Perfect Blue (1998)
A retired pop singer turned actress's sense of reality is shaken when she is stalked by an obsessed fan and seemingly a ghost of her past (imdb)
Cast and Information
Directed By: Satoshi Kon
Written By: Sadayuki Murai, Yoshikazu Takeuchi
Starring: Rica Matsumoto, Steve Blum, Kiyoyuki Yanada, Emi Shinohara, Hideyuki Hori, Junko Iwao, Kishô Taniyama, Bridget Hoffman, Shinpachi Tsuji, Masaaki Ôkura, Emiko Furukawa
Genres: Suspense/Thriller, Horror, Animation, Music
Franchise: Perfect Blue
Country: Japan
Where to Stream
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Perfect Blue belongs to 57 collections
1. Mindfuck (public: moderated by Mockus - 84 stars)
2. Features under 91 minutes (public: moderated by epiphany - 56 stars)
3. Certified weird (public: moderated by Dreamer - 45 stars)
4. Netflix Instant (public: moderated by somnivore - 29 stars)
5. Passed the Bechdel Test (public: moderated by geohawk - 28 stars)
6. Female protagonist (public: moderated by djross - 25 stars)
7. Based on a Book (public: moderated by iconogassed - 18 stars)
8. The Best Hitchcock Movies (That Hitchcock Never Made) (public: moderated by teckgecko - 16 stars)
9. Mental Illness (public: moderated by djross - 15 stars)
10. Best film of top directors (public: moderated by avgcrtckr - 14 stars)
11. Mind-rape (public: moderated by td888 - 11 stars)
12. Filmmaking (public: moderated by Dorkovsky - 9 stars)
13. Anime (public: moderated by Nanera - 9 stars)
14. Best of criticker: Animation (public: moderated by avgcrtckr - 9 stars)
15. Wierd / Mindfuck / Surreal (public: moderated by neurophate - 9 stars)
16. Best of criticker: Suspense / Thriller (public: moderated by avgcrtckr - 8 stars)
17. Rape (public: moderated by Moribunny - 7 stars)
18. Open or ambiguous ending (public: moderated by juandr - 7 stars)
19. Asian Horror (public: moderated by iconogassed - 6 stars)
20. Best of criticker: Horror (public: moderated by avgcrtckr - 6 stars)
21. Psychotic women (public: moderated by mattburgess - 5 stars)
22. Arthouse Horror (public: moderated by BeeDub - 5 stars)
23. Great Japanese Films (public: moderated by PerryStroika - 4 stars)
24. EW's 50 Great Movies You've Never Seen (public: moderated by Shadrik - 3 stars)
25. plays with your perception of reality (public: moderated by livelove - 3 stars)
26. The Best of Anime (public: moderated by mattornot - 3 stars)
27. Great Horror Movies (public: moderated by PerryStroika - 2 stars)
28. Madhouse Anime (public: moderated by Vesey - 2 stars)
29. Vaporwave aesthetics (public: moderated by Ghalea - 2 stars)
30. Female villain (public - 1 star)
31. onderhond.com top 200 movies (public: moderated by Bullt - 1 star)
32. Female Dancing (Without Nudity) (public)
33. Favorite anime (public: moderated by PerryStroika)
34. Serial Killer movie (public: moderated by PerryStroika)
35. Watch with friends (public: moderated by itsben)
36. DtC Doubling the Canon 2021 Nominees (public: moderated by lineuphere)
37. IJ to watch (public: moderated by jennmrqz)
38. Piero Scaruffi's list of great films (public)
39. Incorrect criticker release dates (public: moderated by JooJoo)
40. Top 50 Most Want to See (private: kendell - 2 stars)
41. Anime (private: Nanera)
42. director marathon (private: MartinTeller)
43. zae's DVDs & Blurays (private: zae)
44. Favorites: Highly recommended (private: KasperL)
45. Satoshi Kon (private: gcat)
46. Filmspotting Ratings Project: Week 27 (private: PeaceAnarchy)
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48. Films I watched in 2010 (private: jal90)
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Browse the full list of collections
| Stars | User | Rating | |
| 11 |  |
KasperL | 90 97% |
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A mindfuck of near-unrivaled intensity with intertextual references to gialli and slashers, satire of fandom and celebrity culture and metatextual exploration of the boundaries between diegetic world, the fiction in that world and character psychoses. We share Mima's anguish and are thrown with her into the downward spiral of an ever-twisting story which breeds 'Mulholland Dr.' and 'Black Swan', albeit prefiguring both. Superb direction by Kon. Such a shame that he only got to make four films.
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| 8 |  |
backwardsuit | 86 92% |
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Beautifully deranged thriller that deconstructs its entire narrative according to some increasingly relevant psychosocial horrors. Takes what it needs from giallo (& Lynch?) while grounding itself convincingly to the world of Japanese ent.ind. & maintaining a strong personal voice. Damn near flawless in its structure as every scene, edit & design choice is meaningful, transformative & supports the whole. I didn't really buy the therapeutic final scene but yeah, this was my kind of fucked up.
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| 8 |  |
Nathan S | 4 74% |
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Creepy. At times it's a bit tough to decipher in literal terms, but in general it works very well as a desperate and paranoid depiction of an identity crisis. The animation itself is not particularly awe-inspiring, but there are plenty of beautiful images scattered about. The film is technically rather audacious, boasting a very complex editing structure to demonstrate the blurring of reality and illusion, but this never becomes overwhelming.
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| 8 |  |
Mentaculus | 99 98% |
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One of my all-time favorite films, not just in animation, thriller, or some other arbitrary genre pigeonhole. This is my gold standard because it is assured in subject matter, theme and moral, while its more mature elements serve the story, not the other way around.
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| 7 |  |
Paxton | 77 82% |
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I always wonder about animated movies. Somewhere, someone came home to their spouse and kids and when they asked, "What did you do at work today?" they had to lie because they spent all day drawing a closeup of an exposed female crotch. I really liked the deterioration of reality that takes place which means it's time for my annual recommendation of Uncle Kent 2. Nobody's listening.
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| 6 |  |
Leonardis | 98 98% |
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I'm not sure my mind has ever been toyed with this much in a movie. I was so invested and entertained that I watched it again an hour after the credits rolled. Very original, extremely well directed and edited, and exceptionally told. Definitely not for the faint of heart, but everything was unsettling and creepy and strange that I couldn't turn away. I loved every second of it and I'm already excited for when I watch it again.
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| 5 |  |
Barthalen | 82 86% |
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More interesting than I expected. The blurry line between reality, illusion and acting was pretty neat, and I didn't see that end reveal coming. At times successfully creepy.
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| 5 | CatScandal | 83 95% |
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for a film about identity crisis and confusing fiction with reality, this is actually more coherent than your average j-horror. really well done retro slasher with a lot of relevant commentary on big japanese cultural issues, and some ambiguous arty dream sequences thrown in for good measure. the animation is not high-budget but is really well-directed and effective.
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| 4 |  |
MartinTeller | 74 50% |
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It's anime giallo as Satoshi Kon channels Argento and Bava in this psychological thriller. It gets a bit repetitive at points, but it provides a few surprises and is sufficiently entertaining. The short running time is a big asset, any more of this and it would wear out its welcome. I did think most of the animation was rather mechanical and unappealing, though. Also, despite the quasi-feminist viewpoint, there's an awful lot of rape. However, I enjoyed it more than the other Kon I've seen.
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| 4 |  |
Alex Watkins | 4 70% |
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The obvious highlight here is the editing, which does a brilliant job of blurring the line between reality and dreams, as well as fiction (the primary narrative) and metafiction (Mima's films). I can see why people are quick to invoke comparisons to Mulholland Drive. It's hard to say whether Kon is employing some rather unfortunate anime cliches or commenting on them, but fortunately it's not too indulgent. It's a hell of a ride, though I think I prefer Paprika.
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| 4 |  |
spleen | 72 47% |
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This is why Aronofsky never directed episodes of "Jem and the Holograms".
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| 3 |  |
Bown | 85 76% |
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This movie pretty much single-handedly changed my perception of anime.
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| 3 |  |
BillyShears | 100 98% |
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*puffs on bubble pipe and leans back in easy chair* ... Yo, CHAM slaps! This is a nightmare. It's a good thing the original investors wussed out, this would've sucked live action - those floaty chases guhhhh.
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| 3 |  |
bof | 87 94% |
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"The Internet? Oh, it's that thing that's become really popular recently, right? What is it?"
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| 3 |  |
deaddilly | 80 72% |
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I've always had an affinity for films with shifting perspectives that constantly melt into one another. There is no difference here -- as masterful editing and a tricky use of metafiction kept me on my toes the entire time. The film is an identity puzzle that's fun to chew on, though lacks the emotional resonance of the films it went on to inspire (Mulholland Dr, Black Swan). Kon was a step ahead of everyone else and I look forward to exploring the rest of his labyrinths.
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| 3 |  |
chemical404 | 69 80% |
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Takes the best giallo elements and puts them though Japanese perspective. The result is really fucked up mind blowing detective story with multiple layers of dreams, reality and imagination. After a while you start questioning what is real and what's not. Very re-watchable.
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| 3 |  |
rebeccalex | 85 85% |
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One of the most suspenseful anime films I've watched. Some parts were hard to digest.
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| 3 |  |
Hawkins | 92 92% |
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Selena as giallo anime. Manipulative in the best way, the sleight-of-hand editing adds layers to the narrative and involves the viewer in the delusion. Lends itself very easily to a second watch in quick succession.
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| 2 |  |
SheWas | 87 92% |
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Hot take: the Mima that won in the end isn't "old" mima nor "new" mima, but a third one. Her problem all along was her inability to contain her own opposing parts: past vs present, expectations vs authenticity, purity vs sexuality, sanity (blue) and insanity (red). Her victory is in achieving a new mode of being: Synthesis Mima - one that contains her multitudes and has gained sanity and agency for it, as stated in the last shot by her being behind the wheel at last and engulfed in blue.
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| 2 |  |
thereeldeal | 65 37% |
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Perfect Blue moves way too fast for its own good, and is too discernible where it tries to be confusing and thrilling. I found most of the revelations to be pretty obvious, and the final one comes out of nowhere for the sake of being shocking. The main character is also stupid and annoying. Some cheap animation quality and ugly faces here and there that's far below anything else of Kon's. Still worth seeing, but I like the story concept more than how it's carried out.
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| 2 |  |
WWallce4prez | 82 79% |
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Fandom, celebrity, identity, and losing one's youth is just the tip of the iceberg of topics covered in Satoshi Kon's haunting depiction of Japanese pop-culture. The film develops into physiological horror as the main character losing her sense of reality, which gives way to some quite shocking stuff. Really impressive.
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| 2 |  |
omgfridge | 8 80% |
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A good mind fuck movie to put it bluntly. Despite coming out three years earlier and being animated it does have a fair bit in common with 'Mulholland Drive" so if you like that you may like this.
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| 2 |  |
CinematicESP | 93 92% |
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Grows more and more fascinating as each new layer is revealed, laying every potential reality out on the table for the viewer to decide upon. A masterful psychological thriller. The film didn't necessarily need to be animated, but it might be all the more beautiful for it.
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| 2 | cruelclown | 80 73% |
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Actress in trouble & reality. A bit like Lynch, but I would say more like Inland Empire than Mulholland Drive. Overall a great movie, but there are some little gaps in storytelling: the Real is seen as a reflection in the mirror etc.
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| 2 |  |
CloseFriend | 87 86% |
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I haven't seen many movies that so adroitly weave their themes and motifs into the narrative and aesthetic. Like most of the best stories, this one uses a specific situation (in this case, a pop idol undergoing a career change) to comment on a general aspect of human nature (in this case, aging). It helps that Satoshi Kon did practically everything right along the way.
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| 2 |  |
Ayavaron | 80 83% |
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The film explores a lot of interesting themes about the nature of reality. Unlike later movies that were similar, this movie can pull of its cliches and deceits with lots of style and aplomb. There are some brilliant scenes and one stupid scene, but ultimately, in the end, it manages to keep itself together and finish in a tight and satisfying way. Perfect Blue is almost perfect.
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| 2 |  |
sensei | 85 84% |
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Great animated flick for the kids.
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| 2 |  |
immolations | 90 91% |
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Fantastic psychological thriller. The animation isn't breathtaking but is sufficient and doesn't hinder the sense of realism. It's short, captivating and terrifying. It really does convey the sense of helplessness, the loss of surroundings and lack of reality that the main character finds suffering. I've heard it compared to Mulholland Drive by Lynch but for me it has a similar feel to that of Inland Empire. Even if you aren't a fan of anime, this is a fantastic film.
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| 1 | ytmn | 90 87% |
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Yet another masterpiece from Satoshi Kon. The amazing illusion that fools everyone, both characters and the audience. Totally didn't see it coming. It's maniacal and insanely fun at the same time.
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| 1 |  |
magdabag | 100 99% |
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Had to watch this twice for the full experience, but this is so good guys. The only movies I can really compare this to were inspired by it, so know that this is completely original and unlike anything before it. Give this a watch if you're into movies that fuck with your brain.
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| 1 |  |
Ytadel | 7 83% |
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I be tripped out by what I just seen
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| 1 |  |
Delirium9 | 95 82% |
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Worth watching more than once.
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| 1 |  |
MadMan | 95 86% |
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Strong animated visuals and a quality blending of horror and suspense drive this great, creepy modern classic. I was reminded of Hitchcock, Lynch, and Argento.
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| 1 |  |
PeaceAnarchy | 84 77% |
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Interesting examination of star culture, social pressures and an ensuing mental breakdown. Except for a couple of plot points it's very engaging and well put together. It commits to putting you in the mind of this pop idol turned actress and the slowly consuming break from reality becomes all the more interesting by the consistent perspective. Animated cinematography is easy to overlook, but there are some very well done compositions which combine with good editing to heighten the atmosphere.
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| 1 |  |
cenowalrider | 96 97% |
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While watching the first part, I thought that I'd be bored and could't finish it but the second part was astonishing! So dark and ominous... I can hardly believe my eyes. Absolutely brilliant!
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| 1 |  |
feublo | 85 73% |
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After re-watch, still equally manipulated and left on an ambiguous note in this psycho-thriller. One theory is not enough for me to conclude what is actually going on. The madness of Mima's character immerses you into this nightmare that almost never ends. Some obscurities that i'll forever look forward to viewing and thinking about again.
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| 1 |  |
Ceekay19 | 70 55% |
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Mima Kirigoe: "No, I'm the real thing."
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| 1 |  |
Rexlito | 84 77% |
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This a great psychological thriller. Black Swan copies too much form this film.
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| 1 |  |
Gwaihir_15 | 89 89% |
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Terrific! Perfect Blue asks the question that we desperately need to answer to ourselves: What happens when we lose control of our avatars when they become an entity of themselves, and they start shaping who we are? ~ People perceiving us in ways that we don't choose and that perception becoming reality. If you take away someone's identity then what's left?
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| 1 | mrci | 75 77% |
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Psychological thriller that mingles between fiction and reality. Probably on top-list among Aronofsky and Lynch.
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| 1 |  |
AFlickering | 8 99% |
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an animated mulholland drive, prior to mulholland drive, and in some ways even better than mulholland drive
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| 1 |  |
KramYessev | 87 98% |
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Incredible. Unnerving. Eye-opening. I've never seen a film be so real and surreal simultaneously. I wasn't so keen on the whole [SPOILERS] "It was the crazy manager all along!" but the rest is pretty much intense, psychological perfection.
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| 1 |  |
e_e | 70 77% |
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Innovative, unpredictable and chilling.
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| 1 |  |
Bagger | 90 98% |
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I'm almost afraid of praising this movie, because I only checked it out of skepticism of the enthusiasm my Kumpels showed for it. But I was promised delicious mind-fuckery, and I left satisfied. And I heartily hope you will too.
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| 1 |  |
Insan3 | 86 82% |
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My favorite Satoshi Kon work, the main characters paranoia and loss of reality is amazingly conveyed to the viewer.
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| 1 |  |
orion_black | 85 90% |
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Psychosis, madness, paranoia, lost of identity...Pure genius.
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| 1 |  |
bookhouseboy | 77 96% |
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[Unrated version; Original audio] - Intriguing, inventive, intelligent, intense, identity, idols, illusions, innocence and immensely interesting;
this was a stunning first impression and I'm very hopeful that it's increasingly improving upon repeated viewings. *Preview*: #14#, story, ratings, director Kon/2.
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| 1 |  |
Velvet Crowe | 54 55% |
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OH MY GOD! I'M FAMOUS! I'M GONNA GO KILL PEOPLE BECAUSE I'M SO DELUDED BY MY FAME! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
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| 1 |  |
SeanBerndorff | 90 92% |
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If you liked Black Swan then this is definetely worth a watch.
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| 1 |  |
Suture Self | 8 81% |
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Mima the protagonist's high pitched shriek of a voice, big tits and completely clueless nature was definitely off-putting, but other than that this movie plays a clever game of identity crisis. I liked it. The tongue-in-cheek ending made me laugh.
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| 1 |  |
Judo Koala | 83 85% |
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God, if only this were 20+ minutes longer.
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| 1 |  |
JohnnyZombie | 90 83% |
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An excellent Lynchian look at reality, fame, and identity.
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| 1 |  |
Ocelot | 90 97% |
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A masterpiece of both horror and anime. Eat shit, Black Swan.
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| 1 |  |
Luna6ix | 60 15% |
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An overly lauded anime movie that I had a hard time paying attention to, much less following it's confusingly nonsense plot. It definitely doesn't help that a major plot point in the beginning involves J-pop which I have a strong distaste for, and inevitably gets brought up every three and a half minutes.
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| 1 |  |
begoniabol | 81 81% |
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Pretty well-made Anime. The animation is really good and it's a strange but good story
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| 1 |  |
Shadrik | 89 95% |
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A captivating piece of adult anomation. This disturbing psychological thriller reaches a level of intensity that can keep up with the best.
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| 1 |  |
shinySinger | 88 69% |
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ok but what the hell happened
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| Average Percentile 70.72% from 2482 Ratings |  |