Mikio Naruse
The film is based on the story "Fukeyo kawakaze" by Hidemi Kon. The films story and cast (specifically Mariko Okada and Chieko Nakakita, the wife of producer Tomoyuki Tanaka) have been described Honda authors Steve Rylfe and Ed Godziszewski as being similar to the film "Floating Clouds" that was directed by Mikio Naruse and released a few weeks after "Lovetide". Tanaka had mentioned that if he had not steered Honda towards predominantly making science fiction films, Honda would have become "a director like Mikio Naruse."