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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

‘Memories’ is one of the more well-known compilation films out there, so chances are you’ve probably heard of it, but in case you haven’t, it’s an animated movie consisting of 3 films and each one is helmed as usual by a different director. I wouldn’t really consider this a short of sorts as the film overall lasts over 112 minutes, but for formalities sake these are three shorts. Each one of these shorts differs from the one that came before it, well except for the one thing they all hold in common, the fact that they’re amazing, and masterfully directed. It’s no wonder the people ... who directed these shorts are considered to be the best in the business because they shine here and demonstrate just how much they are indeed capable of. These 112 minutes will have you taking in a whole gamut of emotions and will leave an impression on you long after the credits stop.

‘Memories’ is the brainchild of Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira, Steamboy) and is based on the Manga written by him (Memories of Her…) which itself consists of many short stories, three of which were adapted here for your viewing pleasure with the last of the three shorts also being directed by Otomo.

MAGNETIC ROSE:
The first of the three shorts is called Magnetic Rose and is a beautiful sci-fi tale chronicling the space expedition of a bunch of ‘space salvagers’ who go around collecting wreckages and such in order to make a living. Directed by Kouji Morimoto (Studio 4°C Founder, assistant animation director on Akira, animation director on Mind Game, Genius Party, The Animatrix, Robot Carnival) and legend in general and a script by Satoshi Kon. On what seems like just another day on the job they receive an SOS transmission from someone and go forth into the unknown in order to respond to it. The music (Yoko Kanno) is of an operatic nature and blew me away at the opening scene alone and this moment alone cemented the fact that I’d go on to love this piece. The music makes heavy use of Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly (Maria Callas) and it works with the art in order to conjure up feelings of awe and wonder as you gaze into the dark abyss that shrouds the main characters as they drift around the endless space. The music is seriously phenomenal and is masterfully composed and adds an unrelenting punch to each and every scene.

This would be praiseworthy enough, but when coupled with the fantastic visuals it really goes hand in hand to create something that honestly upsets me, because I doubt I’ll see many other pieces that match this. The character designs are strong; everyone looks distinct but wholly realistic and tangible. The mechanical designs are grounded in reality and are intricate and well thought-out. Voice acting is superb and the script is grown up and in the end accumulates to what is a bunch of realistic and human characters that become host to a cluster of emotions in the 44 minutes that they are on screen for.

The story is haunting, sad, emotional and just downright powerful and will leave you thinking about it long after it’s over. Beautiful music, great characters and gorgeous art come together for this tsunami of emotions that will whisk you away.

STINK BOMB:
The second of the three shorts is called Stink Bomb and is directed by Tensai Okamura (Medarot, Darker than Black, Wolf’s Rain) of Madhouse fame, the studio coincidentally bringing you this short and a script again by Satoshi Kon. The music here was composed by Jun Miyake, and unlike the first short this makes use of jazz and funk which works incredibly well with the nature of this film. The film itself is a black comedy of sorts and one that had me in stitches throughout its 40 minutes run time. Without delving too deep into the plot, the story revolves around a lab technician named Nobuo Tanaka who happens to have a bad case of the flu. After taking his flu shot he decides to go back to work where he spends most of his day sneezing at the detriment of his co-workers, one of which recommends that he take an experimental pill that they’ve been developing to rid his flu. Unfortunately for him the pill in questions happens to be something else entirely and reacts badly with his aforementioned flu shot as he starts to excrete a deadly odour that kills everyone near him...but of course he doesn’t know that!

The short is seriously hilarious and had me laughing the whole way through and I find that it is the perfect supplement to the first short which is super serious. Don’t let the comedic nature fool you however, the animation is top notch and looks superb with some spectacular scenes. A good laugh is needed every once in a while and this happens to be just what the doctor ordered.

CANNON FODDER:
The last of these shorts is Cannon Fodder and is both written and directed by Katsuhiro Otomo himself and is animated by Studio 4 °C. The music in this short was composed by Hiroyuki Nagashima. The whole thing is very unconventional from its art style to the way in which it appears be told in one shot with no breakaways throughout the 22 minute duration. The art style presents a bleak, smoggy world but one focusing on a young boy who is full of zest. This works well as juxtaposition between the innocence of the young boy and the grim world in which he inhabits. The world is one that is in a constant war as the city fires its cannons at an unseen enemy, and they do so ritualistically. Day in, day out they fire their cannons. The camera never pulls away from the action, swinging and swaying seamlessly from one scene to the next as you see the life of this one family in a world that never sleeps, one that is dark and bleak but one where the young ones still dream, even if it is misguided in what they want to become.

A futile world, presented with a beautiful art style, unique character designs and a strong message. A sad story, but one told in a way that isn’t heavy handed and one that will have you smile from time to time at the banter between the family members which adds to the emotional impact of it all.

SUMMARY:
These three shorts are phenomenal alone, each delivering something worth watching, but together as a compilation they truly complement each other and work together in order to create an astonishing visual/audio tour de force. The music blew me away in each of the three shorts, as did the art and visuals. It’s all remarkably high quality, undoubtedly so but truly distinct and gripping in presentation. You truly won’t be forgetting any one of these shorts any time soon and I without a doubt recommend you all to take 2 hours out of your day to watch these as soon as you get the chance. You’ll be left spellbound, you’ll laugh, and you’ll cry but one thing is for sure, you’ll be left with some great memories.