Perfect Blue

Mima Kirigoe is a singer with the pop group CHAM!, but she decides to leave music behind and try to build a career as an actress. She takes a role in a detective television series, a part meant to move her away from her wholesome idol image, and the change does not sit well with all of her admirers. Before long she is receiving threatening messages, a page appearing online claims to be her private diary, and people close to her begin to be killed.

A young woman in a costume matching her idol persona begins appearing to Mima, insisting that she is the real Mima, and Mima's grip on her own identity starts to slip. The boundaries between her everyday life, the series she is filming and her own hallucinations become impossible to separate as the danger around her grows. The film is an animated psychological thriller set in the Japanese entertainment industry, and it examines the pressure and violence surrounding a young performer.

Satoshi Kon directed, with a screenplay by Sadayuki Murai, and Junko Iwao voices Mima. It was Kon's first feature, followed by Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers and Paprika. Reception has been strong over the years, rated 8 out of 10 on IMDb from around 120,000 votes and 8.3 out of 10 on TMDB from far fewer voters, while a critics' rating of 7.5 out of 10 from 57 reviews suggests a more measured professional response.