Perfect Blue | KYOTO VIDEO
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ต.ค. 2021
- Satoshi Kon is one of my favorite directors and this Halloween, I've taken the chance to finally do a video on his debut film. The chilling 1997 psychological horror, Perfect Blue. What makes Perfect Blue the perfect psychological horror? Click on the video and see!
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KB is his name and talking about old animation is his game! If you want deep analysis and history on the realm of retro anime and old animation, then you've come to the right place. Be warned though. Being a possum means he loves consuming trash, media-based or otherwise. - ภาพยนตร์และแอนิเมชัน
Never half-ass Satoshi Kon. Always full-ass!
The truth behind the Aronofsky "homages" is even sillier than you think. He actually purchased the film rights to remake Perfect Blue specifically so he could recreate the bath tub scene in Requiem for a Dream. A decade later when Black Swan was released, he point-blank denied the similarities between it and Perfect Blue, claiming that he had never ever heard of it. What a strange fellow.
He never caleimed that ''he never heard of it''. And if it wasn't for him this film wouldn't be this popular in the west.
@@BroomPusher2024 Using this Logic everyone would be more critical about Sergio Leone and Ridley Scott
@@BroomPusher2024 I think that an actress wining the Oscar for best performance kinda contradicts "nobody gave a fuc" about it.
@@ratchetleague1285 wrong. Perfect blue was popular Especially after Millennium Actress. Both one several award, and perfect blue got quite a bit of marketing within the anime community when it was released. Kon's work only recently fell into obscurity with most newer fans only really being aware of Paprika, his last work, and that's probably because of the anime industry's collapse (I think his works were either licensed through manga entertainment or geneon. I KNOW paranoia agent was geneon). The rights have been in limbo for so damned long, and with Kon's death, AND with this and many other titles just not being suitable for broadcast means a lot of it went to the fringes of the anime fandom till very recently.
When black swan came out, it didn't bring about interest in Perfect Blue, as I don't think it was easy to get ahold of at the time to get new fans. Especially not streaming. As I rebuild my collection, I've been acutely aware of the Kon streaming/physical media availability issue. (Perfect blue, millennium actress, and Tokyo godfathers can now be found on both Amazon prime and TH-cam these days).
I'll give him this much - unlike most western artists that blatantly rip off Japanese media, at least he did so legally.
This anime is both classic and disturbing.
This movie is even more relevant now than it was in the 90's with the social media and celebrities lifes
That's so true
If this was made recently, I wouldn't be surprised if comments said this film is woke
@@iamtamashii4184 couldn't agree more
It's one of the movies that in my opinion really need a remake.
Not to replace the original, which is brilliant, but to explore what part of the story would have been different, of modern social media was a part of Mima' career.
@@iamtamashii4184 the reason they don't is because most people wouldn't sit through this film these days. It's too high brow. Otherwise applying criticism of wokeness applies to any and all media. Saw a comment saying wokeness was responsible for the failure of an early 00's film....
Have no clue what they would say about something like Chasing Amy these days....(90's film for those not as advanced in age as myself)
Watching this movie while being a theatre student really broke me.
Not only because fear of stalkers, the male gaze, and stuff but what made me cry after the r@pe scene is that people outside of the acting world looking in, will see your best or your worst performances and think that's all you are. They will never see the scheduling nightmares, obstacles you have to face during rehearsals, arguments with directors or other actor over how you want to portray your role (there was even cases of sexual harassment against a director in a production I wasn't a part of). People outside of the industry expect and consume product without respect for the people who put it together by the skin of their teeth. Given with idol-culture and parasocial relationships, it all sets the groundwork for objectification.
As someone who is fascinated by psychology looking back at this show again is so clever. In the subconscious we have three sides to us, Id, which is our impulses, Superego, the self that has been implanted onto us and how we feel we should be and then the Ego, the true self. To become healthy you have to balance all three.
In this film, Mima's superego has gone out control, seeing her mental breakdown is very accurate to how people would be as it's your ego that's meant to be in control and when there's that conflict, you eventually have that mental breakdown because parts of your brain aren't communicating, they're arguing/conflicting with each other.
To me, the scariest part of the film, is that it also shows that even if you get to the point where you realise you've let yourself loose control, it doesn't mean that you will "Win" and take back control, you could end up like her manager and just fall lower and lower into madness.
It's fascinating how well Kon captured the darker side of Fandoms...
(Seriously, I wish there was a way to muzzle those kinds of people...)
This is when Social Keyboard Warriors should be more of a thing and should be appreciated. For Example, Let's Players have that, in form of their closer Friends ( and non weird fans, who appreciated LPers as a person). Fanbase like that being more comming recently is why Social Keyboard Warriors as an actual career or divition in Informática science should actually be a thing
Satoshi Kon has always been an envelope pusher with his works. I was a huge fan of Perfect Blue when I got to see this around 2001 on VHS. Truly blown away at the skills on display by the whole team and it always was a crowd pleaser that never saw it before but could appreciate the master class work shown. One of my top films of all time regardless of it being an "anime".
"Shamelessly rip it off--I mean..." Oh, how I lol'd.
bravo KB, what a Perfect Review of Perfect Blue
the section discussing Idol Culture hit hard for me because it sucks that things haven't really changed or got worse with fan entitlement and the toxciity that polutes fandom culture regardless if it's Idols, Anime, or the many examples you showed.
god I watched this on TV when I was 9 and I had nightmares for so long even though I didn't really even understand it.
I love your looney tunes content and this happens to be one of the few Japanese animated films I've seen, great stuff please keep the content coming
Satoahi Kon is perhaps my favorite anime director, the first I recognized and followed. His career may be brief, but each was an absolute masterpiece. I love them all.
I never watched Perfect Blue, but I do intend to, eventually. Given the subject matter and the director it must really pack a punch. But the film deserves attention so here's a comment for the algoritm!
What's with the algorithm thing?, what am i not getting?
Best Satoshi Kon film in my opinion.
Plus it’s one of Manga Entertainment’s better titles in the US. Helps with a great (but still aged in areas) dub by the late Kevin Seymour (the man behind Animaze Inc, who did tons of classic dubs of anime).
For me, toss up between Millennium Actress and Tokyo Godfathers. Now I will admit I watched those two first, but I feel that they show a greater range with Kon as a storyteller.
This might just be the greatest animated movie of all time and one of the best thrillers from an era full of all timers.
By the way am I the only one who notices the screen shaking throughout the entire movie? Always thought it was a way to signal reality from fiction but it might just be an error or something else.
if you're talking about a very small tremor of the picture you could describe it as, i think that would be the effect of either the telecine wobble, which is incurred when transferring film to video (like you used to have to do for TV anime shows that were photographed on film and then transferred to video for broadcast) or 'gate weave' of a film reel being pulled through the projector's aperture gate when watching a projected film print. i saw the film (as a DCP) in the cinema on weds and noticed the wobble myself too, so maybe all the digital versions are from a high definition video master as opposed to from an archival film print? (assuming gate weave isn't a thing when scanning film prints digitally, maybe it is but idk)
I hope to see you tackle belladonna of Saddness one day.
Perfect Blue's psychological dimension rightfully takes center stage but my big take away from it was the depiction of idol/celebrity culture - not just the obsession around it but the disposable quality it has. The prior two attributes are two sides of the same, dehumanizing coin and I thought Kon depicted it well.
Given what I know about the Idol Industry - and on a similar note, what child actors have to go through - it all kinda makes me very uncomfortable...
Duality is a terrifying theme.
Music producer and singet Yoko Kano had a dual persona existence in the 90's she composed and produced music as Yoko Kano and sang in many of her own music as Gabriella Robinson.
I think she wanted to into singing full time but was fearful of poor fan reception because she was far outside the typical idol age range.
Perfect Blue is a perfectly disburbin masterpiece. kinda tempted to watch this OVA. 😸
It's a theatrical film though, not Original Video Animation.
Tell me you also have a love of Escaflowne and Macross Plus.
Just finished the video and wow, you really did the film justice. I'll never forget my first time watching this movie.
I was so into Mima's story my Mom had to yell my name because it was the third time she called me before I heard her. Lol Everything about this film is captivating. This has to be one the best videos I've seen about Perfect Blue: the production and final product. You definitely didn't "half a**" it. 👍
That's RIGHT! He did Tokyo Godfathers! I freaking LOVED that movie and haven't seen it in ages... [ Immediately looks up an online streaming service to watch it again. ]
*Ahem*... Continue...
Wow, he died at 46?! Crap, I turned 46 a month ago! ;)
A Must Watch Anime Film if you consider yourself a connoisseur of anime. Still holds up in 2022 & beyond…
Thanks for posting this! I watched Perfect Blue for the first time today. After I watched a couple of videos to explain what is going on, this one has been my favourite!
this movie is right up there with ghost in the shell, ninja scroll, and akira as pinnacle anime that everyone should see.
Does this mean you're going to cover Tokyo Godfathers for Christmas since it takes place during Christmas?
Yes, but I'm saving that movie for it's 20 year anniversary in two years.
@@KaiserBeamz Silly how excited I am for this. Keep up the good work, KB. You're a gem.
One of my all time favorite films.
This movie always creeped me out.
Nice video.
YESS!! So happy to see you're starting Satoshi Kon
Watching this movie after watching the first episode of Oshi No Ko (which is 90 minutes long), Mima was lucky to have survived both a creepy stalker fanboy and her own manager who clearly has mental health problems, unlike what happened to Ai Hoshino
Omg. Great job on this. Amazing review/talk about this movie!!!!
Excellently done! Much appreciate diverging from the standard "explained" template. You really got into it.
Well, I only watched Perfect Blue once. 🙂
😲Pretty Horrific but impressed that Satoshi Kon made his debut.😁
Thanks for this excellent analysis. Hoping the rest of Kon's films (and perhaps Paranoia Agent as well) can get the same treatment.
Best Anime horror movie ever! Happy Halloween.
You read my mind here.
I legit think this one of the most unique looking animated films I have seen. Though to be honest, as someone who seen this and Black Swan I can see the similarities but hesitate to say rip-off. Though if that be the case, I guess that would make it the best live action anime adaptation lol. Great vid.
Mima and her manager do realize that she can be an actress AND still be an idol, right? Japanese idols have been acting gigs for decades, especially if they're wanting to promote their music (obviously not while doing the R18 material that she has to do here, but still).
Nice video on a very chilling movie. I hope we see more videos of you covering Kon's films in the future.
Ghost in the shell should be next
Perfect Blue … is one I know I would best not watch myself. Kon's work is truly amazing, and I think you've done a fair job trying to capture here, but Perfect Blue… Too close to home in a few too many ways I'd rather not describe for the Google Algorithm™. Still, I'm very glad you covered this and didn't just … explain it. One of the things I've come to appreciate about your videos (which I've only just discovered within the past day or so) is the care you take trying to contextualize the greater themes of the work, and the motivations and even apparent stat of mind of the creators. That's got to take a good amount of research and effort, and it is appreciated.
his vids are amazing and agreed one of the best things about them is as well as the analysis of a piece's content/themes/technical/aesthetic bits and pieces is situating it within the context in which it was produced and the history of the lead up to its production - i've seen anime vids here and there on other channels but i've never seen them with the quality and depth of KB's it honestly mindboggling how he's not massive on here/among anime yt imo!
I miss videos like that in YT. When YT was more of a comunicación social media, throught art of making effective videos. Now for the most part it's basically _Shill_ content, _dumb memes_ stuff, and _silly discussions_ over easy matters
👑
@@VixXstazosJOB I like dumb memes and silliness. But I also appreciate a serious deep dive. That content is getting rarer. KB does it for anime. GTV Japan does it for video games and Japanese culture. There's a few others, but they're definitely a niche.
I saw a reviewer not like the twist. I grew up in selena country, and seeing that tragedy play out, the twist made sense.
Excellent! You have Just got a New sub, keep up the good work!
good work
There're more layers to the central scene. Her manager and stalker are on the same side, which is to pull Mima back to the "innocent" stage, to never grow up; while Mima, although "used/tricked" by the TV producer, chooses to move forward, to become an actress. Sexuality could be seen as a form of corruption, of consumption, views held by the stalker/manager and producer, separately, but it is also a form of maturation. After the scene, is she tarnished/closer to death, or has she grown up? It could be both, this is the point of metamorphosis.
Of course there's the commercialization and exploitation aspect, but I think we should not ignore the agency of Mima. Sexuality is dangerous, because it can make you and kill you. I think Kon's more complex view on sexuality is much healthier, more realistic and more mature than what today's culture tries to depict.
The shot that motivated me to write this reply is the one in which the reflection of "idol Mima" in the train's window told her she didn't want to do this. Who is that? A part of Mima's psyche, for sure, but which part? Her "authentic" self, or the injection of her manager - the previous idol, who was forced to quit due to aging, and determined to continue the idol life? My take is more of the latter.
This leads to a deeper level, the idol culture of Japan. Remember, that scene happened only in the media, so the whole sexuality level is symbolic, no real sex in real life. Why? Because only adults have sex. Children can worship and carry out violence, but they can't have sex. Children can fantasize about sex, this turns into fetish (love of things instead of persons), or worshiping of the idea of opposite sex, aka idols. In other words, otaku (obsession over media and stuff) has the same root motivation of idol culture, to not engage with real persons, to not grow up - no sex, no death.
In other words, idols are things. To be an idol is to be a non-person, to be a part of other people's fantasies. Therefore Mima's real challenge is whether to become a person or not. If she were to become a person, there's the exploitation and abusing, isolation and deceiving, sex and violence, and on and on and on. But she's a person.
Is it worth it?
According to those following the idol culture, no. And since other people are not persons but just things, killing is not that hard for these idol-followers. Never grow up, stay a pupa forever.
You like him a lot, but he isn't called a cone.
Watch Ashita no Joe!
"excuse me, who are you?"
I think people generally like Paprika more, but IMHO this is Satoshi Kon's masterpiece.
i saw PB for the first time in the cinema in February and was blown away and knew i needed to see it again as soon as i could. i watched Paprika for the first time in the cinema a month or so ago and though 'eh, that was cool/fun/nice, down to watch it again just to be able to take it all in [given how trippy it is] but overall wasn't amazing like PB imo.' On weds i saw PB again and Millenium Actress as part of a double bill and yep, PB is a favourite for me and still would love to watch it again. MA i enjoyed too, i thought it was good/ok until the very end which hit really hard, and elevated the film for me. But even without that, I would have put MA as second to PB and Paprika a bit below the two as third, despite not feeling the need to see MA again any time soon (i definitely will try and catch it if it plays again in a years+ time), while i still do want to catch Paprika again when i can as soon as i can (i've not yet seen Tokyo Godfathers)
You make fun of the way that Roger Corman described this movie, but honestly, the way you described Mima, she sounds pretty similar to how Snow White was portrayed.
Not saying the description isn't funny, but I think it actually fits pretty well.
Also the Hitchcock comparisons as many of Hitchcock´s works has a female protagonist as a victim of sorts.
Better than Bennett's review.
fr, better than anyone and everyone
I like them both, personally.
But that's just me.
Is this the only project Kon worked directed without Susumu Hirasawa doing the music?
I just started the video and my comment is on the film itself not your video. Perfect Blue is my least favorite Kon movie...which makes it even more great. As weird as it sounds, the only reason it's my least favorite is because his later films just show his range more as a visionary. But Perfect Blue itself is a damn great film, to the point where you forget that it's animation. And that's what Kon did so well with the people he worked with to create the films he created, he made it so that you forgot that you were watching animation, but at the same time the stories could only be told in animation.
The fact that he is gone is one of the biggest tragedies in recent cinema.
can you elaborate on what you like more about Paprika and Millenium Actress in particular? I've only just stated seeing his work for the first time this year, first PB in the cinema in feb, came out blown away and knew i needed to watch it again soon as i could, then saw Paprika in the cinema a month or so ago, thought it was decent/good fun but not amazing but was still one i came out thinking 'i want/need to watch it again' just because of how trippy it was (also was awkward with subs with the tall person in front blocking my view a little bit), then on weds saw PB and MA in a double bill that confirmed PB as a favourite and MA as again a v nice good film, one that i'd put between PB and Paprika personally but not itching to watch it again any time soon (if it comes back to the cinema in a years+ time i'd definitely go and see it if i'm able there's nothing better on that would otherwise take priority though), but v interested to hear why you prefer both Paprika and MA to PB
Guys, did they rp the girl or the guy was just bouncing around her pretending to be doing...? Like, can someone tell me they didn't rp the girl??😭
31:10 how do you know that he didn’t like it or if it left a bad taste in his mouth? did he say that in an interview or are your pulling that out of your @/ss?
11:45 another lie he didn’t say that you’re projecting too much into kon
This is worst anime film of all time