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Perfect Blue

Perfect Blue

Animation · Thriller · 1998

Rising pop star Mima Kirigoe quits singing to pursue a career as an actress. After she takes up a role on a popular detective show, her handlers and collaborators begin turning up murdered. Harboring feelings of guilt and haunted by visions of her former self, Mima's reality and fantasy meld into a frenzied paranoia.

Movie details

Perfect Blue

“"excuse me... who are you?"”

1998 Animation · Thriller 1h 21m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

8.3 / 10

Community rating

Rising pop star Mima Kirigoe quits singing to pursue a career as an actress. After she takes up a role on a popular detective show, her handlers and collaborators begin turning up murdered. Harboring feelings of guilt and haunted by visions of her former self, Mima's reality and fantasy meld into a frenzied paranoia.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Perfect Blue?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

The Garden of Sinners: Paradox Spiral

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Tomoe Enjou is attacked by bullies from his old school and saved by Shiki Ryougi. He asks her to hide him at her place and admits that he killed someone. Several days later, there are still no broadcasts about the murder as if it didn't happen... and when the victims are found, they're alive and unharmed.

Lords of Chaos

Lords of Chaos

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A teenager's quest to launch Norwegian Black Metal in Oslo in the 1990s results in a very violent outcome.

Battle Royale

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In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.

Gozu

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An evil feudal lord rapes a village girl on her wedding night and proceeds to ruin her and her husband's lives. After she's eventually banished from her village, the girl makes a pact with the devil to gain magical ability and take revenge.

The Garden of Sinners: A Study in Murder - Part 2

The Garden of Sinners: A Study in Murder - Part 2

Animation · 2009

In February 1999, a string of murders has Shiki Ryougi and Mikiya Kokutou on edge. These crimes share a disturbing resemblance to a similar set of homicides from 1995, when Shiki and Mikiya first met, and awaken a dark, murderous desire that has laid dormant within Shiki's soul ever since then.

The Last House on the Left

The Last House on the Left

Crime · 2009

When athletic teen Mari Collingwood opts to hang out with her friend Paige in town rather than spend an evening in with her parents vacationing at the family's remote lake house, it marks the beginning of a night no one is going to forget.

The Garden of Sinners: A Study in Murder - Part 1

The Garden of Sinners: A Study in Murder - Part 1

Animation · 2007

August 1995: Mikiya first meets Shiki in a white kimono during a snowing day. Later on, at the high school freshmen ceremony, Mikiya sees Shiki in the crowd and chases after her, introducing himself to her. But Shiki hides a big secret: A wave of bizarre murders occur around many loose ends, and no suspects. there are still many questions: Who to believe? Who is the murderer? What is the secret of Shiki? and especially: Who is SHIKI?

Flower & Snake: Zero

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Lesson of the Evil

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Thriller · 2012

Seiji Hasumi is a popular English teacher in a private high school. He is also a violent and sociopathic killer who concocts an extreme plan to deal with the rise of bullying and bad behavior among the student body.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Satoshi Kon

Written by

Sadayuki Murai

Junko Iwao

Junko Iwao

Mima Kirigoe (voice)

Rica Matsumoto

Rica Matsumoto

Rumi (voice)

Shiho Niiyama

Shiho Niiyama

Rei (voice)

Masaaki Okura

Masaaki Okura

Mamoru Uchida (voice)

Shinpachi Tsuji

Shinpachi Tsuji

Tadokoro (voice)

E

Emiko Furukawa

Yukiko (voice)

Yosuke Akimoto

Yosuke Akimoto

Tejima (voice)

Court is in session

Put Perfect Blue on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Big-Idea Head

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.