Any time you see a list of top animated or anime movies, Perfect Blue is up there. Growing up, I would see some marketing here and there, and as the 2010’s rolled around and nostalgia bait was at its apex, I continued to see this film. After finally having time to see it, I can totally see where all the praise is coming from.
Even now, the animation is outstanding. I’m not too familiar with the animation of old, but the shading and the shadowing… I just feel like it was super ahead of its time. I do admit, a lot of the character designs made me super uncomfortable, and yes, I do believe that was the intention, but still I absolutely did not enjoy seeing some of these characters animated. Those eyes were drawn way too far apart haha. Even on high res, the animation really pops. That and the combination of the great cinematography, when illusion meets delusion in the mirror, the time skipping, the night life… besides the ugly characters, this movie has a powerful aesthetic. Generational influencing levels of animation that is percolating animated perfection.
Going into my viewing, I had a very surface level understanding of the story. I thought we were going to get a mystery story wrapped in a tale of finding your new identity after a career change, I absolutely was blindsided by the psychological thriller aspect, Perfect Blue literally encompasses that genre to a tee, how I didn’t know that this is textbook psychological thriller is beyond me, probably explains why I waited too long to view. I say all that to exclaim that this story is a crazy adventure. The 3rd act had me losing my mind, along with Mima. It is delightfully confusing, and the climax is so warped and yet so perfect for this story. It tackles so much, misogyny in the pop culture industry, how pressure and anxiety affect your mental health and decision making, how much outside perspective can affect your career. Much like the animation, this script was ahead of its time.
Junko iwao is amazing as the protagonist Mima Kirigoe. She brings a naivete disguised as confidence that really delivers the hard-hitting parts. Mima is being forced to give her body, and consequentially her soul, to his industry because she wants to make it big as an actress. She hides her hurt so well, Iwao puts so much compassion in this performance, she really makes Mima such an empathetic victim, such a beautifully tragic performance.
I wasn’t sold at first, but by the end, I really loved Perfect Blue. It’s literally a thrilling story that makes you question reality. For me, there are some aspects that are uncomfortable, but doesn’t take away from this must-see film.
🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2
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