8.0/10
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202 user 124 critic

Pâfekuto burû (1997)

Trailer
1:02 | Trailer
A pop singer gives up her career to become an actress, but she slowly goes insane when she starts being stalked by an obsessed fan and what seems to be a ghost of her past.

Director:

Satoshi Kon

Writers:

Sadayuki Murai (screenplay), Yoshikazu Takeuchi (novel) | 2 more credits »
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Popularity
2,974 ( 131)
3 wins & 3 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

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

Mima leaves the idol group CHAM, in order to pursue her dream as an actress. Mima climbs up the rocky road to success by performing as rape victims and posing nude for magazines, but is haunted by her reflections of the past. Written by <H@jime>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

The color of illusion is Perfect Blue. (Japanese) See more »


Certificate:

18A | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was originally conceived as a live-action feature, but became an anime when several backers abruptly pulled out in pre-production. See more »

Goofs

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. See more »

Quotes

[Last line]
Mima Kirigoe: No, I'm the real thing.
[smiles]
See more »

Alternate Versions

Available in both R and unrated versions. The unrated cut adds about 3 minutes, extended scenes involving sexuality and violence. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Mulholland Dr. (2001) See more »

Soundtracks

Season
Music by Pipeline Project
Lyrics by Masato Odake
Performed by M-Voice
See more »

User Reviews

 
Dreaming of real fame comes at a cost.
13 September 2006 | by lost-in-limboSee all my reviews

Mima Kirigoes is part of a young idol group Cham, but she decides to move on and kick-start a career as an actress with some help by her pressuring agent. To change her image, she accepts some confronting roles, which eventuates into her downward spiral between realities and virtual. She discovers an Internet site that knows her every move and those responsible for growing success in the acting industry end up brutally killed.

Well, what can I say? Simply, I forgot that I originally saw this wonderfully, stunning anime picture before. I don't know how it left my mind, because it's very chilling and effective across the board. Based on Yoshikazu Takeuchi's novel, "Perfect Blue" is an intoxicatedly, shocking psychological thriller that does resemble some works of Lynch, Polanski, De Palma and rightly so, Hitchcock. Even a giallo imprint shines heavily within the mixture.

The mature plot boldly plays it cards at a mild pace and eventually forms a structure like a rubrics cube. I wouldn't go out of my way to call it complicated, but there's stylish imagination and cerebral details that gladly doesn't fall into a convoluted mess. The characters' persona's are well defined and emotionally attachable. It can turn into an uncomfortable ride, where dazzling images of fact and fiction skews into one. You can't help but get those disorientating spells that the distraught Mima succumbs to on her journey to find her feet as an mature entertainer. Where her dreams become her anxiety, as she's too sensitive to how she's being perceived then being her true self. Her clean-cut image becomes tainted and a growing obsession towards her takes its tole on her fractured and vulnerable mind.

Paranoia, delusions and a dreamlike air are cooked up with an array of tension and creepy visuals. The animation isn't a visual goldmine, but its showered with powerfully focused and flashed up images that manage to keep the viewer at bay. The pressure building dialogues are quite biting, and the revealing twist catches you off guard because of the superb use of artificial dreams with its fast editing and exhilaratingly moody soundtrack.

You don't have to be a fan of animation to enjoy this piece. So, if you come across it, give it a chance.


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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

11 February 2000 (Canada) See more »

Also Known As:

Perfect Blue See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

JPY3,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,600, 22 August 1999

Gross USA:

$558,598

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$563,130
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (edited)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »

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