Not quite sure when I first heard about Perfect Blue, but I think it was probably in relation to the works of Darren Aronofsky, a director whose work I generally dislike, except for Black Swan, which owes a lot to this anime film. (Requiem for a Dream, the movie of his I probably dislike the most, also "borrows" from Perfect Blue; this article goes deeper into that.)
The story centers on a pop singer who decides to leave music to pursue an acting career, a stalker who is not happy about that choice, and a series of murders. Of course, there is more to it than that, with some interesting commentary on stardom, personas, and the blurring of fantasy and reality when it comes to fandom.
I'm trying to think of any other animated horror movies that are genuinely scary, and not just cute/scary, and I'm drawing a blank. Perfect Blue is very much a horror drama that just happens to be animated, and I think in that way, it's pretty unique.
I've always had an issue with anime. It's a style of art and animation that I just don't love aesthetically, and that's entirely on me. But I have to say, after about the first 30 minutes of Perfect Blue, I almost forgot I was watching anime, or at least, I was feeling more engaged in the story and characters than I usually am with anime, and appreciated that there were things being done with the story that could only be done via animation. It hasn't changed my mind entirely about anime, but it did open it up a bit.
I watched Perfect Blue on a Blu-ray from my library, but it is also available to rent online.
No comments:
Post a Comment