It is unusual among features other than anthology films in using a series of disparate visual styles to tell one continuous story.

As Yuasa commented in a Japan Times interview, "Instead of telling it serious and straight, I went for a look that was a bit wild and patchy.

She takes him to her family's yakitori restaurant, where she introduces him to her father, her elder sister Yan, and her fiancé Ryo.

He, Yan and Myon all speed off in the yakuza's car, leaving the father and Ryo (still unconscious) behind.

They concoct a plan to make a motor boat using spare parts and fuel from the car they arrived in.

On the day before the final match of the World Cup, the whale returns to Osaka and all four manage to escape.

[9] On April Fool's Day in 2018, the movie aired on Adult Swim's Toonami block with Japanese audio and English subtitles.

[10] The film's accolades include the Ōfuji Noburō Award at the 2005 Mainichi Film Awards and the Animation Division Grand Prize at the Japan Media Arts Festival in 2004, outranking nominee Howl's Moving Castle.

[12] It had possibly its biggest success at the Fantasia Festival in Canada in July 2005,[13] wherein it beat many live-action films to win all three of the festival's own jury awards it qualified for: Best Film, Best Director (tying with Gen Sekiguchi for Survive Style 5+) and Best Script.