Marriage Counselor Tora-san
# Marriage Counselor Tora-san

Marriage Counselor Tora-san (男はつらいよ 夜霧にむせぶ寅次郎, Otoko wa Tsurai yo: Yogiri ni Musebu Torajirō) is a 1984 Japanese comedy film directed by Yoji Yamada. It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and Rie Nakahara as his love interest or "Madonna". Marriage Counselor Tora-san is the thirty-third entry in the popular, long-running Otoko wa Tsurai yo series.

## Synopsis

In Shibamata, Tokyo, Tora-san's family prepares for a wedding. Meanwhile, the traveling Tora-san meets an old acquaintance in Iwate Province. Tora-san refuses to drink with him, afraid that the acquaintance, now settled and married, will again become attracted to Tora-san's wandering existence. Tora-san becomes attracted to a female barber, but must break off their relationship so that she too can live a secure life. She instead gets into an abusive relationship with a motorcyclist.

## Cast

* Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō
* Chieko Baisho as Sakura
* Rie Nakahara as Fūko Kogure
* Tsunehiko Watase as Tony
* Jun Miho as Akemi
* Shimojo Masami as Kuruma Tatsuzō
* Chieko Misaki as Tsune Kuruma (Torajiro's aunt)
* Taisaku Akino
* Gin Maeda as Hiroshi Suwa
* Hidetaka Yoshioka as Mitsuo Suwa
* Hisao Dazai as Boss (Umetarō Katsura)
* Gajirō Satō as Genkō
* Chishū Ryū as Gozen-sama

## Critical appraisal

Stuart Galbraith IV writes that Marriage Counselor Tora-san is a better entry in the Otoko wa Tsurai yo series, though it differs considerably from other films in the series, both formally and thematically. Tora-san's wandering life is portrayed harshly, rather than light-heartedly, and his family's stable life is shown in the more positive light. Galbraith concludes, "With its darker tone and atypical structure, Tora-san's Marriage Counselor is like a breath of fresh air following a series of recent, somewhat repetitive entries." The German-language site molodezhnaja gives Marriage Counselor Tora-san three and a half out of five stars.

## Availability

Marriage Counselor Tora-san was released theatrically on August 4, 1984. In Japan, the film was released on videotape in 1987 and 1996, and in DVD format in 2005 and 2008.

