director kim yu-min defended his film, explaining that "the girls use sex to communicate... the sex scenes draw out the characters. i took pains not to sensationalize them." producer yeo han-ku added to this, maintaining that the film "has an important social message." other critics argued that the committee's ruling was out of touch with the views of contemporary society. an edited version of the film, having roughly a minute of sexual content removed and several scenes darkened and blurred, was later approved for release by the committee.