Perfect Blue

Manga

75 minutes
English/Japanese
English Subtitles
04/25/2000

I don't care what anyone else thinks. That picture on the left should be the theatrical poster.
You know, I never realized just how shitty my review of Perfect Blue was. Thank god it so coincedentally happened that this was what I decided on reviewing this time. I make not a single mention of the show, and I don't mean in the "Hey, he's not talking about the movie but at least he's being funny!" way, I mean in the "Who lets this guy write on the internet and shouldn't this be a tripod webpage?" way. Yes, seriously it was that bad. So praise the baby Jesus that today I'll be able to wipe that terrible scar from my past as an internet reviewer. Unless, of course, some weirdo is saving all this stuff to bring back and haunt me when I run for political office. In that case the next time you'll see me I'll be wearing a straw hat...in CUBA!
So I think it might be about time to retire my PS2. Believe me, I don't want to, but the DVD player on that thing already sucks harder than a Hoover wet/dry vac and now it's decided that it'll only play DVDs when it feels like. I can't keep up the hope that turning the machine upside down is going to work forever and so, I might just have to plunk down the $30 and buy myself a remote for the lovely Xbox. That, or I could use my standalone player, but I've got enough crap in my dorm room without bringing that monstrosity up too. It's a shame, I'd say I'd miss the fun times I had trying to get screen shots when the fastest I could view the disc at was 2x...but that'd just be an out and out lie. Sony, you guys are such morons sometimes.

Which isn't to say I'm exactly the smartest pea in the pod for using the damn thing to begin with. But when you have basically no money to spend on anything and there's a new Resident Evil game already out you really don't have the time or money to spend on such frivolous things. I've already given up food as something I need just "some of the time" and I can't imagine laundry will take much longer in following suit. Aaah Shinji Mikami, I love you and your devilwork games.
"But what about Perfect Blue", you may ask. Let me tell you that I have a soft spot in my heart for this movie. I can still remember the fansub I first watched it as (beginning with possibly the only good Anime Music Video to ever exist). Then, later on, it was part of the illustrious "first thirteen" anime DVDs I ever owned. Right before I started buying in quantities that'd put a Sam's club manager blush. I still remember those days. For one brief moment in September two years ago I owned only enough DVDs to fill one small shelf. I remember it like it was yesterday. Sometimes I miss those days, mostly because of the back pain incurred when I have to move the two binders worth of DVDs back and forth from my house to my dorm. They've got a capacity of 200 each.

Perfect Blue is the story of Mima Kirigoe, member of the semi-popular pop idol group Cham. But Mima's decided to go on to bigger and better things when she's offered a small part in a TV drama. Things are going great for the aspiring actress, but it seems that as she takes more risky moves that someone is willing to go to desperate measures to stop her from taking such a huge career change, and it's very possible that the someone is Mima herself.
You see, this movie is a chronicle of Mima's descent into madness. As crimes and threats explode around her she finds herself unsure of whether or not it's she who's committing all these dastardly acts. Her psychosis escalates so much during the second act of the movie that I'm surprised she never decided to pick up the phone and give me a ring. Let's see, semi-cute girl. Obsessive personality. That's the modus operandi for people who date me to a tee. If I had to program her number into my phone I think the amusing and semi-unoffensive nickname I'd give her would be "Spaz". While that can describe most of the other girl's I've dated, I've just now, because of her sheer insanity, decided to keep it exclusively for her. She certainly knows it, as far as I know nobody else I've dated has trouble remembering whether or not they've killed someone. This is sort of like how a sports team will retire someone's jersey after they stop playing the game. Mima Kirigoe, there's always going to be an honorary spot in my phonebook for you. Right between "Santossan" and "Shor". This is, unless of course, we're talking about the dub actress for Mima. Then we'll call her "Suckbitch" and just get it over with.

Because Perfect Blue is a Manga dub and if that doesn't exude the "Please got make it stop" vibe then I don't know what does. We even get flashes of early 90's material as a heckler at a concert lets out a sentence composed ENTIRELY OF CURSE WORDS. I don't know who gives the thumbs up on these things, but I often find myself wishing they'd just go away and die. Sooner rather than later, if possible. My favorite part is how they have the English voice actresses sing the songs, then later in the movie they play the original Japanese song. If I hadn't already seen the sub twice, I would've been pretty freaking confused about that one. Way to go guys.

All in all Perfect Blue is a really good film, despite it's short run time. It also holds a rather dubious honor, it's the first animated psycho thriller to ever come out of Japan. That, and it's the first animation production that I've seen pubic hair in. Though I'm not entirely sure that that's something to be proud of. It's a strong movie, and you might find yourself pleasantly confused at least a few times. Ever since I stopped watching most TV I haven't really been able to enjoy a good murder mystery. I just hope Magnum P.I. and Detective Columbo don't think I'm cheating on them.

I love you Spaz, you do good work.

PS : That Japanese guy on the left is badass.