Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8354 in DVD
• Released on: 2000-07-31
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Animated, Dubbed, PAL
• Original language: English, French, Italian, Japanese
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 90 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
One of the most ambitious animated films to come out of Japan (or anywhere, for that matter), Perfect Blue is an adult psycho-thriller that uses the freedom of the animated image to create the subjective reality of a young actress haunted by the ghost of her past identity. Mima is a singer who leaves her teeny-bop trio to become an actress in a violent television series, a career move that angers her fans, who prefer to see her as the pert, squeaky-clean pop idol. Plagued by self-doubt and tormented by humiliating compromises, she begins to be stalked, in her waking and sleeping moments, by an accusing alter ego who claims to be "the real Mima", until she collapses into madness as her co-workers are brutally slain around her. Director Satoshi Kon, adapting the novel by Yoshikazu Takeuchi, shows us the world from her schizophrenic perspective: days blur, dreams cross over into the waking world, the TV show blends into her real life, until her life merges with her part and she can't separate the ghosts from the real-life stalkers. Though the pat ending sweeps the psychosis and anxiety away with nary an emotional scar, it remains a smart, stylish thriller and one of the most intelligent and compelling uses of animation in recent years. Though tame by the extreme standards of "adult anime", there is nudity and a few sexually provocative scenes, and the animation is detailed and stylised (if somewhat stiff and jerky by Disney standards). --Sean Axmaker

Video Description
DVD Special Features

Interview with director Satoshi Kon
Voice-actor Interviews
Original Theatrical Trailer
Musical Photo Gallery
Behind-the-scenes performances
Bonus Audio Track
Manga 2000 previews
Manga web link
Languages: In English, Japanese and Japenese with English subtitles.

Synopsis
A surprisingly thoughtful analysis of the Japanese pop icon phenomenon. Mima is an ex-pop idol who was worshipped by the masses before fashion dictated otherwise. In order to salvage her career, she decides to drop music and pursue acting. A soap opera role is offered but Mima's character is less clean cut than desired. Regardless, she agrees and events take a turn for the worse. She begins to feel reality slip. She discovers (imagines

Customer Reviews

Why Is This A Worthwhile Film?
I think it is near impossible describing the feelings that the film puts you through. A range of emotions sweeps at you once that disc is in your DVD player. Is it crap? Is the story good? What are the animations like? These won't be the last questions you'll be asking once the film starts and finishes. This movie is no pushover; it is a serious piece of work about the life of celebrities (though a bit exaggerated with the illusions and all) and is focused on one individual. Mima, who decides to have a career change. Her actions are explained but vaguely. The story revolves around her and her fans. One of the fans is an obsessive person willing to do anything to protect her image which leads to catastrophe. Mima has to combat her own 'ghost' and 'doubt', she worries about her actions and how it will affect other people's opinions like all the other celebrities that we see and thus leads to her doing almost anything to try and not disappoint the people around her.

The special features are different to the usual DVD format. It is styled into Mima's Room a website in the film. It includes a studio clip of the Cham singing and a music video with clips from the actual film itself. Interviews with the English voice cast gives a better picture of the whole plot and it contains some pretty good trailers of other animes too. Other features include links, credits and gallery.

The film succeeds in conquering the world with its influential aspect (everyone wants to know about celebrities nowadays), it is the general interest that attracts so many viewers to its attention and aura. Plus it is animated with an excellent cast of voices bringing the emotions of the situation to you strong and inevitable. No one should leave this anime out of their mind. If you aren't 18 yet then turn away quickly as the temptation to see it is overwhelming, but if you are allowed though with parental permission....... WATCH IT NOW! DON'T WASTE TIME!

A masterpiece of anime
Satoshi Kon's debut film is a stunning and complex psychological thriller, reminiscent at times of Hitchcock. The central character is a young pop-idol who has decided to embark on an acting career. As the film progresses, a fan website which seems to know far too much about her and a growing conflict between her old and new identities begin to blur the line between fiction and reality in a powerful and effective way. The fact that the film is animated helps this process, and the animation, generally, is stunning - despite some slightly dodgy bits near the beginning. An excellent film, which shows the range of genres that animated films can successfully inhabit.

Great film.
...(sorry to show off), I have just over 80 videos and a few DVDs and this one is still one of my favorites, in fact, I bought the DVD when I got my player even though I had the VHS already. It's never quite as good as the first time you watch it, because you have no idea what's going on until the end, and the plot twists are very surprising, but when you watch again, you notice more, and that's one of the things that can make a film great. Even when you know what's going to happen, it's still pretty to look at and the characterisation is well thought out so you appreciate it more on repeated viewings. It's not the easiest film to watch, as it has some disturbing and/or violent scenes, which are quite realistic for animation, and one or two sexual assualt scenes.
The animation is pretty good, and the drawing style is interesting. Satoshi Kon is clearly director too look out for, and this is his debut film, which means hopefully there'll be more in the future.