CD Shop Awards
The album was well received by Japanese music critics, and was chosen as one of the eleven finalists for the 2011 CD Shop Awards. Toshitomo Doumei of "Skream!" named the album his third favorite of 2011, feeling that the album had simultaneously created new genres of alternative rock and pop music. He felt the album's music was catchy, and that its success was expected due to its high quality. Entertainment Media Kulture called "Kikuuiki" the album that established Sakanaction's current style. Yuji Tanaka of "CDJournal" felt the album was more cohesive than their previous works, praising the band's skill progression and Yamaguchi's lyrics, which he described as "literary-style" and "cynical". He was struck by the "heroic march" after the album's introduction in the song "Ushio", which made him feel "suddenly intoxicated ... like being in the ocean". Takayuki Endoh of "Skream!" similarly believed the album showed growth in the band. Although their previous releases incorporated dance and rock music, Endoh felt that the music on "Kikuuiki" had struck a better harmony between the two, and had simultaneously become more rock and dance–oriented. He praised the album's "poppy floating feeling, highly literary lyrics, and romantic electro sound", feeling that the band was unique in the music industry.