It stars Kiyoshi Atsumi as Torajirō Kuruma (Tora-san), and Keiko Kishi as his love interest or "Madonna".

[2] Tora-san Loves an Artist is the twelfth entry in the popular, long-running Otoko wa Tsurai yo series.

An old friend introduces Tora-san to his sister Ritsuko, and he promptly falls in love with her.

[3][4][5] Stuart Galbraith IV calls Tora-san Loves an Artist a "solid" entry in the series, which is "alternately sweet and touching, funny and biting.

"[4] The German-language site molodezhnaja gives Tora-san Loves an Artist three and a half out of five stars.