"Perfect Blue" (Anime)

[pkristen]

Movie. Originally reviewed August 7, 2001

Summary
Mima Kirigoe decides to leave a marginally successful pop idol group (where she was the most popular one) to pursue a career as an actress. Needless to say, some people don’t take the news too well, along with the various “seedier” things she does to prove she’s an actress and not an idol singer. The problem is that Mima doesn’t know if it’s really a psycho fan who’s causing all of the death threats and murders, or if it’s really herself.

Review
I had this one in my DVD collection for so long that I can’t remember why I picked it up to begin with. Probably because of the usual formula: female lead character, stylish animation and slick packaging with promising review. Now that I finally sat down and watched it, I am SOOO glad I got it! (And this testimonial after having watched “Ghost In The Shell” the night before with “bleah” results — but that’s a different review.)

Animation is used to its full capabilities with this movie, often allowing you to feel Mima’s murky grip on reality, as well as other “reality-challenged” characters. Over all, the story is pretty straight forward but the WAY it’s told is the key. Anyone who loves the experience of watching an art form fully embellish the tale will love this movie. And I admit I do love the song “Ai No Tenshi.” Yes, I have a strong preference for the subtitled version.

Lesbian Analysis
The attractive, sweet and charismatic Mima suffers the entire traumatic experience alone. No boyfriend to go crying to (who in turn will proclaim how he’ll protect her in the end.) No husband who tells her she’s imagining everything before he’s killed by the psycho fan or Mima. This to me naturally defaults to the Suspiciously Inconclusive default.

I do think it’s cute that the only person she makes a gushing comment about is her co-actress in the TV series (who is a babe, by the way.)

And I thought my comments would end with that.

However, I rewatched some parts of the anime and was surprised to find a very subtle but clearly lesbian moment in the movie. (Heck, if I didn’t catch it the first time around, then you know it was subtle.)

In one of the early scenes, Mima is sitting in an office while her two talent agents are arguing over whether or not she should pursue a career as an actress or stick with the pop idol group. What kicks off this interaction is a “clip” from an acting stint Mima apparently did that really impressed some producers.

Picture it: Opening shot of clip is a panting Mima collapsing on a bed, clutching the front of her shirt and declaring that she “can’t go through with this after all!” Following shot is of a woman in a camisole (and with short hair) leaning over her sadly and proclaiming “Mika!”

Now, just what was the “this” she couldn’t do? I’m thinking that too. And there was probably some hot action until that moment.

True, she’s ACTING. And when such instances are used for story purposes where someone raves about a person’s acting skills, it means the latter person portrayed extremely effectively someone who is NOT like herself.

So here’s the twist: Mima portrayed “Mika” a woman who couldn’t go through with a lesbian act. If such portrayal is unlike her natural persona, then what does that make her? I’m sure it’s stretching interpretation possibilities — but that’s all part of the fun, right? (And is it coincidence that their names are extremely similar?)

By the way, all of the promotional art for the movie involving Cham, when Mima was still involved, seems to show natural closeness between her and group-mate Rei (A rather cute pairing in my eyes.)

It should also be noted that none of the other women in the entire movie are shown with or make any references to romantic male significant others. — At least not in the subtitled version. (I’m not interested enough to watch the dub version.)