

Perfect Blue
"excuse me... who are you?"
Rising pop star Mima Kirigoe quits singing to pursue a career as an actress. After she takes up a role on a popular detective show, her handlers and collaborators begin turning up murdered. Harboring feelings of guilt and haunted by visions of her former self, Mima's reality and fantasy meld into a frenzied paranoia.
TMDB
8.3/10
3,411 votes
IMDb
Not rated yet
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- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $830.4K
- Box office
- $2.7M
- Language
- Japanese
- career
- rape
- based on novel or book
- paranoia
- stalker
- celebrity
- singer
- stalking
- fame
- female protagonist
- psychological thriller
- mental illness
Top billed cast

















Behind the camera
Where to watch
All optionsAvailability for United States. Provided by JustWatch through the TMDB API.
Gallery












Videos
Release dates
United StatesUS
- TheatricalR20 Aug 1999
- PhysicalRUMD6 Dec 2005
- TVStarz Encore10 Dec 2007
- PhysicalRBlu-ray26 Mar 2019
- TheatricalR20th anniversary re-release6 Sept 2020
- PhysicalRSteelbook (Blu-ray + DVD)21 Sept 2021
- Digital / OTTNRShudder6 Sept 2022
- Theatrical (limited)R25th anniversary Anime Expo Cinema Nights re-release6 Sept 2023
- TheatricalNR4K restoration3 Oct 2025
- Digital / OTTHBO Max1 Dec 2025
- PhysicalNR4K Collector's Edition23 Dec 2025
United KingdomGB
- Theatrical1827 May 1999
- Physical18VHS4 Nov 1999
- Physical18DVD31 Jul 2000
- Physical18Blu-ray + DVD Collector’s Edition27 Nov 2013
- Physical18Blu-ray2 Feb 2015
- Physical18Blu-ray22 Aug 2016
- Theatrical1820th Anniversary re-release 27 Oct 2017
- Physical18Blu-ray + DVD + CD Ultimate Edition29 Apr 2019
- Theatrical (limited)184k Restoration 10 Oct 2025
- Physical184k Ultra HD Blu-ray + Blu-ray Deluxe Edition8 Dec 2025
- Digital / OTT1820 Dec 2025
AustraliaAU
- TheatricalMA 15+2 Jun 2001
- TVMA 15+SBS12 Apr 2008
CanadaCA
- PremiereFantasia International Film Festival5 Aug 1997
- PremiereWaterloo Festival for Animated Cinema26 Apr 2003
- Digital / OTTShudder6 Sept 2022
- Theatrical (limited)4K Restoration3 Oct 2025
American SamoaAS
- Digital / OTTHBO Max30 Nov 2025
ArgentinaAR
- Theatrical (limited)+164K Restoration13 Nov 2025
BelgiumBE
- Theatrical (limited)1628 Feb 1998
- PremiereGent International Film Festival9 Oct 2002
- PremiereKuma Anime Film Festival19 Nov 2016
ChinaCN
- PremiereBeijing International Film Festival (4K restoration)18 Apr 2024
- PremiereShanghai International Film Festival (4K restoration)17 Jun 2024
CzechiaCZ
- PremiereFilmasia Film Festival3 Dec 2005
EstoniaEE
- PremiereJapanese Anime Festival3 Apr 2009
FinlandFI
- TheatricalK-1828 Feb 1998
- PremiereHelsinki International Film Festival19 Sept 1998
- Theatrical (limited)K-164K Restoration25 Jul 2025
FranceFR
- Theatrical8 Sept 1999
- TVCanal + (Nuit manga)7 Jun 2001
- PhysicalDVD20 Mar 2003
- PhysicalBlu-ray24 May 2017
- PremiereAnnecy International Animation Film Festival12 Jun 2017
- TheatricalRe-release9 May 2018
- Digital / OTT13 Apr 2019
- Digital / OTTAnime Digital Network3 Sept 2020
Frequently asked questions
Perfect Blue was released on 28 February 1998.
Audience reviews
5- M9/10
Marr 🇳🇱
11/1/2015
Just seen this on All Hallows' Eve. It's a bit old, but gold! I definitely have to rewatch this, because you just got to pay attention to 'know' what is happening and follow the story. I think you'd better understand/follow the story and that it will make more sense when you watch it a second time. The whole movie experience was pretty much like every time you think you got it all figured out, you learn something …
- T10/10
The Movie Diorama
1/16/2020
Perfect Blue perfectly blends psychologically disturbed fantasy with grounded reality. Mima Kirigoe. A pop-idol. An actress. An X-rated model. Public image and its personifying echoes circulate around the world, adhering to the desires of endearing fans alike. But when their inspirational idol haphazardly shifts career, from pop sensation to dramatic actress, the psychosis of the modern consumer society ultimately ch…
- G10/10
GenerationofSwine
1/12/2023
I caught this in High School and it instantly took me as an eerie Alfred Hitchcock show that did an outstanding job of feeding on pure paranoia. It was unsettling, it was scary, and at the time it seemed as realistic as it could be for an anime movie. As I rode through it, I started doubting what was real and what wasn't and that is a hallmark of a great movie, that ability to keep the viewer on their toes.
- C7/10
CinemaSerf
2/9/2023
The young "Mima" has a successful, if limited, career singing with a girl band, but she is restless. Her manager insists he can get her an acting job on a popular soap - and that's the way to fame and fortune. Like so many other impressionable young folks, she tries to follow her dream - but is really only following his, and is soon being photographed (intimately), denigrated and her grasp on reality is soon compromi…
- G7/10
griggs79
10/3/2024
Perfect Blue, a cult anime film that remains as relevant today as it was when it was first released, follows the story of a teenage girl on the brink of insanity. Its exploration of unsettling themes such as consent and exploitation may make for uncomfortable viewing, but it's a stark reminder of the issues we still face. Despite some parts feeling dated, its prediction of the Internet as a tool for stalking and the …
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