Perfect Blue [Blu-ray + DVD]

I watched this for the first time after seeing a brief trailer recently for a re-screening that will show later this year in movie theaters. Compared to most other modern day anime films I have seen, this one felt very unique and dark, much different than anything I have seen in the last 15-20 years in terms of storytelling and mood. One of the first times the main character starts to hallucinate and see a figure felt strangely real, and how they reacted to it and was one of the more memorable scenes in the movie for me. Realizing this is a horror movie anime film, it puts things into perspective more, but still the overall movie was unique and felt much different than anything else modern I have seen. The only other movies I am familiar with from the 90's were the "Ghost in the Shell" movies (and some Gundam/Pokemon TV series although those I consider much different), so I wanted to watch this one for some time but never got around to it, so I am glad this was available to rent! There's something about these anime films from the 90's that were very unique, besides the animation style of the 90s, more recent films or shows don't seem to have this layer of depth to the story with them, although a lot of them are still quite good I feel. I'm glad I watched this although many of the scenes were quite disturbing/uncomfortable, this might be part of the appeal of this era from the 90's as again, this was a horror title of this era and didn't seem to be done that frequently in this medium of Anime. The ending was very shocking and I will have to think about it some more and read up on it, I was not expecting it so it had more of an impact this way I think. I like the Pop song from the idol group in the beginning, part of what made me want to watch this film was a brief excerpt from the trailer of the song I saw on youtube recently for a re-screen of the film later this year. If you like anime movies but want to try something a bit darker/disturbing of a storyline, give this movie a watch. Although be aware ahead of time of what you are getting into.

You know you've entered a powerful world when you suddenly realize you've forgotten that what you're watching is nothing but ink and paint. But, oh my god, what this master of animation does with mere ink and paint is absolutely breathtaking. At first, you believe you're watching just some silly, brainless, pop-culture fluff. And, yes, it is showing you what that culture is like. But almost at the same moment, you become aware of a deep, very dark and twisted level of human depravity and pain. The strangest part of this film is that the director/writer makes you feel sympathy with the worst of the characters he draws for you. Not at first, of course. At first, you are thoroughly repulsed and sickened by these people. But slowly, as you watch what they do and how and why they think as they do, you cannot help but feel a twinge of compassion. They are just as much victims of an ugly, twisted system as those who are openly exploited. I was under the mistaken belief that this turned out to be the last film made by Satoshi Kon, the creator who made Millennium Actress and Tokyo Godfathers, besides other impressive films. In fact, Millennium Actress, from 2019(?), was, I believe, his last film. These all are outstanding works of art, not just "cartoons". You get the feeling with his work that had he the funds, he would certainly have made live-action versions of his stories. But, budgets being what they are, he had to settle for anime. Still, his work is just as masterful and important as anything coming out of Ghibli. It's just a shame that this man had to die so young. I suspect we've been robbed of some truly unique and powerful films. Oh, well. That's life -- such as it is. Again, I must emphasize that this film is rather deceptively simple. By the time you've gotten half-way through the story, you are absolutely hooked. Several times, I was rather surprised to realize that my mouth was open in shock at what I was seeing. The power of the sound and images he created is simply overwhelming. You quickly forget that you're watching a film; you are pulled, intellectually, emotionally, totally, into the story this man is telling. And even though the scenes you witness seem to be exploitative, the truth is that he is actually showing you exactly how the entertainment industry exploits the people it sucks into its web. I'm certain he intended this to be an indictment of the Japanese entertainment industry. But we all know that the world-wide entertainment industry operates along the very same lines. In fact, truth be known, it is far, far worse than any of us suspect. Only recently have some brave individuals been able to come out publicly and reveal just how perverse this industry truly is. Yes, we have whistle-blowers in every industry. But the entertainment industry operates at a truly depraved level of exploitation only recently being revealed. Fascinating how this anime director, twenty-some years ago seemed to be one of the first to sound the alarm. Sad, of course, how no one was really listening.

Beautiful singer Mima use to be a pop star until she became an actress for a TV show, it may have became a dream come true for her but a insidious obsessed fan is stalking her. She seems to have fame and a great lifestyle thanks to her singing career, acting career and posing nude for porno magazines but she gets haunted by spirits from her past that seem to drive her to the brink of losing her mind. An excellent Japanese animated horror thriller from Satoshi Kon (Director of "Millenium Actress") and supervisor Katsuhiro Otomo (creator of "Akira") comes a mindbending tale of the macabre. Nicely animated and geniunely disturbing at times especially the murder sequence, this is a trippy and scary anime feature with nudity and graphic violence thrown into it including some cute anime girls for the guys. However, this is definitely not kiddie animation here! it's pure animation for adult audiences and a must see for fans of animation and horror. This DVD contains great picture and sound with both options on Dubbed version or Japanese with subtitles version with good extras like theatrical trailer, interview with the director and voice crew, musical photo gallery, bonus audio track, and behind the scenes performances. Also Recommended: "Silent Hill", "Saw Quadrilogy", "Driller Killer", "American Psycho", "Psycho (1960)", "Psycho II", "Misery", "Psycho III", "Maniac (1980)", "Ichi The Killer", "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer", "Akira", "Ghost in The Shell 1 & 2", "Ninja Scroll", "The Professional: Golgo 13", "Suspiria", "Deep Red", "Battle Royale", "Grindhouse: Death Proof", "The Hitcher (1986)", "Vertigo", "Hostel 1 & 2", "8MM", "Silence of the Lambs", "Manhunter", "Red Dragon", "Hannibal", "Hannibal Rising", "Texas Chainsaw Massacre Series plus 2003 remake and The Beginning", "When a Stranger Calls (1978)", "Basic Instinct", "Original Sin", "Vampire Hunter D", "Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust", "Heavy Metal", "American Pop", "Heavy Traffic", "Mother's Day", "Sleepaway Camp", "Tenebre", "A Blade in The Dark", "Macabre (1980)", "Twitch of the Death Nerve", "Scream 1 & 2", "Black Christmas (1974)", "The Sixth Sense", "The Others", "Ju-On: The Grudge", "Ringu", "The Ring (2002)", "Audition", "The Untold Story", "Hellraiser 1 & 2", "Candyman", "The Shining", "Nightmare (a.k.a. Nightmare in a Damaged Brain)", "The Burning", "Silent Night Deadly Night", " and "Pin..".

If you are into mystery and like a great story & love anime …Perfect Blue will keep you watching..steel-book edition with no dents on it fascinating story Perfect Blue is perfect 👌🏽

I love this director, so Im biased. This one had his iconic surreal style, so I was all for it. I went in blind, so the actual story was quite a ride for me. I recommend this especially if you know the director and are a fan.

This headbending, ahead-of-its-time Hitchcockian thriller follows an actress whose attempt to break away from girl-group stardom to forge a more serious acting career goes frighteningly wrong. Soon, her sanity's fraying as she's stalked both by a real-world obsessive and, seemingly, by a mocking phantom version of the bright, cheerful stage persona she left behind. As her breakdown intensifies, director Satoshi Kon blurs reality and cinematic fiction in increasingly clever and unsettling ways, leading to a thrilling, reality-warping final chase sequence that takes full advantage of animation's power to tell stories in ways live action simply can't. Made at the dawn of the Internet age, the film's keen attention to all the ways the Web could be turned against women seems creepily prescient. Unfortunately, that's not the only creepiness going on here. When I first saw this film about 20 years ago on DVD, I didn't realize I was watching a censored, R-rated version. The cuts made to get that rating -- primarily to the more graphic images in a murder sequence, a scene where the heroine's being pressured to take photographs with which she's not comfortable, and a final scene where someone's attempting to assault her -- didn't rob the film of any of its eerie power. And by suggesting, rather than showing, the grimier aspects of the narrative, they increased your sympathy for its heroine. (There's even some brilliantly deployed, near-subliminal fast cuts in the censored version, leaving you wondering whether you actually just saw what you thought you did -- which ties in really well to the film's overall theme!) The R-rated version critiques the heroine's exploitation without participating in it. That version, alas, isn't even an option on this edition, which came as an unpleasant surprise to me. The original cut gets graphic in ways that feel like it's taking part in leering at its heroine, rather than siding with her. Maybe the filmmakers were trying to make you complicit in that process, but doing so makes the viewing process deeply, viscerally unpleasant in ways that seem to go far beyond any kind of artistic intent. When those seedier aspects aren't shoved in your face, the film is brilliant -- a borderline masterpiece. I'd have no qualms rewatching and appreciating the R-rated cut for years to come. But the uncut original version's lack of restraint works against it, and leaves me uncertain about whether I'll ever feel up to watching it again. If you want to give Kon's work a try -- and if you love movies, you absolutely should -- start instead with MILLENNIUM ACTRESS or especially TOKYO GODFATHERS, which harness all his considerable talents toward kinder, more humanist ends that a wider audience can enjoy.

A must see! This film is a true work of art, it's beautiful to look at and delves deep into the human mind.

This is not a flawless movie, but it does feel like it bravely treads down a darker path. I'm not sure if it stands up to modern sensibilities, but the direction and the acting are amazing.