0080 Tora-San Never Gets the Girl
May 31, 2012, 03:58 PM
What’s the longest running film series in world history? Charlie Chan – no. James Bond – no. It’s not even Godzilla. Try the Tora-san films, which totaled a whopping 48 features between 1969 and 1996. The franchise centers on its bumbling hero Tora-san, an itinerant salesman from Tokyo with a happy-go-lucky attitude much at odds with Japan’s straight-laced society. Tora-san is something of a Homer Simpson Japanese-style: he is never a success, never wears stylish clothes, and never gets the girl. In a nation obsessed with achievement and prestige, Tora-san is a cherished cinematic reminder that a warm heart might just be the most important thing in life after all. #ashworth #ceas #japan #tsutsui