ANI-MOVIES, *Perfect Blue

The late Satoshi Kon got his first film that he directed in Perfect Blue in 1997, as well as the only film he headed up that he didn't write. Based on Yoshikazu Takeuchi's book series, the movie adapts the original story but takes a more surrealistic edge that Kon flourished at where the real world and dreams eventually become entangled. Madhouse was the studio behind this after their huge success from the hit X animated movie, although there are some scenes that lack the flowing brilliance behind their previous work, it does work for the dreamlike states that Perfect Blue is constantly shifting through. It is widely believed that this film was a large influence for Darren Aronofsky's thriller Black Swan, similarly to how Kon's Paprika was seen as a major source for the idea behind Inception. Regardless of your perspective on the film's impact on the psychological drama genre, Perfect Blue prevails in the library of Hitchkock-themed thrillers.

Set in the time of its release if the mid-90s, Mima Kirigoe has been a part of a pop idol trio who decides to make a change in her life after she gets praised for her acting talent. Mima leaves her group but still keeps her original agent Rumi who helps get her a part in a made-for-video drama which has her playing the part of rape victim. The new actress begins to question the character she is playing along with the change in her own life that seems to cause unforeseen anxiety. All this is happening while people professionally connected to Mima are systematically murdered, which Mima believes might be an odd-looking figure that shows up at most of her appearances disguised as security. Coincidentially a website claiming to be run by Mima herself appears even though she has no memory of doing it, plus Mima keeps seeing a past version of herself still as a singer that keeps telling her to go back to her old life. Mima's lunacy increases as she has difficulty remembering if she isn't reliving the same moment several times in a row. The grand reveal behind the mystery is only the tip of the iceberg as Mima is revealed to be part of a shared psychosis making the viewer question the line of fantasy and reality throughout the narrative.

Perfect Blue was a radical change in the realm of anime the majority of it involved magical girls and giant robots as it showed the rest of the world that Japanese animation can be applied to a variety of genres. Satoshi Kon was seriously specific on what the final product of the movie turned out to be which has left watchers debating about the film's diverse meanings and how they each shape the overall story. This deep psychological dive is strongly intended for mature audiences, so save it for after-hours screenings.