it has not been entirely universal

But while acclaim for the film has been widespread, it has not been entirely universal – with Sight & Sound magazine notably critical of Harari's portrayal of Onoda, and the omission of any meaningful Filipino perspective. "With nationalist sentiment on the rise again in Japan,, in a review published shortly after the film's premiere in Cannes, "making a film that essentially celebrates someone who appeared to fully assimilate its imperialistic ambitions is naive at best and insulting at worst; it's telling here that the Filipinos who appear are little more than cannon fodder."