The late, great anime director Satoshi Kon was famed 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 anime films of all time, Perfect Blue was a twisted and disturbing psychological thriller that explored the dark side of all things polished, glossy, beautiful and perfect. Among such gorgeous, shiny things included the Japanese entertainment industry, idols and pop stars, and most importantly, the fledgling phenomenon known as the World Wide Web. Released in August 1997, Perfect Blue didn’t just expose the burgeoning fears of a society grappling with a new technology and worrying industry – it eerily and accurately predicted the bleak future of the modern Dark Web, making it one of the most disturbingly timeless and relevant films ever made.
Mima Kirigoe is a part of the cute and bubbly idol trio CHAM!, and enjoys fame and fandom. Feeling stifled, she announces her choice to leave the group to become an actress, shedding her pristine and innocent image in the process. This change doesn’t sit well with some people, especially as Mima stars in dark movies about assault, murder and sex, further tarnishing her previous public perception. It all comes to a head when Mima discovers a site known as “Mima’s Room,” which details her daily life in perfect detail – a bit too perfect for comfort. It becomes clear that there’s a stalker on the loose, known as Me-Mania, following Mima. Worse still, a vision of Mima, still in her pretty pop idol days, causes chaos in town. As the people on Mima’s film crew are murdered horribly, the line between reality and madness grows ever thinner. An increasingly-paranoid and hallucinating Mima must unravel the mystery around the person – or persons – determined to steal her life and sanity.
Perfect Blue Is Still Relevant Nearly Three Decades Later
The Movie Was Chillingly Prophetic in Its Warnings of Parasocial Fandoms
In order to fully understand Perfect Blue, one must be aware of its cultural context and the time in which it was made. In 1997, the internet was still the brave new world, only six years old and just beginning to have an influence on daily life. It had a novelty and naivety to it that is no longer present in the post-Wikipedia and post-Facebook landscape. However, even in its earliest days, some people had reservations about its power and potential for disruption, addiction and criminality.Perfect Blue tapped into these fears and concerns. Incidentally, the mid- to late-90s saw the rise of otaku culture. This manifests 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. This was also the era of Neon Genesis Evangelion, which marked the birth of the moe obsession, among other otaku trends.
In Japan, idol singers were already a talking point, having risen to prominence in the ’80s, with teen pop stars such as Seiko Matsuda, Momoko Kikuchi and Akina Namamori becoming household names. Idols of any kind, especially young women in their teens, were marketed as role models, their public images immaculately and fastidiously controlled to the last detail. It wasn’t uncommon for them to be touted as “pure” or virginal in some way, and to have their youthful feminity emphasized to an excessive and disturbing degree. This was especially the case for idols as the popularity of the idol scene grew in the ’90s. With this sociological context in mind, Mima’s pristine pop star image with CHAM! becomes incredibly integral to Perfect Blue’s events and themes. Contrary to what its reputation may imply, this movie is so much more than a slasher movie about an idol.
“You bad girl… you have to follow the script!” – Me-Mania
Mima’s decision to leave her clean, innocent image behind for the more “grown-up” and unpredictable world of acting is perceived as a personal affront to fans. Clearly, Kon and screenwriter Sadayuki Murai had little love for either the entertainment industry or its obsessive fans, and especially have little sympathy for stalkers, in person and online. There is nothing sympathetic about the so-called fans and “friends” who obsess over Mima. There is no ambiguity about who is right and who is wrong in this increasingly dire situation. There are no redeeming qualities to the parasocial relationships that Me-Mania and others have cultivated in their minds with Mima. Or, more accurately, the idea of Mima, which they erroneously conflated with the real, nuanced and 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, creepy. Mamoru Uchida is one of the most unnerving and grossest characters in anime history. It’s deeply troubling to be obsessed with another person, for whatever reason. There is nothing sympathetic about the sort of person who develops an obsessive, parasocial love for a character, let alone a person. Me-Mania and the “imaginary” Mima represent this type of person for just what they are: entitled. Stars, idols and perfect strangers owe nothing to their fans except the bare minimum of kindness and appreciation. Despite their fame and fortune, celebrities like Mima are still only people finding their way in the world. This is a real phenomenon that has only become more prevalent today, with communities, nations and even entire legal systems unsure of how to deal with it, if at all. Perfect Blue may be a surrealist anime with improbable elements and plot points, but its scariest parts are all too real.
Perfect Blue’s Glamorous World Was Made to Be Disturbing
The Movie 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 cross into the real world: a place of limitations and unpleasant, but fathomable truths. The polished and perfect world of pop stars, idols, actresses, TV and film cannot live up to the imperfections of the unvarnished physical world, a place where said actresses and stars have their own lives, flaws and quirks. And yet, these glossy products, their commercialization, branding and presentations give an impression of reality, reeling in insecure people into believing – or worse, wanting to believe – that all this glitz, glamor or onscreen ultraviolence, is very real, and to an extent, is happening to them.
This isn’t just shown through Me-Mania, but 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 a bit too much. Rumi’s past is a big aspect of Perfect Blue’s harsh critique of the entertainment industry and its manufactured world. The movie unsubtly portrays the industry as an all-consuming presence that can and will destroy the minds of even its biggest stars long after their glory days are over. This real-world reflection of the damage that the media can inflict on the human psyche, both on an individual and collective level, makes the psychological horror of Perfect Blue so believable. That said, Perfect Blue’s bleak ruminations on celebrity life aren’t limited to social commentaries and thematic messages.
“Nobody cares for you anymore. You’re tarnished and you’re filthy.” – Fake Mima
Kon and his designers laid out visual clues for Perfect Blue’s unsettling twist, most notably through their character designs. The characters’ very appearances hinted at their true natures and desires. Heroic or sympathetic characters — such as Mima, her acting co-stars and the other members of CHAM! — are made to look like ordinary, appealing people. Even those who haven’t seen the movie will know that these characters are friendly and kind. In contrast, the more questionable characters — including Mima’s stalkers, the corrupt and perverse executives, directors and higher-ups, and those who go out of their way to manipulate or drive Mima further into madness and fear — are all designed to be ugly. The most dangerous characters have their eyes drawn to be especially far apart, giving them an almost grotesque appearance that makes them look unhinged and inhuman.
While one could argue that Perfect Blue invokes the rather unpleasant and unfortunate trope of equating beauty with goodness and ugliness with evil, it can be pardoned here since it serves a purpose. For one, physical appearances that reflect their respective characters’ morality complement the movie’s themes. This is especially true given that this is a story centered around the infamously shallow and looks-obsessed entertainment industry. In this case, a person’s looks really are everything. Additionally, and especially when it comes to animation, literally monstrous visages and features arouse such strong feelings of unease. In other words, Perfect Blue’s unsettling character designs do their job well – perhaps too well – especially since they play a part in the movie’s notorious twist.
Perfect Blue Is Pretty – And Pretty Ugly
Satoshi Kon’s Distinct Style Straddles Beauty and the Uncanny Valley
Satoshi Kon is famous for his unique animation style, rightly so. His characters may have realistic body proportions, but their faces are heavily stylized. Environments were rendered with the finest minute detailing possible, making the heightened worlds of Kon’s movies so immersive. As such, the darkness of his surrealist nightmares always feels more real than expected. The juxtaposition between fun, familiar and genuinely beautiful anime esthetics against the dark, dangerous and fabricated realities of the internet, the entertainment industry and the grosser sides of filming stages amplify Perfect Blue’s horror. The scary, gloomy sequences where the bloody murders take place, or where Me-Mania broods over his computer (with the ethereal fake Mima always nearby) are some of the most gorgeously rendered, yet intensely uncomfortable, pieces of animation in the artform’s history.
But when Perfect Blue wants to be beautiful, it’s downright stunning. Some sequences — like shots of Mima’s endearingly cozy bedroom, relaxing trips to the grocery store or train, and the bright concerts where bouncy pop music plays — are so beautiful and a joy to look at. They almost trick the viewer into falling in love with Perfect Blue’s seedy and deceitful world. It’s the ultimate irony that, all these years later, a deeply disturbing anime movie’s gorgeous visuals are repeatedly used as the inspiration for more wholesome and positive projects. It’s as if some fans never fully grasped the movie’s message and context, or they actively ignored it to uphold their saccharine perception of it just as Mima’s stalkers did.
“Illusions can’t come to life.” – Eri Ochiai
For example, Madonna famously used images of Perfect Blue as the backdrop of her “Drowned World” tour, promoting her upbeat album Ray of Light in 2001. On today’s internet, Perfect Blue’s visuals are used in the Vaporwave and Future Funk subcultures. These are lighthearted movement that pair GIFs of this movie’s less intense scenes with upbeat music, fittingly sampling Japanese pop singers and idols of the ’80s. It’s ironic that a movie that was meant to make the glamorous look unglamorous is itself now being recontextualized to look beautiful and nostalgic. Perhaps everything comes full circle, after all.
If there is one criticism, Perfect Blue is visually too dark. Yes, this is an extremely disturbing story, and the art, setting and color palette should reflect that. However, the lighting in some crucial scenes is so inadequate that important details are obscured. This heavy-handed color-correction, much like the depiction of the dark web, was ahead of its time. This was the case even if Perfect Blue’s visual darkness was perfectly in line with the styles of its contemporaries in the ’80s and ’90s, such as Akira and Berserk. The digital realm saps the real world of life, color, light and safety within Perfect Blue. That said, Kon and his art team could have conveyed this message without such overbearing and literal darkness. It’s a disservice to the incredible animation, designs and base colors which, even in bolder lighting, do a great job of telling this terrifying story while disturbing viewers to no end.
Perfect Blue Is a Surprisingly Empowering Psychological Horror Anime
Mima Kirigoe’s Undying Kindness Makes Her an Underrated Anime Heroine
Psychological thrillers work best when everything is kept ambiguous. Even the protagonist’s morality is gray, at best. This is typical for this genre. However, Perfect Blue defies this by having Mima be an unquestionably good, sympathetic and likable person from beginning to end. Mima’s sanity may be called into question – and for good reason – but her decency cannot. Arguably, the horror of Perfect Blue is so chilling and effective precisely because Mima is such a likable person. She’s a sweet, naive woman making her way in a world with monsters at every turn. She’s exploited and deceived by the people in power, especially those she trusts most. She’s completely out of her depth in dealing with the novelty of the internet, and the very real threat her stalker poses to her health, safety and sanity.
Even as her mental state is being corroded and attacked, Mima remains a kind, gentle and determined person. The few times she does resort to violence are totally justified, and satisfying to watch. It’s meaningful that the real Mima — who stars in dark, violent films, takes sexy pictures and wears plain, unglamorous clothes as she runs and sweats — is the lovable, kind and relatable hero. Conversely, the imaginary Mima — still prancing around like a dream in her frilly idol dress, the picture of innocence and perfection — is a terrifying monster. The idealized Mima is a harbinger of madness and doom who makes viewers’ skins crawl with every appearance. In the end, reality wins, and the real Mima stands up to the “perfect” evil image of herself, resulting in one of the most satisfying endings in all psychological horror.
“You’re
the impostor! I’m not gonna take this anymore!” – Mima Kirigoe
It may be a surprise that upon second viewing, the grim and violent Perfect Blue is quite feminist, and by the end, even empowering. The audience fosters a lot of sympathy for Mima, who, like her tormentors, struggles with mental illness. Her role in her ultraviolent TV series is that of someone with DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) brought on by severe trauma, which understandably takes a toll on her. Even her male co-star, who plays a sexual offender, is clearly and understandably uncomfortable! The stress of Mima’s new job, her fictional character, and the real-life threat of a deadly stalker all contribute to her mounting anxiety and disassociation with reality. Yet Mima, however psychologically disturbed and tortured she is, remains a kind, brave and virtuous woman.
Mental illness is not the villain of Perfect Blue, clearly unhinged individuals are. This is why the climactic battle between the real and idealized Mima is so rewarding. Mima may often be victimized, rather brutally so, but she’s defiant and determined to the end. Against all odds, Mima triumphs against the industry that exploits her, the fans who invade her privacy and the close friend who betrayed her. She reclaims agency over her life and her mental state while still working in a lucrative industry that can be just as exhilarating as it is merciless. Mima symbolically destroys the “perfect” image holding her back, shattering the fantasy that nearly destroyed her life. Rather than cave into others’ expectations and fulfill their selfish delusions of how she should live (or die) as a woman, Mima paved her own path forward.
As dark and cruel as Perfect Blue is, it has a rather uplifting footnote that shouldn’t be ignored.While there is some ambiguity about whether Mima is successful in banishing her literal and figurative demons for good, Perfect Blue rightly preaches that reality, however unappealing and imperfect it may be, is better than fantasy. In the end, Mima fought for reality and came out on top. Considering how hard she fought for her career and identity, one can only hope that she gets the offscreen future she deserves. But in the world of Satoshi Kon, everything is left to interpretation. Despite this ambiguity, one thing is certain: Perfect Blue is the perfect psychological horror anime whose most vintage, period-piece elements make it even scarier.
Perfect Blue is now available to watch and own physically and digitally.