Perfect Blue (1997)

Director:

Satoshi Kon

Writers:

Sadayuki Murai (screenplay)
Yoshikazu Takeuchi (novel)

Release Date:

28 February 1998 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Fantasy | Thriller

Tagline:

The color of illusion is Perfect Blue. (Japanese)

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.

Plot Keywords:

Actress | Singer | Fan | Rape | Obsessed Fan

Awards:

3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

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)
Jin Yamanoi	...	(voice)
Megumi Tano	...	(voice)
Takashi Nagasako	...	(voice)
Akio Suyama	...	(voice)
Osamu Hosoi	...	(voice)
Kôichi Tôchika	...	(voice)
Emi Motoi	...	(voice)
Sôichiro Hoshi	...	(voice) (as Sôichirô Hoshi)
Kishô Taniyama	...	(voice)
Shokkâ Ôno	...	Shikaisha / Kankyaku-tachi (voice)
Rofuto Purasu Wan Burazâzu	...	Kankyaku-tachi (voice)
Makoto Kitano	...	(voice)
Kaori Minami	...	(voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Steve Blum	...	Various (voice: English version) (as David Lucas)
Bob Buchholz	...	Cameraman, Actor (voice: English version) (as Robert Wicks)
Frank Buck	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Steve Bulen	...	Tejima (voice: English version)
Bambi Darro	...	(voice: English version)
Syd Fontana	...	(voice: English version)
Bridget Hoffman	...	Mima (voice: English version) (as Ruby Marlowe)
R. Martin Klein	...	Me-Mania (voice: English version) (as Bob Marx)
Wendee Lee	...	Rumi (voice: English version)
Michael Lindsay	...	Cham Manager (voice: English version) (as Dylan Tully)
Dari MacKenie	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Michael McCarty	...	(voice: English version) (as Devon Michaels)
Mary Elizabeth McGlynn	...	(voice: English version) (as Melissa Williamson)
Matt K. Miller	...	(voice: English version) (as Kermit Beachwood)
Sven Nosgard	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Richard Plantagenet	...	Director (voice: English version)
Jamieson Price	...	Murano (voice: English version) (as James Lyon)
Mattie Rando	...	(voice: English version)
Elliot Reynolds	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Lia Sargent	...	(voice: English version)
Paul St. Peter	...	News Reporter (voice: English version) (as George C. Cole)
Carol Stanzione	...	(voice: English version)
Barry Stigler	...	Tadokoro (voice: English version) (as Gil Starberry)
Sam Strong	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Jimmy Theodore	...	Mimi Fan (voice: English version)
Kirk Thornton	...	Yamashiro (voice: English version) (as Sparky Thornton)
Bill Timoney	...	(voice: English version) (as Billy Regan)

Directed by
Satoshi Kon

Writing credits
Sadayuki Murai		(screenplay)
Yoshikazu Takeuchi		(novel)

Produced by
Marvin Gleicher	....	executive producer (english version)
Laurence Guinness	....	executive producer (english version)
Hiroaki Inoue	....	producer
Koshiro Kanda	....	executive producer (as Kôshirô Kanda)
Haruyo Kanesaku	....	producer (english version)
Masao Maruyama	....	producer
Yutaka Maseba	....	producer (english version)
Yuichi Tsurumi	....	executive producer (as Yûichi Tsurumi)
Ken Washiya	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Masahiro Ikumi

Cinematography by
Hisao Shirai

Film Editing by
Harutoshi Ogata

Art Direction by
Nobutaka Ike

Art Department
John Gooch	....	props

Sound Department
Les Claypool III	....	dialogue editor: English dub
Shizuo Kurahashi	....	sound designer
Michael McCarty	....	digital tracking
Masafumi Mima	....	sound director
Masafumi Mima	....	sound effects

Animation Department
Koichi Arai	....	animator
Nobumasa Arakawa	....	animator
Ayuchi Baba	....	inbetween animator
Masayoshi Banno	....	background artist
Jeong-im Chae	....	ink and paint artist
Kwak Mi Duk	....	ink and paint artist
Hisashi Eguchi	....	character creator: basic characters
Hisashi Eguchi	....	character designer
Lee Jee Eun	....	inbetween animator
Shigeru Fujita	....	animator
Hideki Futamura	....	key animator
Eun-kyung Gang	....	ink and paint artist
Hitoshi Haga	....	animator
Shinji Hamasaki	....	animator
Hideki Hamazu	....	animation director
Hideki Hamazu	....	character designer
Shinji Hashimoto	....	animator
Akiko Hayashi	....	ink and paint artist
Do Oh Hee	....	inbetween animator
Takeshi Honda	....	animator
Hisashi Ikeda	....	background artist
Yûji Ikeda	....	background artist
Moon Young Im	....	inbetween animator
Kaoru Inoda	....	background artist
Kumi Ishii	....	inbetween animator
Mitsuo Iso	....	animator
Joo-eun Joo	....	inbetween animator
Yuriko Kadomoto	....	ink and paint artist
Chikako Kamata	....	ink and paint artist
Sachiko Kato	....	background artist
Masaki Kawai	....	inbetween animator
Masataka Kawai	....	inbetween animator
Kumiko Kawana	....	animator
Chol-gyu Kim	....	background artist
Geum-soo Kim	....	inbetween animator
Gyung-ja Kim	....	inbetween animator
Hee-sa Kim	....	ink and paint artist
Hyaong Ja Kim	....	ink and paint artist
Moon-hee Kim	....	inbetween animator
Yong Sik Kim	....	inbetween animator
Yoshihiro Kitano	....	animator
Makota Koga	....	animator
Satoshi Kon	....	character designer
Rei Kono	....	background artist
Kiyoshi Kosaka	....	inbetween animator
Koji Kumasaki	....	inbetween animator
Masahiro Kurio	....	animator
Mamoru Kurosawa	....	animator
Soon-young Lee	....	ink and paint artist
Hidenori Matsubara	....	animator
Ok-yun Moon	....	inbetween animator
Hiroyuki Morita	....	animator
Mi Ae Na	....	ink and paint artist
Morifumi Naka	....	animator
Kana Nakayama	....	ink and paint artist
Katsuichi Nakayama	....	animator
Toshiya Niidome	....	animator
Hideki Nimura	....	animator
Takuo Noda	....	animator
Harue Ono	....	ink and paint artist
Soon-ryun Park	....	inbetween animator
Yong Kyoung Park	....	ink and paint artist
Young Park	....	background artist
Gyung-a Ryu	....	inbetween animator
Cho Yong Shim	....	ink and paint artist
Kyoung Hwa Shin	....	ink and paint artist
Nobumasa Shinkawa	....	key animator
Ai Suenaga	....	inbetween animator
Michiyo Suzuki	....	animator
Masaharu Tada	....	animator
Shin'ya Takahashi	....	animator
Kunio Takahide	....	animator
Hikaru Takanashi	....	animator
Junichi Taniguchi	....	background artist
Hiroshi Washizaki	....	background artist
Sakiko Watanabe	....	inbetween animator
Makoto Yamada	....	animator
Nizou Yamamoto	....	background artist
Tomoko Yamamoto	....	ink and paint artist
Takaaki Yamashita	....	animator
Kazusuke Yoshihara	....	background artist

Other crew
Christopher Bottone	....	production coordinator (English version)
Kou Matsuo	....	unit director
Katsuhiro Ohtomo	....	supervisor
Lia Sargent	....	adr script

Production Companies

• Mad House
• Rex Entertainment

Distributors

• Rapid Eye Movies (2000) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Rex Entertainment (1998) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Manga Entertainment (2000) (UK) (DVD)
• Manga Films (1998) (Spain) (all media)
• Manga Video (1999) (USA) (dubbed)
• Metropolitan Filmexport (France)
• Vendetta Films (1998) (New Zealand) (all media)
• Vendetta Films (2008) (Australia) (all media)

Other Companies

• Mad House  animation production
• Oniro  animation production
• Techno Sound  sound production
• iNoks Records  music production

Also Known As:

"Pâfekuto burû" - Japan (promotional title)
"Perfect Blue" - France
"Perfect Blue" - Spain

MPAA:

Rated R for animated sequences of violence and nudity, and for brief language

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Japan:R-15 | Taiwan:R-18 | South Africa:16LV | Singapore:R21 | Australia:MA | Canada:16+ (Québec) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Ontario) | France:-12 | Germany:16 | New Zealand:R18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | UK:18 | USA:R

Company:

Mad House

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.

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.

Quotes:

Mima Kirigoe:No... no! This is not my room!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 21 Grams (2003)

Soundtrack:

Omoide ni dakare te ima wa

One of the best animés of all time!

An interesting look at pop culture...

Mima Kirigoe (Voiced by Junko Iwao) on the advice of her "producers" has quit her pop band named "Cham" and has taken up a career in acting, the only role she gets is in a violent thriller named "Double Bind" her character is less than clean cut but if it makes her a success that's all that matters isn't it? In the meantime a website is setup that describes Mima's life in every detail, it is run by an obsessed fan who thinks that the Mima who quit Cham is not the real Mima and that the real Mima wants this fake killed (Confusing huh? The movie can probably make this point better) In any case the people around Mima start to die (Including a sleazy photographer) This movie is full of graphic violence and nudity so it goes without saying this isn't for kids, it is one of the best animé films of all time but I can never get anyone I know to watch it because their brains connect animé to girls in mini skirts being tentacle violated...This isn't "La Blue Girl" it is an interesting horror/thriller that actually has a very good plotline and a very surprising ending (To me anyway) and I would recommend it to all genre fans including those who stick their noses up at animé in general.

A deserved 9.5/10