The Perfect Maid (Agatha Christie's Great Detectives Poirot and Marple)

The Perfect Maid (申し分のないメイド - Mōshibun no nai Meido) was a Japanese anime television story produced by Oriental Light and Magic for NHK television. The story was Episode 4 of NHK's anime series Agatha Christie's Great Detectives Poirot and Marple. The adaptation was written by Sukehiro Tomita, directed by Yumi Kamakura and Naohito Takahashi and broadcast on 1 August 2004. It was an adaptation of the Agatha Christie short story The Case of the Perfect Maid

Synopsis
Mabel West visits her great aunt Miss Marple. At St. Mary Mead, Mabel meets Gladys, a friend of hers who has just been dismissed from her job. Mabel persuades Miss Marple to help.

Comparison with Original Story
(may contain spoilers - click on expand to read) The adaptation is fairly faithful to the original story except for the addition of Mabel West and a few minor changes. The setting is still Old Hall in St. Mary Mead.
 * Edna does not appear in this adaptation. Her role is taken over by Mabel West. Mabel accompanies Miss Marple to her first meeting with the Skinners but not the second one where Miss Maple is seeking support for the village fete.
 * The village gossip about Gladys' possible dishonesty that is spread by many of the St. Mary Mead residents is not depicted. The gossip is merely reported to Miss Marple by Mabel.
 * Griselda Clement actually shows up in this adaptation, asking Miss Marple to get support for the village fete.
 * Miss Marple did not have a rock candy in her handbag here. Mary picks up a mirror which she says feels sticky. Miss Marple comments that this must be because some little boy in the village had been licking candy and then put it in her bag. She doesn't say that it is Mrs Clement's boy. In the original story she is more specific.
 * Inspector Slack is not present here. The investigation is done by Constable Hearst who is a series regular. Colonel Melchett also does not appear in this adaptation.
 * The same comment that there was a crime in Northumberland a year ago with the same characteristics. Only here the comment is made by Hearst and not be Slack.
 * Miss Marple makes the same observations about peculiar behaviour on the part of Lavinia. Only she says to Constable Hearst and not to Inspector Slack. For example, Lavinia let Gladys go when it is difficult to get maids a she did not force Emily to see a doctor. She adds that nobody ever saw Emily and Mary and the same time.
 * Miss Marple suggests comparing the fingerprints on the mirror with those Emily. The arrest of the Skinners is shown at the end of the episode. In the original, this is only implied.

Characters/Voice talents

 * Akiko Hiramatsu as Griselda
 * Masako Jô as Oliver
 * Miyuki Kawanaka as Mary Higgins
 * Kazusa Murai as Gladys
 * Daisuke Namikawa as Constable Hearst
 * Fumiko Orikasa as Mabel West
 * Kumiko Takizawa as Lavinia Skinner
 * Kaoru Yachigusa as Miss Marple
 * Mrs Devereux
 * Mrs Larkin
 * Mrs Carmichael
 * Janet