Review of Perfect Blue (Review)
Monday, 14th November 2005, 18:06

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Introduction
Satoshi Kon first came to prominence in the West with Perfect Blue, an anime film with a difference. It made its way onto VHS in the late nineties, and Manga Entertainment put it onto a shiny disc for the first time in 2000. And then Satoshi Kon slipped away from public attention, the anime equivalent of the one hit wonder. He was still working in Japan though, with his next feature Millennium Actress completed in 2001, and more recently Tokyo Godfathers. This year he came back to prominence however with the release in the West of the acclaimed Paranoia Agent television series, as he once again revisits the themes of paranoia and anxiety in perception altering experiences.

Perfect Blue is being released by Manga in a Satoshi Kon Double Bill, next to Millennium Actress. It's also available individually. Unfortunately, the Perfect Blue disc is the same disc that was released five years ago, and is beginning to show its age.

Mima Kirigoe is a pop idol with Cham, but Mima wants more than this, and decides to branch into acting, quitting the band. Her first role is a minor one in a detective drama, but when her agents ask for her role to be expanded, the writers oblige by writing an exploitative scene where her character is assaulted in a nightclub. It means the end of her wholesome pop idol image, but she feels obligated to the writers. But there are some out there who don't want to let the pop idol go, and as Mima makes one bad decision after another, she begins to be haunted by the image of who she used to be. Then the scriptwriter who tainted her image is murdered.

Video
And this is where age catches up with Perfect Blue. This five-year-old disc boasts a 1.85:1 letterbox transfer. The image is clear for the most part, but there is the occasional spot of print damage, and the lower resolution means that there is some softness. I also noticed a few digital artefacts around fine detail and some blurring. The animation itself is excellent, although this isn't a film that presents you with fantastic imagery from the outset. Perfect Blue is a story told in the real world, and as such the characters and the world they live in are depicted with almost minimalist realism. It makes the way the story unfolds all the more effective. It really is a shame about the image format, as this would have been an ideal opportunity to release an anamorphic version.



Audio
You have a choice between DD 5.1 English and Japanese, as well as a DD 2.0 English Stereo track. Contrary to the packaging, there is no Japanese Stereo track however. It doesn't matter though, as the sole Japanese track is more than satisfactory. The dialogue is clear and the surrounds are used to subtle effect in relaying the ambience, and when the story requires it, an unsettling feel that is matched by the haunting theme from Masahiro Ikumi. The English subtitles are zoom-friendly, and it seems that they are the translated subtitles, although they do follow the English dub quite closely. I had a quick listen to the English dub, and the cast seemed to suit their roles as well as the Japanese voice artists.

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