1998 | Director: Satoshi Kon | Japanese | IMDBPerfect Blue is about a pop idol named Mima who, on the advice of her management, decides to quit her singing career to pursue acting. Having more trouble than expected, she agrees to star in a rape scene, breaking her squeeky clean pop star image. She is haunted by this decision as she descends into madness, with reality, televison and her dreams merging into one. Meanwhile, there is a serial killer murdering the people in her new life as a television actress.
I know what you’re thinking, “This is anime, it shouldn’t count!”, but it has more in common with Inland Empire than Dragonball. Infact, this movie is probably the closest thing you will find to an animated giallo. Its graphic murder scenes rival anything by Argento in terms of brutality, and its story twists and turns like you would expect from a textbook giallo too. This seamlessly combines with the Lynch-like surrealist collapse of reality Mima undergoes, which makes this film feel really unique. I know that Dario Argento and David Lynch seem like lazy comparisons, but believe me, they are spot on. It has strong themes of identity and fame that naturally emerge from the plot, which elevates this film to a level of maturity that isn’t really seen in most horror films, let alone anime.
