Genre: Dark
Rated R , Contains nudiy and violence
Credits: 1994 Yoshikazu Takeuchi (Author), Satoshi Kon (director), special advisor Katsuhiro Otomo, Madhouse Studios

Cover Description:
Pop singer Mima Kirigoe looks forward to a bright new career when she quits her chart-topping trio to become an actress. When she lands a role in a sexually-charged murder mystery, Mima’s life begins to fall apart. Reality and hallucinations merge into a terrifying world where innocence is lost and dreams become nightmares.

Quickly descending into a dangerous state of paranoid delusions, Mima watches as Internet sites appears describing every intimate detail of her life. She is helpless and afraid as her associates are threatened and killed by a mysterious stalker.

In the tradition of Alfred Hitchcock and Dario Argento, director Satoshi Kon (Memories), special advisor Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira) and Madhouse Studios (Ninja Scroll) bring Yoshikazu Takeuchi’s thrilling suspense-novel to the screen in a tour-de-force that brings animation to a bold new level.

Shop for Perfect Blue: DVD, VHS, Music CDs

One sentence: “Threw me in for a loop.”

You’d think that Mima is the only person confused in this movie, but after a while you’d find yourself so drawn in that you’d think you’re the one hallucinating. In the later part of this motion picture, reality and fantasy get mixed up that you don’t know what to believe anymore. To add to the amazing mix of twists and turns, the “dark” element that was the key to Mima’s psyche is actually the one person I leasted expected it to be.

The artwork and the stunning display of vivid imagery make me think: Lain meets Kite. The directors want you to feel nervous, confused, deathly afraid, and this can surprisingly be accomplished easily in this package.

Perfect Blue is actually a milestone on its own and probably the first of its kind to tackle an issue that is sensitive to the actual Japanese culture of pop idols and showbiz sensations. In a world filled with twirling shoujos, giant mechs, and big-breasted leading ladies, PB is the only one daring enough to be different. It deals with human psychology, more specifically the psychology of a “has-been” jpop idol who ventures into unknown waters when the end of her teenage years signaled the end of her singing career. Mima’s introduction to adulthood is violent and filled with self-hatred. The film is worth your while — provided you are one person who’s unperturbed by disturbing imagery.

Individual Rating: Art/Animation 8; Story 9; Characters 9; Sounds 9