Perfect Blue’s Monsters Look Just Like Us
The dark side of celebrity demonstrates how little has changed in the entertainment industry.
“Nobody cares for you anymore. You’re tarnished and you’re filthy” says Mima’s Ghost in Perfect Blue. The animated movie Perfect Blue, directed by Satoshi Kon, follows girl group idol turned actress Mima Kirigae. The film’s exploration of the dark side of celebrity demonstrates how little has changed in the entertainment industry, especially when people take advantage of systemic power imbalances.
After leaving her squeaky-clean idol image, Mima’s first role as an actress was as a prostitute with a rape scene. While she initially embraced the role, there is a lot of ambiguity surrounding Mima’s consent once filming actually started, though she ultimately went through with the scene. During filming, the crew ogled her, similar to the fans she had as an idol.
In addition, the director completely disregarded her feelings and opinions. The trauma of filming, coupled with negative backlash from her fans, a creepy stalker, and a negative online impersonator leads to what can be construed as a mental break. Mima is unable to distinguish her professional persona from her actual life.
There are so many parallels between fiction and our current reality. It’s important that while comparing this narrative to current events, to keep in mind that this movie is set in a different country with different cultural norms, though there is some overlap. Mima is a new actor, and relatively young, so she doesn’t have the same kind of leverage she might have had as an idol member. Similarly, she was ascribed a virginal role as an idol and accepted a role in the completely opposite direction as an actress. We can see a parallel when looking at child actors, especially from Disney. Regardless, Mima is in a position where she is unable to stand up for herself and is consequently belittled and harassed by the filming crew.
There are two separate rape instances: one as a rape scene in a film, the other as a rape attempt in Mima’s reality. To clarify, the movie doesn’t revolve around rape, though the necessity of its presence can be contested. Despite this, the movie does explore the long-lasting effects as well as the violent nature of the act itself.
The constant objectification of Mima demonstrates how not only men feel sexually entitled, but all of her fans feel entitled to dictate the decisions she makes in her life. We can see a parallel today in fans feeling entitled to knowing a celebrity’s sexuality or the person they are dating. The advent of social media coupled with the nature of celebrity causes a breakdown between an actor’s autonomy and an actor as a marketable product. We run the risk of forgetting that actors have their own beliefs and flaws in the process of commodifying them.
Another interesting approach the movie takes is by examining the relationship between Mima and her female manager. Because, spoiler alert, Mima’s manager was pretending to be the ghost of Mima’s idol self. This “ghost” was protesting Mima’s new promiscuity online.
The film demonstrates how online commenters can be anyone as well as how women can often be another woman’s greatest opposition. This female opposition is extremely toxic as the myths surrounding female sexuality become ingrained and upheld by the very people they oppress. Having Mima’s only confidante betray her is a great plot twist because it’s believable and we see that same betrayal repeat on a larger scale.
The manager’s impersonation of Mima online similarly reflects some of social media’s shortcomings. In addition to unflattering celebrity impersonators and haters, there is the nature of the social media profile itself that can become an issue. Social media isn’t reflective of reality, which can further skew an audience’s expectations of a person. Increased accessibility, in turn, to a celebrity can lead to real-world consequences such as stalking. And of course, an online persona can get out of hand for the real-world person behind the account. Or rather, the profile can seem like an entirely different person from the celebrity. All of these factors compounded lead to a damaging relationship between a celebrity and their fans, as well as unrealistic expectations for a celebrity which can cause serious mental health issues.
Perfect Blue is a piece of media that only grows more relevant as it ages. Through the lens of its narrative, we can examine not only the #MeToo movement but also America’s toxic relationship with celebrity and fame.
