STORY
The story is centred around Mima Kirigoe, a pop idol in a group called CHAM. She feels like her career as a singer has come to an end and she begins to pursue a career as an actress, which goes against the wishes of all of her fans. Although it starts well for Mima, things quickly turn to a nightmare after filming a certain...”scene” and a nude photoshoot.
Weird phone calls, death threats, stalking, murder...These all pile up on Mima causing her to have a warped view on reality, and becomes unable to distinguish her nightmares from her reality.
Perfect Blue is one of those titles that don’t give a fuck about their audience. If you feel disgusted, the film will disgust and disturb you more. It discusses certain topics that hardly any titles have.
What I loved about the movie was just how confusing it can get. The confusion adds to the enjoyment because it feels as if we’re thrown directly into the nightmare that is the world of Perfect Blue.
CHARACTERS
All of the characters in the movie are believable, to a terrifying extent. Character development is one of the best I’ve ever seen when it comes to the main protagonist. Mima is developed in such a way that you end up sharing her fear and paranoia, and her merging of reality and fantasy is what makes this movie so awesome. The stalker is shown in such a way that reflects the desires of someone obsessed with an idol, to a point where a sense of ownership can be felt. This was a great move by Kon, as this REALLY does happen to pop idols, especially in Japan.
ANIMATION & SOUND
The animation is one of the best I’ve ever seen. The animation style is your typical late 90’s Madhouse, very fluid and quite realistic. What makes the animation shine, is HOW the animation is used. Colour use is especially noteworthy as bright colours are combined with the dark shades in very disturbing scenes, to create that sense of paranoia and horror. It’s difficult to explain, (as is the ENTIRE film) you just need to see it for yourself. Character designs are also really good, especially the stalker. His facial features literally represent the creepiness of an obsessed stalker, mainly the look of death in his eyes...
The soundtrack is bloody awesome. Half of it consists of 1990’s pop music, which I have a thing for, and the other half... well, it has some of the creepiest music of all time when combined with the movie. The most notable is the track called “Virtual Mima”, which is in my opinion, the creepiest anime OST track I’ve ever heard. (There is also a vocal only version too)
I watched the movie in Japanese dub. There is an English dub also, but I don’t want to go into that, because the Japanese dub is absolutely awesome. Mima’s hysterical screams of fear are so extreme to the point where they feel genuine. It just boosts up the creepiness of the movie to a very high level. Remember the “Laugh” from the Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni franchise? Yeah this has a very similar effect. Seriously, Perfect Blue has one of the best Japanese dubs I’ve heard in a long time.
FINAL EVALUATION
So...just what is Perfect Blue?
The amount of themes and topics this movie brings up makes that question almost impossible to answer...
Fear, paranoia, feminism, greed for fame, loss of innocence, vulnerability of private lives, hallucinations, reality and fantasy, insanity, the media, loss of fame...
Perfect Blue is extremely complex, and is almost impossible to explain after just one viewing. It’s one of those rare movies that you must see twice or maybe even three times to understand its logic. Unfortunately, the complexity of the film is often the only reason why people turn this down, and dismiss it, using the excuse that it “makes no sense” without ever trying to comprehend what this movie is about, and that’s really a shame. It’s just one of those movies where you really need to think hard.
For once, I strongly recommend younger viewers to pay attention to the age rating. R-rated, 17+, this film is seriously unsuitable for a younger audience. I’m serious, this is the first time in my anime-watching history that I advise you to stay away if you’re “underage”, as it’s just messed up. Like I said, the movie doesn’t give a fuck. On-screen rape, bloody violence, full nudity, it’s all there, and for once, it feels incredibly realistic.
The ending may be a bit off in terms of pacing, but it is satisfactory as it lets all of the pieces fall into place.
10/10.
The surreal atmosphere combined with the extremeness of the plot and its themes make for a great masterpiece, even if it’s just 1 hour and 20 minutes long...
Why SHOULD you watch Perfect Blue?
- Fantastic plot
- It’s a Satoshi Kon movie...
- Very extreme in presentation (doesn’t give a damn about audience)
- Realistic, convincing and well-animated characters
- Amazing animation (style and technique)
- Brilliant Jap.dub
- Spectacular soundtrack
- Very complex
Why should you NOT watch Perfect Blue?
- if you’re not mature enough.
- if you don’t like titles where you need to think hard.
- if you HATE 90’s animation styles. (like seriously hate it.)
