ALWAYS 続・三丁目の夕日

ALWAYS Sunset in Third Street

ALWAYS San-chōme no Yūhi

is a neighborhood saga, originally written by Ryōhei Saigan (*1947). It is told in three films, which were released in 2005, 2007 and 2012. The stories take place in the years from 1957 to 1964 in Tokyo, in San-chōme (3rd block or 3rd street).
The focus is on the novelist Ryunosuke Chagawa and the car repair shop "Suzuki Auto" with the boss Norifumi Suzuki and the young Mutsuko Hoshino as an apprentice. The films depict family and neighborhood life in the economic miracle period after World War II.

ALWAYS San-chōme no Yūhi (2005)

In 1958, female student Mutsuko comes from Aomori, in the far north of Japan, to Tokyo to start her first job at Suzuki Auto. Mutsuko is shocked to discover that her workplace is a shabby car repair shop in an old part of town. The boss Suzuki is a difficult character, but Mutsuko is warmly welcomed by his wife Tomoe and mischievous five-year-old son Ippei. Mutsuko (六子) is called "Roku" by the Suzuki family, the Sino-Japanese reading of the kanji 六, which means the number 6. Mutsuko is probably her parents' 6th child (子).
Opposite the car repair shop, unsuccessful series author Ryunosuke Chagawa has a candy and toy shop.
When the attractive Hiromi opens a sake bar in the area, she quickly gains customers, but also has to deal with Junnosuke, the orphaned offspring of the bar's previous tenant. Tipsy and in love with Hiromi, Chagawa takes over guardianship of the boy.

Movie Data

Title: ALWAYS 続・三丁目の夕日 - ALWAYS San-chōme no Yūhi
International title: ALWAYS Sunset on Third Street
Published: 2005
Length: 133 minutes

Staff
Director: Takashi Yamazaki
Script: Takashi Yamazaki
Original story: Ryōhei Saigan
Music: Naoki Satō

Cast
Maki Horikita: Mutsuko Hoshino, apprentice in the car repair shop
Hidetaka Yoshioka: Ryunosuke Chagawa, author
Shinichi Tsutsumi: Norifumi Suzuki, repair shop owner
Koyuki: Hiromi Ishizaki, bar owner
Hiroko Yakushimaru: Tomoe Suzuki, wife of Suzuki
Kazuki Koshimizu: Ippei Suzuki, son of Suzuki
Kenta Suga: Junnosuke Furuyuki, abandoned child
Masako Motai: Kin Ota, the grandma of the kiosk
Tomokazu Miura: Dr. Takuma, doctor

ALWAYS San-chōme no Yūhi 2 (2007)

4 months later, spring 1959. Chagawa cannot forget Hiromi, who left him without a word. He now lives with Junnosuke. One day, the boys presumptive father Kawabuchi comes back to pick up Junnosuke. Chagawa is given permission to look after Junnosuke on the condition that the child enjoys a normal standard of living. Chagawa begins to write a literary work. He wants to win the Akutagawa Prize.
Meanwhile, Mutsuko has learned her job at Suzuki Auto. Since a relative of Suzuki has gone bankrupt, he brings his little daughter Mika to the Suzukis. Mika, who grew up in a wealthy environment, is confused about her new life without a maid.
In addition, the familiar faces such as the doctor Dr. Takuma and the older Kin from the kiosk are still there. There are also new faces such as Mutsuko's childhood friend Takeo Nakayama and others. In the neighborhood of the 3rd block there is a warm exchange and lively activity.

Movie Data

Title: ALWAYS 続・三丁目の夕日 2 - ALWAYS San-chōme no Yūhi 2
International title: ALWAYS Sunset on Third Street 2
Published: 2007
Legth: 146 minutes


ALWAYS San-chōme no Yūhi 2012

Tokyo 1964. The Olympic Games in Tokyo. The residents of San-chōme live in the midst of all these changes with their well-known optimistic attitude. Novelist Chagawa is now married to Hiromi and they live with Junnosuke, who is now in high school. Auto mechanic Norifumi Suzuki still runs his workshop with his wife Tomoe, his son Ippei and his employee Mutsuko. Their workshop is doing well. Then big changes come for the residents of San-chōme.

Filmdaten

Titel: ALWAYS 続・三丁目の夕日 '64 - ALWAYS San-chōme no Yūhi '64
International title: ALWAYS Sunset on Third Street '64
Published: 2012
Length: 142 minutes


Comment

The three films show the lives of ordinary people in Tokyo in the 1950s and 1960s in a warm way. Everyone works hard and they are nice to each other. If someone loses his temper or makes a mistake, he apologizes later.
The central themes are the rather unsuccessful novelist Chagawa, the ambitious garage owner Suzuki, the loving partners, the carefree children and later also the conflicts between the generations. The technical innovations that are finding their way into households and the changes in social conditions in Japan are also described.
If you like watching slow, calm films set in the past, you will get your money's worth here. However, the story is not boring, but contains some surprising twists. The films show examples of how people could live. They also show some typical cultural values of Japan.
The film crew became known again in 2013 with "Gorilla -1.0".