Otoko wa tsurai yo: Uwasa no Torajirô

The beloved character-actor Shimura Takashi returns to the Otoko wa tsurai yo -franchise for the third and final time. Shimura had originated the part of Hiroshi's father Mr. Suwa in the very first film, in which he gave a short but very memorable performance, improving the film considerably. In this, his third appearance, it is evident that the character has had an arc, even though we have only seen him a few times. Shimura's scenes add class to the world of Tora, and substance to an otherwise light entry.

The first half, as usual, is the better one. We get several several funny bits, such as the opening at a cemetery, and later Tora's dinner-table ghost story. The love story of this film is not one of the better ones, as the new characters didn't really develop. This is the 22nd entry to the franchise, a middle-of-the-road one in quality, with some good moments for Atsumi and nice reactions from the rest of the cast.