Reviews

Perfect Blue is about a pop-idol-turned-actress who suffers from "I have no mouth and I must scream" syndrome. In other words, the movie starts off slow and you have a good indicator of who the killer is, except you don't. What happens in the last half hour is a bunch of jumps from one scene to the next, where the persisting question is "is this real?". More than once, the VA's pull off a convincing job of "solving" the mystery only for it to jump once more. Honestly, Peter Jackson should be jealous of all the fake-outs.

Aside the outdated reference, the art and sound direction are pretty solid.The late Satoshi Kon is behind the art of this movie and much like Millenium Actress, it really speaks for itself. Beautiful, expressive, and no frames wasted; this is one of THE finest anime films to date because of how well the animation conveys the emotions and experiences of each character. There is no excess of music to drum up false tension, and where it is used, you end up getting more into it.

The writer, Sadayuki Murai, really hits his stride before the first ten minutes and keeps you until the very end. Like Millenium Actress, the story is about more than what is being told; it is an experience. From the moment the lead character steps into the world of acting to the end (I'm not giving anything away), you FEEL for her plight. All the extra characters aren't just background, either.

If you ever find yourself sitting at home on a Saturday night with nothing to do, check out Perfect Blue. You won't regret it!