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Perfect Blue

Play trailer 1:01 Poster for Perfect Blue R Released Aug 20, 1999 1h 20m Mystery & Thriller Anime Play Trailer Watchlist
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84% Tomatometer 55 Reviews 89% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
A mysterious figure stalks a pop star when she becomes an actor on a television show.
Perfect Blue

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Perfect Blue is overstylized, but its core mystery is always compelling, as are the visual theatrics.

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Critics Reviews

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Cody Corrall Chicago Reader Kon thoughtfully depicts a woman on the verge of madness as her squeaky-clean image devolves into the compromising and gruesome roles she plays in her acting career... Oct 8, 2021 Full Review Lisa Alspector Chicago Reader This engrossing animated thriller somehow displays realist gore, nudity, and sexual violence in a tone not too far from that of a children's adventure; its innocence stems in part from the convincing naivete of the heroine. Oct 8, 2021 Full Review Kim Newman Empire Magazine Strange, stylish and intelligent, this is a rare anime film that delivers on its Eastern promise. Sep 22, 2020 Full Review Calum Cooper In Their Own League A phenomenal horror film that has aged, maybe not like a fine wine, but more like a haunted fable that just gets scarier the further time passes. Rated: 5/5 Jul 15, 2024 Full Review Paul Lê Bloody Disgusting The timeless story and the complex characters, not to mention the fascinating visual language from start to finish, are only some of the reasons why fans keep coming back to Kon’s unparalleled debut. Rated: 5/5 Jul 20, 2023 Full Review Noah Gittell Washington City Paper Like many great late ’90s films, Satoshi Kon’s animated thriller from 1997 grapples with the duality of the fledgling internet, but shockingly predicts future fallouts. May 11, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Joseph P An absolute masterpiece, RIP Satoshi Kon Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/10/23 Full Review Steve O Fun, creative, suspenseful! Satoshi Kon is a master animator that keeps you guessing what's happening. There's twists and turns. If you haven't seen his other works, I highly recommend Paprika and Millenium Actress TW: Sexual Assault is a big part in two scenes. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/07/23 Full Review Ben W This was crazy! Totally more crazy than I thought it would be. Really good and intriguing, but confusing. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/07/23 Full Review Jay W I had been hearing about "Perfect Blue" for years. I had seen it on countless lists of "Best Anime Films". After all these recommendations I finally watched it, and I can confirm, yeah, this film really is that good. Despite hearing so much about the film, I never heard what the movie was about. The story is a psychological thriller. It was incredibly ahead of its time as it tackles topics of fandom, celebrity and this new thing called... "the internet, that's very popular right now." The film puts the audience in the shoes of Mima, making them question what is real. The music, animation and voice acting are all awesome. In the end, I am a big fan of this film...but not like a crazy fan. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/06/25 Full Review Noe G Perfect blue is a fantastic Satoshi kon movie it has amazing story Amazing animation, and amazing characters and it’s my favorite Satoshi kon movie and my rating is a 10/10 Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/18/25 Full Review Paul S I found the plot slow and confusing at times, but overall it was an incredibly intense and surreal movie. I'd definitely recommend it for anime fans. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/13/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Perfect Blue

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Movie Info

Synopsis A mysterious figure stalks a pop star when she becomes an actor on a television show.
Director
Satoshi Kon
Producer
Hiroaki Inoue, Haruyo Kanesaku, Masao Maruyama, Yutaka Maseba, Takeshi Washitani
Screenwriter
Lia Sargent
Distributor
AVCO Embassy Pictures
Production Co
Rex Entertainment
Rating
R
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Anime
Original Language
Japanese
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 20, 1999, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 26, 2019
Runtime
1h 20m
Sound Mix
Dolby
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)