Just a few days ago, I watched the first Tora-san film and enjoyed it quite a bit. Because of this, I rented this film--the next in this very long running series. In many ways, it was as good as the first film--with a winning combination of humor and pathos.

The film begins in a humorous vein. Tora-san returns to his family in Tokyo but insists he cannot stay, as he'll only bring pain on them (which we clearly saw in the last film). So, after the briefest of visits he\'s off to the train station but gets diverted when he stops to see his old school teacher and his pretty daughter. But, despite Tora-san's plans not to cause any trouble or inconvenience, that's exactly what he does next--getting sent to the hospital and then getting himself arrested! It seems that once again, Tora-san is a total doofus and rather immune to responsibility.

The film takes a bit of a turn when the film becomes much more serious. This teacher convinces Tora-san that he needs to find the mother who abandoned him in his childhood. However, this meeting is far different from the one Tora-san had dreamed of--his mother turns out to be a pretty crass individual who runs a "love motel" (i.e., a tacky place for a clandestine sex rendezvous). Tora-san is heart-broken and much of the rest of the film is a bit sad--fortunately, the pathos is broken up by a funny scene where all his friends and family try NOT to mention this or talk about motherhood--and, naturally, the topic keeps popping up despite their best efforts. What happens next, you'll just have to see for yourself.

The film is packed with sentimentality, humor and a quirky likability that led to many more follow-up films. While this is far from a must-see film, it is quite enjoyable and well worth seeing--particularly if you, like me, enjoy Japanese films. A nice feel-good sort of light comedy with serious undertones--and a worthy successor to the first film.