Perfect Blue (1998)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Satoshi Kon

Writers:

Sadayuki Murai (writer)
Yoshikazu Takeuchi (novel)

Release Date:

28 February 1998 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

The color of illusion is Perfect Blue. (Japanese)

Plot:

A retired pop singer turned actress's sense of reality is shaken when she is stalked by an obsessed fan and seemingly a ghost of her past.

Plot Keywords:

Rape Scene | Blood | Actress | Enigma | Blood Splatter

Awards:

3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Junko Iwao	...	Mima Kirigoe
Rica Matsumoto	...	Rumi
Shinpachi Tsuji	...	Tadokoro
Masaaki Ôkura	...	Uchida the fan
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Steve Blum	...	Various (voice: English version) (as David Lucas)
Bob Buchholz	...	Cameraman, Actor (voice: English version) (as Robert Wicks)
Frank Buck	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Steve Bulen	...	Tejima (voice: English version)
Bambi Darro	...	(voice: English version)
Syd Fontana	...	(voice: English version)
Bridget Hoffman	...	Mima Kirigoe (voice: English version) (as Ruby Marlowe)
R. Martin Klein	...	Me-Mania (voice: English version) (as Bob Marx)
Wendee Lee	...	Rumi (voice: English version)
Michael Lindsay	...	Cham Manager (voice: English version) (as Dylan Tully)
Dari MacKenie	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Michael McCarty	...	(voice: English version) (as Devon Michaels)
Mary Elizabeth McGlynn	...	(voice: English version) (as Melissa Williamson)
Matt K. Miller	...	(voice: English version) (as Kermit Beachwood)
Sven Nosgard	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Richard Plantagenet	...	Director (voice: English version)
Jamieson Price	...	Mureno (voice: English version) (as James Lyon)
Mattie Rando	...	(voice: English version)
Elliot Reynolds	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Lia Sargent	...	(voice: English version)
Carol Stanzione	...	(voice: English version)
Barry Stigler	...	Tadakoro (English Dub) (as Gil Starberry)
Paul St. Peter	...	News Reporter (voice: English version) (as George C. Cole)
Sam Strong	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Jimmy Theodore	...	Mimi Fan (voice: English version)
Kirk Thornton	...	Yamashiro (voice: English version) (as Sparky Thornton)
Bill Timoney	...	(voice: English version) (as Billy Regan)

MPAA:

Rated R for animated sequences of violence and nudity, and for brief language.

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

English | French | Italian | Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Japan:R-15 | Taiwan:R-18 | Australia:MA | Canada:16+ (Québec) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Ontario) | France:-12 | Germany:16 | New Zealand:R18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | UK:18 | USA:R | USA:Unrated

Company:

Rex Entertainment

Trivia:

Many sharp-eyed viewers have noticed a startling similarity between the bathtub scene (where a very upset Mima is holding her breath underwater) and a scene in Darren Aronofsky's 2000 film "Requiem for a Dream" where Jennifer Connelly does the same. Aronofsky has never officially commented on the scene or its origins.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the English dub version, Cham sings their song at the beginning in English. Later on, when the writer is waiting for the elevator, the radio is playing the song in Japanese.

Quotes:

Mima's Ghost: Nobody cares for you anymore. You're tarnished and you're filthy.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Paprika (2006)

One of the best animés of all time!

An interesting look at pop culture...

Mima Kirigoe (Voiced by Junko Iwao) on the advice of her "producers" has quit her pop band named "Cham" and has taken up a career in acting, the only role she gets is in a violent thriller named "Double Bind" her character is less than clean cut but if it makes her a success that's all that matters isn't it? In the meantime a website is setup that describes Mima's life in every detail, it is run by an obsessed fan who thinks that the Mima who quit Cham is not the real Mima and that the real Mima wants this fake killed (Confusing huh? The movie can probably make this point better) In any case the people around Mima start to die (Including a sleazy photographer) This movie is full of graphic violence and nudity so it goes without saying this isn't for kids, it is one of the best animé films of all time but I can never get anyone I know to watch it because their brains connect animé to girls in mini skirts being tentacle violated...This isn't "La Blue Girl" it is an interesting horror/thriller that actually has a very good plotline and a very surprising ending (To me anyway) and I would recommend it to all genre fans including those who stick their noses up at animé in general.

A deserved 9.5/10