The warm gooey nostalgia that film continuously conjured became more of a nuisance as the film trudged along to its better than expected finale. Sequels being sequels, I didn’t expect much from the follow-up, except maybe turning off the movie if it continued to serve up the glutenous goo of excessive nostalgia. Well, to my surprise, “Always: Sunset on Third Street 2? turned out to be way better than excepted, easily surpassing the original, and it did make me shed a few tears on more than one occasion.

In “Always: Sunset on Third Street 2? Chagawa continues his struggles to become a successful writer, while battling through writer’s block. Chagawa is still the guardian parent for young Junnosuke. His girlfriend Hiromi is nowhere to be found as she has left the bargirl scene and stepped into the world of burlesque dancing. Trouble quickly brews for Chagawa and Junnosuke, when Junnosuke’s birthfather Kawabata drives through 3rd street and stops for a visit at Chagawa’s modest home. During his visit, Kawabata gives Chagawa an ultimatum, “give Junnosuke a normal life or else ….”

Meanwhile, across the street at Suzuki Automotive, the Suzuki family finds themselves with a new member of the family. Young Mika is dropped off by her uncle (a once rich businessman), while he attempts to get his life back in order. Mika quickly finds that life in the Suzuki home is a far cry from her once high class lifestyle. She also encounters a nemesis/admirer in young Ippei Suzuki.

Chagawa is then summoned for another meeting with Junnosuke’s birthfather. Kawabata has learned that Junnosuke has skipped meals at school in order to pay for bills at home. Before, Kawabata can say anything else, Chagawa makes a desperate plea. He asks for one more chance to provide for Junnosuke or he will forever relinquish his guardianship to Kawabata. Then, Chagawa makes the decision to enter the prestigious Akutagawa writing competition, which awards a large sum of money to the winner.

Although the differences between the original and sequel are slight, those differences went a long way in making the sequel a far superior film. The unbridled nostalgia that the first film attempted to conjure is toned down this time around, as that aspect has already been done. Consequently, the sequel focuses squarely on the characters and plot, which turns out to be surprisingly affective. The impressive CGI drawn backdrop of 1959 Tokyo certainly looks pleasant as well, but the story clearly wins the hearts of the audience this time around.

Making things even better, the ensemble cast fires on all cylinders with Shini’ichi Tsutsumi’s charismatic Norifumi character providing the backbone of the film. The female supporting cast, in particular Koyuki, Maki Horikita, and Kazue Fukiishi, all added the perfect amount of spice to counterbalance the sweeter side of the script.

Nay sayers may point to the unbridled idealism that exists in “Always:Sunset on Third Street 2? as a critical flaw of the film. For those people I would point out that if its absolute realism you want, try to find it in a documentary and just enjoy “Always:Sunset 2? for what it is. If a movie is as well crafted as Sunset 2 and it wishes to espouse a near fantasy world of optimism, well than just lay back and soak in all that righteousness. There’s enough room in the cinema world for films like “Memories of Matsuko”/”Secret Sunshine” and “Always: Sunset on Third Street 2? – clearly a positive and not a negative. I enjoyed this film immensely.