Perfect Blue [Blu-ray] [2019]

Was well worth the money come on time

Enough people have talked about the content of Perfect Blue itself, so I'll refrain from that to a certain degree and concentrate mostly on the Blu-ray release. Needless to say though, Perfect Blue is one of the most intense psychological thrillers I've seen (anime or otherwise), and is the first film by the late great Satoshi Kon. Many of its elements were used by Darren Aronofsky in his films Requiem for a Dream and Black Swan. For those unfamiliar with Kon's work, he was also responsible for Paprika (which Inception pretty much ripped off wholesale, albeit with less nuance and a lot more hand holding), Tokyo Godfathers (a sweet modern day Christmas story), Millennium Actress, and the weird and wonderful Paranoia Agent. Now, onto the Blu-ray. Simply put, Perfect Blue has never looked this good before. The animation is obviously of its time as it was made in 1997 and not given the typical budget of an anime feature film, but it has nevertheless cleaned up impressively well. Having watched it on a 42 inch 1080p display I can confirm that it looks much, much better than the DVD release from 2000. As far as audio goes, this version has been furnished with the lossless Japanese tracks, however if you are after the English dub, I have heard that due to the originals being lost, the English dub track is lossy. I do not personally have an interest in the dub, but if this bothers you I give you my condolences, but unfortunately it was not something Anime Limited could do anything about, as the loss of the dub was the fault of the Japanese licensor, and not anything to do with the guys on our end in the UK. The special features on disc are much the same as they were on the initial DVD release from 2000, with interviews with several actors from both the English and Japanese tracks, as well as an interview with the director himself, along with footage from recording sessions. It should be noted that these are presented in 480i like the ones on the DVD, as unlike the movie they have not been remastered. As far as packaging and presentation go, the version I have is the limited edition steelbook released in 2016 (although I am aware there is both an original collector's and a standard edition). so that is the one I am going to be reviewing here. I wasn't sure how to feel about the artwork for the steelbook when looking at it on the site, and all I can say is that it looks really, really good when you have it in your hands. As far as the contents go it is simple, simply containing the disc and also several art cards which were included in the original collector's edition. It does fall into the trap that the majority of steelbooks have, in that the disc can be very hard to remove, but I am not going to deduct a star for that since it is pretty much the case with all steelbooks. Obviously the comments I have made on the Blu-ray itself apply to all three editions. All in all if you are already a fan of Perfect Blue then I would strongly implore you to take the plunge and upgrade to the HD version, as quite honestly, this is the best Perfect Blue is ever gonna look, and the fact we have been given the option to have it at all by the lovely people at Anime Limited is almost a miracle in itself. As of the time of writing the standard edition Blu-ray can be bought for a mere £15, so I would suggest to anyone, whether they are a longtime fan looking for an upgrade, or an intrigued newcomer, to buy this edition while you can, because as many anime collectors know, sometimes stuff can go out of print with little warning

Superb steelbook and unrated version of Perfect Blue. If you have a region free player this is the most affordable new copy you can buy in the UK.

All the Anime always do the best cases. Chosen artwork is amazing, overflowing with extras and included art cards are a nice touch. My only minor problem is how flimsy the information card is that wraps the case (made from paper rather than card). But it not bad enough to reduce the score.

Disc and booklet have a from a private collection feel to it. Looks and plays great for a "used" copy - very happy with purchase......

Arrived with tiny dent. Otherwise good.

Does not play in England an shouldn’t be on the uk Amazon site at all. Not available for the uk!!

This is going to be somewhat challenging. Being a fan of both multiple anime genres and several detective drama shows as well as movies, I found Perfect Blue by sheer chance as it mixed some of the popular Genres I like together with a Nostalgic early Nineties setting. What’s the result of this strange combination I hear you wondering? Let me try to explain. Everyone thinks the Anime/Kpop Idol scene in Japan is a recent thing from the mid 2000s, but in actual fact, it’s been around since the mid nineties where this movie is set. The story revolves around a young Pop singer who wants to move on from the Idol scene to become an actress, but that’s where things get dark from the get go. It’s a well known fact that the Idol scene has some questionable fan bases, and it’s hauntingly portrayed here in Perfect Blue, as Mima our young starlet, is soon finding herself in the sights of a stalker, who is more than a little creepy when it comes to his interest in her. He has this ideal version of her Idol persona built up around him, and when she announces she’s leaving the band, this movie turns from Pop Anime culture, to straight up psychological horror, as a series of highly disturbing events follow Mima around, all aimed at what is claimed to be a “Betrayal” of her Character who is loved by so many. Fair warning. The movie is M rated for a very good reason. Highly graphic, somewhat ominous content is on full display here for the most part, particularly in the uncut version I’m basing this review on. Nudity, brutal scenes of plot related crimes, and full blown psychological trauma are all in the mix, quickly turning what seems like an innocent Kpop story into a haunting tale of the truth of the Industry Underworld. Young pop idols are often lured into questionable lines of work, and the movie doesn’t shy away from showing you what that’s really like, with scenes portraying shady hostess clubs, B movie sets and the creepy stalkers that are often hiding amongst innocent fans, are a few of the main points the movie lays bare, I wont spoil anything but I’ll say this. Even if like me you watch Gritty Cop Dramas, which tell these types of stories from the Detectives view, flipping the coin and seeing the haunting reality from the view of a victim completely changes your perspective. In some ways I felt like a cop, scouring the dark underbelly of the movies plot, searching and watching for clues on the motives I was seeing on screen, and despite the graphic nature of the content, I found it to be a refreshing and unique take on several genres I’m familiar with from a certain point of view. I also love the Nostalgic setting, and how the characters interact with the incoming digital era of technology we use day to day. Being set in the early to mid Nineties, the characters use CRT computers, First generation video cameras, Old school VCR TV sets and more, they even wonder what the internet does at some points, adding further to my nostalgic memories from back then. I vaguely remember using some of that stuff, and even still own some of it. The point of this is that online crimes and questionable “dark web” places existed some twenty years ago, long before we got used to it. Onto a point I feel I should mention, this movie does a great job of being a psychological blockbuster, in the case of the uncut version which was released in 2017, but it went unreleased for twenty odd years, the actual movie is from 1997, which means it is somewhat dated, but in terms of animation and story telling style, the dubbed version still holds up well alongside fully modern CGI shows which is fine by me. For the reasons mentioned above though, I think this movie should come with a viewer warning for it’s Mature themes. I have a line in terms of anime content, that I wont cross, into really dark stuff, but luckily for me this movie is actually the midway point. (I’ve also seen and like content based on other anime subjects that sit on the M rated threshold without going over it which earns this movie a pass). Meaning I got a very good experience of the darker side of a well known industry without crossing into stuff I wouldn’t even consider to search for. It comes very close to crossing the line but never actually leaves you feeling ashamed for it, which is good. (You probably know what I mean by the other side of the line it contains stuff that is just nasty, thankfully the uncut version of Perfect Blue doesn’t make that horrible mistake). To sum up, this new take on several genres I’m very familiar with, combined with some very cool Nostalgic value for a Nineties guy like me, I’d give perfect Blue a very Respectful 7/10, as despite its dated animations by 2021 standards, highly questionable content and overall style, I found myself really enjoying the story it had to tell. For a 1997 Directorial debut, this HD version does everything Justice very well, and tells a story form a unique point of view which I enjoyed solving the mystery of. Well done Satoshi Kon, to create this back then as your first feature length anime movie, you did a great job keeping me thrilled and curious to the end. Nice work. Until next time :)

海外版なので商品情報を先に書きました（北米版Gkidsの商品レビュー）。 タイトル『パーフェクトブルー』1080p HD 1.85:1/Unrated Ver/82min（ブルーレイ版のみの情報です） 一般的な国内プレイヤーで再生出来ます（再生環境/SONYの2015年～の最廉価プレイヤー『BDP-S1500』）。 タイトルで日本語DTS-HD5.1（又は日本語Dolby Digital2.0）を選択し、字幕のOFFを選択すれば、後は普通に本編を楽しむ事が出来ます。 映像特典はSD画質の本編（リマスター前の本編全部）・今敏のパーフェクトブルー講座（1-3夜）・『Angel of Your Heart』…多分日本名『愛の天使』のレコーディング風景・『Angel of Your Heart』のイングリッシュVer(Full Ver)・US&UKトレイラー・UKリリース用トレイラー・日本版トレイラー・今敏インタビュー（監督）・岩男潤子インタビュー（主人公）・他三人の英語声優インタビュー。 日本でR15、海外ではR18指定なので、本編は残酷＆少々エロいです。 虚構と現実、ネットとリアル、アイドルから女優、本物と偽物、正常と異常、これらが複雑に絡み合い、本編クライマックスまで真実を覆い隠すというサスペンスホラー…いや、サイコホラーかな？に仕上げられた作品です。 個人的には名作と思っていますが、社会でのし上がって行く為に、汚れ仕事なども主人公が涙ながらにこなすシーンなどは、人によってはかなり不快に映るかも。 国内版の半分以下の値段ならば絶対的に買い!!と言える一作。 …っていうか、絶対的なファンならば、お高くても国内版を購入するでしょうから、私のように「気になるけどお高いな～」って方向けです。 特典も多いので、お安い時に購入出来たならば文句無しです。

One of my favorite movies — a true gem from the brilliant mind of Satoshi Kon. It’s a masterfully crafted psychological thriller that explores the blurred lines between reality and illusion with intelligence and depth. The animation is stunning, the pacing impeccable, and the soundtrack perfectly complements its haunting atmosphere. A highly recommended anime for adults who appreciate complex stories, introspection, and emotional intensity. A must-watch classic that remains just as relevant and powerful today.

Es una lástima que esta película no se comercialice en México (ni siquiera en plataformas digitales) pero por fin se tiene la oportunidad de disfrutarla mediante esta edición de lujo. El precio puede ser un poco elevado pero vale muchísimo la pena si eres fan de la película, fan del anime, fan del terror psicológico o simplemente un cinéfilo buscando las mejores películas para su colección. El Blu Ray: Contiene la remasterización de la película y se ve excelente y realmente se siente como una buena restauración digital. También tiene la versión en la resolución original. Tiene una buena cantidad de contenido extra, incluyendo unas lecturas de la película con el director Satoshi Kon (Q.E.P.D.) donde explica algunas partes de la película, así como entrevistas tanto al director como al elenco japonés. En resumen, tiene mucho más por ver que solo la película y tiene la suficiente cantidad de contenido como para justificar su precio. El DVD: Toma en cuenta que es región 1, pero yo lo pude probar en mi computadora que afortunadamente es región libre. Pensé que el DVD solo tendría la película (ya que es muy común hoy en día ver que las ediciones en DVD son las que menos contenido tienen) pero también tiene todos los extras del Blu Ray a excepción de las lecturas de la película con el director y la versión de resolución original (esto por obvias razones ya que el DVD es definición estándar). Como extra, tiene una portada reversible. No es como que yo usaría esa portada pero debo mencionarlo en caso de que te interese o te parezca un buen detalle. El único punto negativo que tiene es que no tiene subtítulos ni doblaje en español, solo el audio original en japonés con doblaje y subtítulos en inglés. Obviamente si sabes inglés no creo que sea un obstáculo pero si quieres mostrársela o regalársela a otra persona que no sepa inglés, yo creo que deberás tomar en cuenta eso. En general es una excelente edición de este clásico de la animación y es bueno saber que esta es la versión que es más fácil de conseguir (hay otras ediciones en Blu Ray o DVD pero probablemente le dolerá más a tu cartera al ser significativamente más caras). En cuanto al servicio de Amazon: Excelente. Llegó con su slipcover (que es de muy buena calidad, dándole un aspecto elegante y digna de colección) y en perfectas condiciones salvo unas pequeñas deformaciones en su slipcover, pero es casi que algo inevitable al ser de importación y ser pasada por muchas manos.

Probabilmente, l’edizione più bella fra tutte quelle che possiedo, e ne possiede davvero tante. Di sicuro è la più insolita, e se posso dare un consiglio, visto che di questo film più o meno che lo conosce ne avrà almeno quattro o cinque edizioni diverse, in attesa dell’uscita anche in Italia di una edizione 4K, sì vale decisamente la pena. Il costo ovviamente è piuttosto alto: 60 € circa e spedizione da Amazon UK, d’altra parte un film come questo si compra solo per collezionismo, infatti è ancora nella sua pellicola originale. Privilegio che riservo esclusivamente ai capolavori.

Perfect Blue ist ein Film des japanischen Comicbuchautors und Regisseurs Satoshi Kon, der auch für den Streifen Paprika verantwortlich zeichnet, sowie für weitere Meisterwerke wie etwa Tokyo Godfathers, Millenium Actress und Paranoia Agent. Eine Besonderheit des japanischen Kinos ist, daß man im Land der Aufgehenden Sonne Geschichten für Erwachsene in Form des Anime erzählt, da dort Mangas und Zeichentrick allgemeingültiges Kulturgut sind und nicht, wie vielleicht in einigen westlichen Zivilisationen, von den adulten Lebewesen belächelt werden. Schon lange ist der japanische Zeichentrickfilm dem bspw. amerikanischen haushoch überlegen. Zeichnungen, Animationen und Geschichten sind meistens in einer solchen Detailfülle vorhanden, daß es einem schier den Atem raubt. Hierbei sei erinnert an Filme wie Die letzten Glühwürmchen, Chihiros Reise in Zauberland, Das fliegende Schloß oder Mein Nachbar Totoro. Auch Perfect Blue ist solch ein Wunderwerk, es hat aber ein paar wenige Kratzer. Die Handlung ist folgende: eine junge Sängerin beschließt, ihre nur wenig erfolgreiche Karriere zu beenden und zur Schauspielerei zu wechseln. Was sie nicht ahnt ist, daß sie durchaus Fans besitzt, die diesem Wunsch alles andere als wohlwollend gegenüber stehen. So erhält sie bald schon Nachrichten, die sie davor warnen, den eingeschlagenen Weg weiter zu gehen. Was folgt, sind Drohungen, Anschläge und Morde und ein beinahe kafkaeskes Verwirrspiel, das in Ansätzen an Filme wie Mulholland Drive von David Lynch erinnert. Im letzten Drittel des Films wird dieses Verwirrspiel allerdings - für meinen Geschmack - etwas zu weit getrieben, wenn der Erzähler gut 10 verschiedene Wendungen einbaut, die den Zuschauer vielleicht nicht direkt überfordern, aber vielleicht etwas nerven. Am Ende, bei der letzten großen und dann glücklicherweise auch endgültigen Wende, wird der Zuschauer aber versöhnlich gestimmt und nicht (wie im o. g. Beispiel Mulhullond Drive) paralysiert seinem Schicksal überlassen. Auf diese Weise hinterläßt Perfect Blue letztlich einen runden, vielleicht ovalen, Eindruck, der aber gänzlich positiv bleibt. Fazit: sehr sehenswert.