Mark Schilling of
The Japan Times said, "Expect something thoughtful, informed — and utterly unlike the usual sob-fest Japanese medical melodrama." James Hadfield of
Time Out said, "Trust director
Masayuki Suo to reunite the stars of his most popular film for a cheery romantic drama about assisted dying.
Shall We Dance? leads
Tamiyo Kusakari and
Kōji Yakusho play a doctor and her terminally ill patient, with a support cast including
Tadanobu Asano and
Takao Osawa." Hugo Ozman of
Twitch Film described the film as "a thought-provoking film that will please viewers who like serious dramas" and "a beautiful film with deep meanings and some of the best performances in a Japanese film this year." However, John Defore of
The Hollywood Reporter said, "It's understandable Suo would want to give so much screen time to the highly sympathetic Yakusho, but doing so doesn't serve the dramatic structure of a film that might've been much more provocative than it is." ==References==