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| Just finished, still have to fully process what I saw. Very unique, is one of the most unsettling films I've seen in months. Also sad to know that Satoshi Kon left us so soon. But on a lighter note, dude if Rumi-chan actually jumped off that building at the end of the movie, wouldn't she have just crashed and splatted since she's so fat? Lol. |
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| Interesting Watch. It's kinda great, even though I don't love stories that are so puzzling with some flaws of clarity to realism as a critical judger. 6/10, I think. For me, what bothers me the most is how her insanity starts somewhat too abruptly with a weak start and incredibly lacking depth to why she starts hallucinating. A Stalker with hints of following you everywhere, knowing your personality, and exploding your email as a bigger threat, to days later getting more paranoid and terrified of the stalker. With no signs of lack of sleep/insomnia, reading that website for far too long to then suddenly develop some kind of incoming split personality of the Stalker's ideal past version of her as an idol when she first sees that reflection at the metro. Maybe the novel spreads that depth with more days of that stress and paranoia to then oddly develop into hallucinations. The twist is great. With her manager Rumi and the stalker both kinda working together, and Rumi being disgusted and hurt that Mima isn't a pure idol anymore. I don't know how realistic this is in Japan, because I do know about the odd culture in purity to idols and fans not wanting them to be sexualized, let alone be seen with a boyfriend. What I mean. I don't think many ex idols turned actress change hardcore Hollywood style with the forced sex symbol work to break the past look with vulgar/r scenes, drama, or sexy nude modeling. I'm not sure how realistic that is in history with how incredibly controversial and chaotic it must be to Japan if an ex idol would do all that. Anyway. I get that Rumi was the mastermind for the most part. Killed everyone. I guess the murders were in Mami's imagination in her head after knowing the facts, as someone suggested. Funny how I guess the tv series slowly turns in sync into her reality somehow, making her delusions even worse. The trigger of her hallucinations start at the rape sense tho... That's when it gets worse with the fake best Idol Mami is more present and Mami imagines she did the murders and is even more paranoid. It's a bit odd how acting that out and kinda method like I guess she broke herself where she hallucinated worse. It's weird. But that was all (the rape scene) before the deaths. So, that "trauma" feels mostly implausible to me from what was shown for her to go insane and "start" hallucinating/etc. worse. It'd make more realistic sense if it was after the deaths or more of her insomnia and paranoia of months was shown, I think. To me, it all feels a little too fast realistically or unrealistic for the lack of depth of trauma at first. I'm not sure. Maybe the novel is more realistic, or maybe this is a glaring flaw that nobody realizes for how exaggerated it is realistically. That all really bothers me as a realist most of the time, but it was still interesting... I enjoyed it. Funny Black Swan ripped it off in some ways, I think. I almost forgot... I think Mami kept a split personality herself in the epilogue, kinda like her tv series, all in odd sync to her reality/delusions against Rumi. Kinda sucks how we don't see the aftermath of her life like that. I watched it unrated which was cool. |
waalex11Nov 30, 2025 4:11 PM
| Just finished watching in 4KUHDBD! WOW! What a MASTERPIECE! Tbh, the Movie depicts it a bit too "realistic". People's faces are much more in line in real world. This is definitely one of the most intense depictions of the "Idol" industry they have made. To be honest, this is more in line during the 80s-90s pop idol. Especially the gig style of doing any scenes, including nude photo shoots, "rape" scenes in a Movie etc. In fact, it's probably even more "worse" in the real timeline. They probably do other "favors" and multiple people being involved. I do love the twist of Rumi being the perpetrator as well as working with the stalker guy. I feel her breaking point is where she saw the first scene with Mima being stripped down naked at the pole. Once you see her face and smoking without a care in the world. She was truly destroyed by what "Mima" has become. When she cried and stood up, that was probably the tipping point and had planned things out. My one theory or at least a more realistic take, is how the Stalker guy was already frustrated when Mima decided to become an actress. Rumi was probably okay at that point since she wanted to support Mima. But once she saw what the "industry" really is. She started having doubts and eventually broke down in the end. First when they send messages to her Fax and Address. There's no way in hell that stalker knew every single nook and cranny of the apartment, so most likely Rumi gave him the address and described her room and probably gave her locations where he can "Stalk" her more. At first Rumi was being traumatized with the subtle threats and incident. I keep seeing the medicine being put on the water and being "skipped" over. A more realistic take is how Rumi was slowly giving Mima "drugs" and thus making her hallucinations more intense. The fact that she keeps blacking out and waking up on her room. Rumi was probably the person that keeps carrying her back. In fact she's the only one who knows both her apartment and probably has access to her keys (or at least she finds them on Mima's purse etc). I do love how the "Mirror" exposed all of this. When Rumi/Alternate Mima was chasing down Mima, you can see on the mirror on how "Exhausted" she was. If you removed the delusion, she was probably gassed out and out of breath trying to kill Mima. There's only two-three instances that kinda break the illusion for me. The first one is the Stalker getting "killed". The first attempt, Mima wacked him in the eyes, but there was no blood coming out. Then the next scene his body was actually moved to a different location and was killed there alongside Mima's manager? Another is during the scene with the Photographer. I know Rumi did killed that guy, but how did Rumi projected that delusion in the first place? The only thing I could think of is Rumi was slowly manipulating her through her sleep and giving her "delusions" on what had happened. It also explains how the bloody clothes was on her apartment once she woke up. Last one is the "chase scene". Rumi is not fitted at all, so during the balcony scene. When Mima actually jumped off the roof and on to the next building. How the hell did Rumi "flew" off the balcony and landed on her place? In fact, the Alternate Mima keeps hopping and skipping all throughout the movie. So it's like a combination of delusion and reality in all in one. Either way, it's all up to the audience interpretation as usual. I need to give my hats off to Iwao Junko. She really nailed the role of Mima and no one else could. Seriously, it felt a bit too real at times. I may have to watch some light-hearted show just to reset my emotions in this XD Either way, another Masterpiece from Satoshi Kon! This is probably where he got the "acid trip" feel of Paprika. Shame Satoshi Kon passed away too early. I feel we missed at least 3-5 masterpiece works from him if he didn't passed away from that illness. RIP Satoshi Kon. Gone too soon, but your works will forever LIVE ON!  I should watch Millennium Actress next! |
| Also the Idol Opening scene will forever be ICONIC! Glad I just got the OST as well so I can always listen to this whenever :) Same with the last scene with "Virtual Mima"  |
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