Perfect Blue
Mima leaves the idol group CHAM, in order to pursue her dream as an actress. Mima climbs up the rocky road to success by performing as rape victims and posing nude for magazines, but is haunted by her reflections of the past.
The film financial setback against its modest budget of $3.0M, earning $684K globally (-77% loss). While initial box office returns were modest, the film has gained appreciation for its unconventional structure within the animation genre.
3 wins & 3 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Perfect Blue (1997) demonstrates carefully calibrated story structure, characteristic of Satoshi Kon's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 22 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.4, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Mima Kirigoe
Rumi
Me-Mania
Tadokoro
Shibuya
Main Cast & Characters
Mima Kirigoe
Played by Junko Iwao
A pop idol who leaves her group CHAM! to pursue an acting career, only to experience a terrifying psychological breakdown as reality and delusion blur together.
Rumi
Played by Rica Matsumoto
Mima's devoted manager and former idol who obsessively protects Mima's pure image, ultimately revealing a dangerous split personality.
Me-Mania
Played by Masaaki Okura
An obsessive stalker fan who believes he is connected to the "real" Mima and commits violent acts to protect her idol persona.
Tadokoro
Played by Shinpachi Tsuji
Mima's level-headed talent agent who supports her career transition while navigating the dangerous entertainment industry.
Shibuya
Played by Emiko Furukawa
The screenwriter of Double Bind who pushes Mima into increasingly provocative and psychologically demanding scenes.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Mima performs with CHAM! as a pop idol, bathed in adoring fans' love. She is defined by her public persona, innocent and controlled.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 10 minutes when Mima announces her retirement from CHAM! at final concert. A fan screams "traitor!" The protective shell of her idol identity begins to crack.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 20 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This demonstrates the protagonist's commitment to Mima chooses to film a rape scene for the TV drama "Double Bind," shattering her innocent idol image. This is her active choice to cross into a darker world., moving from reaction to action.
At 42 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 51% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat Photographer Murano is murdered. Mima wakes covered in blood with no memory. False defeat: she appears to be the killer, but reality is uncertain. Stakes escalate dramatically., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 62 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Tadokoro is murdered, Mima finds him. She completely loses grip on reality, unable to distinguish between her life and Double Bind. "Whiff of death" - her old self is dead., indicates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 68 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 83% of the runtime. Revelation: Rumi, her former manager, has assumed Mima's idol identity and is the true killer. Mima sees clearly for the first time - understanding who she actually is versus who others want her to be., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Perfect Blue's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping Perfect Blue against these established plot points, we can identify how Satoshi Kon utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Perfect Blue within the animation genre.
Satoshi Kon's Structural Approach
Among the 2 Satoshi Kon films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.5, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Perfect Blue takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Satoshi Kon filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional animation films include The Bad Guys, Puss in Boots and Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll. For more Satoshi Kon analyses, see Paprika.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Mima performs with CHAM! as a pop idol, bathed in adoring fans' love. She is defined by her public persona, innocent and controlled.
Theme
Manager/agent discusses the cost of reinvention: "You can't stay a pop idol forever." The theme of identity and transformation is introduced.
Worldbuilding
Establishes Mima's world as CHAM! idol, her managers Rumi and Tadokoro, obsessive fan culture, and the decision to transition to acting. Sets up her fragile sense of self.
Disruption
Mima announces her retirement from CHAM! at final concert. A fan screams "traitor!" The protective shell of her idol identity begins to crack.
Resistance
Mima struggles with her new acting career, minor TV roles, and discovering an obsessive website "Mima's Room" that claims to be her diary. Rumi guides her but seems conflicted.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Mima chooses to film a rape scene for the TV drama "Double Bind," shattering her innocent idol image. This is her active choice to cross into a darker world.
Mirror World
Mima begins seeing her idol self as a separate entity - a hallucination of her former pop star persona who taunts her. This phantom represents her fractured identity.
Premise
Mima descends into psychological horror: reality blurs with "Double Bind" scenes, murders occur around her, she can't distinguish real from performance. The premise delivers psychological terror.
Midpoint
Photographer Murano is murdered. Mima wakes covered in blood with no memory. False defeat: she appears to be the killer, but reality is uncertain. Stakes escalate dramatically.
Opposition
Murders continue, Mima's sanity deteriorates, "Mima's Room" website predicts events, she's stalked by fan Me-Mania. Reality fragments completely. Police investigation tightens.
Collapse
Tadokoro is murdered, Mima finds him. She completely loses grip on reality, unable to distinguish between her life and Double Bind. "Whiff of death" - her old self is dead.
Crisis
Mima confronts total psychological breakdown. Me-Mania attacks. Dark night of confusion and terror as she pieces together the truth about who is actually killing.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Revelation: Rumi, her former manager, has assumed Mima's idol identity and is the true killer. Mima sees clearly for the first time - understanding who she actually is versus who others want her to be.
Synthesis
Final confrontation with Rumi in warehouse. Mima fights for her true self, rejecting both the idol persona and the confusion. She survives, Rumi is institutionalized, believing she is Mima.
Transformation
Mima visits Rumi in psychiatric hospital, then drives away in her car. She looks in mirror and says "No, I'm real." She has claimed her authentic identity.