31 Days of Asian Horror: Perfect Blue (1997)

Directed by Satoshi Kon and based on the manga Perfect Blue: Complete Metamorphosis, Perfect Blue follows Mima Kirigoe, a member of an idol group who leaves to pursue a career in acting and in doing so changes her image. After leaving the group she becomes threatened and left fearing she is being stalked by an unknown fan who is potentially murdering people around her. As the film progresses Mima spirals out of control with the weight of her new image and the threat.

Perfect Blue is technically much more thriller than it is horror, but the rollercoaster the story takes you on has some pretty horrific moments which lead you on a mind-bending journey. The film is able to create incredible tension and paces it perfectly, keeping you guessing on what is actually happening and what might be fantasy. We stay in the perspective of a younger female who has been constantly in the spotlight since she was younger and manipulated by her fans needing to know her every move. Her acting career, which requires her to be more sexual to appeal to a different set of fans and break from her clean image, creates another layer to the film’s tension as we feel firsthand the pressures of a young female in the entertainment industry.

I hadn’t rewatched Perfect Blue in a long time, with my first viewing of it back in high school in the early 2000s and it’s still one of my favorite animated movies. The film still surprisingly stands in today’s society, especially with the prevalence of the idol industry starting to become more mainstream with Korea’s influence in Western media. Japan’s idol system has been around for a while, and the movie serves as a great commentary on the pressures and societal issues that young girls face being in that system. The movie takes you on a wild ride and it’s gripping the entire time. I highly recommend picking it up.

Perfect Blue is available for rental on most sites and on DVD/Blu-Ray.

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