝石盗難事件 - Gurando-Metoroporitan no Hōseki Tōnan Jiken) was a Japanese anime television story produced by Oriental Light and Magic for NHK television. The story was Episode 1 of NHK's anime series Agatha Christie's Great Detectives Poirot and Marple. The adaptation was written by Hiroshi Shimokawa, directed by Joji Shimura and Naohito Takahashi and broadcast on 4 July 2004. It was an adaptation of the Agatha Christie short story of the same name.

Synopsis
This episode introduces the main protagonist of the series Mabel West, the daughter of Raymond West. She is holidaying with her father in Brighton. There she meets Poirot and Hastings and becomes involved in the case. Other than this, the plot is fairly faithful to the original story.

Comparison with Original Story
(may contain spoilers - click on expand to read) Sixteen year old Mabel and her pet duck Oliver cause a commotion in the hotel ballroom. Her father reprimands her and she stalks off to her room.

In the meantime, Poirot and Hastings meet Mrs Opalsen and she talks about her jewels. She then goes upstairs because she wants to fetch her pearl necklace to show them. From here on the story follows the original closely.

Mrs Opalsen discovers that her pearls are missing. The police arrive and start investigating. There's a crowd of interested spectators in the corridor. Mabel is looking on. The questioning of Celestine and the chambermaid is done by the inspector and follows the lines of the original except that here the inspector is given a name, Miller. The chambermaid is Vanessa. Poirot does his timed experiment and then examines the room next door just as in the original. This segment ends with the fake pearls being found in Celestine's bed. She is taken away. In the corrider, Mabel says that she thinks Celestine is innocent. Poirot overhears and agrees with her.

The next morning, Mabel is at the next table eavesdropping on Poirot and Hastings as they discuss the case over breakfast. Mabel interjects and suggest that it could have been the Opalsens who "stole" the pearls to get the insurance money. To Hasting's surprise, Poirot agrees with her and decides to search the Mrs Opalsen's room. Mabel wants to want and Poirot agrees. Poirot then shows a card to Vanessa and then to the valet, who is named John in this adaptation. Both say they have not seen such a card in the room.

After this, Poirot hurries back to London to get the help of Inspector Sharpe (this is the name of Japp in the anime series). Hastings is in Brighton and Mabel tells him how she feels that her father does not understand her and wants to force her to pursue a future of his choosing.

Poirot returns, and in a departure from the original story, stages a denouement in the Opalsen's room with Vanessa and John attending. Here Poirot demonstrates how the crime was done, and then denounces Vanessa and John. Poirot had tricked them to leave their fingerprints on his card. Scotland Yard had identified them as belonging to wanted jewel thieves Jane and David Kianzu. Inspector Miller comes in to say that he has found the real pearls in John's (David's) room and then takes the two thieves away.

Poirot and Hastings are about to leave for London. Poirot tells Mabel that she has talent but she is rebellious. Detective work, on the other hand, requires one to be dispassionate and logical. Perhaps, he says, they will meet again. As Poirot and Hastings drive off, Raymond West asks Mabel what they were talking about. She says its a secret. But she is inspired to become a detective herself.

Characters/Voice Talents

 * Kôtarô Satomi	as Hercule Poirot
 * Mitsukô Kusabue as Mrs Opalsen
 * Masaya Katô as Raymond West
 * Fumiko Orikasa as Mabel
 * Hirofumi Nojima as Hastings
 * Masako Jô as Oliver
 * Yûsaku Yara as Inspector Sharpe
 * Michiko Neya as Vanessa
 * Hiroshi Kamiya as John
 * Keiko Nemoto as Celestine
 * Masaru Ikeda as Mr Opalsen
 * Keiichi Sonobe as Inspector Miller
 * Daisuke Kirii as Policeman A
 * Ryôkichi Takahashi as Policeman B
 * Yôko Sasaki as Policewoman
 * Nobuaki Sekine as Manager