Perfect Blue

Title: Perfect Blue

Novel, Anime: Perfect Blue was originally a novel written by Yoshikazu Takeuchi. When, I'm not really sure; there's not a lot of information about it.

The movie itself was done by Oniro, directed by Satoshi Kon, and was released in 1997.

Story: The story is centered around Mima Kirigoe, the lead member of a pop trio who's decided to go solo as an actress. Her small recurring role in a direct-to-video series ends up turning into a big break, but the part and a subsequent photo shoot involves... compromising situations, to say the least. On top of all this, she's ... got a stalker that knows every intimate detail about her life and is posting it on the Internet. And then the murders start, and her sanity starts fraying...

This film was Satoshi Kon's big break, and you know why when you watch it. The line between reality and fantasy blurs more and more as the film goes on, and you wonder if it's either all in her head, part of the direct-to-video series, or for real. And you will be scared. I was watching this in broad daylight in my dorm on move-in day for the returning students, and I was still scared out of my wits. And the plot twists. My god, the plot twists. In general, the plot is going to blow you out of the water.

As for faithfulness to the original, I've found tidbits that said that Kon didn't think that the original novel would make a good film, and so he asked permission from Takeuchi to change things. He got the permission, so long as the original story concepts were intact. For those who were looking for a faithful adaptation, there is a live-action film called Perfect Blue: Yume Nara Samete that was released in 2002 and directed by Toshiki Sato.

You can tell how old the film is, though, when the main character is trying to figure out how to use a computer/the Intarnet. xD

WARNING: There is rape, there is detailed nudity, there is very graphic violence, and lots and lots of blood. I'm not kidding when I say that you should only be watching this if you're over 17. Kiddies, and those who are squeamish, stay far away from this movie.

Art: This film was done back in '97, so yeah, the style's going to look a bit dated. But when you compare the animation with other shows that were airing about the same time (Pokemon, Sailor Moon StarS, to name a few), it doesn't seem to be quite as good as it possibly could be. The main reason for that was that during production, the Kobe earthquake hit the production studio (Madhouse), and the film's budget was reduced from one for a live-action movie to that of an OVA. Not the greatest art out there during the time, but given the situation that they had to work with, it's still pretty decent.

Music: The pop numbers that Mima's trio does (CHAM!) are pretty catchy. And the other music that's played only heightens the suspense. Pretty good, overall.

Seiyuu: As usual, no problems here. Mima's seiyuu is outstanding (she later went on to play Tomoyo in Cardcaptor Sakura, Ceres in Ceres: Celestial Legend, and Akane in My-HiME (Higurashi), My-Otome and My-Otome Zwei (Soir)).

Dub: N/A, didn't watch it.

Length: I honestly don't know what more they could've done with this film; the film wraps up at close to an hour and a half. (Actually, knowing Kon, maybe I don't want to know.) And it seems just right, because of the fast pace that it clips along at, while still managing to make sure that everything that the audience needs to understand is included.

Overall: An amazing, if not perfectly animated, psychological thriller that will have you wondering just what's real here and clinging to your nearest cuddly.

Story: 10/10
Art: 7/10
Music: 9/10
Seiyuu: 8/10
Length: 10/10

Overall: 44/50; 88% (B)

Strap in for a roller coaster ride through the human mind.

As always, my reviews are spoiler free.

You know you have done something right when someone can completely associate your name with a genre. For Satoshi Kon, that genre is Psychological Thriller (or mindf**k, if you prefer). All his works (perhaps with the exception of Tokyo Godfathers, which is still fantastic) explore this genre differently, some deeper than others, but from Paranoia Agent to Millennium Actress he clearly shows his abilities as a director. Of all his works, I think his first, Perfect Blue, is my favorite.

Story - 10/10

Our story begins ... with Kirigoe Mima, a member of a pop idol group, deciding to give up her singing career for a future as an actress. This decision leads to a string of events that will change her life forever, as well those around her. What begins with sinister phone calls and faxes becomes a paranoid fight for her life with a stalker; a stalker with a warped view of reality to say the least. Mima's career as an actor is not as glamorous as she expected either, leading to outrage among her fans and incredible stress for her manager and friend, Hidaka Rumi. As mysterious acts of violence are committed around her, Mima's view of reality begins to change.

The story explores a number of topics that few other works in the medium discuss, such as the loss of innocence and the perception of reality. It tackles these tough subjects without forcing them upon the viewer, as they are slowly immersed into the twisted world of Mima's life.

As much as I would love to continue to praising the story, I cannot bring myself to do it. It is something that must be experienced and not spoiled. And that ending... Wow.

Animation - 8/10

Released in 1997, this movie will of course look dated when compared to the work of today. When it is compared to other works of the time, however, it stands out with great fluidity. Some of the artistic choices are a bit strange, especially the character designs, but there is nothing that will detract from the experience, especially if one manages to acquire a Blu-ray release.

One outstanding factor is the cinematography. The angle of scenes being changed gives a certain amount of depth of vision most other series cannot come close to matching, even today.

I will be giving animation an 8/10, keeping in mind that it should be compared with other anime produced in the 90s.

Sound - 7/10

The soundtrack is haunting and disorienting. Much like that of well made horror movies, a feeling of suspense can be gradually built and released, or suddenly come to a climax. However, there is nothing worthy in and of itself, and the songs CHAM!, Mima's idol group, sings are grating on the ears at best.

Character - 10/10

Mima is developed very extensively throughout the movie, as she is the sole protagonist. Personally, I developed a great attachment to her throughout the movie, sharing her fear, depression, and confusion. She makes a fantastic protagonist, and as I mentioned above, wonderfully illustrates the theme of loss of innocence.

The supporting cast does well, with Rumi and her stalker being the main side characters. Rumi is developed very well herself, especially in the later half of the series as the story is tied together. The stalker, while far less explored, still has his motivations clearly explained and the viewer gets a fantastic look into a deranged mind.

Overall, it has one of the best protagonists I have ever seen, and a strong supporting cast.

Enjoyment - 10/10

If you are a fan of suspense, mystery, drama, thrillers... you will love this. Perfect Blue appeals to so many psychological elements and has such an intricate setup that it can be watched again and again, noticing new things each time. The second watch can be even better with than the first; once you know the end, you can trace the story backwards to the origin.

I would not recommend this to fans of mindless action, comedy, or SOL. It is not by any means a "light watch." But if you are willing to sit back and let it totally absorb you, I can't possibly think of a better way to spend your time.

Other Thoughts

This movie contains fully uncensored nudity and graphic sexual scenes. There is a significant amount of violence as well, but it is not too gory. I would still strongly advise against younger viewers watching this.

If you enjoyed this movie, you should immediately acquire and watch everything that Satoshi Kon ever directed. I don't think you will be disappointed.

I give this movie a 9/10, with the only improvements I could wish for would be a slightly better soundtrack and a fresh coat of animation (give it to ufotable, they would be perfect).

Thanks for reading.

Sitting alone in the dark watching someone tell the day you had forgotten. You just might lose your mind.

Thinking about who you are and why you are this person may often cause your thoughts to clash amongst one another. This is strongly shown in the main character Mima Kirigoe. The story is truly some of the best writing I’ve ever seen. Its a mix of linear progression and short time jumps. This enhances the disarray shown in Mima. All of the scenes show believable emotion on what a character might do faced with the situation. The story is very unique in the way it ties ... together what is a dream and what is reality. Mima aspiring to be an actor allows this story to use clever writing to really add mystery and delusion while maintaing truth. The pacing is flawless. When it begins to steamroll watching for the first time you will be asking what the hell is going on a lot. It can be a very exciting show with thought provoking themes. It is accompanied by some less then easy to watch moments. They add to the emotional strain on Mima pulling her mind apart but may not be watchable by everyone. This is a masterpiece of complex emotional thoughts and detailed writing, used in the telling of the story which ties together everything in the end.

The art shows beautiful symbolism. Tones are darkened slightly to add an extra layer of mystery an unease. It has a realistic world and character design to it. Each character’s look matches their personality extremely well. The eyes on the creeper characters give a twisted feeling to them. Mima switches from upbeat and happy to paranoid or depressed effortlessly. Its never out of place for the scene in the story. Watching the Art techniques used to portray confusion in Mima’s mind, believing a glass door isn’t there, or the splash a puddle makes (or doesn’t) is the necessary details that make this movie wonderful. The heavy blurs mixing dream and reality the quick transitions tying plot together with story progression while maintaing illusion is executed flawlessly in Perfect Blue.

The soundtrack fits the story at every scene. Its eerie and frighting when it needs to be an able to switch immediately to a lighter mood with the Pop songs without totally losing the emotion from before. The sound overall from camera flashes to violent climaxes along with all of the voice acting (Viewed Subbed Version) is amazing. I personally enjoyed the distorting of one of the "CHAM!" songs to accompany a scene that otherwise would feel out of place. This allowed for the story to mix emotions that wouldn’t be seen together otherwise. It was a nice trick further showing the brilliant writing shown throughout both the Art and Sound.

I want to be very careful on how I explain the characters as their development is truly at the core of the story. All the supporting characters fit their role in the story exceptionally well. The choices and decision made are believable. They have realistic ideas and goals shown in the story that define the decisions they make. The characters have common afflictions which relates them to one another in multiple ways. The devoplment of Mima is shockingly beautiful to say the least. I felt I could understand some of the feelings she had in choosing to become a different person and the difficulty in leaving part of your life behind. All of the characters feel real even just the filling ones talking about the gossip revolving around Mima’s life.

This is a truly unique story with a beautifully integrate plot, a perfectly toned art style, exceptionally well scored soundtrack, and believable an interesting characters. The story is gritty and bold as well as exciting and impassioned. If you are looking for a show that will get your mind thinking and are able to handle a few disheartening scenes. You will lose your thoughts within the chaos of perfection that is Perfect Blue.

“Like I Care! I Am Who I Am!!.” Mima Kirigoe.

Anyone familiar with Satoshi Kon is probably also already familiar with what would make this movie intriguing. His works have a real appeal to fans of the surreal. It can be very mentally and visually stimulating. I've enjoyed other things by Kon, and I was really beginning to like this movie, however, by the end I had several problems with this film...

Perfect Blue tries way too hard to synchronize the psychosis of multiple characters, all the while being far too vague about filling the viewer in on this objective. The result being an overtly complex attempt at immersing the viewer in utter confusion. The movie ... does a thorough job of making it literally impossible for most (any?) people to figure out whose psychosis they are witnessing. The juxtaposition of reality with dreams, fantasies, hallucinations, and apparently even premonitions, make for a potently perplex cocktail. I'm not sure why the movie prolongs the ambition of remaining so intentionally and completely vague, but even by the end of multiple viewings some things remain unclear. Perhaps there is some secret demand for this kind of gross ambiguity I'm not aware of, but it strikes me as inconsistent imagination or lazy writing -- or worse, pretentious writing. Like, "Oh, look at how confusing and misleading I can be. You'll never figure this out."

In general, Perfect Blue is fun to watch just for the surreal visual elements. It has very nice use of colors (darks, lights, illumination, etc.) and some trippy scenes. As a whole however, for me personally, this enjoyment was countered by the movies refusal to allow the audience to be able to discern reality from illusion. Now of course, I don't want to have things spelled out for me. I enjoy having my perception toyed with as much as the next person, but by the end of a movie, especially after watching more than once, I expect to at least have some grasp on what was "really" going on. Otherwise I just feel confused and frustrated wondering what the point to the whole thing was. Maybe with Perfect Blue that was the point...

Perfect Blue centers around a small pop star's transition into the film business. Her life is turned upside down by her new, less innocent work, a stalker, and several murders that occur around her. Much like Millennium Actress and Paprika, this is another Satoshi Kon film that blurs the lines between reality and delusion, only to a more suspenseful effect in Perfect Blue. Mima, the ex-pop star turned actress is filming a TV murder drama throughout most of the movie that eerily mirrors the murders that are occurring around her. It is often unclear if a scene is playing out on ... the set or in the real world. Then there's the nagging question throughout of whether the entire scenario isn't a schizophrenic delusion of a psychotic killer.

The stalker and the murders are suspense staples, and unnerving enough in and of themselves. The religious obsession of stalkers is inherently freaky, as are psychotic and pathological murders. The layer that Kon's style adds is the anxiety the viewer feels each time Mima wakes up from a horrendous dream or in each filmed scene of the TV drama where the already unstable established reality becomes even more fragile when we question if perhaps the supposedly filmed rape scenes or murder scenes are the truth; if perhaps the seemingly sweet and innocent Mima doesn't hide a psychopath behind a web of delusions. The film doesn't try to establish a twisted empathy with the killer in question the way many suspense novels would. Most of the important characters are quite simply insane. The lack of awareness they have for their own pathology, along with the constant ambiguity in the borders between fantasy and reality is what builds and holds the suspense.

Satoshi Kon has always done beautiful running animation, but nowhere is it more appreciated than in Perfect Blue. The way the characters stumble a little every now and then, or run full sprint into a wall and push off to round a corner rather than just slowing down and making a turn, coupled with spectacular voice performances by the cast, most notably when they're screaming for help or begging for forgiveness, does wonders at conveying the sheer terror these characters are experiencing during the more violent scenes. From eye stabbing to rape, some of these scenes seem like they're too disgusting to watch, and there was always a part of me that wanted to turn away, but the fear bleeds through the screen in such a way that I found my eyes glued, and myself actually praying for the characters' safety. In this sense, even though Perfect Blue doesn't establish the easiest characters to empathize with, the shockingly realistic way they convey horror (relative to other Anime at the very least) awakens the primal concern we have for someone in distress.

The twist at the end is skin crawlingly creepy, and at a happy medium between predictable and out of the blue. It's hinted at a few times throughout the film, but with all the reality bending and psychotic delusions going on, it certainly isn't the only outcome I suspected. Too bad it so clearly distinguishes the previously hazy borders between what is real and what isn't. Such an ambiguous movie should retain a little bit of its ambiguity to the end, but instead the climax brings reality down fast and hard. Its clarity and convenience makes it slightly unsatisfying.

There's no arguing that the climax is spectacular. The whole movie makes beautiful use of tension without any gimmicky camera angles that zoom in on demented, boggling eyes or some other such junk that many psychothriller anime titles use to create unease when the scenario itself isn't enough to accomplish it. Perfect Blue is creepiness in its purest form.

Satoshi Kon was certainly an interesting individual, this is easily witnessed in any of the interviews he participated in, or in any of the numerous philosophical quotes he spewed out. I legitimately would have loved to meet the man, have a nice leisurely chat about various topics, I wish I got the chance to analyze such a unique person's brain and thought patterns, unfortunately he passed away too soon, so my dream will be unfulfilled. The reader of this review might be wondering as to the relevance of this entire introduction in regards to my review of "Perfect Blue", quite simply, I am stating that ... I respect this man's intellectual gift and talent, while I never actually liked really any of his catalog, I would be lying if I said that his concepts weren't intriguing on paper. However, at the same time, I would be also lying if I claimed that I thought any of his films, especially "Perfect Blue" are actual good pieces of media. As much as Mr.Kon was a bright mind taken far too soon, he wasn't exactly a great director, getting by purely on his ideas, as opposed to actual solid directing, plot construction and general cohesion. Sadly, in my eyes, "Perfect Blue" is nothing more than a fantastic premise muddled in poor cohesion, superficial messages, and pretentious screenplay.

Considering the film was so heavily promoted on the concept of what is real and what isn't, it is hard to gauge what events are actually occuring, or if quite frankly none of it is real. However, I will get to that later, I want to focus on the one clear message the film does have, which is the criticism that it presents towards the superficial pop idol/Japanese media in general. "Perfect Blue" clearly shows the unhealthy infatuation that goes into Japanese pop culture, many Japanese throw away any semblance of normal social life in order to feverishly follow media trends, people involved in media, such as pop idols and actors or fictional Anime characters. They live lives that are missing social interaction and affection, they have a void in their hearts, a void of love and a feeling of being wanted. They are shunned by society due to a variety of different reasons, as a result they turn to more desperate measures to sustain themselves. One instance as the film clearly depicts, is a man that can only be described as hideous, a man who obviously has a struggling or even non-existent social presence, finds salvation in the main character Mina, or to be more accurate, the pop idol facade Mina portrays. Living life full of hardship, causes people to search elsewhere, for that perfect love, that ideal person who will not judge them for who they are, for this man, its the pop idol Mina, her songs uplift his spirit, she is beautiful, kind and meek. Everything that a lonely man would desire, the issue of course, is that Mina is just a character, a character put out by Japanese companies to make money, a superficial facade, in reality Mina is just another person with flaws like any other. This message is explored throughout the film, however I disagree with the way that Satoshi Kon handled it, I feel the character dynamics were far too simplistic to fully demonstrate the complexity of this social issue/phenomenon. The man who is infatuated with Mina, is portrayed as being hideously ugly, monster-like, which I feel was intentional, since Satoshi Kon had a constant theme of having any unlikable/undesirable characters look utterly putrid. I am pretty sure this was done to visually symbolize the horror that is the unhealthy infatuation this man represents, but at the same time it undermines that entire group. Portraying them all as disgusting psychopaths with no empathy, which is far from the case.

The film while supposed to be this deep look into an unhealthy part of Japanese sub culture comes off as nothing more than a biased, one-sided examination. To me it would far more powerful and intense for the viewer, if that character was normal-looking and seemed innocent. Allowing the viewer to drop their guard, making for the eventual scares to have more of an impact as the viewer will not expect it, however with him looking the way he does, the film becomes predictable that this character is not a character, but just a creepy monster representing a biased view of a ostracized part of the population in Japan. The reason it bothers me so much, is because it doesn't give insight to why people fall into this type of behavior and what could be done about it, the creepy monster is only presented as a psychopath with no redeeming qualities, nothing more than a cartoon villain, it would have much more emotional weight to the audience if we learned about why he became that way, and how Mina turned into his savior, a martyr of sorts. Instead, all we get is a demonizing portrayal of a vulnerable group of people, who while of course some of them will be dangerous and go too far in their obsessions, (just like "regular people") quite a number of them are just harmless people who need to be showed support and care, not be dragged through the mud in a biased piece of media.

Now comes the part of the film that basically plays out like a mediocre high school art class, where the teacher would put up on the projector a simplistic, worthless piece of art with a very broad theme and topic. Afterwards, she would ask you, what themes and potential interpretations do you see in the work, "Perfect Blue" is pretty much that in a nutshell. The concept of value and meaning in work is nothing but a subjective farce, any piece of work can be interpreted by an individual to have numerous meanings or cultural significance, society has built up so many different cultural values and symbols that practically any piece of work can be made to seem to be filled to the brim with symbolism, when in reality it is nothing more than symbolism by accident, being confirmed by individuals with their own cultural experiences, values and symbology, essentially putting value into work that was not there to begin with. The essence of arrogance and self-righteous that humanity constantly displays, the need to feel that we are above the other simple life-forms on this planet, when in reality we are nothing but bumbling self-conscious fools. "Perfect Blue" is exactly that, with no concrete structure or proper evidence to showcase if anything being presented on screen has actual meaning or purpose. Instead, the film plays out as a number of scenes put together in order to confuse the viewer, to question what is real or not, making it seem that the film is vast and deep in nature, when in reality the viewer has no chance to put this puzzle together, because there is no puzzle, I would go as far to say that Satoshi Kon himself doesn't know what the plot actually is, because this movie is not about Mina, its not about making a solid film, its about putting in as much symbolism and philosophical ramblings into various scenes, this is simply Mr.Kon's video entry showcasing the inner workings of his thoughts and the various complicated philosophical and ideological issues he was struggling with, too bad this is not an essay, presentation or a non-fictional work discussing these things, this is supposed to be a Animated film, with a plot, a sense of structure and character, "Perfect Blue" has none of that, because none of that mattered in its production, as gifted as Mr.Kon was, he focused too much on inputting his own personal ideas into his work as opposed to just simply making a piece of media that was fundamentally sound.

The reason I am so harsh on this film, is because Satoshi Kon had talent, problem was it was misdirected, the lavish praise he received from news outlets and fans didn't help matters, not allowing him to realize the muddled mess he created, reflecting on it and improving on his actual direction. Numerous theories about the actual plot of the film are plentiful on the internet, the issue with all the theories is none of them are solid, each one has gaping plot holes or illogical character behavior. For instance, if everything that happened to Mina was true, the fact that the police did not get involved is a total farce, and utterly laughable, she is connected to every murder victim, yet the studio never shuts down due to the tragedies and the police aren't immediately ringing at her doorbell asking questions is absurd. It also showcases missed opportunities for the film to actually be scary, after another murder, Mina finds in her closet bloody articles of clothing, immediately after the media are knocking at her door. What would have been actually scary is if that was the police, it would make sense and be a natural progression in terms of intensity, she discovers evidence that could convict her of a crime, the moment she finds it the police are at the door, the audience would be on the edge of their seat, anticipating how Mina will handle the upcoming critical situation. But no, that doesn't happen, instead the media barge into her home, with no police presence anywhere, and the scene lasts only 5 seconds, a pointless throw-away scene with no sense of thrill.

Now one might be asking, well what if she was simply mentally ill, and most of the film was just illusions by a person suffering from some sort of severe mental disorder. Again, the film does not have enough sufficient evidence to conclude any theory one way or the other, of course by now we realize it was meant to be this way, but I just find that notion to be a cope out for poor writing and cohesion. Going back to the example of interpretation, since as the viewer we are given nonsensical sequences one after the other, almost any interpretation is valid, really only being limited by one person's imagination and creativity. In fact, I pose a theory, the entire film is actually a movie within a movie. Some people might gawk at that notion and find it absurd, but is it really?, just like the concept of adding value to a piece of work when in reality there is none. The film is so open-ended with no sense of cohesion, any theory can be viewed as acceptable in order to explain what occurs in "Perfect Blue". This is exactly why, I don't find this film "deep", its lazy storytelling and directing, instead of creating a movie with a clear plot and structure, adding in meaning, symbolism, ideology and any other dissections of social behavior. Instead, what we are given is a film with poor structure, disguised as being purposely deceiving, in order for the audience to question what is happening, in reality what that is, is making the audience do all the work, coming up with theories, meanings and values that are not there to begin with. Putting value into a piece of work that doesn't have any value, that is "Perfect Blue" described in one statement, it is a lazy piece of work, that has garnered praise for not what it did, but for what other people who are desperate to be viewed as intellectually gifted perceived it to be.

As for the rest of the technical aspects of the film, Madhouse did a pretty mediocre job animating, their a much better looking Animated full-length features around this era. Key frames look okay, and any shots with little movement maintain decent quality, however the moment alot of movement is present, art quality drops to laughable levels. The music is fine if uninspired, reason being is I found the soundtrack to be very similar to the game series "Clock Tower", which coincidentally was released only a few years prior. In conclusion, I respect Satoshi Kon as a person, I don't think he was a good director, he had good ideas that unfortunately became a muddled mess with no direction. "Perfect Blue" is sadly no different, a overrated Anime film that while intriguing at times, falls flat on its face.

Why is it that I always end up watching movies like this at 4 am, in my room, alone?

STORY - Perfect Blue is a very loose novel adaptation that was originally intended to be (and eventually made into) a live action movie, and it's very clear that the story presented in the film would have been very fitting for a live action treatment. As one of Satoshi Kon's earliest works, I found it interesting that his trademark themes are so prominent already -- reality and fantasy feel indefinitely blurred, and the audience is left as bewildered as the characters they're witnessing. Mima's acting career puts ... her in a role that becomes increasingly similar to her real life situation, and the stress of having to perform less-than-desirable roles coupled with a bizarre stalker-like website personality claiming to be her throws her world into chaos.

The story itself has a very classic feel to it -- a person's insecurity and doubt after making a major life decision isn't anything groundbreaking, but it's an easy-to-relate to subject, and there are many ways to make that simple storyline interesting. Kon's expert storytelling and the incredible cinematics of Perfect Blue make it well worth watching. The camera angles and the way scenes are spliced together is incredible. The more Mima becomes uncertain of her world, the more the audience becomes unsure of what they're seeing. Was that last scene a dream or reality? When the scene repeats -- is the second version reality? Or is it a dream? Or were they both dreams? The ambiguity of what is and isn't can be frustrating at times, but in the end, the effectiveness of the storytelling outweighs any real need to know what was and wasn't.

CHARACTER - Excellent. Mima's psychological descent is well-played. Her insecurity and uncertainty about her decisions and identity is easy to believe, so it's easy to sympathize with her -- always an important thing. This allows the resulting drama some leeway as far as realism goes, and you're able to take on a lot more without thinking that any of it is over-the-top or ridiculous. It's hard to elaborate too much on her ordeal without giving everything away, but yeah... Mima's character is great all around.

The secondary characters are of mostly of the sort that play one specific role and that's it. This works well enough since the film is essentially about Mima's mental and emotional state, and that makes detailed exploration of other characters more or less pointless. Still, Me-Mania (the stalker) and Mima's managerial staff are very effective in that they give away many clues as to what's really going on without explicitly revealing anything. It's a good mystery, and it's killing me to not talk about certain characters, but I hate giving away spoilers even more. :3

ARTSTYLE & ANIMATION - Perfect Blue had some amazing artwork in it -- the sets and scenes were very well rendered and I was particularly pleased with the realistic treatments of the female body in the various scenes that featured it. It isn't often you get nipples and pubes, anyway. There were some strange stylistic quirks in some characters though; thinking back, if they did it on purpose, it was a very clever way to set some characters apart from others, but otherwise, it just leaves you wondering why they failed on the facial anatomy here and again when, for the most part, everything and everyone else looks excellent. The animation was smooth and beautiful, and again, despite being an animated film, the cinematography was very much suited for a live action film. The way scenes transitioned and were put together was just amazing. Very well done indeed.

MUSIC - This movie had a very, very effective soundtrack. Suspenseful scenes were enhanced by suspenseful music, but it wasn't so in-your-face that it felt over-the-top or corny. I'll be the first to admit that some of those jumpy scenes freaked me out, and the music played no small part in that. The less dramatic scenes naturally had less noticeable music. Mima's former pop trio CHAM!'s music was pretty generic-feeling, but that was probably the point. It was cute, and that was about it.

VOICE ACTING - I saw this movie subbed. The cast was pretty average for the most part, but I really appreciated Junko Iwao's role as Mima because Mima herself is an actor. The range of emotion she goes through is pretty amazing, and the voice acting in those very high-tension (rape) scenes is very convincing (maybe even disturbingly so).

OVERALL - I really enjoyed Perfect Blue. I walked into it knowing little more than that it was a Satoshi Kon movie (that's a plenty good enough reason to see it!), and to that extent, it definitely doesn't disappoint. The reality/fantasy theme that's so prevalent in Kon's later works is already here in full force, and I'd venture to say that the blur is even more effective here than it is in later works like Paprika and Paranoia Agent. It's worth repeating again that the cinematics are nothing short of amazing. The story is polished and has an excellent climax and ending; the character(s) are well-developed and well-played. The music is fitting, and the acting is top notch where it needs to be. Maybe watching it alone at 4am made it all the more suspenseful for me, but I'm sure it's just as enjoyable to see with friends in the middle of the afternoon. ;3

“Excuse me… Who are you?”

Perspective. Works of fiction such as TV and film are all about perspective. Fiction in general is the classification of imaginative stories, these stories having the ability to convey themes to give stories a deeper meaning. But with TV and film, these stories are presented visually, allowing for a whole new experience and perspective on a story. The perspective provides new ways to justify character actions, events and even reality itself, questioning if what is being show is, in fact, real. This is a movie that focuses on the latter specifically. A movie that not only shows someone losing control over ... what is real and what is not, but also a movie that lets viewers see the journey to madness first-hand. This is Perfect Blue: a movie that is anything but what the title seems.

Perfect Blue is a psychological thriller anime film based on the novel of the same name, made in 1997 by Studio Madhouse and was the directorial debut of Satoshi Kon; the genius mind behind other great animated works such as Paranoia Agent and Millennium Actress. The film follows Mima Kirigoe, a singer for J-pop idol group CHAM! who decides to leave the group after moderate success and financial limitations to pursue a more profitable career as an actress, much to the dismay of her fans and management. She manages to land a role in a crime drama, however at the same time she starts receiving anonymous threats and even finds a blog called ‘Mima’s Room’ that details her life in intimate detail without her knowledge. This is soon followed with a chain of mysterious murders taking place to the people around her, all while she is being stalked by an obsessed fan called “Me-Mania” and her very own pop idol self in the form of a ghost, haunting her and insisting that she return to singing. Throughout the film Mima questions her decisions as an actress and due to her experiences and events, loses her sense of reality. And all of this correlates to create this dark, enthralling mindfuck that will have you on the edge of your seat like no other.

The story of Perfect Blue does take it’s time to get rolling as it has a rather simplistic setup whilst focusing on the inner turmoil Mima is facing. In other words, do not expect it to be epic from the get-go with action-packed scenes throughout. Perfect Blue is not a thriller in that sense. Rather, the thrills come from Mima’s disfigured perception of reality experienced between her personal life and the TV series she stars in, Double Bind. The film plays with this dilemma extremely well, blurring the lines of reality and psychosis to the point where viewers won’t even know what is really happening anymore. Some scenes with Mima in them were nicely acted and well-shot that at first looked real, only for the film to reveal that she was acting the entire time. Yet she is giving more emotion in these takes than any of her fellow actors, because these scenes reflect on her life. Later in the movie, we are given details of what is initially believed to be Mima’s life and mental health issue, then suddenly the camera pans out and the details were revealed to have been in the script read out by one of the actors in the show. There were so many times when I thought I understood what was happening, only for the film to trick me, to the point where you would think to just give up piecing together the puzzle of Perfect Blue until the end. However, the dichotomy between reality and fiction is weaved so well it compels viewers to continue on.

There is no doubt that Perfect Blue is confusing, especially on first watch. But that is no flaw, it was made purposely to allow us to go through the same experiences that Mima does, and it only gets more intense as it goes on. Each scene is somehow more disturbing than the last, keeping everyone watching in suspense as the rather simplistic thriller in the beginning turns into a psychological nightmare towards the end. And as the scenes get more disturbing, so does the editing and overall cinematography. Satoshi Kon was a genius of editing, knowing exactly when to cut to a different scene for the maximum effect. The film transitions used here are as magnificent as you would expect; in several scenes, the narrative and music builds to its peak before suddenly cutting to the next scene. The film is very much made in the style that you would expect from an Alfred Hitchcock, only here it adds to the confusion of fact and fiction. It provokes viewers to think about the limitless outcomes of how the movie could end, but the movie knows this and continuously swerves the story around movie clichés. The movie even goes so far as to place scenes out of chronological order and some scenes cut before characters can finish their sentences. Everything was done to further put the viewer in Mima’s position; you feel and see first-hand what she is going through. With Perfect Blue, Kon was able to showcase his understanding of the human mind and his ability to further heighten these feelings of isolation and fear.

As you can see, Perfect Blue is primarily concerned with the psychological breakdown of Mima as a result of her transition from a pop idol to an actress, but through this the film strive to find out who Mima is. Numerous times the film shows Mima as a timid person that does not have a strong sense of who she is, preferring to rely on those around her to define her identity. Even if the beginning the film defines her through the perspective of her fans, and from there it is her management that controls her image for their own wishes, going so far as to put her in a rape scene in order to get more eyes on the TV show. While the rape scene is staged, Mima is still traumatized by the experience. The film provides an authentic commentary on the exploitation of woman in the entertainment industry, especially in Japan’s case as Mima’s development shows change internally and externally, from the innocence pop idol perceived by fans of her former self to where she feels as though she needs to be sexually exploited if she is ever going to be able to advance her career, causing further damage to her psyche. These kinds of actions make you think that the price of fame may not be worth the cost of identity.

Perfect Blue also tackles the issue of technology and how easy it is to create, maintain and lose control of one’s own public avatar. Before insanity takes over in full force, Mima finds an internet diary of sorts dedicated to detailing her experiences, feelings and life in general to even the most minute detail without Mima’s knowledge. While finding it humorous at first, her emotions quickly turn to fear as she figures out that she is being stalked, endangering her former sense of seclusion. She is never seen as a hero in the film, rather she is seen more realistically as a victim of lost privacy. Mima’s case becomes worse as the films goes on, with the site publishing false statements under the guise of Mima despite not reflecting her true feelings. Bear in mind that this film started production in 1994/1995, a time where stalking and the internet itself were barely understood, making the film prophetic in its use of the internet. Privacy is an increasing issue in society today, making the dilemmas faced in this film more relatable and realistic, and along with the unclear distinction of what she perceives to be real, makes this tale that much more terrifying.

While Perfect Blue is a complex film, it does have an artistic side to it. There are several scenes throughout that while own their own look stunning, but with context signify Mima’s fall from grace and descent into madness. Some of these scenes were so well done that they have been recreated in live-action films like Requiem of a Dream and Black Swan. Despite the film’s title, the colour red is very symbolic as it represents Mima’s madness growing. As the movie goes on, red becomes more and more prominent, from brief items to completely encompassing Mima in some scenes, mirroring what happens in the narrative. Yet the colour never feels out of place in the film; if anything, it heightens the suspenseful nature that the film has. In contrast, white is used with the ghost of Mima’s mind, indicating the former innocence she once possessed in her pop idol career, back when she would have been considered too pure to go through with what is now expected of her as an actress. Reflections are also used prominently to not only foreshadow issues such as stalking and sexualisation, but as an effective way to explore the duality Mima faces throughout the film, further highlighting the identity crisis she faces. The brilliant imagery in Perfect Blue holds within it incredible thematic depth, hidden details and more, all while telling a confusing yet compelling story with seemingly unlimited replay value.

The only glaring weak point that Perfect Blue has is in the sound, specifically the English dub. The cast and acting are both fine albeit some pronunciation issues here and there, but the script for the English version is weaker than its Japanese counterpart and it is apparent. Voice actors for the English dub were recorded one at a time and the depth of voice is off in some scenes, but overall it’s still a fine dub. The Japanese acting however the excellent all around, adding to the creepy and unsettling vibe the show already gives off. The soundtrack is varied, ranging from generic J-pop idol songs to the eerie themes that fit the tense atmosphere. There are even themes that change tone halfway through (for example, a J-pop tune that gets purposely distorted) in order to fit scenes that transition to Mima’s hallucinations, keeping the film unpredictable at every moment. It is complex, melancholic, surreal and beautiful all at the same time.

Perfect Blue is an absolute masterpiece of a psychological movie that feels more real than what we wish to see. Satoshi Kon uses hallucinations, imagery and even a doppelganger within this multi-layered narrative to draw the audience into Mima’s world; a place where her identity and sense of reality is broken more and more as time goes on. The ending of the film revolves around how Mima answers the iconic question from the beginning of this review: "Excuse me... Who are you?". In that sense, Perfect Blue can be considered Mima’s coming of age story, where she began as a character defined by others, and over the course of the film loses everyone around her until she is all alone. In these kinds of moments, the only option left for Mima is to find herself. Nobody can help her through this; she is ultimately the only one who can truly find a place where she knows she belongs. And in the end, she does, but not in a way you would expect. The last scene shows Mima in a car underneath clear blue skies. She looks into the rear-view mirror; looking directly at the audience and smiles, then in cryptic fashion declares:

“No, I’m the real thing”.

Overview:

Perfect Blue is one of the greatest psychological drama anime of all time. It was written by the master of mind bending, trippy anime: the late, great, Satoshi Kon. An interesting fact is that it is one of the favorite films of American director Darron Aranovsky, who paid Kon's studio royalty money for the right to reuse a scene from Perfect Blue in Aranovsky's "Requiem for a Dream". It is also interesting that Aranovsky denies that this film influenced Black Swan, despite the obvious parallels that he himself acknowledged were highly suspicious. Anyways, time to move on the actual review.

Plot: 9/10

The plot is that a ... young pop singer named Mima decides to leave her J-pop girl band and seek greater fame and glory as an actress. This greatly disappoints her fans including a very creepy stalker who calls himself the "mimaniac". Mima also notices that someone is claiming to be her online and running a website called Mima's Room. Mima has a hard time as an actress and is forced to take roles she really doesn't want including a rape victim. Eventually the stress starts to really effect Mima's mind and she begins to lose the ability to distinguish fantasy from reality, much like the stress induced delusions and hallucinations of the ballerina character Nina in Black Swan. Even the names are the same, just replace "m" with "n". The difference is that Mima actually does have people out to get her including a deranged serial killer who is hellbent on becoming the "real" Mima. The story's many twists and Mima's delusions and hallucinations gave the plot a very dreamlike quality. It can be a bit confusing at times if it is your first time watching it. I don't want to spoil anything, so I will simply end by saying that the plot was very well done overall.

Characters: 9/10

The main character Mima shows us that celebrities are normal people who are effected by stress and worry just like everyone else. However, they have legions of people worshipping them as if they're Gods and obsessing over their every move. It is especially hard for female actresses and singers that have to deal with the added pressure of having to always look sexy. The stress and expectations that celebrities face can take a real psychological toll and helps explain why so many celebrities act out in outrageous fashion or have complete psychological breakdowns. Mima never turns to drugs, crazy religions, or any of the other typical American celebrity coping mechanisms. Instead, she tries to carry all the weight and burdon of fame by herself. The film also examines the negative impact of obsessive otaku culture through the Me-Maniac and looks at Japan's objectification of women. Another interesting character is Rumi, who is supposed to be Mima's manager and a voice of reason. However, she is an ex-idol who is obsessed with getting back in the spotlight and cares more about living through Mima than she does for Mima herself.


Art: 10/10

This is an artistic masterpiece! Even though it was made back in 1997, it still looks beautiful and fresh. The amount of color and detail that went into every frame of this movie is amazing. The backgrounds, characters, and animation are all superb. Nothing else to say here. Two thumbs way up!

Sound: 7/10

If I had any single criticism of this film, it would be that the soundtrack probably could have been better. It was fine, but sometimes didn't always fit the dark tone of the movie. That ending song!

Enjoyment: 8/10

The movie can be slow at times and quite confusing at others. Some scenes are very tense and uncomfortable and this isn't a happy "popcorn" movie. It may not be the funnest movie to watch, but it is a movie everyone should try out.

Overall: 9/10

I know it feels like I gushed praise on this film without objectively looking at the film's flaws, but this is honestly a very good movie. It is by no means a perfect film or necessarily Kon's best film, but I honestly really liked this one. If you are interested in psychological anime, older anime, or critically acclaimed anime, I would check this one out!

Movies are very limited in scope due to their length, what anime could achieve story and theme wise is cannot be achieved by the movie as anime spams hundreds of episodes and movie only has only 2 hours at best. On the other hand movies have excellent budget making them panicle of Visuals and due to the short length they have adopted unique storytelling telling techniques. You can easily see and feel the difference between an Anime and Movie story structure which are wildly different. The story structure of movies can be great it is unfortunately easy to hack. That brings me to perfect blue ... and let’s begin with some positive points.

Perfect Blue is very well directed, every scene is well thought out and well directed to match theme of the movie, Satoshi Kon did a very good job of directing this movie. As you will expect from any movie, visuals and animations are fluid and staggering. The dark and unsaturated tone of the visuals blends well with the theme of the Movie. I am not a big fan of dark and bland visuals but they do their job well. Overall visuals of the Perfect Blue are outstanding and animation is somewhat innovative. Now we take a step forward to the story and I have no praise for it.

The story of perfect blue is simple to understand and it is like a story that is simple but trying to be complex and serious and this is where I say that it is very easy to hack a movie. By hack I mean is to create a shallow piece of work and show it as a deep and thoughtful work. Just like a mirage has an illusion of water, perfect blue has the illusion of integrity, deepness, and maturity but just like a mirage, it is an illusion. Now let me clarify myself and let us understand the structure of the story and its theme.

Every story follows a theme or every theme follows a story and if both get disconnected in one way or another story fails to make a point and it is unenjoyable, the story that is not visuals. Let just take Death Note as an example as many of you should have watched it completely. Death Note follows the theme of justice, it asks the question like “What is Justice?”, “Are criminal’s human?” etc. But it never leaves its theme of justice and when it leaves that theme in the second season all of the drama and tension falls to the ground and Death Note feels like a typical criminal vs detective anime and you may agree with me on this. Anime which is based on a particular theme can lose its luster after diverting from it. But only having the strong theme is not enough you have to show it with the story.

Perfect Blue is a patchwork of many themes and ideas which people can call mature. The theme such as identity crisis, dark parts of the film industry, mental illness, stalkers, rape so on and on. Now I have no problems with such themes but I have the problem with the intent behind it, these themes are there to deceive viewer to see the movie as more mature, deep, dark and realistic than it actually is. What I am saying is that perfect blue insults its theme and uses it for marketing purposes than to actually make a point or at least to provide some entertainment and oh god critics and reviewers love this kind of stuff. Let’s take a theme to understand what I mean.

Stalking is a real-world problem that celebrity and even common people face. Stalking is shown in a very narrow sense and only form point of view of the person who is the victim. There is no exploring the issue and in the end, that stalker is nothing but a mad and purely evil person. I am not against single-minded approach but Perfect Blue states form the start that it is taking these things seriously but fails to do so and same is with every theme. Perfect blue changes its theme’s so quickly like an octopus changing its skin color. First, it is all about identity than about stalking then about rape and mental illness, due to this Perfect Blue fails to be integral and never address what it is trying to conceive. This make’s whole movie a mess of ideas and nothing more.

Characters in perfect blue are just as one dimensional as the movie. One wants to be a singer and an idol but somehow decided to pursue an acting career, another what to be her I don’t know why, another wants to follow her and bed her for no reason at all and second one kills everyone close to the first one and I don’t know why. There is only one explanation to all this that all three of them are seriously fucked up in the head. I didn’t find any characters loveable and I hated everyone including the main character.

All I can say that Perfect Blue is a movie that was made to win awards and critical success, it is made to perform and nothing else. It is made to look dark, edgy and mature for an inexperienced audience (Yes I am insulting my own viewers but not those who are reading it right now OK ^). I have no other words for this movie than a fools play without any value and meaning, the movie just wanders around in an endless pit of darkness and that is the movie nothing more and nothing less. But that was no more than my opinion and an opinion of a lonely blogger has no value but Satoshi Kon does.

Perfect Blue remains one of the greatest anime movies I have seen and is undoubtedly late director Satoshi Kon's magnum opus. The film's best elements stem from the seamless manner in which the lines between performance, delusion, and reality are blurred, as well as the masterful manner in which the color-coded directing is utilized to indicate former pop idol and budding actress Mima Kirigoue's grasp of the world around her fading and her psyche shattering. Furthermore, Perfect Blue serves as a scathing critique of how people, especially women in the entertainment industry, are treated as sexual objects with little regard for their well-being or personhood. ... They are given little agency, dehumanized, and exploited for the gratification of a lecherous audience and seen as a mere product in order to provide capital for oligarchic record labels or producers. As their beauty or usefulness to such a predatory industry fades, they are tossed out and replaced by another beautiful face; a perpetual and monotonous cycle of objectification and degradation occurs. Perfect Blue explores these wrongdoings through Mima's depersonalization at the hands of the industry and through the constant surveillance of fanatics who watch her every move, perfectly displaying how the mounting pressures of being a public figure and celebrity have fatal consequences on the psyche of those in the spotlight in a revolutionary and evocative fashion. The usage of catchy pop tunes within the film casts an intriguing juxtaposition upon the narrative, demonstrating how such upbeat ballads regarding love and positivity are artificial and fallacious, covering up the ruthless underbelly of the machine behind the songs and the individuals performing them. If I were to give a singular criticism towards Perfect Blue, it would be the portrayal of Mima's fans is a bit myopic in nature and not explored to its entire possible capacity; however, this critique is incredibly minor in nature, as Perfect Blue executes virtually every element of its fastidious narrative perfectly; standing out as a cornerstone not only of the anime medium but of cinema as a whole. Overall, if I were to ascribe a numerical value to this film, I would give Satoshi Kon's outstanding tour' de force on the nature of the entertainment industry a hefty 8.5-9/10.

The idol industry may seem as something pleasant at first glance, be it the loyalty of the fans or the happiness build upon success. Behind this there is a lot of hard work involved, and suddenly quitting being an idol can have an emotional impact upon the fans, which can lead to jealousy and contempt, or even murder. Perfect Blue is a psychological thriller anime which delves into the dark side of the entertainment industry, in particular that of the idol and acting section.

The story of Perfect Blue centers around Mima Kirigoe, who is a member of a small idol group. She decides to begin ... a career as an actress, which displeases the fans. The peaceful beginning of her career will soon be interrupted by violent disturbances around her, be it the stalker or murder of her coworkers. This does not only put a huge amount of stress on Mima herself, but on her manager Hidaka Rumi as well, who only wishes the best for Mima.

While slowly drifting away from the idol image through her acting career (nudity, rape and her constant stress), Mima begins to lose grasp of reality presented through her own illusions. The detailed posts of her life on the internet didn't improve her condition in any way either.

The narrative and realism is the strongest point of Perfect Blue.The story is easy to follow with a good pacing, allowing itself to 'stress' on certain points of the story to fully understand Mima's situation. As the story progresses, the spectator sees how everything unfolds, while wondering whether the things and dreams Mima sees are real or not: it really adds to the element of surprise and plot twists of the story.

The cast of characters in Perfect Blue are by no means big: it centers mainly on Mima,the manager Rumi and the stalker. Instead of huge cast, there is great character development, where Mima undergoes the biggest changes. She goes from a somewhat positive character to a paranoid and depressed girl. Nearly all her emotions, be it fear or confusion, is shown and explained in detail, making it easy for the spectator to understand her behaviour.

The side characters are by no means underdeveloped. Throughout the story we see their emotional state and their contribution to the development of Mima, as well as their emotional state. The supporting cast is done well too, as it contributed well to the story line and credibility. Some more development of Rumi may have been appreciated to fully understand her character, but this is a small drawback.

The animation was well executed, with realistic motion patterns and expression of the characters. The background was satisfying as well, though nothing out of the norm. The sounds and music used in Perfect Blue matched well with the story, though no particular soundtrack caught my attention. Keep in mind that the movie was released in 1998, so don't expect any mind-blowing scenes.

Perfect Blue was a thrilling watch, with a great story and well-developed characters. The narrative was nearly flawlessly executed, with supporting characters that upheld and enhanced the story. This movie is recommendable to everyone, just not for the younger spectators. If you like the psychological or thriller genre, then it is certainly a must watch.

Thank you for reading.

I started watching this anime movie together with a friend of mine. He is a real movie junkie so I thought that this would be something new for him to try out. Although I knew he already had seen "Spirited Away" and "My Neighbor Totoro".
The movie started out pretty good, and early on you got a really earie feeling about the main character and the events that happen around her. After a while you start to doubt what is reality and what is not.
This "am I awake or not"- feeling can be related to many hollywood movies but it was the first time that I ... saw it being used in an anime movie. This is also the movies weakest point in my opinion, and at the same time its strongest argument as to why you need to watch it one more time. There are alot of things happening and getting a grasp of it at first will be a real trial.
My friend had a ton of questions after we finished it. Some of it I could answer and some don\'t because it was a real headache. So be weary of this movie from the start. Give it a shot and also do a rewatch of it. That way you might but all the puzzle pieces together.

Based on a novel by Yoshikazu Takeuchi. The movie follows the story of Mima Kirigoe, a former pop idol who decides to leave the music industry to pursue a career in acting. However, she soon becomes the target of a stalker and begins to experience a series of disturbing events that blur the line between reality and fantasy.

One of the most striking features of Perfect Blue is the way it blends realism with dementia. It makes use of realistic story elements and characters, as well as life issues and drama, interactions, character designs, and dialogue. At the same time, it features an unusual first-person narrative ... point of view with a protagonist who is experiencing psychological difficulties. This unrealiable narrator element creates a sense of unease and disorientation that is both unsettling and captivating.

Undeniably, Perfect Blue is a chilling film that delves into dark and gritty subject matters. On the artistic side, the character designs and clothing are incredibly realistic, while the animation is both fluid and impressive. What's even more remarkable is the attention to detail, considering the movie's relatively low budget.

It is not without its flaws. One of the most significant issues with the movie is its misuse of the element of red herrings. In crime fiction, a red herring is a false clue that is intended to mislead the reader or viewer. A good red herring is one that interweaves itself into the story's events, adding depth and complexity to the narrative. Unfortunately, Perfect Blue's red herrings are nothing more than unnecessarily long gimmicks that serve only to confuse the viewer.

Another issue with the movie is the long series of dementia moments that are often unnecessary and only serve to slow down the pacing of the movie. Even if you skip them, you won't miss anything important in the main plot. There are also a few more in between the major events, but they are thankfully shorter.

To fully appreciate Perfect Blue and Satoshi Kon's careful attention to details, it's important to pay attention. It's not enough to just focus on the dialogue; you need to pay attention to visuals, time and place, and memorise names, the places where objects were placed. Otherwise, you will get lost in the second half of the movie as it becomes more confusing over time.

Perfect Blue is a unique and chilling movie that offers both horror and introspection. While it does have some drawbacks, it's a must-watch for any fan of dark yet maturely presented anime. If you're looking for similar anime, Paranoia Agent is another Satoshi Kon-directed work that delves into similar themes. Additionally, Paprika, yet another Satoshi Kon movie, is a great option for fans of psychological anime. For those who enjoy dark idol anime, Beauty Water offers a comparable experience; which explores the darker side of celebrity idolisation and the acting industry through surreal stalker horror, with a focus on the protagonist's psyche. Perfect Blue, on the other hand, is a more straightforward crime psychological horror that incorporates these same themes.

Perfect Blue is the greatest psychological thriller I have ever had the pleasure of viewing. Let’s cut straight to the point, just as this rollercoaster of a film does

This anime does a wonderful job of keeping the viewer engaged, not once did I get bored or wonder how much longer it is, all I could think was, “how can this get any better?” the whole time. And guess what? It did.
Perfect Blue psychologically develops the main character, Mima, in a spectacular fashion. What this anime does best, however, is the complex story. The plot revolves around Mima taking her career down a different path ... from being a pop idol to becoming an actress. Sadly, there was no way she could have foreseen the grave danger awaiting her, just around the corner of her life. She ends up being cast in a TV series, and this is when the anime becomes quite surreal. Her identity begins to shift in response to trauma and other horrific events that happen to her, and she begins to lose her sense of who she once was. All the while, she has a deranged stalker following her every move, typing what she does every day on an online website pretending to be her. Tensions rise as her sanity slowly degrades and the paranormal takes over. The terrifying aspects of this film will begin to eat away at your sanity too, as you lose perception of what is real, and what is just an illusion in the movie. Satoshi Kon’s genius really shows when the elements bordering on the supernatural are symbolic of Mima’s mental state while also seeming believable in such a harsh yet realistic world. It is art in the truest sense when most everything that happens can mean more than what it seems to at first glance.

I’ve been meaning to watch this for a long time and often felt weird having gone on all these years watching anime…without ever seeing this. Make no mistake, it’s been on my radar for over a decade but I’ve often felt intimidated by the premise of this film, not feeling up to the challenge. But as with all good things, they come to those who wait and since I have Perfect Blue on Blu-ray and was well in the mood to watch it, finally maturing I finally thought that tonight was as good as any to pop it in and give it a spin…and boy ... was that a ride.

To attempt to go too in-depth with this would be foolhardy on my behalf and would inevitably leave me flat on my face, so I don’t feel like exposing myself too much, but to just shrug and say “it’s alright” isn’t going to do this movie justice either. After watching Perfect Blue I felt like I had just witnessed a master class in direction…and make no mistake it is a master class performance. The late director Satoshi Kon demonstrates just why his name is so known and just why he’s so revered here within this 1 hour 20 minute roller-coaster. The story here is manipulated with such finesse and fine tuning it’s reminiscent of a puppeteer, orchestrating its every move. Everything is placed where it is for a reason, in order to tell the story. Simple gestures come back to haunt you maybe an hour later, mundane activities are woven into the story to such a degree that it almost boggles the mind. So much scrutiny is at play here, everything has been stressed over. Satoshi Kon is a master of his art, one that should and is no doubt studied.

Some of the emotions this movie conjured up from within me were maybe something I was uncomfortable expressing. I felt exposed and bare. A certain scene in this film had me tear up at just how uncomfortable I was, sick to my stomach and my heart beating as I reached out with one hand to switch the movie off…but I didn’t. I watched on, I’m glad I did, but the feelings were tangible. I felt terrible, but that was the plan. Perfect Blue fully engrosses its audience and makes them truly invested in this story before it stabs you in the heart and twists the knife.

The cinematography and choreography at play here is truly astonishing and a sight to behold. Being a movie about an idol dancing and singing, I guess that’s to be expected. Nothing is sacred here, what is a dream and what is reality? The way in which Satoshi Kon weaves each and every story thread and each and every scene truly makes you the viewer feel like the main character herself, an ex-Pop star who wants to make a career change as an actress. This allows for a movie that truly has its audiences guessing as to what reality is indeed, what a dream is and what the acting is as it jumps from scene to scene, moment to moment as you try to string it all together. This truly mirrors the mind of the main character, Mima Kirigoe, who cannot discern dream from reality or from her on screen counterpart to her real self.

In terms of art style, Madhouse utilizes a more realistic approach in the way that the characters and the world itself are depicted. The Blu-ray doesn’t look perfect, with (no pun intended) some scenes looking a little blue, but considering the films age it looks great overall with strong character designs and amazing uses of visual cues such as pink outfits, mirrors and such in order to distinguish characters and make them pop out in an otherwise dull (purposely so) world. Architecture and the world itself is pretty simple in design here, but effective and works well and a heavy use of bloom and scan lines are evident throughout in order to contrast one scene from the next, from dream and reality.

The audio is great here too, with the voice acting being topnotch. Every line is delivered believably and you really fall into the trap of believing that these animated characters are in fact real and tangible. The cast here does feel real, and genuine with the performances they deliver alongside the great animation and character designs. Being a story about an ex-pop star, pop music is no doubt a cornerstone to the soundtrack of Perfect Blue and it works effortlessly used in juxtaposition between the gritty onscreen accounts and the lively vocals of CHAM!, the fictional pop group the movie here focuses on.

Perfect Blue is a deep movie, one tackling the issues surrounding identity and the fragility of it all, especially for a person who is in the limelight of sorts. Does your work define you? How do you make sense of yourself when the lines blur? The use of both mirrors, puddles and reflections are used in order to visually articulate such ideas in a way that only animation would be able to do. The question is often brought up, why is Perfect Blue animated? Well it’s true that a live action adaptation was released years later, with Perfect Blue itself originally slated to be a live action itself back in 1993. Throughout the years, many films have also tried incorporating themes and images from the film into their own as well, however I’d make the argument that Perfect Blue, the story told here in its animated incarnation uses the medium to its full advantage, and does so masterfully.

Whether it’s the use of a nonlinear, non-chronological layout, the ghosts of the main character representing her former image, dancing mockingly around her current self or the depiction of this innocent animated image being marred and muddied as its carried through this fascinating story, Perfect Blue is without doubt a movie that is not only a master class, but no doubt genre defining. Not for the faint of heart, but given that you’re ready to open your mind and appreciate this artistic take on a girl struggling to find her identity, you’ll have something to think about for a long time with the meandering plot, powerful imagery and many twists that will have you satisfied by the end.

10/10

Okay well "Perfect Blue" is a very distinct anime and it is very much open to any type of interpretation you may wish to perceive. I loved this "Perfect Blue mainly because it touched me on a personal level as identity and mental illness are key aspects of the movie and I have always found these aspects intriguing.

Never again, no never again will I witness an anime movie (ova) as good as "Perfect Blue". Throughout the whole anime movie I was emotively impacted as my heart was racing, I constantly got goosebumps and became trembly during some drastic scenes. I absolutely loved how it ... stepped outside of the box by unconventionally challenging the audiences perceptions on identity and mental illness through numerous horrific and psychological aspects. I especially loved the aspect of 'inception' and generally I don't like overly confusing animes such as "Ergo Proxy" (still an awesome anime), though this one is definitely an exception. "Perfect Blue" undoubtably has to be one of the best animes I have ever seen, I'd say it easily sits up there with "Elfen Lied", "Clannad", "Monster" and "Death Note" (my personal fav's). I don't think I have ever been more enthralled for 1h 50mins whilst watching anime XD. The only downfall to the anime if you can really count this as one, is that the animation (graphics) isn't top notch. Then again, its made in 1997 ~ So I commend the creators on the traditional methods used to create the movie ;)
Rating; 10/10

Now explaining it for more insight: (Spolier Below)

Basically from my interpretation Mima whom once was a famous Pop Idol decides to try to become a actress so she can become furthermore rich and famous. During her metamorphosis she's starts to doubt her sense of identity and as a result suffers from extreme forms of mental illnesses (esp. schizophrenia), hence the symbolic form of her old "pop star" self, that she keeps seeing- metaphorical meaning.

Rumi her manager plays as the "bad person" and she is the allegory to the movie. Rumi missed out on her opportunity to become famous, thus she perceives herself as Mima and commits all the murders in order to gain revenge on all the people who tarnished Mima' reputation... or what she believed was her own reputation. Rumi suffers from mental illness (dissociative identity disorder) and never overcomes this as she's stuck in her own reality- this is imperative as its through Rumi's hardship that Mima finally succeeds in the end is able to find her true identity.

Uchida (fish looking guy) is the metaphor to the story, he is very much like Rumi, but due to his mental instability becomes overly obsessed and insane with Mima. Hence its seen that Uchida is a very lonely, depressed and insecure individual who has never had someone to love and care for him. Therefore is obsession of roots from a source of autism, thats why he looks weird and is addicted to Mima. Regardless, he is a very significant symbol for Mima as he highlights the importance of never forgetting about your past and who you truly are deep down as a person.

In the end, it becomes evident that through Mima's experiences as both a Pop Idol and Actress, she finally understands who she truly is. Its also through Mima's experiences and encounters with both Rumi and Uchida that she endures psychological hardship, but learns a valid lesson in finding her self. Hence the main message of the movie is that "life is a continuous learning experience" as Mima starts to learn about her own identity as a person. The movie also is symbol in expressing how mental illness is a drastic issue that controls an individual to perceive the world in an unrealistically sense. Another key point is that through transitions (Mima's journey) one can find who they truly are. This is inevitably impacted by experiences and attitudes that an individual will encounter through their life long journey.

This movie really take a toll on me. On the one side I really don't want to recommend it, because various things that are shown feel very personal, and as much as possible I just want people not to direct the spotlight back on the protagonist's life. But the other side whispers to me, that the last thing the protagonist, and the topic this film raises, needs, is to be left alone

The greatest strength of Perfect Blue lies in our familiarity with the issues raised. No matter how new we are to the world of entertainment, as long as we have one admired idol/actor, we ... will be directly connected to the questions presented by this film:
"How's their struggle to get to this current position? What did they sacrifice?!"

Resulting in me feeling so guilty, this movie utilise the reality that somehow somewhere, this is a normal thing in the industry that we're all consuming. Despite all the avant garde things in it, this feels more close to reality then the majority of live action, Hollywood movie I've ever watched. In the anime spectrum, definitely the best there is. Even though i feel it could be more effective if the aggressiveness get toned down a bit

But isn't it crazy? that this storm of feelings I'm getting, is from an animated movie!?

There's a reason why this movie is called Perfect Blue. "Perfect" because the movie itself is a masterpiece and "Blue" because it is truly a dementia that will make you fall into despondent of figuring out what's actually happening.

So..What exactly happened? I can't really write a long-ass review because my entire brain cells had been eradicated after watching this movie. This simple 1 hour 13 minutes of art made me become discerned of the fact that I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer nor the sharpest tool in the shed but a mere hollow headed person who couldn't even mentally grasp the ... details of something he himself refers as a "masterpiece".

In all honesty, I actually understood the first half of the movie. It was simple. A life of an idol. Becomes delusion from all the pressure and anxiety which were lit by her own actions and also boosted moderately by some tryhard fan and other individuals. I thought that this movie would probably just be the same level as other dementia shows/series I've seen. Not until the movie pulls out some naruto clone jutsu shenanigan that wrecks and debunks all of my incisive analysis from pie to zero.

The movie successfully landed on Tilted Towers and managed to make me call it retarded several times due to its nonstop confusions. But hey, that's why I like this movie. In fact, this is exactly my type of thing. A movie that could flex its four genres ( Dementia, Drama, Horror, Psychological ) without feeling doubtful because nobody can doubt their presence.

Not liking this movie is equivalent to inevitably coming to like this movie. Seriously, this movie's radiance of revel is beyond imagination. Who could possibly dislike this movie?

I recommend this to everyone. Ha, jokes on you if you're trying to avoid watching this. Because if you're trying to do so, another self of you will haunt you until you actually watch the movie!

Personas, we all have them to an extent. Even the most consistent and honest people will act slightly different at home with their parents, hanging out with their friends, dealing with their boss, or alone with their lover. But these personas are usually consistent enough that no real issues arise. But what happens when the personas are so different that even we can't tell which is our mask and which is our true face? And those problems are compounded when we're in the public eye and huge numbers of anonymous people expect us to act in just a certain way. Acting 'Out of Character' is ... serious business indeed in Satoshi Kon's home-run directorial debut.

-Story-

This is the kind of story you see once, spend some time to think about it, and then immediately watch it again to test your theories. It starts out well-grounded in reality, but slowly things begin getting crazier at just the right to keep you guessing while never completely overloading you. Oh, you certainly won't understand everything, but you'll know - or think you know- just enough to keep you engaged as you try to refine your theory faster than 'Blue' can throw twists at you. Kon excels at tension and pacing. I've seen 24 episode anime series that handled far less complex stories than this suffer from 'plot pileup' as they desperately try to wrap everything up towards the end, but 'Perfect Blue' manages to pull-off a brilliant mind-screw in little more than 75 minutes. Let me repeat: *75* minutes. That's typically the length of a cheap home video release aimed at children- and Kon did more here than most 2+ hour live-action films can hope to accomplish. Not a minute is wasted and you'd BETTER pay attention.

*As a side-note, as I write this review in 2015 when there are teenagers who have never known an internet-less world, it's fascinating to get a flashback to my childhood as a boy of the 90's. The internet is this strange new thing in 1998, social media is unheard of, the public at large is still being sold on the idea that they too can connect to the 'information superhighway', and even well-known celebrities are fascinated with the idea of people talking about them online. Just a bit of a nostalgia trip for us older anime fans. Like Alfred Hitchcock's 'Rear Window', there's no way this exact plot would work in a film set in today's world.

-Art-

Pretty good for late-90's animation, but not flawless. 'Blue' definitely cheats a bit during long range shots, but that's just a small qualm overall. Character designs are very good- I particularly liked main character Mima's look. She looks cute but not 'cutesy', undoubtedly attractive but not some classical Grecian beauty. The design really sells her persona of a sweet, likable girl who's getting into situations that are at odds with her personality. Demented otaku stalker Mr. Me-Mania has to be one of the most disturbing designs I've ever seen (which is fitting considering his role). The high level of realism in the art is critical to selling the 'psycho-thriller' vibe of Perfect Blue. And while a few other character faces may seem slightly 'off', I have my own theory as to why that would be intentional and not an artistic flaw- but I'm not going to spoil it here.

-Sound-

Even before 'Cowboy Bebop' produced what's typically considered *THE ENGLISH DUB TO END ALL ENGLISH DUBS*, major movies tended to get pretty decent voice work in my experience. After watching 'Blue' in Sub and Dub, I'd call it a toss-up as both are good, but in the event of a tie I personally go with Dubs. Bridgette Hoffman does a stellar job with Mima, able to convincingly go from 'innocent and cutesy' when she's in her pop idol persona, to 'psychologically tormented' in the later half of the film. The OST is rather sparse all things considered, lots music-less moments are used to great effect. When the music is playing it's pretty 90's, but fits the tone well so it ages without significant issue.

-Characters-

This is Mima's story, with other cast members deriving their importance from how they affect her. Or perhaps it's better to say that this the tale of several different Mimas. There's the Mima she thinks she is, the Mima she tries to become, the actress Mima some try to make her be for their own benefit, the pop idol Mima others dogged refuse to get over, and they're all slugging it out for the right to be called the real Mima. In the end every character is driven by and acts in accordance to what they they tell themselves Mima is. And if our leading lady wants to stay on the right side of sanity, she'd better figure out which persona is the real her in a hurry... There's a reason Miss Kirigoe is on my list of top anime characters of all time.

-Enjoyment-

I have a personal bias favoring stories centering around characters locked in an internal struggle with different version of themselves, so 'Perfect Blue' definitely played to my preferences. But even without that bias, this film will still appeal to any anime fan willing to approach it seriously- this definitely isn't a movie you watch just for dumb fun. With its mature storytelling and highly realistic art, this would make a good gateway for new fans who want something adult but think anime is just Pokemon and Dragonball Z.

-Overall-

'Perfect Blue' is of the ultimate arguments against the conventional wisdom that 'animation can't handle a serious story'. Yes, yes it can. Satoshi Kon delivered a nearly flawless psycho-thriller on his first major project that rivals anything live-action can put on screen.