Tora-san's Promise
Introduction , 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 Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and Mikiko Otonashi as his love interest or "Madonna". ''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 Torajirō* Chieko Baisho as Sakura* Mikiko Otonashi as Mitsue Kuratomi* Kayoko Kishimoto as Aiko Odajima* Shimojo Masami as Kuruma Tatsuzō* 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 (Umetarō 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 ===English===* * * * ===German===* ===Japanese===* * * *
External links *  ''Tora-san's Promise''  at www.tora-san.jp (official site)