Perfect Blue- Limited Edition Steelbook [Blu-ray + DVD]

Enough people have talked about the content of Perfect Blue itself, so I'll refrain from that to a certain degree and concentrate mostly on the Blu-ray release. Needless to say though, Perfect Blue is one of the most intense psychological thrillers I've seen (anime or otherwise), and is the first film by the late great Satoshi Kon. Many of its elements were used by Darren Aronofsky in his films Requiem for a Dream and Black Swan. For those unfamiliar with Kon's work, he was also responsible for Paprika (which Inception pretty much ripped off wholesale, albeit with less nuance and a lot more hand holding), Tokyo Godfathers (a sweet modern day Christmas story), Millennium Actress, and the weird and wonderful Paranoia Agent. Now, onto the Blu-ray.Simply put, Perfect Blue has never looked this good before. The animation is obviously of its time as it was made in 1997 and not given the typical budget of an anime feature film, but it has nevertheless cleaned up impressively well. Having watched it on a 42 inch 1080p display I can confirm that it looks much, much better than the DVD release from 2000. As far as audio goes, this version has been furnished with the lossless Japanese tracks, however if you are after the English dub, I have heard that due to the originals being lost, the English dub track is lossy. I do not personally have an interest in the dub, but if this bothers you I give you my condolences, but unfortunately it was not something Anime Limited could do anything about, as the loss of the dub was the fault of the Japanese licensor, and not anything to do with the guys on our end in the UK. The special features on disc are much the same as they were on the initial DVD release from 2000, with interviews with several actors from both the English and Japanese tracks, as well as an interview with the director himself, along with footage from recording sessions. It should be noted that these are presented in 480i like the ones on the DVD, as unlike the movie they have not been remastered.As far as packaging and presentation go, the version I have is the limited edition steelbook released in 2016 (although I am aware there is both an original collector's and a standard edition). so that is the one I am going to be reviewing here. I wasn't sure how to feel about the artwork for the steelbook when looking at it on the site, and all I can say is that it looks really, really good when you have it in your hands. As far as the contents go it is simple, simply containing the disc and also several art cards which were included in the original collector's edition. It does fall into the trap that the majority of steelbooks have, in that the disc can be very hard to remove, but I am not going to deduct a star for that since it is pretty much the case with all steelbooks. Obviously the comments I have made on the Blu-ray itself apply to all three editions.All in all if you are already a fan of Perfect Blue then I would strongly implore you to take the plunge and upgrade to the HD version, as quite honestly, this is the best Perfect Blue is ever gonna look, and the fact we have been given the option to have it at all by the lovely people at Anime Limited is almost a miracle in itself. As of the time of writing the standard edition Blu-ray can be bought for a mere £15, so I would suggest to anyone, whether they are a longtime fan looking for an upgrade, or an intrigued newcomer, to buy this edition while you can, because as many anime collectors know, sometimes stuff can go out of print with little warning

All the Anime always do the best cases. Chosen artwork is amazing, overflowing with extras and included art cards are a nice touch.My only minor problem is how flimsy the information card is that wraps the case (made from paper rather than card). But it not bad enough to reduce the score.

Superb steelbook and unrated version of Perfect Blue. If you have a region free player this is the most affordable new copy you can buy in the UK.

Disc and booklet have a from a private collection feel to it. Looks and plays great for a "used"copy - very happy with purchase......

This is going to be somewhat challenging. Being a fan of both multiple anime genres and several detective drama shows as well as movies, I found Perfect Blue by sheer chance as it mixed some of the popular Genres I like together with a Nostalgic early Nineties setting. What’s the result of this strange combination I hear you wondering?Let me try to explain. Everyone thinks the Anime/Kpop Idol scene in Japan is a recent thing from the mid 2000s, but in actual fact, it’s been around since the mid nineties where this movie is set.The story revolves around a young Pop singer who wants to move on from the Idol scene to become an actress, but that’s where things get dark from the get go. It’s a well known fact that the Idol scene has some questionable fan bases, and it’s hauntingly portrayed here in Perfect Blue, as Mima our young starlet, is soon finding herself in the sights of a stalker, who is more than a little creepy when it comes to his interest in her. He has this ideal version of her Idol persona built up around him, and when she announces she’s leaving the band, this movie turns from Pop Anime culture, to straight up psychological horror, as a series of highly disturbing events follow Mima around, all aimed at what is claimed to be a “Betrayal” of her Character who is loved by so many.Fair warning. The movie is M rated for a very good reason. Highly graphic, somewhat ominous content is on full display here for the most part, particularly in the uncut version I’m basing this review on. Nudity, brutal scenes of plot related crimes, and full blown psychological trauma are all in the mix, quickly turning what seems like an innocent Kpop story into a haunting tale of the truth of the Industry Underworld.Young pop idols are often lured into questionable lines of work, and the movie doesn’t shy away from showing you what that’s really like, with scenes portraying shady hostess clubs, B movie sets and the creepy stalkers that are often hiding amongst innocent fans, are a few of the main points the movie lays bare, I wont spoil anything but I’ll say this. Even if like me you watch Gritty Cop Dramas, which tell these types of stories from the Detectives view, flipping the coin and seeing the haunting reality from the view of a victim completely changes your perspective.In some ways I felt like a cop, scouring the dark underbelly of the movies plot, searching and watching for clues on the motives I was seeing on screen, and despite the graphic nature of the content, I found it to be a refreshing and unique take on several genres I’m familiar with from a certain point of view.I also love the Nostalgic setting, and how the characters interact with the incoming digital era of technology we use day to day. Being set in the early to mid Nineties, the characters use CRT computers, First generation video cameras, Old school VCR TV sets and more, they even wonder what the internet does at some points, adding further to my nostalgic memories from back then. I vaguely remember using some of that stuff, and even still own some of it. The point of this is that online crimes and questionable “dark web” places existed some twenty years ago, long before we got used to it.Onto a point I feel I should mention, this movie does a great job of being a psychological blockbuster, in the case of the uncut version which was released in 2017, but it went unreleased for twenty odd years, the actual movie is from 1997, which means it is somewhat dated, but in terms of animation and story telling style, the dubbed version still holds up well alongside fully modern CGI shows which is fine by me.For the reasons mentioned above though, I think this movie should come with a viewer warning for it’s Mature themes. I have a line in terms of anime content, that I wont cross, into really dark stuff, but luckily for me this movie is actually the midway point.(I’ve also seen and like content based on other anime subjects that sit on the M rated threshold without going over it which earns this movie a pass). Meaning I got a very good experience of the darker side of a well known industry without crossing into stuff I wouldn’t even consider to search for. It comes very close to crossing the line but never actually leaves you feeling ashamed for it, which is good.(You probably know what I mean by the other side of the line it contains stuff that is just nasty, thankfully the uncut version of Perfect Blue doesn’t make that horrible mistake).To sum up, this new take on several genres I’m very familiar with, combined with some very cool Nostalgic value for a Nineties guy like me, I’d give perfect Blue a very Respectful 7/10, as despite its dated animations by 2021 standards, highly questionable content and overall style, I found myself really enjoying the story it had to tell.For a 1997 Directorial debut, this HD version does everything Justice very well, and tells a story form a unique point of view which I enjoyed solving the mystery of.Well done Satoshi Kon, to create this back then as your first feature length anime movie, you did a great job keeping me thrilled and curious to the end.Nice work.Until next time :)

Arrived with tiny dent. Otherwise good.

Does not play in England an shouldn’t be on the uk Amazon site at all. Not available for the uk!!