Perfect Blue

„No, I’m the real thing.“ Perfect Blue is the type of film u really need to sit for a few minutes after it ends and just think about everything that happened. I watched the new 4K restoration in the cinema and it was my second time watching Perfect Blue. It was honestly magical. Still, it’s been around 2 years since my first watch and in that time I watched so many new films that my rating changed from a 5 to a 4.5. Don’t get me wrong, a 4.5 is still an incredible score and this film is definitely incredible. The story is really good, the animation is great too, but what stands out the most are the characters. Not just Mima but the whole cast. Of course the main focus is Mima and u really feel everything she goes through. Overall I think she’s one of the best representations of an identity crisis ever put on screen and just an incredibly written character in general. The reason I can’t give it a 5 anymore is actually pretty simple. Over the last 2 years I’ve watched films that I think do certain aspects even better. For example There Will Be Blood. U got the story, the cinematography and most importantly Daniel Plainview who is still my favorite film protagonist oat. As much as I love Mima, Daniel is just on another level for me. Same with the animation. I loved the animation in Perfect Blue but if I compare it to Akira, I personally prefer Akira. So the only reason this isn’t a perfect 5 for me is because there are films that do certain aspects better. Now that I defended myself for lowering the rating because my gf asked me why I did it, let’s get to the actual review. The story starts really strong. U get introduced to Mima in her idol life and at the same time u already get introduced to the stalker. I loved his character design because u can instantly tell that something is wrong with him. Not necessarily because he has bad intentions, but because his version of Mima is completely different from the real Mima. What really makes this film special is how it puts u directly into Mima’s head. U never really know what’s happening. Is she dreaming? Is she awake? Is this real or is it acting? Nothing makes sense in the best way possible because we’re just as lost as Mima is. Through that u can really feel her slowly losing herself. The identity crisis aspect was done so well too. Mima slowly starts losing her sense of self through her acting career and it’s shown perfectly through the scenes where she chases her old idol self. Those scenes are some of the best in the entire film. And then of course the ending. The build up throughout the film is amazing and the plot twist lands perfectly. Definitely one of the best animated films oat and I can totally understand everyone who gives it a 5/5.