Perfect Blue

“Nobody care for you anymore. You’re tarnished and filthy.” The late Satoshi Kon was known for seamlessly blending fantasy with reality. Depicting an opaque blurred line between delusions and actualities. None more so, than in his exaggerated psychologically disturbed work in Perfect Blue. For far too many people, anime is cited as "childish". "Anime is for losers" tweeted professional twat Andrew Tate. Well, if like him you believe anime to be childish, I implore you to watch Perfect Blue. Without illustrating the voyeuristic nature of Sadayuki Muria’s narrative, it is the most accessibly invigorating piece of psychological stimulation to ever be made in this style. The complete metamorphosis of a character that questions her own perceived identity through inquisitional explicit acts of graphic nature. Exploring the psychosis of shared delusional disorder and the acute harassment of an obsessive stalker. Kon establishes a murder mystery whilst inciting the emasculation of a vulnerable female's world. Male controllers, likened to manipulative deities of authoritative powers, are gradually weakened by a mysterious individual. Culminating into a twistingly fragmented climax that grants Mima the independence that she was repressed from. Kon's intelligence in foreshadowing, the drama series 'Double Bind' essentially replicating Mima's regressive state of mind, allows the audience to question several aspects. He smartly manages to maintain the central mystery without deterring from Mima's mental instability. He doesn't stop there though. Kon refuses to relinquish thematic presence in every frame. Exploring the fragility of a rape victim and the traumatisation of such an explicitly heightened ordeal. The dangers of online anonymity and the tarnishing of existing careers, challenging the extremities of art in all its mediums. The realism of Perfect Blue is what forces its story to be so utterly terrifying. It's not just a psychological thriller. It's horror. Kon’s style of animation is gloriously vibrant with attentive detail towards realistic environments. The grotesque facial features of certain characters such as Me-Mania are only possible in this art form, and help heighten the natural malformed detest we have for him. Plus, Ikumi's phenomenal score enables the heart to palpitate more frequently with its sharp tones and ethereal voices. They’re able to send a shiver down your spine once they start playing, and as soon as I put the DVD into the player and heard the music start, I was reminded about what made this film so special The reality is that Perfect Blue transcends the medium that it is presented in. It stimulates through Kon's trademark visceral style, allowing the dangers of early internet culture to produce a thrilling psychologically adept feature that blurs fantasy with reality. Quite possibly one of the best anime feature’s to ever be released. Truly one of a kind.