The late, great anime director Satoshi Kon was known for pushing the boundaries of storytelling in animation, and no work exemplifies this better than Perfect blue. Arguably one of the darkest and most mature animated films of all time, Perfect Blue was a twisted and disturbing psychological thriller that explored the dark side of all things polished, shiny, beautiful, and perfect. Among these beautiful and shiny things were the Japanese entertainment industry, idols and pop stars, and most importantly, the nascent phenomenon known as the World Wide Web. Released in August 1997, Perfect Blue He didn’t just expose the growing fears of a society grappling with a new technology and a disturbing industry – he eerily and accurately predicted the dark future of the modern Dark Web.making it one of the most disturbing, timeless and relevant films ever made.

Mima Kirigoe is a member of the cute and bubbly idol trio CHAM!, who has achieved a certain level of fame. Feeling stifled, she announces her decision to leave the group to pursue acting, abandoning her pristine and innocent image in the process. This change does not sit well with some people, especially since Mima stars in dark films about assault, murder, and sex, which further tarnishes her previous public image. Things get complicated when Mima discovers a website known as “Mima’s Room,” which describes her daily life in minute detail—a little too perfect for comfort. It becomes clear that a stalker on the loose, known as Me-Mania, is stalking Mima. Worse still, a vision of Mima, still in her days as a cute pop idol, is causing chaos in the city. As members of Mima’s film crew are gruesomely murdered, the line between reality and madness becomes increasingly thin. Increasingly paranoid and prone to hallucinations, Mima must unravel the mystery surrounding the person – or people – determined to steal her life and her sanity.

Perfect Blue is still relevant nearly three decades later

The film was terribly prophetic in its warnings against parasocial fandoms.

In order to understand well Perfect blue, One must be aware of the cultural context and the time in which it was created. In 1997, the Internet was still the brave new world, only six years old and just beginning to impact daily life. It had a newness and naivety that no longer exists in the post-Wikipedia, post-Facebook landscape. Yet even in its early days, some had reservations about its power and potential for disruption, addiction and criminality.Perfect Blue exploited these fears and concerns. Moreover, the mid and late 1990s saw the rise of otaku culture. This manifests itself in extreme fandoms around anime, manga, music, and other media, with entire forums and chat rooms dedicated to shows, books, creators, musicians, and even characters. It was also the time of Neon Genesis Evangelion, which marked the birth of the Me obsession, among others otaku trends.

In Japan, idol singers were already a topic of discussion, having gained popularity in the 1980s, with teen pop stars like Seiko Matsuda, Momoko Kikuchi, and Akina Namamori becoming household names. Idols of all kinds, especially young teenage women, were marketed as role models, their public image being impeccably and meticulously controlled down to the smallest detail. It was not uncommon for them to be presented as “pure” or virginal in some way, and for their youthful femininity to be emphasized in excessive and disturbing ways. This was especially the case for idols, as the popularity of the idol scene increased in the 1990s. Given this sociological context, Mima’s pristine pop star image with CHAM! becomes incredibly essential to Perfect Blue events and themes. Contrary to what its reputation might suggest, this film is much more than a slasher about an idol.

Mima’s decision to leave behind her clean and innocent image for the more “adult” and unpredictable world of cinema is seen as a personal affront to fans. Clearly, Kon and screenwriter Sadayuki Murai had little love for the entertainment industry or its obsessive fans, and especially little sympathy for harassers, both in person and online. There is nothing sympathetic about the so-called fans and “friends” who are obsessed with Mima. There is no ambiguity about who is right and who is wrong in this increasingly desperate situation. There is no redeeming quality in the parasocial relationships that Me-Mania and others have cultivated in their minds with Mima. Or, more precisely, the idea of Mima, whom they wrongly confused with the actual, nuanced, perfectly decent human Mima of real life.

Perfect Blue depicts the phenomenon of parasocial fandom for what it is: gross, immoral, dangerous and above all frightening. Mamoru Uchida is one of the most confusing and gross characters in anime history. It is deeply disturbing to be obsessed with another person, no matter the reason. There is nothing sympathetic about the kind of person who develops an obsessive, parasocial love for a character, much less a person. Me-Mania and the “imaginary” Mima represent this type of person for what they are: pretentious. Stars, idols, and complete strangers owe their fans nothing but the bare minimum of kindness and appreciation. Despite their fame and fortune, celebrities like Mima are still just people finding their way in the world. This is a real phenomenon that has only grown more prevalent today, with communities, nations, and even entire legal systems having no idea how to deal with it, if at all. Perfect Blue It may be a surreal anime with unlikely elements and plots, but its scariest parts are all too real.

The glamorous world of Perfect Blue was designed to be disturbing

The film conveys madness and moral ugliness through beautiful visuals.

Perfect Blue is a story of celebrity, illusion and facades. More importantly, it shows what happens when the fantastical and idealized visions of the entertainment industry find themselves in the real world: a place of limits and unpleasant, but understandable, truths. The polished, perfect world of pop stars, idols, actresses, television and movies cannot measure up to the imperfections of the raw physical world, A place where these actresses and stars have their own lives, their own flaws and quirks. And yet, these glossy products, their marketing, their branding and their presentations give a sense of reality, tricking insecure people into believing – or worse, wanting to believe – that all that glitz, glamour and ultra-violence on screen is real and, to some extent, happening to them.

This is not only seen through Me-Mania, but also through Mima’s closest confidant and manager, Rumi Hakada. Rumi is herself a former pop idol who sees a lot of herself in Mima – perhaps too much. Rumi’s past is an important aspect of Perfect Blue harsh criticism of the entertainment industry and its manufactured world. The film unsubtly portrays the industry as an all-consuming presence that can and will destroy the spirits of its biggest stars long after their glory days are over. This concrete reflection on the damage that the media can inflict on the human psyche, both at the individual and collective level, makes the psychological horror of Perfect Blue so credible. That said, Perfect Blue Dark reflections on celebrity lives aren’t limited to social commentary and thematic posts.

Kon and his designers have implemented visual cues to Perfect Blue a disturbing turning point, particularly through the design of the characters. The very appearance of the characters hinted at their true nature and desires. The heroic or sympathetic characters, such as Mima, her acting partners, and the other members of CHAM!, are designed to look like ordinary, attractive people. Even those who have not seen the film know that these characters are friendly and kind. In contrast, the more questionable characters, such as Mima’s stalkers, the corrupt and evil executives, managers, and superiors, and those who go out of their way to manipulate or push Mima further into madness and fear, are all designed to be ugly. The more dangerous characters have particularly wide-set eyes, giving them an almost grotesque appearance that makes them appear unbalanced and inhuman.

Although it could be argued that Perfect Blue While the film does invoke the rather unpleasant and unfortunate cliché of equating beauty with goodness and ugliness with evil, it can be forgiven here because it serves a purpose. For one, physical appearances that reflect the morality of their respective characters complement the themes of the film. This is especially true given that this is a story centered on the notoriously superficial and appearance-obsessed entertainment industry. In this case, a person’s appearance is truly everything. Furthermore, and especially when it comes to animation, literally monstrous faces and features elicit such strong feelings of unease. In other words, Perfect Blue The disturbing character designs do their job well – maybe Also GOOD – especially since they play a role in the film’s famous twist.

Perfect blue is pretty – and kind of ugly

Satoshi Kon’s distinctive style lies somewhere between beauty and the uncanny valley

Satoshi Kon is famous for his unique animation style, and rightly so. His characters may have realistic body proportions, but their faces are heavily stylized. Environments have been rendered in the finest detail possible, making the exalted worlds of Kon’s films so immersive. So the darkness of his surreal nightmares always seems more real than expected. The juxtaposition between the fun, familiar, and genuinely beautiful aesthetic of anime and the dark, dangerous, and manufactured realities of the internet, the entertainment industry, and the cruder aspects of movie sets is amplified. Perfect Blue horror. The dark, chilling sequences where the bloody murders take place, or where Me-Mania broods on her computer (with the ethereal fake Mima always nearby) are among the most beautifully rendered, yet intensely uncomfortable, pieces of animation in the history of the art form.

But when Perfect Blue wants to be beautiful, it’s downright magnificent. Some sequences—like the shots of Mima’s cozy and endearing bedroom, the relaxing trips to the grocery store or on the train, and the bright concerts playing upbeat pop music—are so beautiful and a pleasure to watch. almost trick the viewer into falling in love with Perfect Blue A pathetic and deceptive world. It’s the ultimate irony that, all these years later, the beautiful visuals of a deeply disturbing animated film are repeatedly used as inspiration for more wholesome and positive projects. It’s as if some fans never fully grasped the film’s message and context, or actively ignored it to maintain their honeyed perception of the film, much like Mima’s stalkers did.

For example, Madonna used famous images of Perfect Blue as part of his “Drowned World” tour, to promote his optimistic album Ray of light in 2001. On today’s internet, Perfect Blue The visuals are based on the Vaporwave and Future Funk subcultures, and are light-hearted movements that pair GIFs of the film’s less intense scenes with upbeat music, appropriately sampling Japanese pop singers and idols from the ’80s. It’s ironic that a film that was supposed to make glamour seem unglamorous is itself now recontextualized to seem beautiful and nostalgic. Maybe it all comes full circle after all.

If there is any criticism, Perfect Blue is visually too dark. Yes, it is an extremely disturbing story, and the art, setting, and color palette should reflect that. However, The lighting in some crucial scenes is so poor that important details are obscured. This heavy-handed color correction, like the representation of the dark web, was ahead of its time. This was the case even though Perfect Blue The visual darkness fit perfectly with the styles of his 80s and 90s contemporaries, like Akira And Crazy mad. The digital world undermines the real world of life, color, light and security Perfect blue. That said, Kon and his art team could have delivered this message without such overbearing and literal darkness. It does a disservice to the incredible animation, designs, and basic colors that, even under harsher lighting, do a great job of telling this terrifying story while also unsettling viewers to the core.

Perfect Blue is a surprisingly thought-provoking psychological horror anime.

Mima Kirigoe’s unwavering kindness makes her an underrated anime heroine

Psychological thrillers work best when everything is left ambiguous. Even the protagonist’s morality is unclear at best. This is typical of this genre. However, Perfect Blue defies this by making Mima an undeniably good, sympathetic, and likable person from start to finish. Mima’s sanity can be questioned—and for good reason—but her decency cannot. Arguably, the horror of Perfect Blue is so scary and effective precisely because Mima is such a likeable person. She is a sweet, naive woman navigating a world where monsters are everywhere. She is exploited and deceived by those in power, especially those she trusts the most. She is completely overwhelmed by the newness of the internet and the very real threat her stalker poses to her health, safety, and sanity.

Even though her mental state is being eaten away and attacked, Mima remains a kind, gentle, and determined person. The rare times she resorts to violence are completely justified and satisfying to watch. It’s significant that the real Mima—who stars in dark, violent movies, takes sexy photos, and wears simple, unglamorous clothes when she runs and sweats—is the lovable, kind, and endearing heroine. In contrast, the imaginary Mima—who always struts around in her frilly idol dress as if in a dream, the very picture of innocence and perfection—is a terrifying monster. The idealized Mima is a prefiguration of madness and misfortune that makes spectators shudder at each appearance. In the end, reality prevails and the real Mima stands against the evil “perfect” image of herself, resulting in one of the most satisfying endings in all of psychological horror.

It may be surprising that on second viewing, the dark and violent side of the film is Perfect Blue is quite feminist and, in the end, even empowering. The audience develops a great deal of sympathy for Mima, who, like her tormentors, struggles with mental illness. Her role in her ultra-violent TV series is that of a person with DID (dissociative identity disorder) brought on by severe trauma, which, naturally, takes its toll on her. Even her male partner, who plays a sex offender, is clearly and understandably uncomfortable! The stress of Mima’s new job, her fictional persona, and the real-life threat of a deadly stalker all contribute to her increasing anxiety and dissociation from reality. Yet Mima, as psychologically disturbed and tortured as she is, remains a kind, courageous and virtuous woman.

Mental illness is not the bad guy Perfect Bluethe clearly disturbed are. That’s why the climactic battle between the real and the idealized Mima is so rewarding. Mima is often victimized, rather brutally, but she is defiant and determined to the end. Against all odds, Mima triumphs over the industry that exploits her, the fans who invade her privacy, and the close friend who betrayed her. She regains control of her life and her mental state while continuing to work in a lucrative industry that can be as exhilarating as it is ruthless. Mima symbolically destroys the “perfect” image that holds her back, shattering the fantasy that nearly destroyed her life. Rather than giving in to others’ expectations and satisfying their selfish illusions about how she should live (or die) as a woman, Mima carved out her own path.

As dark and cruel as Perfect Blue is that there is a rather encouraging footnote that should not be ignored. While there is some ambiguity as to whether Mima succeeds in permanently banishing her literal and figurative demons, Perfect Blue rightly preaches that reality, however unattractive and imperfect, is better than fantasy. In the end, Mima fought for reality and came out on top. Considering how she fought for her career and identity, one can only hope that she gets the off-screen future she deserves. But in Satoshi Kon’s world, everything is left up to interpretation. Despite this ambiguity, one thing is for sure: Perfect Blue is the perfect psychological horror anime whose more vintage and period elements make it even more frightening.

Perfect Blue is now available for viewing and purchase physically and digitally.