Although my initial cause to sought this movie out was because of Asano and the variety of comments proclaiming how this film excels over other successful features, I ended up enjoying this film simple for the reason that it was nothing like I've ever seen before.<br /><br />As the grimy first five minutes of the film rolled by, served with Tadanobu Asano's ever ethereal facial expressions, my mind automatically started processing and investigating the odd display of family oriented affection between a man and a woman. But before wandering off, next fifteen minutes got right to the business of introducing me to more sane and insane characters and their functions in life.<br /><br />This basically starts the merry-go-round of scenes involving these very different individuals doing what they oh so normally do. By the second time I got through this carousel of events, my mind, now pleasantly anesthetized, stopped trying to find out what's going on and just started enjoying and craving more from each situation. This whole experience of course was topped with stylish camera work and great array of colors and locations. Music for the most part hit all the right notes and further enriched the bizarreness of certain characters.<br /><br />Although the aftermath of this film might not leave everyone with a great dramatic impingement, the story dealing with the family had a lot of heart within its realm of silliness. Ultimately the entire procedure of the film and its acting was a (sur)real treat that kept me entertained all the way through with a smile on my face. What does seem like an even better outcome is the possibility of Gen Sekiguchi tapping more deeply into this genre and pulling out more tricks than anyone could ever ask for.<br /><br />Side note: If you enjoyed this film, then I suggest that you also watch Mind Game. It's an award winning experimental animation feature, that's somewhat similar to SS5+ in a way that it expertly fuses stories of life in a most imaginative and fascinating way.