IMDb > Perfect Blue (1998)
Perfect Blue
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Perfect Blue (1998) More at IMDbPro »

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Perfect Blue (1998) -- A retired pop singer turned actress's sense of reality is shaken when she is stalked by an obsessed fan and seemingly a ghost of her past.

Overview

User Rating:
7.3/10   6,763 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 1% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Sadayuki Murai (screenplay)
Yoshikazu Takeuchi (novel)
Contact:
View company contact information for Perfect Blue on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
28 February 1998 (Japan) more
Tagline:
The color of illusion is Perfect Blue. (Japanese) more
Plot:
A retired pop singer turned actress's sense of reality is shaken when she is stalked by an obsessed fan and seemingly a ghost of her past. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
3 wins & 2 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(4 articles)
Weekly Poll Results: Best Anime Film
 (From FilmJunk. 5 November 2009, 6:29 AM, PST)

Asia Filmfest 2009: Full Program & Timetable available
 (From Affenheimtheater. 14 October 2009, 10:47 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
A delusion within a nightmare... more (120 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Junko Iwao ... Mima (voice)
Rica Matsumoto ... Rumi (voice) (as Rika Matsumoto)
Shinpachi Tsuji ... Tadokoro (voice)
Masaaki Ôkura ... Uchida (voice)
Yôsuke Akimoto ... Tejima (voice)
Yoku Shioya ... Shibuya (voice)
Hideyuki Hori ... Sakuragi (voice)
Emi Shinohara ... Eri (voice)
Masashi Ebara ... Murano (voice)
Kiyoyuki Yanada ... Kantoku (voice)
Tôru Furusawa ... Yada (voice)
Shiho Niiyama ... Rei (voice)
Emiko Furukawa ... Yukiko (voice)
Aya Hara ... (voice)
Shinichirô Miki ... (voice) (as Shin'ichirô Miki)
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Pâfekuto burû (Japan) (promotional title)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for animated sequences of violence and nudity, and for brief language.
Runtime:
81 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The "Big Body" pizza box in the infamous stabbing scene usually gets a few chuckles from English-speaking viewers, who are no doubt thinking about the food's fat content. However, "Big Body" is actually an homage to Susumu Hirasawa (who would later compose music for Sennen joyû (2001) and "Môsô dairinin" (2004), also by director Kon) and his electronically band "P-Model." Big Body is the name of their tenth album, released in 1993. more
Goofs:
Continuity: In the English dub version, Cham sings their song at the beginning in English. Later on, when the writer is waiting for the elevator, the radio is playing the song in Japanese. more
Quotes:
Mima Kirigoe: Excuse me... who are you? Excuse me... who are you? more
Movie Connections:
Remade as Yume nara samete (2002) more
Soundtrack:
Hitori de mo heiki more

FAQ

What are the differences between the R-Rated cut and the Unrated version of the movie?
more
8 out of 8 people found the following comment useful.
A delusion within a nightmare..., 7 April 2003
9/10
Author: James J. Dominguez (DexX) from Melbourne, Australia

Perfect Blue takes many levels of reality, fiction, dream, and delusion, and merges them into an occasionally baffling but overall thrilling and satisfying film.

Mima is a rising pop star, not yet in the big time, but certainly on the way. She and her management team decide that it is time for her to try something new, so she leaves her pop group to become an actress, and that is when the problems start.

Is there another Mima out there? She is ghost-like, still a pop star, denying this new acting career, ever-smiling... but if she is real, she may be a brutal killer. What of the stalker with the creepy face and violent temper? Is he the one running the website which describes Mima's daily routine in obsessively minute detail? If so, how does he know all these things?

Madness and nightmares blend with the scripts of the increasingly bizarre role Mima plays in her debut acting job. Days repeat, life imitates script, and script imitates life. Are the boundaries between reality and dreams breaking down? ...and who is killing those who Mima is closest to?

Perfect Blue will probably confuse you, and the ending will leave you thinking, but in these days of neat, clean-edged storytelling, a little confusion is good for the soul.

I highly recommend this to fans of thrillers and anime alike, plus it is a great introduction to the world of Japanese animation for those just getting their toes wet. There are no giant robots or sex-crazed demons here, just a tight, clever psychological thriller with one hell of an ending.

Make sure you see it with Japanese dialogue and English subtitles. That done, turn off the lights and prepare to be entertained.

Was the above comment useful to you?
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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Perfect Blue (1998)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Live action version? Bon_Jovi_chick
Australian release (Madman/Manga) Uncut? Chevy_Ratt
Death Scene (Spoilers) patrick-taylor
Is it scary? markjack2004
POST HERE IF YOU LOVE THE MUSIC! Delpheno
psycho killer... Apocalypsewhenever
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