Perfect Blue

Whilst it’s not my first time having watched Perfect Blue, this being my third time watching it this year, it still manages to amaze me with what was achieved for its time. Satoshi Kon and Sadayuki Murai’s screenplay is phenomenal, reeling you in from the very beginning, a true testimony to how they can back each other up in such a complex project. The performances are great too, with Junko Iwao as Mima really putting in the hard work that her role demanded. And then there’s the score.  Masahiro Ikumi provides with what I firmly believe is a soundtrack that is only rivalled by Evangelion. It’s ominous and unnerving at times, and near comforting at others. The music that complements the chase scene towards the fifty minute mark is truly unsettling, but it works so well for what’s happening on screen. Plus, even CHAM’s music is great, especially their opening song Angel of Love. The way in which the song’s lyrics echo what comes later in the movie with Mima’s stalker is pure genius.  It’s perfect through and through, with faults being essentially impossible for me to find. I’ll love it for the rest of time, and no thriller can ever come even remotely close to what this achieves.