Perfect Blue

1997 ‘パーフェクトブルー’ Directed by Satoshi Kon

The color of illusion is Perfect Blue.

A retired pop singer turned actress' sense of reality is shaken when she is stalked by an obsessed fan and seemingly a ghost of her past.

Junko Iwao Rica Matsumoto Shinpachi Tsuji Masaaki Okura Yousuke Akimoto Yoku Shioya Hideyuki Hori Emi Shinohara Masashi Ebara Kiyoyuki Yanada Tōru Furusawa Shiho Niiyama Emiko Furukawa Aya Hara Shin'ichirō Miki Jin Yamanoi Takashi Nagasako Megumi Tano Emi Motoi Akio Suyama Osamu Hosoi Kōichi Tōchika Soichiro Hoshi Kisho Taniyama Shokkâ Ôno Rofuto Purasu Wan Burazâzu Makoto Kitano Kaori Minami

Alternative Titles

Pāfekuto Burū, 藍色恐懼, Истинная грусть, Pafekuto buru, Paafekuto buruu, 퍼펙트 블루, 蓝色恐惧

animation thriller

81 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by mia ★★★★★ 21

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

black swan (2010) was found dead in a ditch
Review by Karsten Runquist ★★★★ 14

I say this in the most minnesotan way possible: oh jeez
Review by maria ★★★★½ 11

darren aronofsky, retire bitch
Review by Karsten Runquist ★★★★★

if you can believe it, was pretty confused the first time i saw this! but obviously that’s intentional on the film’s part, the blurriness hooks you in at such a psychological level. so my general reaction was cool, nice.
second time around, well over a year after my first time, i found myself connecting to this on a much much much deeper level. not just because i knew what i was getting myself into but it’s also just so much more hauntingly realistic than i remember. satoshi kon really is one of the best to ever do it.
Review by Rembrandt Q Pumpernickel ★★★★½ 41

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

Perfect Blue is a serial killer film, and the killer is patriarchal violence.
Many films mine the tension between one's idealized self and the self one lives in reality to create drama and art*, few so adeptly recognize that for women, both of these sides are controlled by men. Perfect Blue is the story of pop icon Mima who decides to move from singing to acting and takes a minor role in a disgusting procedural show about grisly murders. But decides is (intentionally on my part) not the correct verb in this instance; the film does not portray it as a decision. In fact, Mima is often shown consenting to something that eventually undermines her own sense of self or…
Review by demi adejuyigbe 9

A smart, sexy, and seriously funny comedy!
EDIT: just finished reading the wikipedia summary. how do i delete this
Review by James (Schaffrillas) ★★★★★ 39

What the actual fuck
Review by Todd Gaines ★★★★½ 37

The blurred line between what is real, and what is not. A theme explored in movies such as: Repulsion, Belle de Jour, Triangle and Black Swan. A film aspect that's never been a favorite of mine. However, I found the outlier. Perfect Blue hooked me from the opening, and I was on the edge of my seat until the final credits rolled.
Perfect Blue is batshit crazy in an eat your heart out Darren Aronofsky type of way. It's the movie Black Swan only wished it could be. It's simply a badass flick with a lot of social commentary on the media, fame and internet usage for dummies circa 1997. At least in my mind it is.
Part Giallo. (Fun…
Review by iana ★★★★ 2

darren aronofsky really went and based his entire career around perfect blue didn't he
Review by katie ★★★★ 1

darren aronofsky really did snatch mima's wig didn't he
Review by YI JIAN ★★★★½ 9

An anime? A film? No, a kidnapping. I was taken by force, dragged against my will into Mima's mind. Trapped inside, I was forced to follow her downward spiral, my mind slowly decaying with hers. Satoshi Kon, you evil bastard. You... genius. Blurring the line between reality and imagination with each cut, always have us guessing what will assault our eyes in the next scene, building up an unsettling amount of tension with such rapid pace. A work like this requires so much patience and precision, but this is not a problem for you, is it, Satoshi-sensei? Oh what a masterpiece! What a masterpiece!
Review by dash_cam ★★★★★ 4

A documentary about being an actress

Recent reviews

Review by Kris Pule ★★★★★

Satoshi Kon to create this gem in 1997 at the very start of the Internet age is mine blowing. The themes of fame & celebrity esp for females. This is def social commentary for today American social media craze with crazy fans. Even themes of paranoia, depression via fame are all too real. Def a Film I would rewatch at a latter time cause I feel there more themes at play.
Review by Sam Seagroves ★★★★

hope my stalker makes website phish671's room
"6/22/21 watched 9 movies ate 6 hotdogs"
"6/23/21 watched 10 movies ate taco bell"
Review by bugbaby5 ★★★★

I was very confused and needed a break halfway through but overall... Nice and creepy
Review by Taylor_Salim ★★★★★

I probably had a dream just like this once or had this happen to me when I didn’t sleep for days. I also knew a guy named Greg that went through this exactly.
I don’t know how many times I’ve said this but. What the fuck is up with Japanese people. The experience of watching this at 2 am probably helped it but also will fucking traumatize me cause holy shit. What’s real. What’s fake. Genuinely I need to know what the fuck is real and what isn’t cause I’m losing my goddamn mind over this. I’ll probably sleep on it and write an actual review maybe but for now. Just what the fuck was that and I also think I’m a jpop Stan.
Review by ReecePolar ★★★★½

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

Perfect Blue shines not only as a movie and an insight into the idol industry, but also as a great stepping stone into Kon's catalogue, which looks incredibly impressive.
The descent of Mima's mental state in the movie is the highlight, with most major events in the movie not have a confirmed answer, even after the movie is over. We don't really know who did the murders, and to what level Mima was messed with.
There are few and far between scenes that we know for a fact happened. Like Rumi dressing up like Mima, and the deaths actually happening.
Another highlight of the movie, is the epilogue. In the final scene, the ominous final line said by Mima, is…
Review by Bacohuncho ★★★★½

Mind-blowing
Review by issie 🍒💌 ★★★★★

nice to see the og black swan
Review by Jeroen Houben ★★★★½

[morning after update]: This gave me nightmares.
Review by Kitty Kat Boy Harold ★★★★½

Raw thoughts: I ultimately believe that mima was never influenced by external forces, rather abstractions of her fears. Her character gives commentary on ones expectation and ideals. Every human has a conscience in which they have a idea of who they are. Any defiance to this self image resolves in the feeling of imposter. These acts get buried in ones subconscious affecting their entire life. In Mimas case, she questioned if she existed, but this influence can be resolved in other forms.
I personally relate to mima in some ways. In self reflection and indulgence in nostalgia, I question if I have truely lived my life for the past few years. I have trouble remembering my childhood and even…
Review by Buzzer Evangelion ★★★★★

Jadi setelah 2x Nonton akhirnya gw mencoba menonton lagi dan gw sangat suka sama dementia-pyschological-Thriller-Horror yang 1 ini karena dia tidak hanya menawarkan sekedar shock value atau lore saja namun juga menawarkan kritik terhadap moe culture dan idol culture di komunitas Otaku.
Obsesif merupakan tema yang kental bermain didalam film ini dan dan tidak hanya disitu film ini juga memberikan suramnnya gambaran backstage dari Idol Culture di Jepang pada era 90an dimana saat masa runtuhnya dan pecahnya Economic Bubble Jepang.
Overall film ini mungkin tidak serelvan dahulu namun tetap menjadi timeless classic time capsule yang dapat memberikan gambaran realistis soal Industry Idol di Era Heisei Jepang
Review by angeleeb ★★★★★

Darren aronofsky count your days you bitch!!!
Review by Noah ★★★★½

I’m gonna be thinking about this for a while. It was like Mulholland Dr. on roids.