There was an odd sort of melancholy to this entry, even if in the end it was quite heartwarming. This is the last Tora-san film of the 80s, and I'm well aware that I only have a few left to watch, which saddens me greatly.
Also said is that I know that the High Priest won't be in the last couple of entries because of Chishu Ryu's passing, and I know that the series will end because of Kiyoshi Astumi's sudden passing.
There's a line of dialogue about Mitsuo looking after Tora when he was old that got to me, and the final phone call was emotional, too. There's a huge gathering of people and Tora's not there- you can see from his face that part of him wants to be, but part of him thinks he shouldn't.
A brief homophobic scene/line of dialogue keeps this from getting a higher rating, and Mitsuo's dad acts a little out of character at points, but otherwise this is great. The focus on Mitsuo worked well, and I liked his love interest, Izumi, too.