Perfect Blue

Nobody cares for you anymore. You're tarnished and you're filthy. - Mima's Ghost to Mima Kirigoe [Last line] No, I'm the real thing. [smiles] - Mima Kirigoe As I was watching I thought "fuck, this is overlapping so well that the ambiguous ending is going to be torturous to think over". Then it wasn't left ambiguous. I'm actually not sad about that, and actually like it more upon consideration. An ambiguous ending, whilst incredibly thought provoking, would be cool; however, I think the fact that both the stalker was real and that who he communicated with was not her in a manic dissociated state is also really cool. It highlights how fame can both harm the famous individual - Mima experiencing extreme dissociation and delusion - and also spawn mental health difficulties in others. Dissociative Identity Disorder is ultimately a product of trauma, and much unlike the popular 'Split' depiction. By the end Mima seems to have healed from her trauma; or is at least comfortable in her identity. Instead, Rumi exists mostly as the identity of who Mima used to be - clearly not healed, but happy nonetheless. I see that in part as a representation of fans clinging to who celebrities or artists used to be: believing that this change in style or tone is a move by management or social pressure and not the 'real artist' - thus feeling they have to keep the old stuff alive. In that sense, Mima can be content in herself by freeing herself from those shackles - the fans have moved on in their own bubble. I know from my own experience that there are subgroups of superfans, for anything really, that act superior to other fans and demean new or different stuff in little echo chambers, acting as the authority on the media. They're happy though I guess, away from mainstream discussion. My other thought is that Mima simply feels contented that her old self is still alive somehow. It is both rid from her life yet not lost. She does not have to feel as guilty about moving on from her old life. The real, symbolic, or acted rape that occured and thrust her life in a different direction and split her in two. Trauma. Her own identities - at least in the eyes of the public, and her parents I guess - diverged in her mind. Also, at that exact moment, Rumi broke and probably manifested the Mima persona around then. Split identities: inter- and intra-personal. This obviously sprang the dissociations and overlapping layers of reality. However, being confronted with her old self, literally on top of an uglier core (soz Rumi), she could literally confront that side of herself, run away from it, save it. She healed from the trauma, but it and who she was exists now safely tucked away. Reclaimed trauma. She can move on. This was a dump of my thoughts straight after watching, so apologies if its a bit all over the place. I loved this. Excellent - 9/10