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Tora-san's Promise
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Wikipedia article
, also called 'Torasan and a Paper Balloon' in some regions, is a 1981 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajir Kuruma (Tora-san), and Mikiko Otonashi as his love interest or "Madonna". (official site) 'Tora-san's Promise' is the twenty-eighth entry in the popular, long-running 'Otoko wa Tsurai yo' series.
Synopsis
Tora-san returns to his family's home to attend an elementary school class reunion. After he embarrasses himself by getting drunk and insulting all his ex-classmates, he resumes his travels. In Kyushu he meets an outspoken 18-year-old girl who becomes enamored of Tora-san and follows him around. One of Tora-san's old friends is terminally ill and makes Tora-san promise him to marry his wife once he is gone.
Cast
* Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajir
* Chieko Baisho as Sakura
* Mikiko Otonashi as Mitsue Kuratomi
* Kayoko Kishimoto as Aiko Odajima
* Shimojo Masami as Kuruma Tatsuz
* Chieko Misaki as Tsune Kuruma (Torajiro's aunt)
* Hiroshi Inuzuka as Shigeru
* Gin Maeda as Hiroshi Suwa
* Takeo Chii as Kenkichi Odajima
* Hidetaka Yoshioka as Mitsuo Suwa
* Hisao Dazai as Boss (Umetar Katsura)
Critical appraisal
Stuart Galbraith IV writes that 'Tora-san's Promise' is a middle-quality entry in the 'Otoko wa Tsurai yo' series, though the series has a high standard. The German-language site molodezhnaja gives 'Tora-san's Promise' three and a half out of five stars.
Availability
'Tora-san's Promise' was released theatrically on December 28, 1981. In Japan, the film was released on videotape in 1986 and 1996, and in DVD format in 2002 and 2008.
References
Bibliography
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