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Epicurus.com - Perfect Blue
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List Price: $19.97
Our Price: $14.99
Your Save: $ 4.98 ( 25% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Manga Video
Starring: Junko Iwao, Rica Matsumoto, Shinpachi Tsuji, Masaaki Ôkura, Michael McCarty (III)
Directed By: Satoshi Kon
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0660200404925
Format: Animated
Label: Manga Video
Manufacturer: Manga Video
Number Of Items: 1
Picture Format: Pan & Scan
Publisher: Manga Video
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2000-05-02
Running Time: 75
Studio: Manga Video
Theatrical Release Date: 1997
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Editorial Reviews:
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One of the most ambitious animated films to come out of Japan (or anywhere, for that matter), Perfect Blue is an adult psycho-thriller that uses the freedom of the animated image to create the subjective reality of a young actress haunted by the ghost of her past identity. Mima is a singer who leaves her teeny-bop trio to become an actress in a violent television series, a career move that angers her fans, who prefer to see her as the pert, squeaky-clean pop idol. Plagued by self-doubt and tormented by humiliating compromises, she begins to be stalked, in her waking and sleeping moments, by an accusing alter ego who claims to be "the real Mima," until she collapses into madness as her coworkers are brutally slain around her. Director Satoshi Kon, adapting the novel by Yoshikazu Takeuchi, shows us the world from her schizophrenic perspective: days blur, dreams cross over into the waking world, the TV show blends into her real life, until her life merges with her part and she can't separate the ghosts from the real-life stalkers. Though the pat ending sweeps the psychosis and anxiety away with nary an emotional scar, it remains a smart, stylish thriller and one of the most intelligent and compelling uses of animation in recent years. Though tame by the extreme standards of "adult anime," there is nudity and a few sexually provocative scenes, and the animation is detailed and stylized (if somewhat stiff and jerky by Disney standards). --Sean Axmaker
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: One of my favorites
Comment: ...but for you, perhaps not. If you are sensitive about rape, violent murders and/or are prone to nightmares, this is a movie that you would perhaps want to avoid. If suspense is not your thing and you don't like to think while watching a movie, don't bother.
Perfect Blue starts out as a story about a pop-star-turned-actress (Mima) who might have a fan stalking her. The broader "question" asked could be summed up as "What is reality? What is fake?" Most scenes seem to have two sides to them, which is explained by the ending with a little thought to connect the dots.
Personally, I had a hard time watching this the first time through. Graphic murders don't bother me much, but rape scenes are hard for me to watch, especially because we aren't really sure if Mima is being raped or if she's truly just acting out a scene for her acting job. And I will admit, it is confusing, but I'm the type of person who doesn't mind being confused as long as the ending clears things up and I have that "Ooooooooh, that's what happened" moment.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A little uncertain at the start, but the director soon finds his feet
Comment: A great movie by any classification, as others have said, this film is very like a Hitchcock film. It takes the director a few minutes to get into the swing of things (it was his first feature after all) and the animation at first looks a bit amateurish, but once he finds his feet he sweeps the viewer off his feet and after that happens it takes some effort to keep up with the plot. The film is not as disorienting as his later film, Millennium Actress, and nowhere near as complex as Paprika, but even so, it's a difficult task to sort out the story and I was quite proud of myself that I had pretty much figured out the real story before the director laid it out for me.
I give the film only four stars because I felt the ending was not fleshed out. As Amazon's write-up mentions, and without giving anything away, it leaves the viewer wanting the story to have at least some after-effects. However, the story as a whole is incredibly entertaining, so the director can be forgiven for this minor gaffe.
In my opinion, Satoshi Kon is one of the three best anime movie directors working today (alongside Makoto Shinkai and the legendary Hayao Miyazaki. His style is reminiscent of Hitchcock or perhaps the Coen Brothers. Perfect Blue shows his nascent talent very well, and viewers who like this film will do well to check out his later work.
This DVD release is transferred in 16:9 anamorphic, the image and sound are good.
By the way, does anyone else notice an odd similarity between the names of the fictitious Mima Kirigoe and the real-life pop idol turned actress Kylie Minogue - or is that just me?
Customer Rating:
Summary: Unexpected
Comment: I watched this without knowing a thing about it. I'm relatively new to the whole anime genre so at first I was turned off by the dated look and kind of annoying music (personal tastes of course) BUT I had nothing else to do so I just kept watching it.
Turns out this movie is psycho. Before I knew it I was completely immersed in the story and captivated by the schizo explosion. The bad guy is so creepy looking I can still see his face in my head months later without having to look at a picture. I completely did not expect the twist at the end which was great - so either I wasn't paying enough attention to catch it or a movie actually surprised me. Overall, it was a pretty good movie. If it had been made as live action, I could see it being a frightening film that would do well in a mainstream thriller market.
The story isn't perfect and the beginning can move kind of slow, but once it gets rolling, it really moves.
Customer Rating:
Summary: As described, very fast shipping. A+++
Comment: I absolutely love this movie. At moments it can be confusing due to switches between the past and present. But I think this just adds to what Mima is feeling and how she deals with her life once she quits CHAM. I was surprised at the twist in events towards the end, but it made the movie that more amazing.
I definitely recommend it for those who like horror and mystery, and can appreciate animation.
Customer Rating:
Summary: One of the most suspenseful animes you'll ever see
Comment: Perfect Blue revolves around Mimi: a pretty and talented former pop idol who leaves her former trio behind for the pursuit of an acting career. That career begins in a starring role of a violent and sexually-filled series, which irks her fans that are still in love with her squeaky-clean image; one of which takes it to an extreme as Mimi's co-workers are picked off one by one in brutal fashion, as Mimi herself is being "haunted" by her former self. Wonderfully stylized animation (for the time it was produced) and filled with a plethora of intelligent twists and turns that you actually won't see coming, Perfect Blue is one of the most memorable and suspenseful animes to ever make the cross over into mainstream America. Violent, bloody, and oh so provocative, Perfect Blue nears perfection up until the final moments of it's climax and conclusion, which wraps things up in all too a neat, little package. That aside, the majority of Perfect Blue is a suspenseful anime treat that deserves attention, and on that note alone is worth the price of admission.
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