Pâfekuto burû (1997)

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)

Stars:

Junko Iwao, Rica Matsumoto, Shinpachi Tsuji

3 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Junko Iwao	...	Mima Kirigoe (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 Ochiai (voice)
Masashi Ebara	...	Murano (voice)
Kiyoyuki Yanada	...	Kantoku (voice)
Tôru Furusawa	...	Yada (voice)
Shiho Niiyama	...	Rei (voice)
Emiko Furukawa	...	Yukiko (voice)
Aya Hara	...	Mima's Mother (voice)
Shin'ichirô Miki	...	Taku (voice)

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.

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Plot Keywords:

stalking | actress | obsessed fan | ambiguity | film within a film | 

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Taglines:

excuse me...who are you?

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Genres:

Animation | Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

18A

Did You Know?

Trivia

The synth-pop song with female Japanese vocals playing in the background of the 'strip club' scene in Perfect Blue was unlisted in the film's credits, not included on any commercial or bootleg release of the soundtrack as of 2020, and not added to the vinyl record album of the soundtrack that was released in the late 2010's. The unknown song was partially included in one of the various commercials made to advertise the film, but as of 2020, the song's title and artist still both remain a mystery, although some fans have sought it over the years since Perfect Blue was first released in the 1990's.

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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.

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Quotes

Eri Ochiai: Illusions can't come to life.

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Alternate Versions

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

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Connections

Referenced in Lectures by Satoshi Kon (2007)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Perfect Blue

Plot twist, after plot twist, twisting time at every second. As in every Satoshi Kon film, time is warped, un-bended and bended again, but it is always engaging and fantastical to watch. Black Swan definitely seems to have been inspired by this, for it is simply perfect... blue. Still don't know why it's called that.

Details

Official Sites:

Anime Limited [United Kingdom] Madhouse [Japan]

Country:

Japan USA

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

11 February 2000 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Perfect Blue

Box Office

Budget:

JPY3,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,600, 22 August 1999

Gross USA:

$558,598

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$563,130

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rex Entertainment, Kotobuki Seihan Printing, Asahi Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min 76 min (edited)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1