TPToA Podcast 406 – Perfect Blue
TPToA Podcast 406 – Perfect BlueDescription
Perfect Blue
Ani-May continues on and this time we are looking back nearly 30 years to the classic psychological thriller that introduced the western world to the intricacies of Japanese Idol culture and unhealthy parasocial fandom in that sub-culture, all through the singular vision of the acclaimed director Satoshi Kon. Based loosely on the novel Perfect Blue: Complete Metamorphosis by writer Yoshikazu Takeuchi, this film explores the trauma of sexual assault, the fear and uncertainty of dealing with stalkers, and the existential dread that comes from gaslighting and potential mental collapse from an unravelling reality. It is a far cry from the usual anime of the same time period and it remains as topical and relevant today as it was in 1997.
Dion made the call for us to watch this, as he wanted a classic piece of Anime, what none of us were really prepared for was the uncompromising film that we watched. Jill was far more up to speed on the content and style while Quinny thought he’d seen it and then realised he probably hadn’t. All of them had a lot to process from this episode.
Please note the film does include some disturbing and graphic imagery of sexual assault, and our podcast does discuss the content. As such a heavy trigger warning if advised.
Synopsis
A pop singer gives up her career to become an actress, but she slowly goes insane when she starts being stalked by an obsessed fan and what seems to be a ghost of her past.
https://youtu.be/BZ2cXEF3ar0
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Dion Audience advisory this episode includes discussions of sexual assault, trauma, and mental health support for managing difficult feelings around these topics. Is available from 1800 respect 1800 seven 37732 or Lifeline on 131114. Dion Here. Oh, and welcome to the periodic table of awesome. My name is Diana. Tonight I am joined by Jill and Quinny and the most perfect of perfect minasan. It’s Amazon. Which one? Is it? Quinny Carlson. Dion Hello. Hello. Hello. Hello to Casper. There you are. Hello. It’s Ani-may. Yes, that’s right. Is we’re midway through Annie May. Quinny We’re we’re more than midway, but you know we’re we’re we’re living it and loving it. And what going deep into the anime goodness. Dion Right into the anime. Goodness, yes, it’s it’s it’s anime and last week cause we did the Rosa Visaya, which was the old the sorry new one of the old School 1 and now we’re going to. My pick for this one. I’m going to come right out and say that I went down a list of anime that I saw was like, oh, this one was really oh, so totally caught. Oh, I’ve never seen that one. I’m gonna pick that one. Yay. That’s my pick. And now, boy. Perhaps mayhap I should have read just anything about the. I know, right? It’s just just a casual glance across what was going on, but also. Perfect. Like it’s it’s it’s it’s anime, this is what you’re getting from this look. JIll Big deal. Speaker Hmm. JIll This is a classic piece of cinema and I’m glad that you’ve watched it. Deon and quinny. I’m glad to hear that you have also watched it, thinking you had seen it before, but you had it. Dion Yeah. Speaker 4 Hmm. Quinny I I yeah. No. Well, and if I have, I had watched it in such a way that I clearly wasn’t paying enough attention to it. Like there were parts of it that I’m like, ****, this is really familiar, like and. And I was thinking, OK, I’m pretty sure I must have watched this in some capacity at some point. But. Had no ******* clue. Yeah, I was watching until you watch it as an adult with the full ******* awareness. Cause this, this this came out in 1997, yeah. Speaker Way. Yeah. Quinny Which is. A long time ago. Dion Yeah. Yes, there was a lot going on in that time and it was, it was before the turn of the Millennium. There you go. It’s pre millennials. Quinny I was probably, I thought about it. I reckon I would have seen this as a part of the University of Tasmania Anime Society. Ohh yeah. JIll You’re in a uni anime club. Nice. Quinny I was 100% in a uni anime. Dion Club, were you the President of such club or the treasurer of such club or the the person that they don’t allow anymore into such clubs? Quinny I go along. Ohh, they don’t allow me, that’s for sure. But the president was our good friend, Bruce Moyle, which is How I Met Bruce. Speaker Yeah. Quinny Yeah. Yeah. So Bruce was running the the Utahs Anime society, and I’m pretty sure that at some point in time during the first couple of years of uni, he got to do a screening of perfect blue. Now whether it was with thanks like like whether it was working with madmen. No. JIll Yeah, Mad Men. Quinny Was it was madman around in 97. Dion I don’t.
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