Perfect Blue

An Idol quits to become an actor. She is then haunted by her past persona. This persona is tied to a stalker and multiple deaths. The show Mina acts in stacks on top of her dreams and real life. Subjective reality. The film was kinda quiet. The film repeats and parallels itself across the different layers of unreality. Critique of parasocial relationships and idol culture. Mima's world is almost predominantly male, she is constantly surrounded by men. She is used as something to be viewed by men. Madonna-whore complex. She is sexualised throughout both her career as an idol and an actor, however the mature/violent/openly sexual way she is portrayed distances her from her more "pure" idol persona. Ironically, as an idol, she has less agency and is more openly put in danger than as an actor. Her voice is more childlike as an idol. Her becoming an actual sex object instead of just implying sex causes people to become angry that she has "become a slut". The idol outfits are still very revealing. As an idol she performs mostly for salarymen. The art is beautiful. Film was made before the pug-ification of anime women. Lighting choices are subtle. The blood is so red, almost neon. Film contains multiple graphic scenes of SA (warning). I forgot the film was a horror horror film until midway through. Some fight scenes felt a bit rotoscoped.