Satoshi Kon’s directorial debut Perfect Blue is a 1997 animated psychological horror film based on Yoshikazu Takeuchi’s novel Perfect Blue: Complete Metamorphosis. The film follows pop idol Mima Kirigoe’s retirement from her status in pursuit of acting, only to find her livelihood at increasing risk in her new career. The story discusses performance as an identity and its impact on the self and culture, with primary focus on femininity and objectification.
Following her withdrawal from pop idol group “CHAM!”, Mima Kirigoe finds herself unable to cope with the horror that she faces in her new acting career. Haunted by an obsessive stalker, inexplicable murders, and her former identity, Mima begins to lose her sense of self and surroundings. As chaos proceeds, the lines between performance and reality blur in Mima’s own head and on the screen, delivering a deeply surreal experience as visually pleasing as it is psychologically jarring.
Perfect Blue has garnered generally favorable reviews worldwide and is well-established in Western anime circles. It received Best Asian Film at the 1997 Fantasia Film Festival, as well as Best Animated Film at Fantasporto 1998 and the 2000 B-Movie Film Festival. Some critics praise its storytelling extremes, while others find its flourishes too evocative or abstract. Regardless of reception, Satoshi Kon’s directorial debut is a film rich with artistic and emotional challenges well-worth pondering. Chris Beveridge of the Fandom Post writes,
This is not a film one can watch often overall, nor should you, but when you settle into it you put everything else away, turn down the lights, and savor an excellent piece of filmmaking.
Beveridge, Chris (January 15, 2021). “Perfect Blue Blu-ray Anime Review”. The Fandom Post.
