Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Flamed_Mustang
Perfect Blue is, in my opinion, the greatest anime film ever made.
What impressed me the most is how brilliantly it plays with reality, identity, and perception. The way the movie constantly makes you question what is actually happening is incredibly effective, and even after finishing it, I was still thinking about what I had just watched.
Satoshi Kon’s direction is phenomenal. The editing, atmosphere, sound design, and visual transitions all work together to create an unsettling experience that never loses your attention. Every scene feels carefully constructed, and the movie manages to be disturbing without relying on cheap shock value.
Mima is also a fantastic protagonist. Watching her struggle with her identity and the pressure surrounding her career makes the story feel deeply per…
Read at the sourceCashdudex
Well for starters, holy shit. This movie is a phenomenal psychological experience, so many times throughout the movie I was wondering to myself if what I was watching was real or not.
Even by the time the movie had ended I was still questioning things. I feel like one of the best aspects of this movie is the fact you can interpret it however you want, the ending is clear but can be viewed in different ways, I feel as though there is no "proper" ending.
Throughout the whole movie you just get this unsettling vibe from it. The way the scenes transitioned was amazing and it kept me super intrigued the entire time.
Also I loved the art style and animation, it has that charm of being an anime from the 90s and you can tell how much time and care was put into animating it.
It's a beautiful de…
Read at the sourceTinyTony404
This was my first dive into Satoshi Kon's work, and I was not prepared for what I was about to experience.
Perfect Blue is a psychological thriller that completely gets inside your head. I've watched my fair share of horror films, but this was something different. Usually, by the end of a horror film, you have a decent understanding of what happened. Perfect Blue does the opposite. The horror comes from not knowing what is real and what is a delusion.
The themes of the film are incredibly powerful. It explores fame, female autonomy and obsession, while also being a criticism of fan culture and parasocial relationships. The fact that this film can be violent and dark while still having something meaningful to say is honestly impressive.
One thing that really surprised me is that if you r…
Read at the sourcePitBoy
DISCLAIMER!!
This movie depicts sexual abuse. Even tho nothing really happens I know this is a sensitive subject, so, if you are, please be careful.
I'm going to focus in judging this as a Horror show, because I'm a big fan of Horror and this anime is tag as such. Amazing psychological thriller / slasher, Satoshi Kon really made good use of his editing skills to confuse you with what is reality and what is not, because that's what our main character feels like, and the music does add to the madness of It all.
I don't only recommend this movie as a good example of a Horror Anime, but also to study It if you want to make horror movies too. There is so much you can learn from the way each scene is made to make you feel something eerie.
Rest in peace Satoshi Kon. You will never be forgotten…
Read at the sourceCosmicNeptune77
This movie is great, honestly really good. It might be hard to understand at first but by the end it becomes kind of clear.
Make sure to see every single second of the movie to understand because it tends to hide the truth in reflections and stuff. And if everything isn't really clear till the end, just know that it's normal. Halfway through the movie, It really becomes confusing so I recommend reading the analysis after watching the movie.
It has some explicit scenes throughout the movie, but the nudity isn't sexual or for fan service even though it is suggestive. Please don't watch it if you are sensitive to topics like sexual assault. Some scenes also have bloody sceneries.
The twist is unexpected and the overall movie is thrilling. The characters have depth and the start is very dif…
Read at the sourcefp264
The movie was released nearly 30 years ago, so the animation feels outdated. The male characters have heads similar to those of the Cowboy Bebop guy, with sinister faces — as though all men are evil. I also didn't like the face of Rumi (the eyes were so far from each other!)
It's amusing to see the old CRT screens and the old phones.
The story holds up well for just 80 minutes, but I did find myself bored at times.
I still don't fully understand some of the things that happened — what is real and what is not; I know that is the point of the movie, but I feel frustrated by this ambiguity.
It feels as though the plot moves a bit too fast towards the end, and that we don't have enough time to process what is going on in the minds of Mima and Rumi.
All in all, I wouldn't recommend this movie u…
Read at the sourceleaveb2alone
[EN/PT-BR]
[EN]
The first psychological horror anime that genuinely made me feel uneasy.
Perfect Blue is a short psychological horror film that portrays the agony of being pursued by a deranged stalker who exposes the protagonist's life on the internet while murders of people close to her begin to occur. At the same time, she is haunted by an image of herself that constantly confronts her with the life she could have had if her career change had never happened, intensifying her internal identity crisis.
The way Perfect Blue portrays Mima's fear and confusion throughout the film is designed not only to make the protagonist feel distressed, but the viewer as well. The inability to distinguish reality from acting scenes mirrors the character's own inner confusion. The traumatic experiences…
Read at the source11julek
Perfect Blue is the projection that when I watched it I felt like I was reading ,,The Bell Jar'' by Sylvia Plath. This film perfectly shows the psychosis of a one - it started inconspicuously and slow: woman's changing her career to corrupt and broken industry of acting. This part not only portrayed the mental state of a one dealing with it, but demonstrated the profession and its consequences on the bigger page. Then when the second half of the film is reached all of the reality collapsed - you can't tell what's real and what's fake, the psychosis has reached its peak - just like in Plaths book. Perfect blue, however adds what I felt it was missing in The Bell Jar - something more than centralization on one person. Frankly I thought it was dull, but I found the missing piece in this anime…
Read at the sourceDevessel999
I just wanna say Ive never felt "this feeling" after watching an anime or movie ever. I've watched over 80 animes and i can confidently say without any spoilers this movie is a masterpiece in its own league. If you decide to watch this movie beware that it's super fucked up and will be disturbing. Id advise a mature mindset before watching the film and if you can endure those themes you’ll experience one of the most psychologically intense stories that you won't get from majority of anime or real films. Perfect Blue doesn’t just shock you but it pulls you into its madness leaving you with more questions than answers . A true masterpiece that deserves every bit of praise it gets. I did not give any context or description of the anime but rather what it bring to the table and what to be awar…
Read at the sourceLoveLikeBlood
Directorial debuts are intriguing in that it's fascinating to see directors beginning to find their creative voice. Films like Martin Scorsese's Who's That Knocking At My Door? and John Carpenter's Dark Star serve as deeply fascinating showcases of director beginning to establish the thematic and aesthetic elements that would later become refined and come to define their later masterworks. With that said, every so often, a debut will be released where an artist's sensibilities are already so perfectly well defined and will either somehow be topped or come to overshadow an artist's later work. Such films include David Lynch's Eraserhead, Quentin Tarantino's Reservior Dogs, Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and John Waters' Pink Flamingos among others. Another such film is Satoshi K…
Read at the sourcegakinotsukai
Dang, I rewatched this one recently and WOW, gotta update this from a 9 to a 10. I remember loving this one the first time around, but the story has aged like a fine wine for me; the themes of obsession, jealousy, mental health, idol (cough influencer) culture, and society in general, it's very prescient given the direction we're headed. Remember to take care of your mental health folks, make friends, get out in nature, pet a cat, pet a dog, share some good food with people, and do your best to live life for yourself rather than social media.
In any case, I'll keep this brief and say that from a technical perspective this anime is absolutely incredible. Peak 90s hand drawn animation, bloody gorgeous art style, the artistic juxtaposition of perception vs reality, the music, the colors, the…
Read at the sourceRyusaki1989
An absolute masterpiece that influenced later Hollywood movies. Made by Satoshi Kon who later also made Paprika.
It combines Surrealism and Realism.
I can understand that not everyone likes it(as usual). The story is kinda simple but still has lots of surprises
But this anime really shows how toxic and destructive the idol industry can be and how toxic
many fans(no matter in which area) can be. I believe many viewers could identify with the main protagonist
cause in real life you can also have situations like this. I also believe one of the messages in this anime is
to go your path and to do what you like even if many people or your former followers dont agree with you
If you havent watched it yet you should definately give it a try
Read at the sourcekierigakure
Genuinely one of the best movies I've watched in a while, and I think it's one of those movies that will always be culturally relevant. It's interesting to see how this movie was written and released in an era where the internet looked SO different from what it looks like now, yet has the same warnings relevant to today; the dangers of parasocialism specifically. I also enjoyed how Me-Mania was depicted, from his facial features all the way down to his voice. People tend to romanticize having a stalker or somebody who is obsessed with you the way Me-Mania is with Mima but this is a good example of what the reality actually can be, and how easy they are to manipulate/set off! Well done and a timeless piece :)
Read at the sourcenoripop
this movie is an absolute masterpiece, so unsettling but beautiful. i love the fact that black swan took inspiration from this movie!
perfectly reflects the pressure of society on celebrities and women in general, it’s sadly relatable and realistic. the main character felt very realistically written.
i think this movie was really something fresh and new at the time it came out, i love seeing a strong female lead. the old school art style is absolutely amazing.
i think science fiction lovers really would enjoy this movie. if you like lain, death note, ergo proxy etc. i would totally recommend perfect blue!
Read at the sourceSahmoorai
What the fuck is actually real?
Went into this film completely blind. Really liked the aesthetic '90s Japanese art style. That feeling of warmth is accompanied by grotesque images/scenes that catch one off guard (or at least me).
The story starts off fairly slow and takes some momentum to build up. I'm only familiar with the Japanese idol scene on the surface, but there are numerous undertones to the whole industry if one chooses to do some research. Interesting to see that nothing changed since back then, and maybe for the worse.
If there were any aspirations for me to become an idol (M28), this film completely sealed the deal not to.
Read at the sourceapotheosis21
Review Summary:
A near-perfect film. It is definitively not for everyone. It is disturbing, violent and at times grotesque. For this reason alone, I have mixed feelings on recommending it, despite believing this is actually a masterpiece.
If you like thrillers and are okay with disturbing content, nudity, sexual assault, and intense, realistic violence, you will likely love this film. If you are not, the disturbing elements will almost certainly outweigh the fantastic execution.
Short, spoiler-free plot summary:
The movie depicts the mental decline of a pop idol as she transitions from the music industry to the TV industry. As her career puts ever more pressure on her, she begins to lose grasp of reality.
Critique:
The plot is excellent, and it's comfortable not giving the viewer an…
Read at the sourcebigzap
“Who are you?”
Satoshi Kon’s Perfect Blue is an elegant mindfuck. Mima’s spiral into madness is masterfully directed and her story is heartbreaking, harrowing, and stunning. Themes of worth and identity are profoundly and thoroughly explored. Watching this makes me feel like I’m also out of my mind too, and that is brilliance.
"You should stop dreaming soon."
Junko Iwao brings life to Mima and her performance is amazing. The animation is quaint and the color palette beautiful. The cinematography is ill and a lot of the imagery is very bold. A favorite aspect of mine is the soundtrack—as expected for a film about a pop idol. While the songs are indeed catchy, the eerie, biting tracks are the cherry on top.
Unsettling, unreal, and unprecedented. 9/10
Read at the sourceAloNatural
Perfect Blue .
In the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, anime began to change radically. Mass media gained influence, and Japanese studios started creating more daring stories with mature themes, moving away from the Western idea that anime was just “cartoons for kids.” Works like Perfect Blue, directed by Satoshi Kon, deeply impacted many Western audiences who were used to auteur cinema from figures like Stanley Kubrick or Alfred Hitchcock. While Kon is clearly influenced by these directors, he manages to leave his own unique mark, innovating within the psychological thriller genre with a bold and disturbing narrative.
The story centers on Mima Kirigoe, a 21-year-old idol who decides to leave the music world to start an acting career. This seemingly simple decision becomes the turnin…
Read at the source051819
With a premise seemingly so basic, Perfect Blue takes its story and carefully builds upon its depiction of one traumatic event after another. Oh, and by traumatic, Perfect Blue isn’t kidding around when it comes to using its psychological thrill to shock the viewer. The reason as to why could be found within the film’s horror elements hindering on the psychological components of one’s deteriorating mental state. Instead of relying on cheap thrill and forced shock value, the film is much more subtle when pertaining to its blend of a horrifying psychological thriller. In retrospect, both genres during their screening could be described as a process, or rather, a deteriorating one, given the film’s themeing. At its very core, thrill is defined by its means to elicit fleeting, and yet often lo…
Read at the sourceKhaledkucci
This movie, "Perfect Blue," is one of the masterpieces of anime and films from the 1990s.
The film's premise is based on a real-life story: schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, where a person delusions they are two separate individuals, each mysterious and unable to justify their actions.
The reality of cinema and producers, their exploitation, and the presence of people obsessed with celebrities and the lives of celebrities who feel uncomfortable due to stalkers.
Flaws: Excessive nudity, transitions from one event to another, a lack of understanding of the present from the reality, and an incomprehensible ending.
However, it teaches us an important lesson: Beware of the people close to you.
I rate it 8/10. It has flaws, but it's distinctive and carries an important life lesson that you may…
Read at the source
