Just in time for the limited-time release of the digital remaster of Perfect Blue in cinemas across the US, Seven Seas Entertainment have released their English translation of Yoshikazu Takeuchi’s Perfect Blue: Complete Metamorphosis and follow-up novel Perfect Blue: Awaken from a Dream. 

I’m sure many of you have at least heard of the late Satoshi Kon’s debut movie, but today I want to talk to you about the novel which served as the inspiration for the psychological horror that is still enjoyed by anime fans two decades after its release.

Plot

Mima Kirigoe is a Japanese pop idol ready to shake up her image from pure and innocent girl-next-door to a more mature and sensuous idol. From more revealing costumes to releasing an erotic yet tasteful photobook, Mima and her manager are convinced that her popularity is going to skyrocket. However, there are some fans who are can’t bear to see Mima leave being her pure and innocent image. One of those, who signs his letters ‘Your Darling Rose’ has some very disturbing plans in place in order to ‘save’ Mima…

Innocent Idols

Without giving too much away, it is very clear to say that the movie Perfect Blue is heavily inspired by the novel, rather than being a close adaptation of it. Although the motives of the ‘Darling Rose’ of the book and ‘Me-Mima’ of the movie are the same, they go about saving Mima in quite a different way. In fact, if you watch the movie you will hear a reference to the actions of the book-version of the stalker.

Some of the characters who appear in both the books and the movie share only their names. For example, the popular actress Eri Ochiai from the movies is a rival pop idol to Mima in the books. Eri’s appearances are not only vital to the story, they also enforce the fact that idols are generally not able to enjoy relationships with the opposite sex. Eri is a woman who relishes in her natural sexuality and youth, which gains her both popularity and hate.

There are perhaps many stories about celebrities out there that focus on their managers and producers pushing them into acting more sensual in order to attract more attention. As we all know, sex sells. Although this is the basis behind Mima’s image change in the books, she actually enjoys it. She is surrounded by supportive staff members, and the tastefulness of her nude photography made her feel sexy. Unfortunately, many of her original fans cannot handle this and are completely against even the slightest change. Takeuchi mentions in his afterword that the seeds for this story were sewn decades earlier, and this aspect of idol culture continues today. Although there are idols that sell with their sexuality both in real life and in the novel via Eri, there are those that sell with their purity. It is also the case that, be it sexy or innocent, publicly being in a relationship with the opposite sex is just asking for anger. You are probably aware of certain idol production agencies that ban their members from having relationships, although they are softening up in recent years. This theme is something that runs strongly throughout both the movie and the novel and is the basis for the stalker’s horrific plan, which you need to read to find out.

Point-of-View

The novel is written in the third-person and mostly takes place from the point of view of Mima. I found her to be a sweet and genuinely likable character, who is doing her best in such a cut-throat industry. Fortunately for her, her coworkers are very supportive, from her understanding manager to her tasteful and respectful photographer and even her assistant Rumi (who is a far-cry from her movie counterpart). As Mima is being gently supported by so many people, it helps to make the actions of the stalker stand out even more.

This brings me on to the scenes which do not take place from the point of view of Mima. Many are written from the point of view of the stalker himself. Although he is clearly insane, we get a little insight into his way of thinking and how important it is to him to ‘save’ Mima from losing her purity. I personally found his chapters to be the most interesting to read, and it is very clear that Takeuchi himself used his own experiences as an idol fan to bring this character into existence.

Reality is the Most Disturbing

When most of us think of the movie Perfect Blue, we think of how it was a total mindf**k, blurring the lines between reality and fiction. The novel does not do this whatsoever and is very grounded in reality. That, however, it what makes it so disturbing.

This book, although a short read, is definitely on my recommended reading list if you can stomach scenes of a sexual and violent nature. The book opens with the implied rape and murder of a child, so if you can’t handle the prologue, this book may not be for you.

If you are wondering whether or not you should read the book before or after the movie, I would definitely recommend reading the book first and watching the movie second!

Have you read the book? Let me know what you think!