Many of you will associate Japanese animation with one of two things: Pokemon and big fighting robots. Please try and forget all that before watching Perfect Blue. This movie is animated, and Japanese, and that's where the similarities end. This is not a film for kids - believe the rating.
Mima Kirigoe (voiced by Iwao) is a pop idol, the Japanese equivalent of, say, Britney Spears. After accepting a part in a drama series (unlike Britney Spears, she can actually act), her innocence begins to slip away, followed closely by her sanity. Mima becomes less certain about the decision she's made, and is plagued by visions of her former self. On top of that, someone is murdering people associated with the drama, but who dunnit?
This film has been described by some as 'Hitchcock meets Akira'. I'm not a big Akira fan so I'd say that's a bit harsh. Kon certainly creates an amazing atmosphere, which will keep all but the most keen-eyed watchers guessing until the final minutes. This is an engaging and quite unique film, definitely worth the annoyingly short time it takes to watch.