Back to AmaiShio's Profile AmaiShio's Profile

Warning: Spoilers ahead

I recently watched Perfect Blue for the first time and went into it with the expectation of it being a scary movie that was very skillfully made, hearing about it being very relevant because of the internet. I was astonished by what followed.

The movie begins with our main character, Kirigoe Mima. She's part of a pop idol group, CHAM! with two other girls. During the opening scene, we see rather jarring cuts jumping between her image as an idol and her everyday life. She's seen doing normal activities, riding the train, getting groceries, etcetera. We suddenly got a shot of her manager, ... Rumi-chan, and her agent arguing about Mima's future. Rumi wants Mima to balance acting and singing, whereas her agent wants her to act in an upcoming TV show. We then get a sudden jump cut to her final concert. A pale, ugly-looking man stands before the stage, his hand held up to his cheek. A change of angle points out that he appears to hold Mima in his hand.
This is one of the reasons I love breaking down this movie, there's symbolism in every single frame! This represents this fan's view of Mima, as an object, with none of her own goals and aspirations, simply a spectacle for public entertainment.
With the reveal of Mima leaving CHAM! to become an actress, many of her fans are very unhappy, including the fan we notice previously. As she gets home, she begins to establish with herself that she's letting go of her image as a popstar and wants to be seen in a different light. She has a brief phone call with her mother, interrupted by another call with only breathing heard from the other end of the line.

(Work in progress)