This film was released in a time of violent social turmoil for Japan. ATG, the film's distributor, got cold feet when a rash of Christmas tree bombing, similar to the one in the movie, started to plague the streets of Tokyo. The film was quickly withdrawn from distribution and briefly re-released in the art theater circuit.
Director Kôji Wakamatsu's most expensive film at the time of its release. After being pulled from distribution, it caused a massive financial loss that tampered with Wakamatsu's independent studio for a decade.