This animated thriller was originally released in Japan in 1997. The film was created by director Satoshi Kon (PATLABOR: THE MOVIE) and screenwriter Sadayuki Murai. They based the film on Yoshikazu Takeuchi’s best selling novel of the same name. PERFECT BLUE was a critical success in Japan, and plans were made to give the film an international release. Manga picked up the distribution rights and handled the internationalization. The film played at art theaters and conventions across North America, and was warmly received by critics. Manga put a lot of effort into the eventual DVD release, and the result is a very pleasing package.

Mima Kiragoe is a Britney Spears style pop star, who shares the stage with two other hot young ladies in an all girl vocal group called Cham. Mima’s manager Rumi, is trying to steer the young talent into the acting profession, because pop stars have no longevity. Whatever is popular this year, is out the next. So at one of Cham’s public appearances, Mima prepares to inform the press that she is leaving the group to get an acting gig on an N.Y.P.D. BLUE-like cop show. Before she can break the news, some young punks cause a riot. When Mima announces over the loudspeaker system that she leaving Cham, the riot stops. One of the young punks that is about to hurl a bottle at the stage is stopped by a creepy looking guy named Mr. Me-Mania.

Mr. Me-Mania happens to be an obsessive fan who is stalking Mima. He uses his computers to track her every move. As Mima gets more and more into her role in the adult detective show, she notices Mr. Me-Mania hanging around the TV studio. To further distance herself from her pop image, and be recognized as a serious actress, she agrees to act as a rape victim (it worked for Jody Foster, she reasons). She gets the positive press she wanted, but she can’t enjoy it.

Soon the writers and producers of the show are brutally murdered. Mima’s Web site is commandeered by someone pretending to be Mima. The message on her Web site tells her to quit acting and return to her pop idol status. She questions her own sanity when she sees herself in the mirror, acting and talking like her pop idol personality would. To make matters worse, Mr. Me-Maniac keeps showing up in the strangest places. Mima must put the pieces of the puzzle together. Is someone out to get her, or is she just going crazy?

PERFECT BLUE is a very unique adult animated film. Most Japanese animation involves the adventures of young girls with superpowers, giant robot battles, or horny dimensional monsters. PERFECT BLUE breaks from the art form to present an original, mystery thriller that brings to mind Brian Depalma or Dario Argento, with a touch of David Lynch. Though an animated film, it is adult oriented on all levels, and features lots of graphic violence and sexual situations.

The film explores similar territory as Roman Polanski's REPULSION. Mima imagines a mirror image of herself that has not given up the teen idol career. This personality haunts Mima throughout the film. To add a layer of outrageousness to the narrative, the whole film is based on the old reality versus dream conundrum, so much so that it is done to death, leading to some confusion. However, it is actually Director Kon’s intention, because it produces a mental state in the audience that mimics the main character’s sense of confusion. We can’t tell what is a dream, what is reality, or what is an acting performance on her TV show. And sometimes the viewer gets hit with a combination of these factors.

The film-within-a-film angle is brilliantly woven into Mima’s confused life. The parallels between Mima and her TV character are perfectly exploited; and Director Satoshi Kon never reveals the strange things that happen to Mima. We don’t know if they are real, or if they are a part of the soap opera she is acting in. PERFECT BLUE is not a movie that can be absorbed in one sitting. The film is short (at 83 minutes) and quickly paced, which is ideal for additional viewings.

PERFECT BLUE also analyzes the celebrity phenomenon and its impact on the performer. What it is like to be an aspiring actress or singer, and having to deal with the expected chaos. Taking this approach one step further, the film explores the celebrity stalker, too. The stereotyped appearance of the stalker is a bit of a disappointment, because the animators sometimes convey a true sense of his adoration and love for Mima, which serves to make the viewer more sorry for his delusion than fearful of him.

The most powerful and emotive scene in the film is the artificial rape scene. It is very disturbing how graphic it is, yet it is pivotal to the plot because once it has happened, the surrealist images become darker and more obsessive. The murder set pieces are on par with Dario Argento's TERROR AT THE OPERA and are indeed very well staged. The serial killer/slasher plot with the woman-in-danger perspective is not exactly new and overall this area of the film is very cliched. But the film doesn’t hide who the killer is, because the killer’s identity is not central to the plot. It takes a back-seat as the audience gets to explore Mima's fragmented personality and the psychological repercussions she suffers due to her crazed fan and the events which spiral out of control.

However, I do have some peeves about the picture. First of all, the character designs are a little bland. Considering this film was released only a few years ago in 1997, the animation is not as detailed or smooth as one would expect (it is still well above average, though). The lazy ending does not neatly tie up the plot as this description would have you believe. To make matters worse, the last image of the film is extremely cheesy. Mima recites the final line of dialog, and the narrative reverts to the stereotypical Japanese anime it was trying so desperately trying to avoid.

SIGHT

PERFECT BLUE is presented in the original widescreen transfer. The image is pretty sharp with superior detail. All colors (including the color of blood and gore) are genuinely bright and accurate. Contrast and brightness are excellent with superior shadow detail. There is no bleeding between colors and no haloing was observed. The blacks are perfectly calibrated, but you’ll notice a definite absence of black in the animation. The animation is great, but the color schemes are a little sterile (there is no multicolored super heroes, mecha, or space ships). The blood is the most colorful thing in the movie. The animation is smooth, but lacks the detail that we have seen in films like GHOST IN THE MACHINE or AKIRA. Slight momentary traces (very slight) of grain were observed, but no not distract from the presentation. I also noticed some speckles which are from the source print. These problems would not even be noticeable had Manga given the film an anamorphic transfer. Though the lack of 16x9 enhancement is disappointing, PERFECT BLUE’s visuals are done justice by this DVD transfer.

SOUND

Manga presents two Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks (English and Japanese) and two Dolby Surround (English and Japanese) tracks. We are reviewing the English DD 5.1 track in this review. Despite not being quite as powerful as the Japanese DD 5.1 track, it is still a solid effort. Keep in mind that PERFECT BLUE is not a loud, action-packed sci-fi or super hero film. It is a film about human nature, and relies heavily on dialog and ambiance. This English DD 5.1 soundtrack handles this perfectly, and then some. There is some innovative and imaginative uses of sound used in the scenes where Mima believes she is going crazy. The rear soundfield is used for supplemental panning activity and superb ambient sound. The mix has no dropouts, pops, or other anomalies. The bass is very restrained, yet when the music starts up you feel the bass kick in. The loudest parts of the soundtrack are when the Japanese pop music is heard. I don’t particularly care for this music, but technically it sounds crisp and loud (very CD like). All dialog comes from the center speaker, cleanly and clearly, and without distortion. I’ve got to hand it to Manga, this is one of the best Japanese to English translations I’ve heard yet. I matched the English subs from the Japanese dialog track with English dub track and found it to be very faithful. The dubbing actors have done a superior job, and actually put some emotion into their dialog. I’m also surprised by the sheer number of voice actors; you know how many English dubs have two or three voice actors dub a whole cast of characters. If I may say, Manga’s audio track complements the visuals perfectly (pun intended). NOTE: Even though you select 5.1 from the menu, your DVD player will tell you it is only Dolby Digital 2.0. This is an error; the track really is DD 5.1.

FEATURES

The special features and menu items mimic the themes and visuals of PERFECT BLUE. There is an option to hear the English translated Cham songs with a static background. To accompany this there is some behind the scenes studio takes with the original Japanese vocalists. These two sections are full frame, DD 2.0, and runs 8:37. The trailers for PERFECT BLUE and other Manga titles are tucked away in the Web links menu. From there you can visit Manga’s Web site, or the official PERFECT BLUE Web site. This is the first DVD I’ve seen that includes features on the English speaking cast. There is an interview with Ruby Marlowe (who dubs Mima), and Wendy Lee (who dubs Runi). These voice actresses shed some light on their characters and motivations. Clips from the film accompany their comments. There is also interviews with the Japanese talent who voiced the original version, and an interview with director Satoshi Kon. There is also a slide show gallery, and the usual Manga Video product peeks and previews. There is some DVD-ROM content including screensavers, graphics, and other things of interest to those who can read Japanese.

CONCLUSION

PERFECT BLUE is a very dark, surreal psychological thriller that really messes with your head. Often, you're not sure if the scene you're watching is really happening or if it's a dream, hallucination or a scene from a TV show. I liked this but I think it got a little overused after a while and will surely confuse some viewers. But the story was gripping and well-written and the animation was quite good. This is a good movie for fans of anime or Hitchcockian thrillers. I should point out though that it's definitely not for everyone. Manga’s technical efforts on this DVD is superb, and the audio visual elements and menuing systems are as surreal as the film itself. Manga rounds out the package by including some great extras and other Manga merchandising info. Any studio that includes DVD-ROM content on a DVD is definitely seeing the future of DVD (For example, MGM has never had DVD-ROM features on any of their titles). Manga distinguishes themselves from the pack with their efforts here; about the only thing I can complain about is the lack of 16x9 enhancement.

PERFECT BLUE is available at DVDEmpire

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