Pâfekuto Burû (1997)
Genre: Animation / Thriller
Duration: 81 minuten
Alternative titles: Perfect Blue / パーフェクトブルー
Country:
Japan
Directed by: Satoshi Kon
Stars: Junko Iwao, Rica Matsumoto and Shinpachi Tsuji
IMDb score:
8,0 (128.743)
Releasedate: 28 February 1998
Pâfekuto Burû plot
""excuse me... who are you?""
Mima is a celebrity in the music world. For the sake of her career, she decides to leave her girl band and start as an actress. Many fans are of course not happy with her decision at all, as is someone from her immediate environment. From that moment on, strange things happen and Mima gets into serious trouble. For example, certain scenes from her first film seem to happen in her real life and many people in her immediate environment find a horrific death! But that's not all, a report of all her experiences appears on the internet every day, without her taking care of this herself! Her situation becomes so serious that Mima begins to suffer from delusions...
Actors and actresses
Mima Kirigoe (voice)
Rumi (voice)
Rei (voice)
Mamoru Uchida (voice)
Tadokoro (voice)
Yukiko (voice)
Tejima (voice)
Takao Shibuya (voice)
Sakuragi (voice)
Eri Ochiai (voice)
Reviews & comments
FlorisV
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- 1890 messages
- 814 votes
Not a masterpiece, even after a second viewing, but a pretty good film, beautifully drawn and with a fairly sobering look at the problematic life of someone who wants to be (too) a star and her not too great career as a pop singer to wants to bend to that of an actress, mirrored by the obsessed, pathetic fan in his jerk bunker full of photos of the very girly Mima. He is of course not happy that Mima is shaking off her innocent image with naked photos including pubic hair, while you expect such a drooling pervert that he should think that is beautiful. But nobody turns out to be quite what you'd expect.
Every now and then the animated film feels exploitative, for example there is a too elongated part in which Mima has to play as a direct object in a rape scene and the nude photos are also fully featured. Although the playing time is pleasantly short, there is more excess. In the long run, the idea of illusion, fantasy and reality intertwines is played too much, on several levels: real life, the series in which Mima plays a role (preceded by the girl band, an adolescent fantasy of herself) and the psychotic illusions. Which makes it all feel like a frequently reused gimmick.
A nod to Silence of the Lambs is given at the beginning. After this, themes such as split personality and the question of what true identity is, are broached without going for miles.
A decent soundtrack combines typical J pop with a more minimalistic synth score.
The ending just isn't satisfying enough because it doesn't explain everything to me unless...My tentative conclusion is followed that some of the murders are at the hands of the pathetic fan and some are at the hands of the fat manager (or was it just that last attack on Mima?)...but I could be wrong?
Translated from Dutch · View original
Shadowed
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- 12083 messages
- 7064 votes
Meh.
With Paprika Kon managed to convince me again that I thought this would no longer happen with anime, but when I saw it immediately after that movie I was disappointed again. This movie actually falls back within the anime movie that I can't stand. That doesn't mean it doesn't have a good story.
That story also knows how to boost the film, because as you go towards the final phase, a lot is pulled out to make it extra confusing. Sometimes that's annoying, but here it works. You also remain fascinated because you do want to know how it will end or unravel. The twists are therefore quite successful.
But a lot of good points pretty much end there. Iwao is completely insufferable as Mima's voice actress. It's just awful to listen to her voice. Although the other characters are not as annoying as Mima, they are not exactly convincing either. In addition, with their character design, they are often not to be taken seriously (Matsumoto, who has her eyes set quite far apart).
Animation is also dated. Pale and somewhat flawed, but in terms of editing there is still something good in it. A few more dreamy scenes do work because of this, but a lot is ruined by the annoying voice cast that sucks a lot of fun out of the film for me. If I don't like any of the characters, it's sometimes hard to really get involved in the movie.
In between there also seem to be some things that are not right, but I will take that for granted. I was fascinated by the story itself, but I was also very annoyed by the film. So I can't say that I really enjoyed anything. The score I give is therefore only for the editing and the story. Much annoyed further, so I think my grade is fine like this.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Fisico
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- 10039 messages
- 5398 votes
Special animation film about a girl who wants to act in a girl group after a successful career. Only the latter does not go smoothly and she literally has to work herself up and push her limits in the negative sense. The photo shoot in which she takes off clothes or the acted rape scene raise the question of how far you have to go and how healthy it all still is. Not so healthy as it turns out. When there is also a pushy fan, Mima loses her grip on reality.
Reality and fiction are increasingly mixed up, revealing a bitter look at Mima's mental health. Still an animation film that impresses with its deeper layers and excellent execution. Also technically on point and the character Mima lasts. Good animation film that certainly has its impact.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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