It's a great work, but it has some flaws in the execution of its ideas. We could begin by saying that Kirihito, at least until about halfway through the story, is a very uninteresting character. He's overshadowed from the start by Urabe, the most developed character in the story. The narrative of rape, guilt, and forgiveness takes center stage. Tezuka plays with the ups and downs, making the viewer pray that Urabe doesn't succumb to temptation, but his ending feels disappointing. Kirihito's journeys through the village, Taiwan, and on to the Middle East are generally very boring, almost like a whim of Tezuka's to create a religiousanalogy.
Throughout the story, we see discarded ideas, such as Izumi and Urabe's canceled trip to Taiwan or Murakami's disappearance.
However, beyond a few contrivances, Mr. Tezuka manages to bring the story to a satisfying close.