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In a Nutshell
Perfect Blue is a psychological thriller about Mima Kisugoe, a former Pop-idol from the music trio Cham! However, while many fans are upset over Mima-chan's decision to act instead of sing, she finds that singing may be harder to abandon than she had previously imagined. Following Mima from her last day with Cham! through her first role in a drama, Perfect Blue is incredibly gripping and has more suspense than you can shake a stick at.
The Review
This critically acclaimed anime film is quite
surprising upon first glance. It starts off extremely slow and struggles
to get off the ground by merely talking about Mima and her leaving the pop
world to begin acting. However, through this, we meet all of the important
players in the movie. We meet of course, Mima and her ex-band Cham! We
also meet her two talent agents, Rumi, an former pop idol who presses the
idea that Mima's wishes are not in acting, but to continue a career as a
pop idol, and Tadokoro who wants Mima to expand beyond the pop idol image
and to enter a world of acting. There is also the importance of a very
creepy Mima fan who is obviously obsessed with protecting the sanctity of
his Mima-chan.
As far as the animation is concerned, the character designs are quite good
but nothing absolutely spectacular. The design of Mima, Cham! and most of
the men in the story was ordinary, but very good. However, what shines is
the look of Uchida the fan and Rumi. They have a distinctly different look
to them with their eyes slightly offset from the center of the face. Yet
while the character designs are decent, the look of Tokyo surrounding Mima
is incredible. The detail is vast in the city and in the places she
ventures through. From her room to the set of her TV show, the time spent
on design is fabulous.
As the film progresses, Mima is gradually exposed to the horrors of her
stalking fan, yet she knows not who this person is or what the person
wants. It becomes so harsh that she sees visions of herself as a member of
Cham! again haunting her to return to her former life. Rumi is pushing her
to reconsider her pop idol life while the rest of the world wants to see
more of her as an actress. Some sections of this movie are incredibly
intense and graphic from a scene where Mima plays a girl being raped in a
club and the various murders that happen throughout. But the deepest part
of this movie is how it plays tricks on you, I regret that I can not
reveal these twists and turns but it is so gripping that I was able to
picture things from Mima's stance.
Slacker's Final Thoughts
Perfect Blue is a true benchmark when it comes to
anime. Never before have I seen an anime so deeply compelling and
surprisingly original. With the exception of Serial Experiments: Lain,
this is the most twisted piece out there. Tells an amazing story and keeps
you at the edge of your seat for its duration. I'm still shaking from
excitement.
Story: 10/10
Design: 9/10
Animation: 9/10
Sound & Music: 10/10
Overall: 10/10
Awards:
