Anime Film ● Review: Perfect Blue
English Title: Perfect Blue
Japanese Title: パーフェクトブルー
Director(s): Kon Satoshi
Screenwriter(s): Murai Sadayuki
Studio: Madhouse
Released: 1997
Runtime: 1h 21m
Starring: Iwao Junko, Matsumoto Rika, Okura Masaki, Tsuji Shinpachi
My Verdict: Well-paced and maintains the intrigue and tension throughout.
● This psychological thriller is based on the novel Perfect Blue: Complete Metamorphosis (パーフェクトブルー：完全変態) by Takeuchi Yoshikazu, first published in 1991.
● I have not read the novel so this brief review is of the film only.
● The J-pop idol group CHAM! is made up of the trio Mima, Rei and Yukiko. The group is managed by Rumi, herself a former idol, and Tadokoro, the stereotypical middle-aged man who is more enthusiastic, trying to get work for those he manages. The group is not super successful but they have a fanbase.
● The plot follows Mima who has the opportunity to get into acting but it requires her to give up on being an idol.
● There is hate mail from someone unhappy about her career choice as well as a strong possibility of a stalker which Mima is aware of.
● There is also a fansite that contains details which can only come from a close observer. As this is clearly presented as real, it adds to the intrigue and tension.
● Mima initially gets a small but recurring role in a drama series. She is then offered to expand on her part significantly but it requires her to be a rape victim in a highly charged scene.
● From this point on, she confuses her character and reality. This is done well with scenes that could be real but turn out to be on set, or hard cuts from what could be her job back to reality.
● Although the narrative is supposed to be trippy, which it does well at, it also tries to be balanced in most respects. Although unclear in the moment, the scenes, on balance, strongly hint at being real or not. This is good because excessive ambiguity is dissatisfying.
● The one aspect that is taken too far is Mima seeing herself in idol form, the image clearly not real. Thematically, this is necessary as Mima’s aspiration is to sing and part of her has sold out on her own dreams, but this can be executed less blatantly.
● Visually, it is solid as expected from Madhouse. There is good detail on characters and the environment. The linework and rendering are clean enough and whilst it avoids being excessively dark and gritty, it is not too clean. There is the use of glow for a dream-like quality.
● Although it makes use of odd camera angles, this can be done more often. It does have good variation between tight and wide shots to convey discomfort and play with reality.
● At about one hour and twenty minutes, the narrative is tight and wisely avoids dragging things out. As such, it consistently maintains the tension and suspense throughout.
● There is sufficient signposting and foreshadowing and most things are tied up in the conclusion that is sufficiently clear. There are a few details that could be clarified and it could use a slightly longer epilogue, but it avoids the pretentiously arty and ambiguous ending.
● One can see why this is a modern classic. There are similarities to Black Swan (2010). In my opinion, whilst that film has some cool visuals, it didn’t push far enough to be trippy and went on a little too long. Even though Perfect Blue pushed too much in a few areas, it overall fulfils the expectation of a psychological thriller much better.
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