Most critics respond warmly to the film’s playful treatment of grief and renewal, with seven positive reviews and three mixed. Praise centres on Rinko Kikuchi, whose funny, emotionally grounded performance gives the whimsy a human basis. The dance sequences are another point of agreement: the reviews repeatedly welcome their energy and expressive use of fantasy. Even the more reserved critics find charm and pleasure in the film’s willingness to be odd.
The disagreement concerns how well that oddness serves the story. Some reviews find the tonal shifts graceful; others say the increasingly wacky turns interrupt the emotion or make the darker passages feel punitive. Slant Magazine points to superficial characterisation, while Eye for Film finds that the episodic structure weakens the emotional payoff. Collider is considerably more enthusiastic, valuing the earnestness and simplicity that other reviews find less satisfying. The spread runs from qualified enjoyment to firm affection, with no outright rejection.