''aka'' ''Torasan's Song of the Seagull'' is a 1980 Japanese comedy film directed by

Yoji Yamada is a Japanese film director best known for his ''Otoko wa Tsurai yo'' series of films and his Samurai Trilogy (''The Twilight Samurai'', ''The Hidden Blade'' and '' Love and Honor''). Biography He was born in Osaka, but due to his father's job ...

. It stars

Kiyoshi Atsumi Kiyoshi Atsumi (渥美清 ''Atsumi Kiyoshi''), born Yasuo Tadokoro (田所康雄 ''Tadokoro Yasuo'', 10 March 1928 – 4 August 1996), was a Japanese actor. He was born in Tokyo, and started his career in 1951 as a comedian at a strip-show the ...

as Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and Ran Itō as his love interest or "Madonna". ''Foster Daddy, Tora!'' is the twenty-sixth entry in the popular, long-running ''

Otoko wa Tsurai yo is a Japanese film series starring Kiyoshi Atsumi as , a kind-hearted vagabond who is always unlucky in love. The series itself is often referred to as "Tora-san" by its fans. Spanning 48 installments released between 1969 and 1995, all of the ' ...

'' series.

Synopsis

Tor-san takes care of the teenage daughter of a friend after he dies. He takes the girl to Tokyo where she wishes to study, and becomes worried over her romantic life.

Cast

as Torajirō *

Chieko Baisho is a Japanese actress and singer. In Japan, she is well known for her performance as Sakura in the '' Otoko wa Tsurai yo'' series from 1969 until 1995. In addition, she has acted in many films directed by Yōji Yamada since the 1960s. She won ...

as Sakura * Ran Itō as Sumire * Shimojo Masami as Kuruma Tatsuzō * Chieko Misaki as Tsune Kuruma (Torajiro's aunt) *

Gin Maeda (born February 21, 1944) is a Japanese actor. He had a regular role in the ''Otoko wa Tsurai yo'' films, beginning with the first in the series (1969), as Sakura's husband. Filmography Film *''Otoko wa Tsurai yo'' series (1969–2019), Hiroshi S ...

as Hiroshi Suwa * Hayato Nakamura as Mitsuo Suwa * Hisao Dazai as Boss (Umetarō Katsura) * Gajirō Satō as Genkō *

Chishū Ryū was a Japanese actor who, in a career lasting 65 years, appeared in over 160 films and about 70 television productions. Early life Ryū was born in Tamamizu Village, Tamana County, a rural area of Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu, the most south ...

as Gozen-sama * Takehiro Murata as Sadao Kikuchi * Tatsuo Matsumura as Professor Hayashi

Critical appraisal

was nominated for the Best Actor prize at the Japan Academy Prize ceremony for his roles in ''Foster Daddy, Tora!'' and the following entry in the series, '' Tora-san's Love in Osaka'' (1981). Stuart Galbraith IV writes that ''Foster Daddy, Tora!'' is one of the top films in the ''

'' series, and "like the best entries, both funny and sweet". The German-language site molodezhnaja gives ''Foster Daddy, Tora!'' three and a half out of five stars.

Availability

''Foster Daddy, Tora!'' was released theatrically on December 27, 1980. In Japan, the film was released on videotape in 1996, and in DVD format in 1999, 2002, and 2008.

References

Bibliography

English

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German

Japanese

* * * *

External links

''Foster Daddy, Tora!''
at www.tora-san.jp (official site) * {{Yoji Yamada 1980 films Films directed by Yoji Yamada 1980 comedy films 1980s Japanese-language films Otoko wa Tsurai yo films Shochiku films Films with screenplays by Yôji Yamada 1980s Japanese films