laurence.rodriguez - 2016-03-09 20:25:39

Satoshi Kon's first film, Perfect Blue begins almost as a light story, narrating the new life of Mima, stopping his maiden career of pop singer adulated to embark on an actress, and finally plunges the viewer into a sordid history and disturbing. 
If a strictly graphic Perfect Blue perspective showing its age, (especially when you saw Paprika seven years younger two days before) with an animation to the economy which sometimes limits the immersion, it is remarkable schizophrenic thriller on all other points. Characters, editing, tempo in the narration of an implacable crescendo... 
The great strength of Perfect Blue is to make us literally feel the agony of his heroine who does not know where to locate its reality, separate memories illusions, past and present. Juggling falsely with similar plans, intersecting ellipses, redundant replicas, Satoshi Kon leads the viewer through a labyrinth where he no longer has any tangible outlet to which cling to judge the veracity of Mima's life, always pushing more in his hallucinations. In fact, over the coach, Satoshi Kon, a multiplicity of effects as sober effective, involves the viewer in the narrative. omnipotent stalker, it is to him to define the reality in which lives Mima. 
Although the lack of outcome can be foolish tip relative to the whole story, there is still frankly upside in Perfect Blue, not so much because of the potential node to the brain that could provide, but because of have dabbled with the tip of the pupil that can be destructive power of madness and feeling vaguely guilty about what happened to heroin.

jensen79 - 2015-10-17 18:38:01

Critic’s Log - Earthdate: October 31, 2013. Review #63: Perfect Blue

Ah, Satoshi Kon. Ever since his death on August of 2010, he has left viewers with some interesting films and his only TV series. Now I usually treat Anime movies the same way as a Television Anime. I know that Anime films have larger budgets than TV animes, so there are some strong advantages to Anime films regarding this. I am also a man that takes movies seriously, and I will say the same thing towards anime. As silly as that sounds, my main goal since the beginning was to put out honest and informative reviews, as well as voicing my opinion as perfectly honest as possible. But I guess the biggest question of all regarding reviewing anime is… how long and how much is “too far”. Well.... not everybody can be pleased. There will always be arguments and disputes on most things. Some people agree on one thing and others may disagree. That’s just how things go in the matter of any entertainment medium. So before I start spouting things out of the blue, Here is Perfect Blue.

Mima is the lead singer of a J-pop group named “CHAM!” quits her group in order to pursue an acting career, However, because of her decision to leave, not everyone is happy. but unbeknownst to Mima, there is a crazed fan that is stalking her. The following events become more unsettling and turn for the worse and Mima is on the verge of going toward a downward spiral.

To be technical, this is a Studio Madhouse production and boy, am I going to sound like a broken record but… Madhouse is known for great production values, and they do not disappoint with Perfect Blue. However, I can’t say the animation isn’t really as good as it gets since the character designs are slightly off in some moments, with the exception of Uchida (Mima’s stalker) and Rumi (Mima’s manager). The stalker’s appearance does help with the uneasiness and it helps you relate to Mima in the movie, as for Rumi, I thought her character design was a bit off because of how her eyes looked. I actually will give this movie a pass for this. If you have not seen the movie yet, I will say that the less you know the better. To those that have seen it, please do not give it away. Besides Uchida and Rumi, the character designs are still a little off. But to give Kon-san some credit, this is his first movie as a director and he does impress with this movie.

The music by Masahiro Ikumi does fit the eerie and chilling atmosphere but it is certainly an interesting factor in the film. There isn’t much musical themes in this movie and there are a couple themes that may be used more than once, but there are times when there is no music at all. This is an effective factor because it may build some uneasiness during the experience in the movie. I do wonder why Ikumi-san doesn’t do much musical compositions in Anime, this is undoubtedly his best musical score.

In regards of the casting, Junko Iwao is great as Mima, Rica Matsumoto is also good as Rumi. Masaki Okura is pretty decent as Uchida. The Japanese Cast is a solid listen, now when it comes to the English Dub, I was expecting a decent dub. I almost guessed this right, but I was actually wrong. In reality, The dub is a solid listen as well… but the dub is a little off in some areas. What the dub has is a terrific performance by Bridget Hoffman as the voice of Mima. Also, Wendee Lee was great in this one too. R. Martin Klein was a little off in this movie, but the dub is still a solid listen.

When it comes to characters. Mima is pretty much the main attraction in the movie and you do want to pay attention to her along the way, but regardless of that. This movie is very tricky while portraying Mima but she is developed well after all the things that happen. She may be the least complex character of the bunch, but she does give the viewer the sense that she is normal… Which makes the movie more effective. The movie does portray her as being stressed considering all the events that transpire. Rumi may not be too active in this movie, and that’s pretty much it, but she’s developed decently. Uchida is a weird dude and there’s a point to this. It’s fitting because he is a stalker, His face is odd and that I guess is what makes him memorable. All the other supporting characters are like normal people, so I don’t have much to say. The characters are pretty good for the most part.

Perfect Blue was available by Manga Entertainment, it is out of print.

With all that said, Perfect Blue is a film that managed to stand out as Satoshi Kon’s debut film. The animation is good, the story is interesting that you would probably want to see it to figure things out, it even has some characters worth paying attention to, and it has a soundtrack that compliments the movie to some extent. This movie was just the beginning of seeing the visionary style that made Satoshi Kon unique.

I give Perfect Blue a 9.1 out of 10. it is EXCELLENT!

Feel free to leave a comment, Later!

kutch.geovanni - 2014-11-06 06:53:45

Perfect Blue is a movie about former pop-idol Mima Kirioge decision to become an actress. Seeing the other reviews I agree for the most part. Perfect Blue was a perfect psychological drama, where you couldn't decide if the scene was reality or hallucination. But for me, I felt this problem was the same with Man of Steel. Too many hallucinations going on(not flashbacks) I couldn't get into the story being told fully, I couldn't understand Mima life altering decision to become an actress, to leave behind the world of singing in which she loved. Though, I couldn't enjoy the story development much, I was pulled into what was happening with Mima personality disorder and constant grip on reality. The on-going subplot of the TV show ad Mima crazy spiral fit perfectly together. The animation was very head of its time to be a late 90's show. The characters were on the weaker side of things, the stalker I did like him, I couldn't tell if he was a hallucination of Mima or someone who was real. Turns out he was real. Rumi her agent *SPOILER ALRERT* I was thrown a dosy when I found out she was killing everyone. Lastly, the ending was so disappointing, but befitting. Mima did become a popular actress, what better ending do you need? A Black Swan ending?

eldon01 - 2014-06-29 04:25:45

maverick.herman - 2014-06-27 20:32:20

This anime is awesome. It has a great story and shows what Mima is going through.Also the music completes the suspense and the surroundings. This is a perfect anime for viewers that like the supernatural activity.

ugulgowski - 2014-03-30 05:06:44

Perfect Blue is one of those anime's that u watch and complete forget that it an anime. Perfect Blue is an drama, horror anime film that places the audience in the life of a former-pop star turned actress as she struggles with her identity while dealing with a stalker out to get her. The film is done so well with it's beautiful animation and suspense. Throughout the film it confuses you and makes u questions whether a scene is an illusion or reality. Overall, Perfect Blue is a gripping and suspenseful that leaves the audience guessing till the very end. An instant classic and beyond just a great anime film

hilma.zieme - 2013-08-27 16:16:03

Prologue

Perfect Blue is one of THOSE kinds of movies. "This movie will confuse you, I guarantee.", they said. Hearing those words, I went into the movie with my Sherlock Holmes hat, prepared to deduce every scene, study the dialogue as it goes by, and call the plot twists before they happened. I was pretty proud of myself for the first half. "I can do this!", I said. "I'm way smarter than those other viewers!"

Sadly, the smug smile I had on my face disappeared in the second half, putting my Sherlock-hat on the desk. I was beaten.

I'm a big fan of plots that can surprise me. A plot that can throw me for a loop, making me think I'm smart enough to have figured out the mystery, then smack me in the face for being a silly, stupid person, who thinks he was better than he thought he was. Perfect Blue does this with great effect.

Perfect Blue has a lot of tricks up it's sleeve for the viewer. Most notably are it's excellent uses of transitions. Whenever the viewer takes a backseat, and relaxes, it will transition in an interesting way, putting the viewer in a surprised state to grab their attention. This keeps the movie interesting, even if you don't completely understand what is happening.

As I mentioned before, Perfect Blue leaves you in a constant state of confusion, especially in the second half. There's a positive side to this, but also a downside. The positive side, is that the movie is great to rewatch, arguably making it better, because all those subtle hints the movie gave away, are suddenly noticed. However, when you're watching it the first time, you can't help but feel bored sometimes, when the movie starts showing you things that, at the time, you either don't get, or you don't think is important.

What I like about Satoshi's art, is that you clearly know how the characters would look in real life. They don't all look like supermodels, you can clearly tell who's good looking, who's average looking, and who's downright ugly. The movie has realistic character designs.

Saying that though, there was something that bugged me. Although the character styles might look realistic, they weren't exactly varied. The most notable is when Mima is performing with 'CHAM'. The faces of the three members really don't have any notable variation, except for the hairstyles.

The animation is quite good for it's time, and even now it still holds up. Although it does sometimes feels a bit sluggish, it doesn't really stand out.

Isn't he loooovelly, Isn't he Woooonderfuull~

The soundtrack does it's job. It adds to the scenes, and makes things a bit creepier. Saying that though, there really wasn't anything that stood out. Well, except for one track. See, there is this track in the soundtrack that actually starts out as sound effects, like a fax machine. Slowly however, the music starts to play over it, and new SFX are introduced into the tune, and when everything is added at the end, it makes for a really excellent track, that you'll have in your head for at least one night. Not that you want it in your head, because it freaks you out, and it makes it hard to sleep at night, and is there something behind me right now?

The Japanese voice actors do their job well, however, since I can't speak Japanese, it's kind of hard to criticize the performance. However, I could feel the emotion when some of the intense scenes come up.

Before I go talking about the main character, I'll say something about the supporting cast. At the surface, the supporting cast isn't anything special. Throughout the entire movie, most of them are only there to have conversations with Mima, and give their input. What makes the supporting cast so great though, is that you don't really know who will break through their supporting cast roles, and become important. Some may seem extremely important to the story, but in truth, they aren't. Some may seem very unimportant, but are.

Now onto Mima. I wouldn't really say that Mima is a strong character at the beginning. Her motives for becoming an actress aren't really explained, and some of her decisions are questionable at best. There is a positive point to this though. By making Mima a bit of a vague character, you don't really know what she's capable of, so if she does make an important decision, you don't know what she will do.
What makes Mima interesting though, is her psychological breakdown during the movie. A lot of the weird things that happen in the movie actually reveal part of Mima's psyche, which allows for a lot of fun analyzing.

Put it on Facebook dude, together with that Tower of Pisa one!

Perfect Blue is a really good movie. It has a good length, so things don't really feel dragged out, and when the confusing stuff does happen, the viewer will know that the payoff isn't too far away. If you are a bit patient with it, and can stand confusion for the sake of a strong payoff, then this movie is definitely for you. However, if you're someone who prefers a lot of action, and can't stomach disturbing scenes (this movie is definitely 18+), then you might want to pass this one up. Otherwise, I will recommend this movie.

"Black Swan eat your heart out."

hbechtelar - 2013-08-22 19:13:40

As always, my reviews are spoiler free.

MAL-era import review; please excuse my lack of experience.

You know you have done something right when someone can completely associate your name with a genre. For Satoshi Kon, that genre is Psychological Thriller (or mindf**k, if you prefer). All his works (perhaps with the exception of Tokyo Godfathers, which is still fantastic) explore this genre differently, some deeper than others, but from Paranoia Agent to Millennium Actress he clearly shows his abilities as a director. Of all his works, I think his first, Perfect Blue, is my favorite.

Story - 10/10

Our story begins with Kirigoe Mima, a member of a pop idol group, deciding to give up her singing career for a future as an actress. This decision leads to a string of events that will change her life forever, as well those around her. What begins with sinister phone calls and faxes becomes a paranoid fight for her life with a stalker; a stalker with a warped view of reality to say the least. Mima's career as an actor is not as glamorous as she expected either, leading to outrage among her fans and incredible stress for her manager and friend, Hidaka Rumi. As mysterious acts of violence are committed around her, Mima's view of reality begins to change.

The story explores a number of topics that few other works in the medium discuss, such as the loss of innocence and the perception of reality. It tackles these tough subjects without forcing them upon the viewer, as they are slowly immersed into the twisted world of Mima's life.

As much as I would love to continue to praising the story, I cannot bring myself to do it. It is something that must be experienced and not spoiled. And that ending... Wow.

Reality is just a point of view

Animation - 8/10

Released in 1997, this movie will of course look dated when compared to the work of today. When it is compared to other works of the time, however, it stands out with great fluidity. Some of the artistic choices are a bit strange, especially the character designs, but there is nothing that will detract from the experience, especially if one manages to acquire a Blu-ray release.

One outstanding factor is the cinematography. The angle of scenes being changed gives a certain amount of depth of vision most other series cannot come close to matching, even today.

I will be giving animation an 8/10, keeping in mind that it should be compared with other anime produced in the 90s.

Sound - 7/10

The soundtrack is haunting and disorienting. Much like that of well made horror movies, a feeling of suspense can be gradually built and released, or suddenly come to a climax. However, there is nothing worthy in and of itself, and the songs CHAM!, Mima's idol group, sings are grating on the ears at best.

Character - 10/10

Mima is developed very extensively throughout the movie, as she is the sole protagonist. Personally, I developed a great attachment to her throughout the movie, sharing her fear, depression, and confusion. She makes a fantastic protagonist, and as I mentioned above, wonderfully illustrates the theme of loss of innocence.

The supporting cast does well, with Rumi and her stalker being the main side characters. Rumi is developed very well herself, especially in the later half of the series as the story is tied together. The stalker, while far less explored, still has his motivations clearly explained and the viewer gets a fantastic look into a deranged mind.

Overall, it has one of the best protagonists I have ever seen, and a strong supporting cast.

Enjoyment - 10/10

If you are a fan of suspense, mystery, drama, thrillers... you will love this. Perfect Blue appeals to so many psychological elements and has such an intricate setup that it can be watched again and again, noticing new things each time. The second watch can be even better with than the first; once you know the end, you can trace the story backwards to the origin.

I would not recommend this to fans of mindless action, comedy, or SOL. It is not by any means a "light watch." But if you are willing to sit back and let it totally absorb you, I can't possibly think of a better way to spend your time.

Other Thoughts

This movie contains fully uncensored nudity and graphic sexual scenes. There is a significant amount of violence as well, but it is not too gory. I would still strongly advise against younger viewers watching this.

If you enjoyed this movie, you should immediately acquire and watch everything that Satoshi Kon ever directed. I don't think you will be disappointed.

I give this movie a 9/10, with the only improvements I could wish for would be a slightly better soundtrack and a fresh coat of animation (give it to ufotable, they would be perfect).