Otoko wa Tsurai yo

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Statue of Tora-san

Otoko wa tsurai yo (男はつらいよ, "It's tough being a man") is a Japanese film series starring Kiyoshi Atsumi as "Tora-san" (寅さん), a kind-hearted vagabond who is always unlucky in love. Spanning 48 installments (1969–95), it is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest movie series (in number of installments) in the world. All of the films (except episodes 3 and 4) were directed by Yoji Yamada, who also wrote all the screenplays.

All of the Tora-san movies had the same basic plot. Tora-san, a traveling salesman, arrives in some remote town planning to peddle his wares to the locals. He meets a local woman, usually a damsel in distress, and tells her that if she is ever in Tokyo to look him up. He then heads back home to Shibamata, Katsushika Ward, Tokyo and drops in unexpectedly on his family. Sure enough, the damsel in distress ends up visiting Tora-san in Tokyo, and he falls madly in love with her. However, in his efforts to win her heart, he usually ends up inadvertently helping bring her together with an old boyfriend or another man; Tora-san invariably ends up heartbroken at the end of the movie. Each film featured a different leading lady, called a "Madonna," and a different region of Japan. (There were also episodes that featured scenes in Arizona and Vienna.)

1 Television Origin
2 Cast
- 2.1 TV Series
- 2.2 Films
3 External links

[edit] Television Origin

Preceding the first theatrical film of Otoko wa tsurai yo, a teledrama version was broadcast from 1968 to 1969. This was originally titled "Gukei (or "Gukyou")-Kenmai" (愚兄賢妹), meaning "Goofy Brother and Wise Sister." That name comes from the final subtitle of Naite tamaruka (泣いてたまるか). (The star of Naite tamaruka is also Atsumi Kiyoshi.) Kobayashi Shun'ichi renamed the show Otoko wa tsurai yo. In the final episode of the TV series, Torajiro dies of snakebite. However, this denouement made the audience angry and a film version of Otoko wa tsurai yo followed. Initially, Shochiku (松竹), the distributing agency, was not enthusiastic, but Yamada Yoji's persuasiveness ultimately prevailed. The cast of the television version did not follow into the film series.