PERFECT BLUE

requiemsama

_“Director Satoshi Kon could have wished for a worse film when he made his debut as a director in 1997 with the internationally successful and critically acclaimed Perfect Blue. With its dazzling storytelling technique and strikingly mature subject matter, Perfect Blue finally convinced a lot of people that animation might be more than just a children's medium.”_ – Interview with Kon from midnighteye.com, 2/11/2002 The life of a celebrity must be tough. I think about the number of child stars that went nuts. I wonder what lead them to destroy their careers, tear themselves to shreds in drugs, and choose to become a mockery in the world which out them in the spotlight. Look at Lindsay Lohan. Or Macauley Culkin. Hell, how about dead ones, like Amy Winehouse? Or Whitney Houston? Even the recent Robin Williams… After hearing about Williams’ death, while scrolling through my list of completed animes, I found and rewatched _Perfect Blue_, and finally got a clear look. Surreal elements and fanboying aside, _Perfect Blue_ presents the most believable “biography” of an idol, coldly portraying to us the result of a passion gone too far. __She’s Mima. She’s cute, popular, and the best. Now she wants change. (93/100)__ Mima Kirigoe’s career as a pop music idol has flourished, and she now wishes to see herself blossom into the theater as she always dreamed. She struggles like all beginning artists to enter the new genre, when suddenly people around her end up brutally murdered. Naturally it’s not uncommon to blame someone like “Me-Mania,” the random creep that stalks her left and right. Her manager, Rumi, blames Mima for taking on a career path that isn’t designed for her. Then more things go wrong, and soon Mima finds herself unable to tell where her life is headed. What sort of nightmare has descended on her? img320(http://i.imgur.com/arcRMqX.jpg) For a person whose life is exposed constantly to the public, I imagine nothing is scarier than losing control of it. In Mima’s case, having one of the most disturbed looking anime characters I’ve ever seen (i.e. Me-Mania) leaving her the most disturbing messages, the feeling of control is completely gone. The story grows more and more complicated, as Kon begins to mesh the elements of paranoia into the timeline. Mima’s thoughts begin to intertwine with questionable actions, and the timetable gradually breaks down as she chases her doppelganger. Kon knows that the audience would easily get lost this way, and by the middle of the film we begin to question what we see of Mima. Towards the end, the nightmare begins to piece together, and we learn that the antagonist isn't just Me-Mania. Though the elements are always there, Kon leaves the package partially open to reveal to us how the true antagonist came to be. Cleverly deceitful, I realized how easily this anime plays a trick on the mind in such a moderate disguise. __Which makes characters like this…revealed. (91/100)__ A movie like this could have the worst set of stock characters and still conclude with some artistic authority. Your average, indecisive, teenybopper can closely relate to Mima. She’s cute, and she knows she is. She has a lot of options, yet is not ready to throw in all her cards at a one-dimensional pop music career. Her character amasses so many peculiarities of an emerging artist that I cannot help but insist on high ratings—it's as though I'm witnessing the life and circumstances of a famous persona. In fact, the most unnatural thing about her could be the fact that she has pubic hair (ahem, you do see it at some point.) __Because the movie is so entirely focused on Mima,__ it makes sense to say that all other characters aren’t really developed—or rather “developable.” Rumi sort of sticks to being a stock character for most of the movie, as does Me-Mania play out to be your normal, happy, loving, budding dissociative murderer who spends too much time on Anilist. img320(http://i.imgur.com/OMFt6y3.jpg) Well okay…maybe NOT Anilist, but definitely MoeBoard. _Perfect Blue_ would not have benefitted, though, had other characters more development. In fact, since the premise of the story is so basic and approachable, Kon's method of delivery would not have been as effective had more been revealed about the people around her. By focusing on Mima and limiting our knowledge, the sensation of being "trapped" and "stalked" made every character a questionable source, giving this movie all the "character" element it would have ever needed to be a success. __Visually compelling, with outstanding artwork. (90/100)__ The jiggle factor in this movie stayed well within appropriate levels, although the choices of nudity and a compelling amount of blood ironically yielded artistic maturity. I feel like a newcomer to anime would have a powerful reaction to the style, since it is not the generic style that you see on the internet, or rather the bulletin boards in Tokyo. Instead, it is significantly closer to Disney's style, as the body structure and stereotypical anime “eye size” departs significantly from the usual Japanese. Kon clearly makes a statement of realism in this form, as larger eyes have always been a tactic to appeal more greatly to the emotions in the history of anime. Kon’s direction and arrangement of scenes is a prodigious achievement. He purposefully puts in distracting images to keep the eye pondering what its seeing. There are often moments where he delivers too much information at once—normally with the effect of causing terror—but in this case causing inner panic. Mima’s dreams overlap with reality, and we begin to question which reality is real and which dream is actually a dream. Kon turns Mima’s “disconnect with reality” to become partially the audience’s responsibility, as we ourselves try to keep in pace with what we see. This effect is probably the biggest reason why this movie brilliantly plays out a simple story of obsession so naturally, leaving our minds to complicated questions that wouldn’t even be a thought without this effect. __Masahiro Ikumi—my hero. (94/100)__ Literally, 1/3 of the psychological terror of _Perfect Blue_ is the soundtrack. To start, the movie doesn’t exactly have an “opening theme.” It starts with a typical 20th century dance pop song, along with Mima and her cute bunnies doing the para-para like many a J-idol at Budokan. This can be seriously deceiving enough to already mislead us into believe we are watching a cute love story. It turns out that the jazz fusion, electronic style of Ikumi does an even better job with tracks like “Virtual Mima,” wherein a grinding set of oscillating hums resonate through the film, looming over our ears as though someone is watching us from behind. This “stalker” sort of theme masks the nightmare, as the mood often subtly changes between soft jazz and grinding, aurally-terrorizing semitones. That along with excellent seiyuu work completes this scoring. Me-Mania, or “Uchida’s” voice (Masaaki Ohkura) at first sound is so unnatural to the face that this choice alone reminds us of how creepy people can get. The high, whiny tone of Ohkura turns a somewhat hideous face into a hideous “creature,” adding a third dimension of tenorial villainy that would expectedly be a gritty, low tone. This experiment makes _Perfect Blue_’s stalker as unnatural as the idea of stalking itself; a sin in human form. __If you want to ponder the meaning of life for weeks afterwards, watch this. (98/100)__ Serious ponderage. Like the kind you do when you find those nasty socks that hid under your bed for a year and grew moss on them. __But really, depending on your company, this isn’t a bad choice of a movie if you’d like to have a discussion afterward.__ A movie like this guarantees a serious conversation, as the plot element and visual detail will provoke so many different thoughts. Some may detest this movie, as elements of rape and obsession play a key role; I wouldn’t necessary dismiss these people, either, since Kon’s creation will dig well into the psyche and reveal our deepest fears.

AndoCommando

_“Excuse me… Who are you?”_ Perspective. Works of fiction such as TV and film are all about perspective. Fiction in general is the classification of imaginative stories, these stories having the ability to convey themes to give stories a deeper meaning. But with TV and film, these stories are presented visually, allowing for a whole new experience and perspective on a story. The perspective provides new ways to justify character actions, events and even reality itself, questioning if what is being show is, in fact, real. This is a movie that focuses on the latter specifically. A movie that not only shows someone losing control over what is real and what is not, but also a movie that lets viewers see the journey to madness first-hand. This is Perfect Blue: a movie that is anything but what the title seems. Perfect Blue is a psychological thriller anime film based on the novel of the same name, made in 1997 by Studio Madhouse and was the directorial debut of Satoshi Kon; the genius mind behind other great animated works such as Paranoia Agent and Millennium Actress. The film follows Mima Kirigoe, a singer for J-pop idol group CHAM! who decides to leave the group after moderate success and financial limitations to pursue a more profitable career as an actress, much to the dismay of her fans and management. She manages to land a role in a crime drama, however at the same time she starts receiving anonymous threats and even finds a blog called ‘Mima’s Room’ that details her life in intimate detail without her knowledge. This is soon followed with a chain of mysterious murders taking place to the people around her, all while she is being stalked by an obsessed fan called “Me-Mania” and her very own pop idol self in the form of a ghost, haunting her and insisting that she return to singing. Throughout the film Mima questions her decisions as an actress and due to her experiences and events, loses her sense of reality. And all of this correlates to create this dark, enthralling mindfuck that will have you on the edge of your seat like no other. The story of Perfect Blue does take it’s time to get rolling as it has a rather simplistic setup whilst focusing on the inner turmoil Mima is facing. In other words, do not expect it to be epic from the get-go with action-packed scenes throughout. Perfect Blue is not a thriller in that sense. Rather, the thrills come from Mima’s disfigured perception of reality experienced between her personal life and the TV series she stars in, Double Bind. The film plays with this dilemma extremely well, blurring the lines of reality and psychosis to the point where viewers won’t even know what is really happening anymore. Some scenes with Mima in them were nicely acted and well-shot that at first looked real, only for the film to reveal that she was acting the entire time. Yet she is giving more emotion in these takes than any of her fellow actors, because these scenes reflect on her life. Later in the movie, we are given details of what is initially believed to be Mima’s life and mental health issue, then suddenly the camera pans out and the details were revealed to have been in the script read out by one of the actors in the show. There were so many times when I thought I understood what was happening, only for the film to trick me, to the point where you would think to just give up piecing together the puzzle of Perfect Blue until the end. However, the dichotomy between reality and fiction is weaved so well it compels viewers to continue on. There is no doubt that Perfect Blue is confusing, especially on first watch. But that is no flaw, it was made purposely to allow us to go through the same experiences that Mima does, and it only gets more intense as it goes on. Each scene is somehow more disturbing than the last, keeping everyone watching in suspense as the rather simplistic thriller in the beginning turns into a psychological nightmare towards the end. And as the scenes get more disturbing, so does the editing and overall cinematography. Satoshi Kon was a genius of editing, knowing exactly when to cut to a different scene for the maximum effect. The film transitions used here are as magnificent as you would expect; in several scenes, the narrative and music builds to its peak before suddenly cutting to the next scene. The film is very much made in the style that you would expect from an Alfred Hitchcock, only here it adds to the confusion of fact and fiction. It provokes viewers to think about the limitless outcomes of how the movie could end, but the movie knows this and continuously swerves the story around movie clichés. The movie even goes so far as to place scenes out of chronological order and some scenes cut before characters can finish their sentences. Everything was done to further put the viewer in Mima’s position; you feel and see first-hand what she is going through. With Perfect Blue, Kon was able to showcase his understanding of the human mind and his ability to further heighten these feelings of isolation and fear. As you can see, Perfect Blue is primarily concerned with the psychological breakdown of Mima as a result of her transition from a pop idol to an actress, but through this the film strive to find out who Mima is. Numerous times the film shows Mima as a timid person that does not have a strong sense of who she is, preferring to rely on those around her to define her identity. Even if the beginning the film defines her through the perspective of her fans, and from there it is her management that controls her image for their own wishes, going so far as to put her in a rape scene in order to get more eyes on the TV show. While the rape scene is staged, Mima is still traumatized by the experience. The film provides an authentic commentary on the exploitation of woman in the entertainment industry, especially in Japan’s case as Mima’s development shows change internally and externally, from the innocence pop idol perceived by fans of her former self to where she feels as though she needs to be sexually exploited if she is ever going to be able to advance her career, causing further damage to her psyche. These kinds of actions make you think that the price of fame may not be worth the cost of identity. Perfect Blue also tackles the issue of technology and how easy it is to create, maintain and lose control of one’s own public avatar. Before insanity takes over in full force, Mima finds an internet diary of sorts dedicated to detailing her experiences, feelings and life in general to even the most minute detail without Mima’s knowledge. While finding it humorous at first, her emotions quickly turn to fear as she figures out that she is being stalked, endangering her former sense of seclusion. She is never seen as a hero in the film, rather she is seen more realistically as a victim of lost privacy. Mima’s case becomes worse as the films goes on, with the site publishing false statements under the guise of Mima despite not reflecting her true feelings. Bear in mind that this film started production in 1994/1995, a time where stalking and the internet itself were barely understood, making the film prophetic in its use of the internet. Privacy is an increasing issue in society today, making the dilemmas faced in this film more relatable and realistic, and along with the unclear distinction of what she perceives to be real, makes this tale that much more terrifying. While Perfect Blue is a complex film, it does have an artistic side to it. There are several scenes throughout that while own their own look stunning, but with context signify Mima’s fall from grace and descent into madness. Some of these scenes were so well done that they have been recreated in live-action films like Requiem of a Dream and Black Swan. Despite the film’s title, the colour red is very symbolic as it represents Mima’s madness growing. As the movie goes on, red becomes more and more prominent, from brief items to completely encompassing Mima in some scenes, mirroring what happens in the narrative. Yet the colour never feels out of place in the film; if anything, it heightens the suspenseful nature that the film has. In contrast, white is used with the ghost of Mima’s mind, indicating the former innocence she once possessed in her pop idol career, back when she would have been considered too pure to go through with what is now expected of her as an actress. Reflections are also used prominently to not only foreshadow issues such as stalking and sexualisation, but as an effective way to explore the duality Mima faces throughout the film, further highlighting the identity crisis she faces. The brilliant imagery in Perfect Blue holds within it incredible thematic depth, hidden details and more, all while telling a confusing yet compelling story with seemingly unlimited replay value. The only glaring weak point that Perfect Blue has is in the sound, specifically the English dub. The cast and acting are both fine albeit some pronunciation issues here and there, but the script for the English version is weaker than its Japanese counterpart and it is apparent. Voice actors for the English dub were recorded one at a time and the depth of voice is off in some scenes, but overall it’s still a fine dub. The Japanese acting however the excellent all around, adding to the creepy and unsettling vibe the show already gives off. The soundtrack is varied, ranging from generic J-pop idol songs to the eerie themes that fit the tense atmosphere. There are even themes that change tone halfway through (for example, a J-pop tune that gets purposely distorted) in order to fit scenes that transition to Mima’s hallucinations, keeping the film unpredictable at every moment. It is complex, melancholic, surreal and beautiful all at the same time. Perfect Blue is an absolute masterpiece of a psychological movie that feels more real than what we wish to see. Satoshi Kon uses hallucinations, imagery and even a doppelganger within this multi-layered narrative to draw the audience into Mima’s world; a place where her identity and sense of reality is broken more and more as time goes on. The ending of the film revolves around how Mima answers the iconic question from the beginning of this review: "Excuse me... Who are you?". In that sense, Perfect Blue can be considered Mima’s coming of age story, where she began as a character defined by others, and over the course of the film loses everyone around her until she is all alone. In these kinds of moments, the only option left for Mima is to find herself. Nobody can help her through this; she is ultimately the only one who can truly find a place where she knows she belongs. And in the end, she does, but not in a way you would expect. The last scene shows Mima in a car underneath clear blue skies. She looks into the rear-view mirror; looking directly at the audience and smiles, then in cryptic fashion declares: _“No, I’m the real thing”._

ReBuggy

Perfect Blue is the Directorial film debut of the late Satoshi Kon, and the film that rightfully put him on the map. It is a psychological thriller about idol-turned-actress Mima Kirigoe (also known as "Mimarin"), following her descent into paranoia as the stress of an image change and a series of stalkings and murders slowly cause her to become disconnected from reality. The film shows its strengths as early as the opening moments, where it juxtaposes scenes of Mima performing with the idol group CHAM and scenes of Mima living life as an ordinary girl, switching between the two with match cuts. It's able to immediately establish two things Kon has been known for: his top-notch editing style and his focus on blurring the line between perception versus reality. In Perfect Blue, the "perception versus reality" takes the form of the person versus the persona, the actor versus the character, the world versus the stage. The plot of Perfect Blue kicks off when Mima quits CHAM to pursue opportunities in acting, quickly taking on a strong supporting role in the television crime drama Double Bind. However, the Double Bind role sees her playing a darker, more sexually involved character, and Mima's fans from her idol days aren't happy with her change from the more pure and innocent role she played as a pop idol. Among these disgruntled fans is a stalker known only by his screen name, "Me-Mania." Mima starts to become troubled as she encounters him more and more frequently, and when threats and murders start to plague the people around Mima who are forcing her into more explicit roles, Mima begins breaking down, seeing a ghostly reflection of her self dressed in her CHAM stage outfit who taunts her and claims to be the "real Mima." What follows is a wild ride of not knowing what the hell is actually happening and what's all just "part of the play," so to speak. This is where the story really begins to pick up, but unfortunately, describing it in more detail is both difficult due to the structure of the film, and would also completely spoil the experience. I ask that you just trust me on this and subject yourself to Satoshi Kon's Wild Ride. Perfect Blue's strength really shines in the visuals and editing. There is, of course, the aforementioned match cuts in the opening, showing that even pop idols live fairly normal lives. There's the constant reflection motifs, which emphasize that perceived identities, despite how much importance we place on them, are mere imitations of the true self. There's the constant abrupt cuts that disorient the audience (and Mima) and force them to question how much of what they just saw was real and how much was imagined. And then there's the fact that it's filled with just flat-out good visuals. In fact, Perfect Blue is so strong on this front that several western films have paid it direct homage, such as Black Swan lifting several themes and crafting similar visuals, or Requiem for a Dream flat-out [recreating the bathtub scream scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt0ulBpi2zA). This extends from the opening scene (as has already been mentioned), to the final line, where (light spoiler) ~!Mima waves off two background character's speculation that she's merely a lookalike with the phrase "No, I'm real." However, we see this declaration framed in a rearview mirror, implying that the "reality" that Mima speaks of may still be somewhat subjective.!~ Perfect Blue is overall just very well-crafted. It's one of those films that you can watch again and again and gain something new from each time, which in my opinion, is the mark of a great film. However, I understand that there are a few flaws, and while, in my opinion, they're excusable and arguably necessary, I can see how others may disagree. First of all, it pulls no punches in the depiction of otaku and idol fans in particular. In a film filled with subtlety, these idol fans, Me-Mania in particular, come across as gross caricatures or plot devices rather than actual characters. The other major issue people may have with the film is that it cheats. When the film begins to mess with the audience's perception of what's happening, it is not above outright lying or changing facts to cause viewers to question what's real. While this does reflect Mima's deteriorating mental state, it can feel a bit unfair, and on repeated viewings it's easy to look at certain scenes and say "okay, well this is just outright trying to mislead me." I can't give it a perfect score out of 100 because of that, but since all media is inherently subjective, I think this is the closest I can possibly get. Despite those minor flaws, I still think that Perfect Blue is a film that's about as, well, "perfect" as you can get. If you're even remotely interested in postmodern works that lean on the fourth wall, themes that delve into identity, or just the thriller genre in general, Perfect Blue is a film I think you'll absolutely love. I give the film the highest of recommendations. 5 Stars.

Daemonplay

Looking back I always found the desire for fame to be a paradoxical one. On one hand there is passion involved in most pursuits that can make you famous. And for some people becoming famous is maybe a side-effect of actually following said passion. But then you also have to consider all the people that strive for fame for the sake of it. Bathing in the glamour the public can provide. Living a luxurious lifestyle of extravagant vanity. And so on and so forth. The shadowy side of this whole matter is largely ignored until it fells one of its victims. The more fabricated the image the harsher the reality. I can not think of a pop culture phenomenon that exemplifies this dichotomy better than the asian (japanese or korean, pick whatever you want) idol culture of the past and present. And with this I invite you to a terrific and also terrifying journey through exactly this more nebulous side of glamour and glory. __Art & Animation__ If you, like me, are more familiar with the more stylized and polished look of modern anime one of the first things you are going to notice is the, maybe, surprising sense of realism the movie tries to portray. The faces aren't beautiful (except for characters like the idols that would be considered beautiful in our world as well), the bodies realistically proportioned and the colors not overly striking (for the most part). Speaking of colors, the thematic depth the movie accentuates with colors is something else. The interplay between red and blue permeates the entire movie and if you dig a little deeper there is a reason for both the interaction between these colors as well as the frequent switch between different magnitudes of lighting. The titel alone should already tell you all about the importance of art and especially color and saturation that you need to know. The animation itself is crafted with a lot of attention to detail (the art is too). It never takes you out of the experience and manages to convey even the most surreal parts as completely "real". __Sound__ It's a well known fact that music is essential to any form of film but that its role in horror is all the greater as it can help to exploit your senses and therefore subtly influence your mindset while watching a movie. And dare I say, Perfect Blue's score fits this role perfectly. Just hearing a piece like "Mima's Theme" creates a strong unnerving and chilling feeling that isn't easily shed. Sound itself is used in a subtle way to undermine your own psychological walls and therefore increase the effect the movie has on you. It exemplifies the way japaense horror is set up. Subtle, psychological and well ... horrifying. __Characters, Direction & Plot__ The story follows the retiring pop-idol Mima Kirigoe as she embarks on a new path in her career. The path of a TV actress to be a bit more specific. In the wake of this reimagination of herself her past can't seem to let go as a stalker begins to haunt her life and reality itself begins to tumble. From there on out...the horror ensues. More important than the general structure of the plot however is its execution which was absolutely amazing to say the least. Underscored by the above mentioned aspects of art and music, the foundation for a great work has already been laid which leaves the masterful direction of director Satoshi Kon to elevate it above the masses. And wonderful it is. It manages to sell the breakdown of reality in such a way that makes it look and especially feel real. Confusion in the movie becomes confusion for the audience. The genius use of transitional shots and subtle detail work in the scenes' environment are extremly effective in merging dream, reality and halluzination. Another major selling point of the movie are its characters. Mima in particular stands out as a perfect example of great characterization. Her entire arc, starting with the contradiction her aspirations, reality and desires lead her to, is portrayed in a completely authentic way. A hallmark of great character work. But the other characters also hold up under scrutiny. At least as much scrutiny as the abstract structure of the movie allows. I don't want to spoil too much so if you want to know more about the cast, from her agency's managers to the people she encounters over the course of this horrifying journey, you'll have to watch the movie yourself (or spoil yourself ahead of time if you prefer that route). __Closing Thoughts__ I'd say the biggest value of this movie can be found in an analysis of its themes. And believe me there are plenty. From the relationship between fandom, entertainer and the people working behind the stage, to the damning and uplifiting effect, one's own desires can have upon oneself, to regret, obsession, mental disorder, trust, love and so much more. Towards the end of this review I chose to put a bit more focus on the theme of obsession and avatars. I am not the first person to mention this and everybody reading this definitely knows this but our modern life has been jammed full of avatars and personas. It is no wonder that in a world that puts such heavy emphasis on these caricatures of real people behind the device questions concerning identity like "Who am I" or "Who and what defines me" become ever more prominent and ever more important. Perfect Blue is definitely way ahead of its time in this regard. The theme of obsession in all its ugly shades also drives the narrative for a huge part of the movie's runtime. Seeing how culture promotes an obsessive conduct towards its consumerist elements (and especially the kind of mindset that can create)it is more than worth a deeper look. Maybe this movie can provide this for you. I therefore officially recommend this movie (if my review hasn't made this clear already) to almost everyone. Obviously some people will be turned off by its violence, depictions of sexuality and overall harsh subject matter but if you believe you can stomach (spoil yourself if it helps or fast forward especially gruesome moments if necessary) it in any way it will be a thrilling, nerve-wrecking, moving and terrifying experience. So buckle up because... _All the world's a stage!_

KaizokuOtaku

This review will contain spoilers!!

Well, that's an experience I am sure to not forget any time soon or ever actually. I got around to watching Perfect Blue and suffice to say it was unique experiencing. I honestly thought I was following it to somewhat a teeth, but sheesh, my mind is all kinds of messed up now. Before I knew it got all kinds of weird, trippier, and much more confusing, harder to follow. But I had fun, and it was exhilarating top if all off. I won't pretend like I got everything the movie depicted since that might end in a big oof moment. So I will only explain things I feel most comfortable with. And who knows If I somehow stumble into the zone. I might just keep the beat going and pour on all kinds of fancy words that just make sense to me, at least. No, but really, Perfect Blue movie took my whole poor damn brain and threw it on the ground multiple times before picking it up and throwing it against a brick wall. Perfect Blue is a psychological-thriller written by Yoshikazu Takeuchi and directed by Satoshi Kon. Two absolutely incredible individuals. Sadly, Satoshi passed away a long time ago, leaving us only with his few collections of masterpieces that left a massive print on this world. Satoshi's name will never be forgotten. May he rest in peace. The story is about Mima, a pop idol who quit her career to act. Now she fights to come to terms with her new life and self as she gradually becomes disconnected from reality. Mima was forced into it by the society and surroundings and was not able to make her own decision. Simply cause real life doesn't work like that for famous people. I can honestly see this happening in real life. That might be one of the many reasons why so many actors and actresses get a case of depression. So the movie definitely hit harder beside my brain feeling like it got slowly disintegrated over time. It was a realistic depiction of life in many ways. Because those famous people don't get to make their own decisions without feeling threatened or scared. So, if Mima tried to just reject this offer to become an actress, it might end up harming her because there are people like that out there. Who knows what kind of shit storm the dirtbag who look so shady would get her into if she simply didn't follow along with the script? Mima is doing everything according to someone else wills to not cause any negative commotion for others. But By doing so, she is completely neglecting her own damn feelings and dismissing them lightly. Over time Mima grows anxious and gets sad, confused, to the point that she is unable to separate her dream from reality anymore. Mima wanted to do things her way but was unable to without feeling afraid. The people around causing her to do these things know she is suffering but won't help. They only care about their sorry butt and uses Mima simply as a property to flourish their own business. She gets so damn out of touch with everything she goes down a shady path of modeling, where the purpose is, you guessed she is to show how her womanly qualities and rack in that cash. I wonder if she went there to perhaps create a new identity and not let the past come back to haunt her again? Whatever the case, that one scene during an acting session was absolutely disturbing and beyond eerie and creepy. I've never been so terrified of animated figures. Those facial expressions, to every slightest detail, made the experience much more uncomfortable. Oh, yeah, there was nudity alright and lots of it. Enough to make other anime or movies feel tame in comparison. It was dipping its toes in the hentai realm just lightly. As I was saying before, those faces are nightmare fuel. Seriously, I am not gonna get a wink of sleep at night ever again and probably see those facial expressions for all time. There's also plenty amount of gore, not the kind you can go through without flinching. Nah, that was some real shit with disgusting sound effects, and the blood looked genuine. That one stab through the eyes had me go on pure cringe session, although I went back to watch it again since I rarely see that kind of depiction of violence in anime. It was mesmerizing on top of being as brutal as all hell. Honestly, this whole movie held my attention from the start to the end, no doubt. There are many ways to interpret Perfect Blue. For me, it's somewhere along the lines of losing your cherished identity and coming to terms with your new life. While at the same time fighting back the previous you that now haunts you. But before I get into all that. I want to say that Perfect Blue nailed the mood. During the elevator part for one, when Angel of love started playing. It was creepy such a song begun echoing slowly in the background before it came closer. Then when the elevator opened, all went blank for a moment, and you get this awful scene of the guy brutally killed with his eyes pulled out of his sockets. It sent a mad chill down my spine. I watched the whole movie in complete darkness. I regretted every minute when the movie started to ramp up, not turning the light on. It's also one the few times I have seen in an anime where the smallest movement can tell you so much about a character. I knew Rumi was shady from the beginning. Her eyes and subtle behavior of her was just so ominous from the getgo. So we knew Mima is confused and can't tell apart a dream from reality. Satoshi makes sure that the viewers feel like a complete dodo brain by putting you into Mima's shoes and dragging you along for a brain aching ride. Mima ends up creating a personality reflecting her pop-idol self to show how much she hates her current life. She is starting to doubt, and those feelings took form as her idol self. Mima is more or less having a fight with herself, failing to accept reality and just move on. While the illusion occupying two other people. For one Me-mania just wants to keep Mima for himself for selfish desires. Gosh, that face of his is so disgusting and gives me mad chills. Seeing him smile gives me almost a heart attack. That scene with him when he was trying to do the nasty with Mima when his voice was revealed. It was genuinely more terrifying. That whole scene had me at the edge of my seat, and I was scared for Mima's life. Every movement, plus the sound effect, felt precise and packed with weightiness and value to nail that scene absolutely. As I am writing this review, my opinions for Perfect Blue are starting to change. So I honestly appreciate it much more now than I did at the start of this article. Rumi's character is simply delusional and is trying to steal that identity of Mima that lingers in the air without a host. Satoshi clearly depicts a situation where Mima's previous identities come back to haunt her in real-time. Rumi is a former idol and might just want to go back to her peak days, where she doesn't look like a pig. I think I get that Mima saving Rumi from Truck-kun is essentially she beating her old self and finally moving on. Mima is not confused anymore. She knows she is the one and only Mima. So Rumi was kind of life a stepping-stone for Mima to accept growth and maturity. That's why she was so thankful, despite the shit she went through previously. Btw, how that pig almost died cause of something so idiotic is damn hilarious. What a joke. There was another thing that made this movie experience so much more, and that was the oustanding soundtrack. I always turned my volume up, especially those tunes, when everything is about to turn trippy or upside-down, came on. It was always chilling and made me keep up my guards for any kind of surprises if it may throw at me. Yet I still almost fell off my chair when Me-mania suddenly closed the distance between him and Mima. As for the art-style, I already touched upon it. But it's unique and honestly gorgeous and so full of depth if that makes sense. It's one of the few more realistic depictions of art-style I have come across in anime. The way Satoshi Kon uses all those other events to confuse the shit out of you is merely ingenious as well. I lost count all the times I believed the acting scenes where the reality or other matters. Mima is not the only one losing things during her run, but me too. My brain honestly feels like goo and is fried up. But I loved watching Perfect Blue, it had tons of symbolic themes. I caught only a few. I honestly don't know if I even got them right to begin with. I wanna throw some praise for the absolutely stunning voice acting, especially Mima. It's like I have an angel inside of my head speaking. Seriously, I love that soft, hesitant voice of hers, which is so quite refined and has many subtle details to truly nail Mima's character. Also, Mima was such a fun character to follow. I adore her quite a lot, and she is a pleasing sight for some sore eyes. Best girl, anyone? Overall, I recommend this masterpiece, directed by Satoshi Kon and written by the equal alike genius Yoshikazu Takeuchi to everyone. You have to watch it at one point. It's truly a work of art, and I can see myself rewatching it a lot in the future. Well, something tells me if I went back and saw it now. My interpretation would be so different. Yes, there are honestly many ways to describe what the hell just went down. This review/analysis, I guess, is solely what made the most sense to me. Perfect Blue is one of the few anime that comes closest to perfection I have so far, but it's not without flaws. It can be quite hard-to-follow, and many things in the movies will have you second-guessing never be able to come to a decision. I loved it tho. The way Satoshi Kon put us into Mima's shoes or how the editing was done to really make us confuzzled over what the hell we just saw is so refreshing. I have not seen many shows that make my brain feels empty, but I guess after this, you bet I will change that and watch more trippy acid shit that has a purpose and value. I can honestly see why Perfect Blue is so highly praised by many. I am here to tell you it truly deserves every bit of it. This is a movie not even lasting two hours, but each watch will give you new things to chew on. A brilliantly well-crafted eerie and in-depth study of character that shows how easy it is to manipulate the human mind, and how fickle and delicate we are as beings. Just a step in the wrong direction can make you feel genuinely lost and beyond help.

newaiz

This movie was honestly one of the best movies if not, the best movie I’ve ever watched. Somethings that stood out to me the most were the usage of sound, color, and how close you were with the main character Mima throughout the movie and especially at the end of the movie. This movie has an immense amount of symbolism and has tons of rewatch value. This is one of those rare movies where you can rewatch and constantly pick up details you didn’t notice before. The use of color, sound (or lack of thereof) and the way that you are living through these experiences with the character is amazing. The use of color was very subtle and I only noticed certain things at the end of the movie. Around the end of the movie I noticed that her past self/ idol self was a lot more vibrant and colorful than her current/actress self. I think that this is a representation of how she feels and how she perceives the different stages in her life. The vibrancy reminds her of how amazing, and upbeat her life used to be, she was put together and had a group of reliable people around her. Her current self can’t trust anybody because of her intense paranoia caused by her stalker. Her inner circle is also being brutally murdered and being torn apart. Her current self feels alone, confused and she’s not even sure of who she is and stated that she didn’t even care who she was anymore. While trying to pursue her new dreams she lost herself along the way. I loved the use of sound or lack thereof at some scenes. I loved when they used CHAM’s music to build suspense or just music in general. The silence in some parts where you saw the dead bodies and realized what just happened were immaculate. Music and sound in general were a huge part in this music which I think also reflects on the fact that Mima’s life was just music for a while because of CHAM. I loved the fact that you were just as confused as the main character. It really helps you understand Mima as a person, what she is feeling and what she is thinking. This movie makes you feel like you're with her and that you see and feel and think everything that Mima is feeling. Around the end of the movie you question what is real and what isn’t. This movie is so open up to interpretation and I think that’s what makes it so good. After watching this movie I don’t even know who the main character is. I have a bunch of ideas as to what happened in the movie. Some of my theories are that Mima has always been an actress and she landed a new big role. She has immense amounts of pressure to perform well so she tries to really dig deep inside of her character which causes confusion and she loses herself along the way. The second is that Rumi is actually the main character. Rumi hates herself so much that she created the perfect version of herself which is Mima. This doesn’t work and because her mental state is so damaged Mimi goes insane as well and kills everybody that Rumi likes to hurt her. The whole movie is the 2 sides of herself battling for power and for dominance. My third idea is that Mimi is still in CHAM but she feels that her life is just one big performance and has a mental crisis over it. The actress side of her are her goals and aspirations that she can’t pursue because she knows what will happen to her and her idol

jason2125

This is the __best fucking movie__ I've ever watched. Satoshi Kon is a genius for coming up with this shit. While the plot beneath the movie is relatively simple, the execution makes it super complicated for the viewer, which is perfect for what the movie is trying to convey. The essence of the movie is to tell the story of an idol-turned-actress who is increasingly unable to discern between acting and real life. To show this, the movie leads the viewer on a journey with masterful camera work, amazing sound design, and excellent pacing. After the brief introduction to the characters, cheeky transitions start leading the viewer to question whether something they are seeing is part of a TV drama being filmed, or a real life event happening in the movie. As the plot progresses, this becomes more frequent, and the viewer is lulled into this unsettling headspace of psychological horror. Eventually, it becomes virtually impossible to tell what is real and what isn't. This physically puts the viewer into the shoes of our MC as this is kind of what she is experiencing as well. Beyond the transitions, the looping structure of certain parts of the movie also strengthens this psychological mindfuck. Not only does the movie mindfucks the viewer, it also intentionally misleads the viewer using an unreliable narration in creating false shots and using objects like mirrors to intentionally display an ambiguous narrative. The dialogue in the TV drama shoots also kind of break the barrier between what's real and what isn't, filled with creepy quotes like "There is no way illusions can come to real life." After finishing the movie, I eventually understood the "actual" plot of the movie beneath the misdirection and facades, and all I was thinking is that fucker Satoshi Kon got me good. Re-watching certain parts of the movie now with the "real" plot in mind, everything is logical and the details used in the film all seem deliberate and consistent, really showcasing the genius of the writing and animation work. These are just some of the things that make A Perfect Blue _perfect_, and this only covers a small chunk of that. Apart from setting the atmosphere through its amazing camera focus, the characters here also feel incredibly unnerving. The main characters in this movie consist of a "nice" female manager and a guy who looks like a literal rapist, and as the movie goes on, it becomes easy to question if either of these characters are actually like what they are doing on screen, or if they are even real. This also adds to the assimilation of the viewer's perspective into the MC's mindset, and with everything element of the movie added in, by the climax of the show the viewer would be completely engrossed in the psychological "zone" of the film, achieving the highest level of story-telling through full-on immersion. Thank you Madhouse, __NR__. Story: 10/10 Animation: 10/10 Characters: 10/10 Sound: 10/10 Enjoyment: 10/10 (after finishing the movie; I was absolutely terrified during the movie) Overall Score: 100/100 What a great ending song to this movie, Satoshi Kon left us too soon :( youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ8hRr-lRkI)

ZNote

As Mima finally starts getting accustomed to how to use a computer, she stumbles across a website called “Mima’s Room” that seems to go into painstaking detail about her personal life. Nearly everything, from her steps off the train to the kinds of goods she buys at the supermarket, are broadcast as diary entries for the internet to see. One particular line disturbs her, and she clicks the accompanying sound file numerous times. She hears her own voice, taken from when she was on set and reciting her single line in the scene: “Who are you?” “Who are you?” “Who are you?” It may be life’s greatest existential mystery, and one that often has individuals running for the door instead of confronting it head-on. It is within the realm of personal identities that _Perfect Blue_ resides. Mima herself undergoes what we all have had to do at some point: a reinvention of ourselves into something new. We see Mima as three different people: the pop idol, the aspiring film actress, and the woman who gradually feels her grip on reality slipping away. No matter which Mima we see at any given moment, she is a part of the same visual, sexualized game; the only differences lie in the details. As a pop idol, Mima was eye-candy because of her sugar-sweet music, outfits, and incomparable ability to force a smile on her face. As an actress, she strips for a photographer and engages in a rape scene for her role. As a woman, she has been subjected to a violation of her privacy, a violation that “performs” the role of Mima the pop idol for its online visitors. The audience become a quasi-participant in _Perfect Blue’s_ physical and psychological voyeurism, but the way the world views Mima churns the stomach rather than titillates. No matter how much sexualization takes place in the moment, there is nothing erotic in this film. The feeling is a cold, uncomfortable dread. That discomfort comes from the realization that what we see on-screen is all-too-familiar. Creating identities that play to fantasies or jobs required of us is no longer a foreign concept for the present generations. Social media’s rise and being able to craft precisely how you wish to present yourself to the world is no longer a fantasy; rather, it is the way of being on the internet. After taking our naïve steps into such a universe, we expose ourselves to the dark implications surrounding identity creation, theft, and destruction. Throw into the mix the idea of an identity of you that’s beyond your control, and the possibilities are numerous and gross. In this matter, _Perfect Blue_ has aged terrifyingly well. Mima, in essence, is one such outsider taking her own naïve steps into a new world. Those steps are accompanied by a problem that is, likewise, easily-recognizable: was venturing into new territory the best decision, or did you leave the best behind? It appears that CHAM!, the group she used to belong to, is actually doing better without her there. She mentally breaks down on her bed at home after filming her rape scene, saying she swallowed her pride in order to film it. On some level, she is disgusted with herself. The “innocent and virginal” mask that served her public image so well has been ripped off. Her years of experience and wearing it are betraying her convictions in the here-and-now. But the mask was never-fully secured to her face to begin with. Even back in the days of CHAM!, one could only assume her depths of dissatisfaction with performing in this way. Her final performance early in the film was a microcosm of what she experienced: lunatic fans and doing the same song-and-dance routines over and over again. Even as she begins tearing the mask off for real, the website that tracks her every move haunts her mind. Against the advice of her agent, she continues to visit it with increasing regularity. She has become a self-voyeur, but for a version of herself that she’s trying to separate from. Combining the regret of leaving CHAM! with the uncertainty she now feels, Mima begins to question where or who the “real Mima” is. She is caught in the middle of a world that wants to use her two different identities for their own ends. The only way to reclaim her agency, ironically, is to hold fast to her original conviction and continue her acting work. As so often happens, work does not provide the refuge she needs. The more Mima dives into acting, the deeper the mental labyrinth runs. Some of her old fans simply cannot reconcile the new Mima with the version they’ve constructed for themselves over the years and subsequently consumed. To them, she exists only to satisfy their own desires about what they want her to be. The film already has shown one violent action as a result of this with the Mima’s Room website, but it manifests in other ways. There’s a certain man who seems to constantly appear in her presence, but the way her mind is seeing things, or not seeing, calls his appearances into question. The barrier between fantasy and reality muddles, leaving Mima disoriented. Even some of the character designs are disorienting, with the feeling that something is off about how they look, no matter how ordinary they appear to be. Is this even how they “look” in actuality? _Perfect Blue_ is as much a celebration of cultivating one’s own identity as it is a warning of identity’s power, both over us and over other people. It penetrates deep into the heart of who we are as living bodies while being the ever-unstable lens that gives us meaning. Weaving in and out of itself in a binding, thick web, the film strings its heroine and all who know her, “know her,” and “are her” along for a dizzying ride of terror. “Be yourself” has rarely been such a frightful thought.

JonathanBarreto

~~~ #𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐚𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬 img(https://files.catbox.moe/0waixx.png) img380(https://64.media.tumblr.com/108ba972d8b099dc2cfd2072cb2edb85/tumblr_nk4ed5mjxa1sfet3to1_r1_500.png) img(https://files.catbox.moe/0waixx.png) https://anilist.co/anime/437/Perfect-Blue/ ~~~ #Informações e Avisos img120(https://i.imgur.com/Kpnve93.gif) 𝟏. Essa análise é 100% focada no filme de 1998 e nada em relação ao material original será citado. 𝟐. A análise será focada em duas partes, sendo a primeira dela focada em uma RÁPIDA explicação sem spoilers sobre o filme. Porém, na segunda parte, não irei controlar os spoilers, então, não leia se não tiver assistido o filme ainda. 𝟑. Usei de inspiração algumas leituras que fiz pela internet e todas serão creditadas ao final da análise. img500(https://files.catbox.moe/0waixx.png) #Introdução e Rápida Análise Sem Spoilers img120(https://i.imgur.com/Kpnve93.gif) Perfect Blue é um filme lançado em 1998, dirigido pelo lendário e precocemente falecido Satoshi Kon. O filme é baseado em uma novel. Sim, não vou falar muitos detalhes sobre a história aqui na parte sem spoilers. Na verdade, não leia a sinopse do filme, porque ela pode estragar parte da graça do filme. Penso que é um trabalho bem difícil falar sobre Perfect Blue sem dar spoilers, porque ele é um filme que precisa ser visto de mente completamente vazia, de forma pura. O que pode ser dito, sem spoilers, é que Perfect Blue é um filme dirigido de forma genial, conduzido com exelência por Satoshi Kon, perfeito em suas escolhas visuais e preciso em suas metáforas. A construção atmosférica do filme é perfeitamente bem encaixada nos poucos minutos que ele dura. Todo momento é usado em prol da contrição e da intenção do diretor. Resumindo sem spoiler: Perfect Blue é um filme FEITO PARA ASSISTIR DURANTE À NOITE, de preferência em um horário avançado. É perfeitamente dirigido e produzido e deve ser assistido sem QUALQUER tipo de spoiler, e não leia a sinopse oficial. Sim, agora começa a parte com Spoilers. img500(https://files.catbox.moe/0waixx.png) #💃🏻👯‍♀️Cena Inicial💃🏻👯‍♀️ img120(https://i.imgur.com/Kpnve93.gif) Quando uma obra de ficção tem a ambição de criar um plot twist efetivo, ela precisa, pelo menos na esmagadora maioria das vezes, construir o plot twist gradualmente. Encher a história com "pistas", com momentos que irão reforçar esse plot twist quando você assistir novamente ao filme. A cena inicial de Perfect Blue é boa nesse quesito, além de fazer um excepcional trabalho de construir a sua crítica, a sua mensagem. Mima mostrando sua simplicidade, mostrando que no palco ela é uma profissional, um personagem, uma figura. Fora, ela é um ser humano comum, que anda de metrô, que vai ao mercado, etc. A cena inicial também já consegue demonstrar a forma na qual o filme trabalha as cores, principalmente o vermelho, nesse momento inicial. A alternância entre cenas de Mima no palco, mostrando sua faceta Idol e cenas dela simplesmente vivendo normalmente já consegue demonstrar como o filme iria seguir quando se trata de direção. img(https://giffiles.alphacoders.com/195/195061.gif) img500(https://files.catbox.moe/0waixx.png) #🟦🟥Azul e Vermelho🟦🟥 img120(https://i.imgur.com/Kpnve93.gif) O azul sempre teve esse lado, essa faceta deprimente atribuida. Como por exempo o gênero de música "Blues", como a sensacional música "Almost Blue". O vermelho é atribuido a vida, a felicidade. Em Perfect Blue, o filme inteiro se utiliza desse artifício, desse jogo com essas duas cores. O azul fala da forma deprimente de Mima, da forma que mostra a Mima fora do mundo que ela ama, fora da vida de Idol, se "pervertendo" para alcançar a fama. O vermelho demonstra o lado vibrante dela, o lado que é cheio de vida e feliz. A forma na qual Kon dirige esses momentos é sensacional, abusando das cores quando permitido, realmente fazendo um show visual. Ele vai da pequena referência a mais "óbvia" e gritante. Da roupa de Idol ser sempre vermelha, até o chão do elevador onde o roteirista morre também ser vermelho. img(https://miro.medium.com/max/700/0*4ZscQB2UFli4Fbpu.jpg) img(https://giffiles.alphacoders.com/195/195063.gif) Existe apenas UM momento onde isso fica um pouco estranho, onde existe um possível abuso nessa atitude por parte da direção. Falo da perseguição final, onde existe um exagero no vermelho, algo que fica realmente fora de tom e estranho. Porém, pelo menos comigo, só consegui reparar nisso na segunda vez que vi o filme, quando já tinha essa questão das cores em mente. Outro argumento defensivo seria que isso foi uma atitude assertiva por parte da direção para demonstrar a completa loucura do momento. Talvez foi uma atitude exagerar nessas cores para realmente demonstrar a gritante atitude delas (as cores), mostrar o completo lado perturbado de Mima e como esse lado vermelho cativante dela (Mima) estava gritando pelo retorno de Mima. img(https://miro.medium.com/max/700/0*dHBM5FuNvuiV9wmJ.jpg) img(https://giffiles.alphacoders.com/195/195055.gif) img500(https://files.catbox.moe/0waixx.png) #Sim, eu pago pau para uma boa direção. img120(https://i.imgur.com/Kpnve93.gif) Satoshi Kon é um dos melhores diretores de animação que temos no japão. Não quero fazer comparações com outros diretores, mas sinto que o Satoshi é o mais versátil deles, indo de um horror psicológico para uma comédia dramática (Tokyo Godfathers). Satoshi é mestre em analogias e construção de cena. Um mestre do subliminar, da mensagem nas entrelinhas. Se eu fosse citar todos os momentos onde Satoshi dá uma aula de direção, essa análise ficaria gigantesca. Então vou citar poucas dessas muitas. img250(https://files.catbox.moe/0waixx.png) A cena do estupro foi quando o filme conseguiu capturar minha total atenção. A cena é desgraçada, um completo desconforto, uma catarse de sentimentos conflitantes. Um turbilhão de dúvidas, porque Mima quer ser famosa, quer crescer como uma artista, então ela "aceitou" passar por essa categoria de situação. Mas quanto custa essa fama? O que ela vai precisar perder para conquistar esse lugar? Li em um site, um pensamento muito interessante sobre essa cena (links no fim da análise). Antes da gravação da cena começar, Mima está no palco, se preparando para o momento, a câmera repousa no lado direito do rosto de Mima. Podemos ver a completa expressão de apreensão, o medo dos acontecimentos futuros, a tensão sobre o que vai acontecer. Quando a cena começa, a câmera repousa no lado esquerdo e demonstra que Mima está no personagem. Sorrindo, vivendo toda a intensidade da cena, entregue a todo aquele cenário de perversão e destruição da imagem que antes ela tinha. Sensacional. img(https://miro.medium.com/max/700/0*KxtpA9jBgzh2iXN0.jpg) Antes da gravação, Mima está apreensiva, envolvida de duvidas. img(https://miro.medium.com/max/700/0*ro7D2BA6lD6C8dOU.jpg) Quando a cena começa, Mima se entrega completamente ao personagem, a perverção da escalada ao sucesso. img250(https://files.catbox.moe/0waixx.png) Outra cena de EXTREMO poder, é a cena que Rumi mata o fotógrafo que fez o ensaio sensual com Mima. A cena é carregada de poder, carregada de fúria, de sentimentos. A forma na qual a trilha sonora evolui de uma escolha confortável e óbvia, para um perturbador arranjo espiral é extremamente precisa. A decisão visual dos flashs expositivos das fotos sensuais de Mima fazem um assustador trabalho de intensificação dos sentimentos e de construção de tensão e intenção. As fotos que piscam na tela são as mais expositivas das mais expositivas, dando total ênfase na completa perversão da carreira de Mima. O fato de vermos Mima cometendo o crime, em vez de Rumi, foi uma perfeita decisão da direção. Em algumas outras ocasiões, talvez outro diretor iria escolher esconder o rosto de assassino, em uma tentativa de manter o mistério. Em Perfect Blue, Kon decide nos enganar, decide colocar Mima ali, talvez como uma forma de demonstrar que Rumi estava agindo "em nome" de Mima. img(https://giffiles.alphacoders.com/195/195049.gif) img(https://giffiles.alphacoders.com/195/195053.gif) youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iGGP_v31uk&list=PLB01D0FF169A2E688&index=5) A forma na qual essa ost desfila por um campo espiral e um confuso arranjo de vozes e sons é sensacional. Uma perfeita fusão entre intenção e composição. img(https://files.catbox.moe/0waixx.png) Direção Não Expositiva é um fator FUNDAMENTAL em um filme do gênero de Perfect Blue. Não subestimar a inteligência do público, não responder todas as perguntas, não explicar aquilo que não precisa ser explicado. Kon constrói uma perturbadora montanha-russa de apenas subidas. A forma na qual o filme vai construindo e aumentando a tensão e as dúvidas, aumentando o completo sentimento perdição. Eu lembro de estar completamento perturbado enquanto assistia ao filme, a cada cena onde a realidade se questionava, onde os acontecimentos da vida de Mima se tornavam parte da novela na qual ela trabalhava. Acredito que o estopim dessa crescente seja o momento onde "Mima" assassina o stalker e quando a luz acende, ela está diante das câmeras e uma plateia está aplaudindo. Finalizando o ciclo dos acontecimentos dela se tornando roteiro, o ciclo da perda de privacidade que o stalker criava em volta dela. img(https://giffiles.alphacoders.com/195/195103.gif) img(https://files.catbox.moe/0waixx.png) #O Final Inconclusivo img120(https://i.imgur.com/Kpnve93.gif) Quando eu falo sobre direção pouco expositiva, falo sobre o final de Perfect Blue. Existe sim uma "CONCLUSÃO", mas é óbvio que o mistério ainda continua, a dúvida permanece, e a "resposta" traz uma gigantesca sensação de "talvez". Novamente falando sobre a análise que li no site listado, ela fala sobre a questão do carro de Mima. Por fora, o carro é vermelho, e por dentro, azul. Penso que isso pode ser uma alusão a que, por fora, Mima voltou a ser a Mima Idol, a Mima gritante, feliz, vermelha, viva. Mas por dentro, ainda é "azul", é a Mima perturbada, cheia de dúvidas, triste. img(https://giffiles.alphacoders.com/195/195097.gif) #Conclusão img120(https://i.imgur.com/Kpnve93.gif) Na minha humilde opinião, Perfec Blue é o melhor longa-metragem de animação já criado. É um excepcional show de direção, produção, trilha sonora, etc. Satoshi Kon, um diretor iniciante na época, conseguiu demonstrar todo o seu potencial de forma majestosa, impecável. A escalada gradual de tensão do filme é poderosa narrativamente, a forma na quela o filme se distorce e desdobra para passar sua mensagem, sensacional. Suas metáforas são poderosas, suas críticas são atuais, seus questionamentos são importantes. Acredito que uma das mínimas reclamações que eu tenho, é em relação ao exagero do uso do vermelho em alguns momentos, principalmente no final. PORÉM, eu apenas percebi esse detalhe na SEGUNDA vez assistindo ao filme, então, isso não é um fator que prejudica o filme de forma definitiva. Sempre penso que as animações norte-americanas e até mesmo de alguns lugares da Europa tem muito o que "aprender" com as japonesas. Não em uma questão de "qualidade", mas de "intenção". Os japoneses, desde sempre, veem que existe sim, a possibilidade de se trabalhar histórias poderosas, adultas e pesadas em formato de animação. Nós vemos que quando o ocidente tenta fazer animações "adultas", na sua gigantesca maioria, são comédias ácidas com rasas piadas repetitivas. Reconheço sim, que a Pixar faz um trabalho interessante nesse quesito, porém, penso que existe uma saturação na fórmula utilizada pelo estúdio. Enfim, paciência. img500(https://files.catbox.moe/0waixx.png) Link da análise citada na minha análise. Recomendo a leitura, é realmente muito boa. https://medium.com/@a4parede/perfect-blue-1997-e-a-confus%C3%A3o-vermelha-47822b739414

ReecePolar

Perfect Blue shines not only as a movie, but is also impressive as a directional debut into film. This being someone's first movie reminds me heavily of Ari Aster and his debut, Hereditary. Both films are impressive feats for any Director, let alone a debut. They also get to share the similarity of being phenomenal movies. Perfect Blue is about the descent of Mima's mental state. This not only works as an interesting focus, but it also allows the audience to not know if something actually happened. Even after finishing the movie and the perpetrator being known, I still doubt multiple scenes in the movie. We don't truly know who killed the victims, or how Mi-Mania truly got involved. And yet this is exactly why the movie works, it's blend of real and the unknown create a spectacle that I can't even put into words properly.\ The descent of Mima's mental state in the movie is the highlight, because of both the unknowingness of the movies' scenes, and also the spectacle of how the movie is shown to us. The severe use of match cuts both amplifies the parallels of double bind, the television show she is in, and her real life. I personally believe some of the scenes in the movie show us Rumi as Mima. Due to her room being a perfect replica of Mima's, and her believing she is Mima, some scenes can easily pass off as being from her perspective. There are few and far between scenes that we know for a fact even happened. Like Rumi dressing up like Mima, and the deaths actually happening. Everything else after she became an actress is up in the air in terms of believability. It's scenes like this that truly highlight my favourite moments in the film. Another highlight of the movie, is the epilogue. In the final scene, the ominous final line said by Mima, "I'm the real one!" is voiced by Rumi's voice actress, further twisting what is happening and what is a hallucination. An enhancement of this decision is that Mima's singing voice in an earlier song, is also voiced by Rumi's Voice Actress. An impressive yet unsurprising fact I learnt is that Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan was heavily inspired by Perfect Blue. When you watch either movie after the other, the similarities are abundantly clear, yet it is still a feat for Perfect Blue. This information also serves as the perfect example PB's reach as a movie. I hadn't even heard of Kon as a filmmaker before this movie got recommended to me. Now because of Perfect Blue, I'm going to go through all of them. First Millennial Actress, then Paranoia Agent. Just as Perfect Blue threw him into the spotlight as his directional debut, it's throwing me into his entire catalogue. _A Konathon, if you will_

Recess247

Analyzing the movie while I was watching it was the best thing I could do, every plot twist and "dream" that occurs in the duration of the film has a lot of symbolic material to determine in which diegesis is the story developing and what things are real and what others are not. The first half has its clues to help you understand what is going on with the second (and confusing) part fo the film. The best thing from the film is the focus on the perspective of reality from the protagonist (Mima Kirigoe), because thanks to that dreams, traumas, acting, surrealism, depersonalization, derealization, vengeance and fear are presented as a stream of events and emotions that flow scrambled without any sign of resting. The only thing that sets a standard is waking up from dreams but waking up is also an event full of doubts. The second thing that appeared to me to be very wise was the transition of Kirigoe from music to acting. That sole argument brings to the table a double meaning: a change in work identity and a hint to the dilemma of the woman when coming face to face to what defines her beyond her profession. These ideas are a symbolic reference to the same questions that the Swedish film _Persona_ (1966) directed by Ingmar Bergman asked: Who am I? What do they want me to be? Therefore, the film exposes with the profession of acting how she can adopt other personas and blur the lines between reality and her acting. Acting is one part of the puzzle, the other one is music. Her transition to acting is a choice to make her career grow, but that decision wasn’t the favorite of her fans, specially one that is obsessed with her. This obsession is one of the many catalysts that have its results in the second part of the film, but it also is a note on the obscure side of idol culture in Japan. Finally, the animation and style differences within characters and background are key to stablish a focus on the persons and express their feelings with the contrasting background. Sometimes it is a little bit obvious than other ones, for instance: a simple composition occurs when Kirigoe is in her room with her computer and the red background of her room is in contrast with her face, while metaphorical scenes like the ones in the subway can express her determination to change or her ticket to depersonalization. I love surrealist films and I was a bit distracted from this type of films for a long time, this film only helped me to remember why I love so much that type of perspective from reality and how it can blur the line between logic and dreams. _Perfect Blue_ shows from the perspective of a new actress and ex-idol how the effects of depersonalization and derealization (supported by harassment) destroy the thread that unifies her reality with her identity.

SolidMateus

Perfect Blue é o melhor retrato de como funciona a vida de uma pessoa famosa por trás de todo o glamour das câmeras. Não é novidade que o mundo da fama é cheio de podres, e no filme de Satoshi Kon temos uma perspectiva maior desses problemas na vida de uma Idol Japonesa, além de serem tratadas como uma pequena engrenagem que movimenta a indústria, essas garotas raramente tem liberdade em sua vida pessoal, sendo manipuladas com promessas de alavancar a carreira ou com conversas como: “os seus fãs vão adorar”. Assim essas acabam entrando em diversos projetos que são desconfortáveis para sua vida. É visível que hoje, um pouco mais de 20 anos depois do lançamento do filme esses problemas continuam atuais, o que demonstra que a máquina ainda não parou de funcionar, apenas foi melhor maquiada, o que é bem triste se pensarmos que o avanço da internet e redes sociais poderiam expor tudo que a de sujo nesse belo mundo de celebridades, mas a verdade é que fortaleceu o culto aos artistas e popstars, por mais que todo mês sejamos bombardeados de notícias tristes sobre a vida desses que se submetem ou acabam presos na vida de ídolo, são os próprios fãs dessas pessoas que atrapalham o público de dar uma atenção maior a essas denúncias, assim incentivando a continuação dessa prática. Por mais que esses não defendam diretamente o abuso diário que estes jovens sofrem, acabam abafando-o usando como exemplo “aquele grupo é bem tratado” ou “naquela empresa isso não acontece” quando sabem que a realidade é que esses são minoria e que ainda assim incertos, além disso esses mesmos fãs que os defendem são os mesmos a atacarem se os seus ídolos favoritos saírem do padrão esperado pelos seus seguidores. O filme também deixa nítido de que boa parte desses que acompanham as Idols estão mais interessados em seu corpo e em satisfazer suas fantasias do que de fato o trabalho artístico daquelas que sobem ao palco, tanto que é normal depois de passarem pela primeira fase da carreira, isto é, a garota divertida e fofa, partirem para shows adultos e ensaios sensuais, assim como acontece com a protagonista “Mima”. A pressão que esses artistas tem é mostrada de forma perfeita, beirando desde a paranóia de stalkers até o estado de loucura, por fazerem coisas que não queriam apenas para garantir sucesso contínuo e não ser esquecida já que a grande maioria das celebridades acabam ficando cada vez mais vagas e substituíveis, principalmente se tratando de aparência. Além disso a dualidade é o ponto chave para embarcarmos em tudo que esse filme nos proporciona, o diretor foi um grande mestre ao nos confundir com os delírios de “Mima”, nos colocando dentro deles, onde até mesmo nós perguntamos o que é real ou sonho, a grande verdade é que tudo que vimos só terá sua explicação para aqueles que pegarem os mínimos detalhes do filme, desde um espelho quebrado até a vista de uma janela!

Frozia

!!!WATCH THIS BLIND!!! THE REVIEW DOESN’T CONTAIN SPOILERS BUT DISCUSSES STRUCTURE, WHICH COULD ALTER ENJOYMENT The void between self and self-saught; the perception and awareness, or lack thereof, of one’s own character. Perfect Blue perfectly encapsulates the ever-present struggle of persona within the modern world. When telling a story through film, I see it as 3 essential parts working together in harmony. The Earth we perceive, the lofty sky and space above/around us, and the underlying “true” Earth below; the auditory and visual, the theme(s), and the message or “true” theme. To have the ability to master all 3, weave them together, and have the end product be provocative and enjoyable is truly a work of art in itself. Satoshi Kon demonstrated this to the fullest extent here. Kon constantly toys with you through his visual and audio cues, quite honestly driving you a little insane. There’s so much duality in every key moment. When Mima looks at her hands, is she referring to her dream or what happened last night? Which one was the dream? Were they both dreams? The film doesn’t give you much of a breather at any point to process every option for every detail. Though your gut reaction is exactly what Kon wants, which is to follow his surface-level illusion that is gripping in its own right. Let alone how he masterfully weaves in doubt and reason to doubt that doubt within a single scene. This draws your attention away from indicators of the true story, which are staring at you right in the face. It’s pure, cinematic brilliance! As I was watching, about halfway through, I couldn’t help but notice this feeling that started to emerge and fester within me. The metaphorical ground was having a tremor. It went away as the movie reached its climax, but this was the first thing I wanted to tackle as soon as the credits started to roll. Eventually, I came to the realization that this was the same feeling I had when I watched Spirited Away; coming to terms with yourself, growing up, and moving on from microcosms. Admittedly, I confirmed my suspicions with a lengthy review/analysis, otherwise, I wouldn’t have known the word ‘microcosm’. The message hit me like a speeding truck (get it), as it did for many I assume, and oddly gave me comfort. Logically, I know my problem isn’t unique, and this movie’s depiction is rather extreme. Though, it was comforting to know that I’m not alone. Ironic and pleasant, as I write this alone in my apartment during my first holiday season away from loved ones. After my viewing, I began watching “Kon’s lecture” in which he talks about certain elements that he considered deeply while he directed. I’ve only seen the first 2 of 5, but I can’t wait to watch this movie a few more times. The sheer amount of thought and care that went into each scene is astounding. His film-making philosophy seems so elementary, yet there’s this high level of elegance to it. I first thought the not-Power Rangers scene that kicks off the film was just to help set the time period. Instead, it was meant to frame your mind on the theme. Kon believes that the first scene of a movie is like the first page of a book and the abstract/thesis of a paper; it must hook the audience and allude to elements that will be divulged. The first scene represents the dilemma Mima faces- the personas try to take down the “bugs” and their leader [for an audience that doesn’t care for the ‘real’ version]. The themes of reflection, masks, and perception. A fanfare of special FX and actors trying their best is met with disinterest and longing for the “fake” TV version. We then pan over to the general public right outside the event. No one cares, everyone’s focused on the idol group. All of this within the first minute. Maybe this is a bit much, Kon himself recognizes this in the lecture and comments, (paraphrasing) “you need these kinds of hand-wavey explanations so, when people ask, you can answer with confidence, even if you made it up afterward”. He didn't really care if you caught this or not, nothing hinges on it. But, this is the stuff I love. Stuff like this plays a great part in what makes film, and art as a whole, so delightful to me. To be able to spread messages evoked by personal strife and joy, so that the receiver of these messages may find solace with their own experiences and happenstance. May you rest in peace, Satoshi

dommywommy

#~~~__Perfect Blue Review__~~~ ~~~___Date finished: 4/18/2022___~~~ ~~~___SUMMARY___ img520(https://c.tenor.com/7VhAawmeCT4AAAAC/perfect-blue-anime.gif) ~~~ _Perfect Blue_ is a film that is, on the surface, about one thing, but ends up being about another thing. I really appreciated the story and thought it was engaging and thought-provoking. While I didn’t appreciate some aspects of one of the characters in the film, I thought overall the characterization was above-average. The animation really holds well in my eyes and there was something warm about the film. I liked it a lot and will definitely be looking for similar recommendations. ___SCORE: 8.9/10___ ~~~___STORY___ img520(https://thumbs.gfycat.com/AgonizingHarmoniousAfricanjacana-max-1mb.gif) ~~~ _Perfect Blue_ is about a pop star who leaves the life of a pop idol to instead pursue a career as a rookie actress. While performing her duties as such, she experiences an internet stalker who seems to know her every move, and then all of a sudden people around her who start “wronging” her keep showing up dead! Crazy! Perfect Blue’s story was creative and entertaining. There is a sort of dance that happens where you think the answer to the plot is obvious, but then something happens that makes you question whether or not it is truly that obvious, and then you go back to thinking it’s obvious, and then ___BAM___ they hit you with a right hook and before you know it you’re on the ground unaware of your surroundings wondering how you ended up on a beach in another country with no organs left. I think that most people will be able to guess the ending (or at least part of it) before it occurs, but I don’t think that makes the film any less enjoyable. I thought the story was mature, engaging, and interesting. ___SCORE: 9/10___ ~~~___CHARACTERS___ img520(https://giffiles.alphacoders.com/195/195353.gif) ~~~ I would say the characters in Perfect Blue are above average but not life-changing. Each character is pretty basic and there are only two multidimensional characters, though this is to be expected for a 1.5 hour long film. Still, the one criticism I have of the film is that the stalker is a physically disfigured individual. I don’t think it’s fair to hold such an old film to today’s standards, but I did feel a little icky that they chose to draw a disfigured dude as the villain. I’ve never really been one to appreciate the otherization of disfigured people and so it kind of made me feel a little icky, but again I wouldn’t remove points from the score because I don’t think the world was as accepting (especially Japan) during the time when the film was released. Still, overall I would rate the characters to be solidly above-average. ___SCORE: 9/10___ ~~~___VISUALS___ img520(https://i.makeagif.com/media/6-16-2017/qaZLkt.gif) ~~~ I’m not sure what it is about the era of animation from the 80s through the 90s. Perhaps it’s because that’s the era of animation that I grew up with so I have the deepest emotional connection to it? No idea. The point is, I loved the animation and character design in Perfect Blue. Though a few characters had some very strange facial proportions which made me chuckle, I think overall the visuals are really strong. The visuals do a really good job of disorienting the viewer when the main character is disoriented which I thought was kind of a neat detail. For an old film, the animation holds up really well in my opinion. ___SCORE: 9/10___ ~~~___MUSIC___ img520(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/26/d0/8f/26d08f13236b810dbb8eef2c6d291c36.gif) ~~~ Music was a fairly small part of the film but I still enjoyed the soundtrack. The music in the film was never distracting and everything fit together pretty well, so there’s not much to say about this aspect. ___SCORE: 8/10___ ~~~___ENJOYMENT___ img520(https://iwatchfilmsandstuff.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/tenor-2.gif?w=349) ~~~ I really enjoyed this one. I’m a big fan of psycho-thrillers, and Perfect Blue is a great example of the type of film I enjoy. There were some layers to the plot, and the way the story plays out was enjoyable, engaging, and kept me second-guessing my initial predictions. While the film could have benefited from some better and more multidimensional characters, I think Perfect Blue did just fine for an old film. Honestly, Perfect Blue would probably make a great novel. I’m definitely going to be checking out the studio/staff’s other work to try and find a similar film. All around great movie. ___SCORE: 9.5/10___

SuperVak

~~~It's very difficult to discuss Perfect Blue without spoiling the shit out of it, and I honestly recommend everyone watch it completely blind. I LOVE media that messes with my head; media that I can't see the direction of. Media that doesn't let me predict it. Perfect Blue is one of the best examples of this. It's an effective commentary on the nature of the self and identity that will leave you in shock and awe for most of its runtime. #__Perfect Blue redefines what a movie can be.__~~~

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~~~img(https://c.tenor.com/hZtm6VRN0PUAAAAC/perfect-blue-anime.gif)

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Perfect Blue provides a commentary on Japanese society, specifically the entertainment industry, which, from what I understand, really has not changed a whole lot in the 25 years since this movie released. It's a harsh and unforgiving world ready to swallow up the ones who can't take it. The film does an excellent job at portraying this and really sucks you into Mima's world. She's a believable and sympathetic character who is easy to root for. And that's where they get you. As Mima gradually ends up with problems far greater than her stalker and seemingly wrecked career, both you and she will start to wonder if what you're seeing is even real. The collapse of one's identity and concept of self leads to the collapse of the world around them, for the world is yours. It is the subject of your own personal observation. So without a self to observe it... what is left? Nothing? Incomprehensible nonsense? A mess of scenes, like a tv show with its episodes scrambled?~~~

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>Nobody cares for you anymore. You’re tarnished and you’re filthy.

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~~~The cast of Perfect Blue can be best described as being perfect for the movie. Mima is one of my favorite protagonists of all time, and the cast around her does a great job of pushing her up. Ultimately though, this movie is about Mima, and the vast majority of its 80 minute runtime is spent on her. The only aspect of this film that I feel doesn't stand the test of time is the production. It's... not pretty. At all. Faces have a tendency to look inhuman, even when still, and apart from a couple scenes of sakuga the animation is pretty rough. It somewhat makes up for this with decent directing but if you're looking for a visual marvel you won't find it here. That being said, considering this movie is the work of MADHOUSE during the same year they animated Trigun and Cardcaptor Sakura... it's erm, easy to overlook.

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img(https://c.tenor.com/7VhAawmeCT4AAAAC/perfect-blue-anime.gif)

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If you want to watch something that'll make you think and want to immediately watch it again, Perfect Blue is the movie for you. It's easy to see why it's as influential as it is. Despite its age, it holds up extremely well and remains painfully shocking, relevant, and relatable even today.~~~

Cutiewolfie

~~~img500(https://i.ibb.co/gwhwnBY/perfect-blue-55e23fda1d595-removebg-preview.png) A masterpiece in every way shape and form. From title itself all the way to the hidden messages in the movie. Perfect Blue is just, well its just __PERFECT!!!__ img(https://img.artrabbit.com/events/in-search-of-fluid-self-screening-perfect-blue-and-paprika-kunstraum/images/KN4jmaGCHKCD/1500x843/thumb-1920-1040263-copy.jpg) #__ A Gripping And Intensive Plot__ The plot revolves around the main character Mima who decides its time to quit the pop idol business and pursue a career in acting. Well lets say that not everyone is keen on Mima switching career paths and one person decides to take it personally to the point of stalking her. She continues acting, but when her handlers and collaborators end up dead for mysterious reasons, Mima begins to harbour guilt and hallucinations as well as her reality spiraling into paranoia. img(https://media2.giphy.com/media/74JX3ty9OiQnoDPyyI/giphy.gif?cid=790b76112676436fadf34c82f87f87000eb0fc89df3d4016&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g) #__ The Feeling Of Paranoia__ Perfect Blue really keeps you on the edge of your seat with its intruiging plot, but also by makes you experience what the main character feels. The feeling of paranoia... Confusion... Loss of time... Struggling to understand themselves... One has to experience this movie while watching it at night in order to capture the exact feeling of being watched at with prying eyes. Its really an unsettling feeling that I had whilst watching the movie, coupled that with the eerie and sinister music really turns those intensive scenes to __100__ and actually have your heart palpitating at times. img(https://media4.giphy.com/media/c8QYGiUBd9RRDxhb6v/giphy.gif?cid=790b76110d1d7a091278a0f4369fb6ff60b169ba24447228&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g) The movie does a fantastic job of showing the life of an actor/actress and the day to day challenges they endure. From reckless sleeping schedules to life changing choices that have great impact, not simply on those around you; but on oneself. The psychological aspesct of Perfect Blue really captures the trauma one can face in such a hard and fast moving business. img400(https://media3.giphy.com/media/r0TSOWGoyCbZ2U0lDl/giphy.gif?cid=790b7611ae40019ee2f4ea52507e24b57675aa0d1e025f07&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g) img405(https://media4.giphy.com/media/BkSPnA8sB5VOdXBXyr/giphy.gif?cid=790b7611d2e1e69cc9e68ee216a86f974667d43a7035304e&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g) #__ The Message__ Mima surrounded by her posessions in the title presents the connotation of her attachment to her previous career when she was a pop idol, those items are what gave her comfort during the time and its what she turned to in a source of comfort, but whilst transitioned into the acting industry, she lays there amongst her items staring upwards with a confused and dazed look, not knowing where her life is going. img(https://64.media.tumblr.com/091a7bc8f5791ddb918daa7781ca3b59/5171475e1538a976-ea/s2560x500/79ae8bc6eaca8e97fb01f7c164b3b7aabd846255.jpg) The constant chases she has with her hallucinations shows the internal struggle she has with herself in trying to find who she is and what is it that she is doing. Her hallucination is shown dressed as a pop idol, giving arise to the conflicting battle she has between both of her careers. img240(https://media3.giphy.com/media/fnW5BI3yEnFGHnVyiu/giphy.gif?cid=790b76118b3b51dc85fd485b5c9049b33b30a9fedbf42289&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g) img290(https://media0.giphy.com/media/ay06kqs5bfTnUx0Wqv/giphy.gif?cid=790b76117e631987b291ba636a786fcfb34dcc20c073f4f7&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g) ~~~ ~~~ #__ The Ending__ ~~~ ~! Perfect Blue's ending left me very puzzled and discombobulated once the credits had rolled. I had to rewatch it a second time in order to then understand the message of what is was trying to present. Rumi didn't see herself has Mima, she became her; she saw Mima as the pure pop idol star who was an angel in her eyes. When Mima had transitioned to become an actress Rumi was against this as it was going to soil her reputation against her fans. After the nightclub acting scene she had seen that Mima had defiled her reputation and the "Mima" in her eyes had been ruined and so fourth she wanted to preserve Mima's reputation by becoming the Perfect version of her and destroying those who ruined her. img400(https://media0.giphy.com/media/EkcZ4mR4if9UB0SgV6/giphy.gif?cid=790b761131e51c937e176e3386fb6c4fa370846d811475c9&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g) At the end, Rumi still has this belief that she is Mima, the perfect pop idol star that she cared about the most. Mima on the otherhand managed to overcome her internal struggle on who she is and therefore quotes the best line in the movie "No, I'm real". img322(https://64.media.tumblr.com/c381b9ee0063ce7b3ca6a62c86be7fc9/688f09286ecd44f7-0a/s400x600/578e7ec68def2d5c45ad9f7008bc8d7dd9ea1510.gifv) img252(https://media1.giphy.com/media/65iaPEV5oE9dA4HS8Y/giphy.gif?cid=790b761173d7bfd79edf8d117291c3ba2537f05ef48950b2&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g) !~ If you are looking for a rollercoaster of a movie that will keep you guessing on whats going to happen, look no further than Perfect Blue. The only reason I didn't give it 100/100 was because for the first time viewer watching it, it can be extremely confusing keeping track of what is taking place and so I ask if you didn't understand it the first time, give it a second watch and things will become a lot more clear!!!

Erfangholiz

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--> THIS REVIEW SPOILS THE ENTIRE MOVIE <--< /a> ___ #0. Instructions img500(https://i.imgur.com/13raqzC.png) In the 56th minute of the movie there’s a scene that takes place in the TV show Mima is starring in, they’re talking about the murderer, played by Mima herself, they say that the murderer is an illusion she created, but illusions don’t kill… except if they find someone to possess. I believe this scene to be the key to deciphering the movie even though it takes place in a TV show inside the film. I don’t think a scene *this* suggestive was just thrown in as a red herring so try to keep it in mind as I try to piece together what the story of Perfect Blue actually is. I will provide reasons and clues to back up my theory later on in the analysis but for now just accept the following statement as true. Kirigoe Mima has the power to possess and mind control people, turning them into her own alternative personas, she also suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) meaning that sometimes she is possessed by those personas herself, and on top of that, she hallucinates these personas and at times sees them in her dreams. Said personas include: The Creep (The hideous guy who stalks Mima and tuns the website “Mima’s Room”) and The Idol (The Mima who’s always in a skirt and shows up in mirrors and stuff). So to be clear, whenever I say "The Idol" I'm talking about img220(https://i.imgur.com/vVT7sdS.jpg), whenever I say "Mima" I'm talking about img220(https://i.imgur.com/CdeAU81.jpg) and whenever I say "The Creep" I'm talking about img220(https://i.imgur.com/MmjkLXP.jpg). ___ #1. Groundwork In this analysis I will not be discussing the hidden messages of Perfect Blue, or its psychological aspects; as many people before me have delved into those topics far better than I ever could. In this analysis, I'll try to understand what the story is, literally. img500(https://i.imgur.com/FjBokB9.jpg) Mima Kirigoe is a pop idol that quits singing and starts an acting career. In the opening scene we see her singing next to her two partners wearing pink skirts, remember that color, pink, as it will come up again and again throughout the film. Right from this point The Idol tries to get in Mima's way, to discourage her from acting and get her to go back to singing. The Idol is represented by shades of red and Mima is represented by shades of blue. img330(https://i.imgur.com/3MM8Oms.jpg) img330(https://i.imgur.com/YJs7G1C.jpg) The letter Mima receives that says "I like looking into Mima's Room", the letter that explodes in her agent's hand, both colored pink. img330(https://i.imgur.com/J2WbybM.jpg) img330(https://i.imgur.com/4W5cRQb.jpg) img330(https://i.imgur.com/lEQMn9S.jpg) img330(https://i.imgur.com/XOfYxfr.jpg) Mima's room is the reddest thing in the whole movie, perhaps to imply that she was in The Idol's deathly grip right from the beginning. ___ #2. The Creep A guy is possessed by The Creep persona and does perhaps the most amount of work to mess with her, he runs the website, he takes pictures of Mima and he murders both the writer and the photographer (I know we see Mima kill the photographer but trust me we'll get to that). But let's get to why I think this person isn't an actual self-thinking individual and is possessed by one of Mima's illusory personas, The Creep. img330(https://i.imgur.com/HfWQ4YO.png) img330(https://i.imgur.com/I2MzeCT.png) First of all, he has way too much information about Mima, he even knows what superstitions she believes (stepping out of the train left foot first) and he knows how Mima felt about Eri Ochiai's performance. img500(https://i.imgur.com/kTIgZXa.png) Second of all, he says what The Idol would say, and in this specific scene when he moves his mouth we hear Mima's voice. Third of all, his internet alias is "ME-MANIA", "mania" is a suffix used to describe an obsession with something, this guys is a person who's obsessed with The Idol, but his alias says he's obsessed with himself? The only way for this to make sense is if "ME" and The Idol shared the same consciousness. And the final and most important piece of evidence is the almost rape scene with Mima and The Creep, when he mentions the writer and the photographer Mima says "You killed them?" and he replies "And you'll die soon too.", he doesn't deny it, it's implied he killed both of them. img500(https://i.imgur.com/s2SngQM.jpg) But we see Mima as the killer, this could only mean that The Creep and The Idol share the same consciousness, and he is a puppet being controlled by The Creep, a persona that was manifested by the same brain that manifested The Idol, Mima's. ___ #3. The Idol Now that we've established *what* is *whose* doing, let's talk about The Idol and the role *she* plays in the story. img220(https://i.imgur.com/2QyHEYU.jpg) img220(https://i.imgur.com/BBle4gx.jpg) img220(https://i.imgur.com/07ho3OZ.jpg) Her first appearance happens after Mima agrees to do the rape scene, saying she absolutely won't do it, but we know Mima does the scene anyway and afterwards, she appears in her room for the first time. img220(https://i.imgur.com/0XkmZNf.jpg) img220(https://i.imgur.com/QOy0il8.jpg) img220(https://i.imgur.com/D8H3nRG.jpg) The fish are dead in the first image but they're alive in the second one, The Idol manipulated Mima's vision to make the fish *seem* dead to push her off the edge so her humiliations would cut deeper. She says Mima is "tarnished" for doing a rape scene. img330(https://i.imgur.com/BCEmO7X.png) img330(https://i.imgur.com/0SYj94c.png) img330(https://i.imgur.com/iYKf26Y.png) img330(https://i.imgur.com/fCMWQ1a.jpg) Next time she appears in the bathroom of the studio where Mima is taking nude pictures, she says everyone's waiting for her and then leaves to perform with her old partners, yes, the last picture isn't an illusion or a dream or a metaphor, she actually goes to perform there and I know that because of the look on the other two girls face (that's not a still frame I specifically picked out because they looked weird in it, they look like that during the entire sequence) in contrast to the cheerful expression they usually have during a show, confirming that the way they're drawn is completely intentional, also, The Creep writes about this performance on Mima's Room. After that things keep escalating, she tells The Creep to "get rid of" Mima and she starts taking control over her body more and more everyday, Mima starts having gaps in her memory because she doesn't experience what The Idol experiences, to her it feels like she was having tea with Rumi and suddenly she was on the set of Double Bind. img500(https://i.imgur.com/EguuM52.jpg) The Idol threatens to kill her in her sleep, she uses her body to murder the photographer, the memories start to overlap and Mima starts going insane until the finale, which I will get to. The last thing I have to say about The Idol is that *every single one of her scenes* has the color red in it, you can confirm that for yourselves (if you think the first scene she appears in doesn't, look closer at the second still frame I used at the beginning of this section). And as the story progresses, the shades get redder and redder, at the beginning it was usually pink and by the end even the dress The Idol was wearing had changed to a completely red one. ___ #4. Mima Remember when I said blue represents Mima at the beginning? img220(https://i.imgur.com/H62doIe.jpg) img220(https://i.imgur.com/0vONtXE.jpg) img220(https://i.imgur.com/5RUErPC.jpg) img220(https://imgur.com/O8gMnJj.jpg) img220(https://imgur.com/RlMX4DW.jpg) img220(https://imgur.com/pvCIEzs.jpg) img220(https://imgur.com/5oDKmls.jpg) img220(https://imgur.com/DuijxfF.jpg) img220(https://imgur.com/OrC4hQ8.jpg) This is Mima's way of rebelling against The Idol, though that doesn't mean she's doing it consciously and/or on purpose, wherever she goes redness follows, she doesn't even get to escape it when she's at home, everywhere she looks she sees red. So it's only natural for her to gravitate towards colder colors when she's choosing clothes to wear. All of the still frames you see above happen before minute 46, what happens at minute 46? It's when The Idol takes control over Mima's body for the first time and performs with her old partners. img500(https://imgur.com/cyITcS4.jpg) img250(https://imgur.com/iITK9mZ.jpg) img250(https://imgur.com/Trk5fJu.jpg) Feeling defeated, she goes back home, takes off her blue shirt, and never wears it for the rest of the film. She gets in the tub, surrounded by shades of red, and screams. The acting industry isn't a kind place, as the movie progresses she is expected to do more and more sketchy scenes and nude photo shoots, and that is precisely where and why The Idol and The Creep were manifested. The more Mima is forced to sell herself the more she acts out as The Idol and The Creep, as a means of stopping herself, I've been talking about those two like they were different people for so long I forgot they were actually one with Mima. Mima resents this career, this industry and this new life, she's afraid of the public eye, afraid of getting harrased and self-conscious about being famous and all of that is symbolized in this movie by The Creep. She longs for her old life and her innocent self, she misses singing and being with her group, she needs a device to satisfy these wants and desires, a symbol, which is The Idol. She gets assaulted by The Creep and almost gets raped before she kills him, but when she and Rumi come back, he's nowhere to be found, you can say he just got up and ran away but... img330(https://imgur.com/hEcfH1a.jpg) img330(https://imgur.com/mDcPEb5.jpg) img660(https://imgur.com/JVVwQsp.jpg) ... all the signs of their fight is nowhere to be found either. On the other hand her clothes are *actually* torn up, which leaves us with the explanation: Mima had a "Tyler Durden" episode where she fought a figment of her own imagination, conjured by The Idol. At first she was just controlling people *way* out of Mima's life, then she became a recurring hallucination, then she started appearing in her dreams and taking over her body and now, she was making her hallucinate not just images, but physical touches as well. And with that, we are off to the finale and will finally talk about Rumi! ___ #5. Rumi img220(https://imgur.com/wT4sOYE.jpg) img220(https://imgur.com/lP7qBpe.jpg) img220(https://imgur.com/hwRV223.jpg) She soon notices that where Rumi brought her is not her own place, her fish were dead, she no longer had that poster up, and the view from her apartment's window is different. This is Rumi's place, and Rumi is living in a replica of Mima's apartment. img220(https://imgur.com/eGKMax9.jpg) img220(https://imgur.com/cn0g303.jpg) img220(https://imgur.com/hQQmLRX.jpg) Mima looks horrified as the realization hits her, her best friend was being controlled by The Idol too, she was possessed by her all along and this is the last blow she deals to Mima, taking away her best friend and trying to kill her using her. img220(https://imgur.com/OxN2YPu.jpg) img220(https://imgur.com/uI2YIPF.jpg) img220(https://imgur.com/qPvE7J1.jpg) img220(https://imgur.com/6sLgIJr.jpg) img220(https://imgur.com/E7vQz0f.jpg) img220(https://imgur.com/Sd1HcWF.jpg) img220(https://imgur.com/G7b0bzN.jpg) img220(https://imgur.com/yJ3zyVZ.jpg) img220(https://imgur.com/DP4CBAB.jpg) img220(https://imgur.com/ovbXemG.jpg) img220(https://imgur.com/20hcosS.jpg) img220(https://imgur.com/CmHczn2.jpg) Every location they stumble upon during their fight has red in it, which I thought was a nice touch. All throughout the film Rumi has been a great friend to Mima, she stood up for her when she was too afraid to do it herself, she checked up on her, and she cried when Mima was doing the rape scene. I know that another explanation for the entire movie would be that Rumi also had developed Dissociative Identity Disorder and started seeing herself as Mima and emailing The Creep and putting him up to everything in order to eliminate Mima and take her place. I also know that she used to be an idol and her history with the career doesn't help. But I still think my theory of her being manipulated by The Idol all along makes more sense, to give you a quick idea of what exactly my theory is, short and to the point, here's a recap of everything: The Idol wants everything to go back to normal, she can possess and control people, so far she was using that power to get in Mima's way and get her to go back to singing but she controlled Rumi and manipulated her as a back up plan, and surely enough, when things didn't pan out with Mima, she resorted to killing her and just letting Rumi take her place. So that way she could live as The Idol Mima-rin forever. This is my interpretation. ___ #6. The Ending img220(https://i.imgur.com/D6CnSmS.jpg) img220(https://i.imgur.com/WQzcUQ0.jpg) img220(https://i.imgur.com/0Z56NQb.jpg) img220(https://i.imgur.com/Gswej6t.jpg) img220(https://i.imgur.com/XgifTHj.jpg) img220(https://i.imgur.com/VXr1PKC.jpg) This isn't from the ending. In one of the scenes Mima feels overwhelmed and runs out of a subway station, looks at the clear blue sky, takes a deep breath and calms down. img500(https://imgur.com/gikJymw.jpg) This *is* from the ending. The last scene opens with a shot of the clear blue sky, Mima's at a mental hospital bringing flowers to Rumi. The incident and having her brain toyed with has left Rumi in shambles, now she actually *does* have Dissociative Identity Disorder. This scene doesn't have a lot of dialogue, but it does have two *very* important lines. >Thanks to her I am what I am today. On her way to her car two nurses seem to recognize her but they say she must have been a look-alike. Wاen she gets in the car she says: >No, I'm real! Who is saying that? And what happened to her career? Is Mima in full control now? Or did the Idol win? img330(https://imgur.com/sCucjn3.jpg) img330(https://imgur.com/enyimK9.jpg) Her car is red, does that mean The Idol won and Mima went back to being a pop idol again? Is that what she meant when she said "Thanks to her I am what I am today."? What about when she said "No, I'm real!"? Was that The Idol declaring her existence and full power over a body? Come to think of it, the blue sky that can be seen in the last frame of the movie and the first frame of this scene must represent Mima right? Do you trust the blueness of the sky or the redness of the car? Can you even count the blueness of the sky as a hidden message? You can draw shirts in different colors, you can draw cars in different colors, but you can't draw the sky in any other color than blue, but then again, this scene could have very well taken place inside a parking lot, or in cloudy weather, so I guess you *can* count the blueness of the sky as a message. But that still doesn't answer the question, who won? What's the ending? ___ #As far as I'm concerned, the answer is up to you to decide... ___

Underscore

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#~~~⬢⬡⬢__| _`Perfect Blue`_ |__⬢⬡⬢~~~

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~~~img100%(https://i.imgur.com/d9HeRlt.gif)~~~ ~~~"Who am I?", a chilling and thought provoking narrative that blurs the lines between reality and fantasy. It's purposefully confusing and misleading directing, well developed characters, genius animation, and haunting audio, *Perfect Blue* brilliantly delivers a profound message on what identity is. It's a must-watch for the psychological thriller genre fan.~~~

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##~~~⬢⬡| __Overview__ |⬡⬢~~~ - Story: It kept getting better and better until the end; insanity and identity *(9/10)*
- Characters: You almost feel like you are the character, becoming more confused *(8/10)*
- Visuals: Deliberately misleading, great transitions and use of colors *(8.6/10)*
- Audio: Haunting and purposeful *(8/10)*
- Bingeable/Hype: Didn't think I would like it but I became more and more captivated *(8.2/10)*
- Enjoyment: It's one of my favorite anime movies *(8.5/10)*
##~~~⬡ __Overall: *(8.4/10)*__ ⬡~~~

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##~~~⬢⬡| __Thoughts__ |⬡⬢~~~ I don't want to analyze it too much because for one, there's already a bunch of other reviews and video essays on it, but also because I don't think this is a film that's meant to be analyzed but rather experienced. At first I was watching this and waiting for it to get good, (I don't mind a slow start or tons of exposition) and I didn't think it would end up being the kind of movie I'd like. However, as it started to pick up the pace it got better, and it got better again, and again until it ended. I'm not a film student, but even from the start I could tell that the director Satoshi Kon, did a fantastic job at presenting Yoshikazu Takeuchi's work; the man clearly had a vision. Right from the get-go the viewer is intentionally mislead about what's going on, and this continues throughout the entire movie. Especially with the elevator scene and towards the end of the movie. You're meant to be just as confused as Mima, almost put into her shoes, her perspective. And that's why I think it's really a film that's meant to be experienced. You're meant to be Mima and everything you think about afterwards is, yes, analyzed, but not like a critic reviewing a movie, rather as an individual ruminating on their own memories and experiences. #####~~~\* My thoughts on the elevator scene and ending \*~~~ ~~~ ~! I know I'm going against what I said about analyzing the film, but I couldn't help but talk about why the elevator scene is so great because it really sums up the essence of the entire movie.
__This scene represents directing genius.__
When Takao gets out of his car and sees the note he immediately disregards it, only to then hear the music and become worried. I became more anxious as the music played and the camera pans around as if I'm the one stalking him. And I am; the entire movie is from the perspective of Mima and Rumi, only at this point I didn't know it. Then he calls the elevator and the camera pans around him facing him head on. The doors open and all I can think is that I've seen this setup before and the stalker/killer is going to appear behind him and stab him or something. I was so prepared for a jumpscare, and then BOOM, a radio. All that build up for nothing. Then the next shot the elevator opens and I'm expecting him to walk out, but of course he doesn't. It was so stunning. My expectations were built up only to be tricked, and then tricked again once I wasn't expecting anything. Nothing is explained, and the story moves on, the music still playing in the background.
This one scene represents how the entire movie is directed. Constant misdirection, seamless cuts between scenes that leave you confused, and subverting your subconscious expectations. It brilliantly immerses you in the role of Mima keeping you just as on edge, and unsure of what's actually going on and what's going to happen.
img75%(https://i.imgur.com/HbMokot.gif)
__The end?__
The final reveal when Rumi completely tries to take over Mima's life explained everything. Except it didn't. It certainly explained how her stalker knew so much about her, but not her hallucinations, her confusion, or even if she was really the one who killed anybody. She probably fed into some of that, but I don't think she could have caused that level of multiple personality disorder or schizophrenia or whatever that was. The ending chase scene was great, but didn't make too much sense.
img75%(https://i.imgur.com/R6BfyOF.gif)
Mima took a hard tumble jumping off the balcony, while the hallucination, Rumi seemed to just float. Now, we do see that the "fake Mima" is not actually what Rumi looks like, but a delusion perhaps shared by both of them. But it still strikes me as odd.
img75%(https://i.imgur.com/IC2zimg.gif)
The final shot is the most certain, but also most ambiguous one in the whole movie. Mima, or rather, a *reflection* of Mima declares that she is the real one. But that's the thing isn't it? Both "Mimas" thought they were real. It honestly reminded me a lot of American Psycho, where the main character realizes just how insane they are and that they might not actually be who they thought they were. Of course in *Perfect Blue*, the main focus is Mima's struggles with identity throughout the entire film. It could be that the "real" Mima was actually Rumi the entire time; you can see how it works both ways. The "real" Mima could have been in the same exact position because she went through the same exact things. the only difference being that everything was in her head. Or was it? I love this ambiguous ending that's seemingly clear, but ultimately left for the viewer to interpret. Throughout the entire movie we're so confused about whats real or not, so why are we so certain now? You can see it as the real Rumi finally being confident in her own identity, or as fake Rumi coming out on top and living that delusion in reality. Because like I said before. The whole movie is meant for the viewer to be the one experiencing it. It's all in the perspective of "Rumi."
img75%(https://i.imgur.com/JLeouzT.gif) !~ ~~~

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##~~~⬢⬡| __Plot__ |⬡⬢~~~ The story follows Mima Kirigoe, a former pop idol who decides to pursue a career in acting. During this transition she's targeted by a stalker who gradually infiltrates her life and psyche. The film delves into themes of identity, obsession, and the loss of self. What determines our identity, ourselves, or the perception by those around us? If it is us, do we allow others perception to influence our own sense of self? If it's others, who are we when nobody's around? It's brilliantly directed with confusing cuts, and a narrative that jumps around keeping the viewer just as confused as Mina, questioning what is reality, and what is delusion? All of this is caused by her rapidly moving life and acting career where she feels she needs to accept more and more explicit roles because of others. Because of this, she's tormented by who she is if she can't even make decisions without others, and who she is versus who she was. Even further, it's constantly switching between her actress, facade self and everyday, genuine self. Which one is the "real" Mima? ~~~img80%(https://i.imgur.com/IZElHPV.gif)~~~

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##~~~⬢⬡| __Characters__ |⬡⬢~~~ The main focus is on Mima, and then her manager Rumi, and her stalker. Mima goes through a dramatic change throughout the movie, switching careers from idol to actress, and also from sane to crazy. The entire movie is basically her fighting an identity crisis and the intrusive presence of her stalker. She slowly loses grip on reality, not knowing what's real or not. It's a haunting portrayal of mental diseases/disorders people actually has and you really sympathize with her. We follow her as she keeps sacrificing more and more in pursuit of fame and gratification of those around her. And she reacts like a very real person would to all of this, humanizing her as someone who isn't just a character on a screen, but a real person, someone who you can imagine being. ~~~img80%(https://i.imgur.com/OqXYBw8.gif)~~~

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##~~~⬢⬡| __Visuals__ |⬡⬢~~~ Unlike a lot of other anime, the people don't look stylized and look a lot like, well, people. It might seem like an insignificant detail, but I think it added to the realism and immersion of the film. The scenes were crafted in a way that was intentionally confusing. We see this right from the start when the Powertrons turn out to be a performance, and this kind of deception is repeated throughout the film. Satoshi Hashimoto did a phenomenal job with the color design. It was a detail that almost went unnoticed, the gradual shift in colors and lighting from bright and soft, to darker and harsher colors. I don't have to be an English teacher to guess that this symbolizes Mima going from happy idol, to distraught actress, and her peace of mind slowly slipping away; another example of great directing. ~~~img80%(https://i.imgur.com/vdIFF6z.gif)~~~

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##~~~⬢⬡| __Audio__ |⬡⬢~~~ Usually I think of the audio as more of an afterthought, something that's there to support the scene rather than be the sole focus. However the music in this movie played such a crucial role in intensifying the psychological thriller atmosphere. It was unnerving; shout out to Masahiro Ikumi and Shizou Kurahashi. There's one particular sound clip with screaming that just- ooo, it's so good; hard to explain sound in type though. I thought everything from the sound effects to the music was top notch. The voice acting was good too in both English and Japanese. I chose to watch it dubbed but switched a little bit and every actor had their moments, there were certain scenes where one language was just better, but overall solid performance from both sides. I wouldn't recommend watching it one way or the other, it's just up to personal preference. ~~~img80%(https://i.imgur.com/7qEDtAe.gif)~~~

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##~~~⬢⬡| __Bingeability/Hype__ |⬡⬢~~~ I mentioned before that at first I didn't think I would like this movie. The beginning is good, no doubt, just as solid as the rest of it, but going into it knowing nothing about even what genre this was, I was truthfully expecting it to just be bout a young idols struggles with transferring professions. *However*, as I continued to watch, I became more and more interested in this convoluted story unraveling around me. The story alone is quite good, but it's how it was presented that really captivated me. ~~~img80%(https://i.imgur.com/zWXTdY9.gif)~~~

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##~~~⬢⬡| __Enjoyment__ |⬡⬢~~~ I think *Perfect Blue* may have ruined the psychological genre for me. I don't think I can ever see a piece in the same genre now without comparing it to this master class of animation. It was one of the first anime I've seen that was so purely psychological. I have seen others that are psychological at the core, but this one had the most focus directed solely in that genre and it stood out from the rest. It checks all my boxes in how it was directed and presented. The story was captivating and thought provoking This, along with the complex characters, striking visuals, and haunting audio, it is an instant classic. I highly recommend it as a must-watch in the psychological and thriller genres. ~~~img80%(https://i.imgur.com/LrZLYjO.gif)~~~

mrgoy

~~~What is this show about?~~~ ~~~This show focuses on Mima kirigoe; a young, famous, former performer who wants to expand her career by going into acting instead. As a consequence of this, she goes through a bunch of literally bloody drama due to her fame. ~~~ ~~~A R T~~~ img500(https://static3.cbrimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Perfect-Blue.jpg) ~~~D A M N is this art style cool or what? I mean I'm not usually fussy over art or maybe its the fact that the movie was made in the 90s? Idk but damn the art style is glossy and cool af. A lot of anime as the same bland art style but the retro feel of the show gives it a weird D R E A M Y effect...or maybe it's just the fact that the show is old hence the glossy look bt damn it gives it an edge over a lot of anime today...i'm soyjacking over it lol. ~~~ ~~~img300(https://files.catbox.moe/hz9idp.jpg)~~~ ~~~C H A R A C T E R S~~~ ~~~The main character (mc) is so naturally cute; she shows her exaggerated, bright side on stage and also shows a vulnerable, honest side to her when she's offstage dealing with the literally bloody shenanigans. A lot of characters seem like they suffer from "theatre syndrome" where they seem like they're just actors for a show but you can actually connect with the main character on the issues she deals with since they show what she deals with in a logical sense; her character is rounded out in a way which makes her likeable from the events which unfold and makes you empathise with them. ~~~ ~~~Even the people around her like Rumi Hidaka has understandable concerns with her switching from idol to acting. Furthermore, sort of protagonist Uchida is understandable to unbox from a character perspective even if you don't sympathise with them. ~~~ ~~~E M P A T H Y~~~ ~~~A great quality of a show is it's ability to make you feel empathy for a character which doesn't exist and Perfect Blue is able to do it in a way by showing the hardships which idols go through; it shows how the main character has to show a side of her that is fictional by being in the entertainment business and the consequences of doing so. She gets stalked, harassed, get her life being threatened just for showing a fictional side of her which is either exaggerated or not real. The show is also able to make it relate to the viewer by showing how as humans we show a certain, possibly fictional side of us, to certain people to get by; it makes us empathise with the main character. ~~~ ~~~B L O O D ~~~ ~~~The mc goes through mental turmoil as a result of the choices she made for her career; she starts to battle with her identity since she gets delirious on who is the real her. Is she the person from her idol, is she making the right choices switching because it's dealing to some bloody affaires happening. The movie makes her relatable to us since as explained before we need to act differently to other people to get by like in job interviews or to certain relatives. This makes us empathise with her as the consequences of her career choices are extreme to say the least but it also makes us think about how society has a tendency to make us act in a certain way to get by. The fact that it's making us think about it and the way it illustrates it so well its just...damn just a round of applause damn. ~~~ ~~~S O U N D T R A C K~~~ ~~~also shout out to the soundtrack for being so epic D A M N but even the other bits like the eerie shit of sound and music are well done and fit the tone of the movie well but...this is the best damn. youtube(https://youtu.be/RyOAM5nlNRc?si=3GqcAp8MVYMDwdW0)~~~ ~~~C O N C L U S I O N~~~ ~~~Highly recommend it; classic show.~~~

RinTohsakaLover

Yikes! Perfect Blue is a film I really, really wanted to like. I watched the entire thing last night and couldn't help but think it was just, alright? I convinced myself, no, you have to watch the movie again. It felt like it would become leaps and bounds better after a rewatch. It did not. The biggest problem with Perfect Blue is also it's biggest appealing aspect, its variety. The film tackles a multitude of topics, from celebrity culture, to stalking within otaku circles, the male gaze, etc etc. I don't think the film does a particularly bad job displaying these themes, but when an 82 minute film addresses all these often times it just felt shallow. It never really dives into any of the sociological elements of the film, instead opting to display the themes and make the viewer think they will be developed, only to opt out last second. "Paprika" was similar in this aspect, but where it differed was that the narrative was far more sound in that film compared to here to make up for it, and honestly way more interesting. The only thing I liked thematically about the film was in how it showcases the coming of age of a woman who makes the transition from idol to actor, and how that often can relate to our own personal growth. In this sense, Perfect Blue works best as a coming of age story, but when only half your movie works best it doesn't create an outstanding end product. Which brings me to my second critique, the story itself is really not that special. I enjoyed it, but found it extremely dull and disappointing. Maybe I came into the film with way too high of expectations, but the "twist" was super underwhelming, mostly from a thematic perspective. It turns Me-Mania into what is an essentially worthless character, destroys a lot of what made Mina an intriguing character, and only serves as a mediocre twist as it is. Now this goes into spoilers, but there is a theory I particularly enjoy, that, if it is the case, makes the film infinitely better. The idea is the show that plays is reality, and Rumi created a mental image of Mina to contrast with her unable self from her past years. The ending visitor is actually the actress she idolized, but not her actual Mina. Sadly, this theory was shut down by Satoshi Kon, which makes the average main plot the most concrete one. Overall, I could appreciate a lot of what Perfect Blue was attempting, but it ultimately falls flat. It's themes are touched on, but not thoroughly examined. It's central conflict and twist is fine, but leaves a lot to be desired. I think a lot of people do insane mental gymnastics to convince themselves its more than this, but perhaps its me who is completely blind to the true genius of Perfect Blue. If so, let me know, but for now I feel pretty concrete in my ranking.