Perfect Blue (1997)

“Perfect Blue is unlike anything I have ever seen in animation in all the best ways possible. This is clearly an adult piece of art with complex themes and situations, characters are nuanced, and the overall story is so intricate. It’s also not shy to wear its inspirations on its sleeve, clearly deriving its narrative from filmmakers like Hitchcock or Brian De Palma. Some profoundly stylish sequences are right up there with some of the best moments from those directors’ best work.

In particular, Perfect Blue feels right in line with movies centered on identity like Vertigo or Dressed to Kill. The story deals with themes of perceived identity by the public and who a person is in private, and how these two things often contradict each other. Mima’s friend & manager, Rumi, is a figure who acts as a sort of conscience for our protagonist, trying to warn her off of specific projects but ultimately letting Mima choose her own path. The fake diary challenges Mima’s view of herself, pushing her to break their perceptions of her by doing transgressive challenging things.” – Pop Cult Blog

““Perfect Blue” gets much more interesting once it develops beyond stock woman-in-peril situations to create a sort of pulp Pirandello thriller, as an increasingly disoriented Mima can no longer distinguish among reality, illusion and her TV dramatics. Though a climactic revelation falls well short of tying up various loose narrative ends, at least the trickier second half’s red herrings shift attention from the banal dialogue and scant character development.” – Variety