by Celedam » Sun Feb 14, 2016 2:51 pm
With the recent talk about the NEXT YOU drama, Kago's latest comeback, OGs going on to become actresses, and the general classiness of UF and H!P, I decided to re-watch Satoshi Kon's first major film, Perfect Blue…
The last time I watched the film was many years ago, before I got into H!P and developed a personal interest in specific idols. Before then, I only knew of idols as part of the overall Japanese pop culture industry. So watching it again now was significantly creepier, because it's a little too easy for me to imagine a member of H!P in the role of the protagonist. Knowing the twist ending made it easier to spot the clues, however, much like with The Sixth Sense.
Unfortunately, the film has not aged well otherwise. It was produced in the mid-90s during the real-life dark age for idols, before SPEED and the original Morning Musume made them popular again, so its portrayal of idols and their place in the industry is… not kind. Also, the technology shown in the film is conspicuously outdated now, and one of the plot points depends on the protagonist's ignorance of that technology. Such ignorance might have been plausible at the time, but not anymore.
Nevertheless, I recommend the film to any of you who like psychological thrillers and have strong stomachs.
Last edited by
Celedam on Mon Feb 15, 2016 7:47 am, edited 1 time in total.