Debuted in the US in a version that removed almost 30 minutes of footage that was deemed too controversial (i.e. references to lesbianism and bestiality). It was not a financial success, and didn't even have a national theatrical run. No prints of the US version were known to exist until a copy was found and restored in 2020 for the film's blu-ray release.
The first Japanese animated feature film to be aimed at an adult audience.
Tesuka used 3D models and live action footage of locations to tell this story in order to save time.
First film in Osamu Tezuka and Eiichi Yamamoto's Animerama trilogy, followed by Cleopatra (1970) and Kanashimi no Beradonna (1973).
The English dub was once considered lost until the film's blu-ray release in 2020.