30 Animated Movies That Are Not for Children

The film that made Satoshi Kon’s name in the industry, Perfect Blue didn’t just establish its director but helped shift the landscape of Japanese animation, pushing psychological horror towards the mainstream.

Mima is a J-pop idol who decides to break away from her group CHAM! and move into the world of acting. Despite rising rapidly on popular TV detective series Double Bind, going from a cameo part to a central player in the storyline, chaos stalks her at every turn, as an obsessive fan makes attempts on her life and the lives of those around her.

While this would have been enough to make a compelling film (and is a pretty good reflection of Yoshikazu Takeuchi’s book, which it’s based on), Kon’s major influence on the narrative is what helped take things beyond a mere stalker-killer joint. He introduced a disappearing boundary between dreams and reality into the script, muddying the waters with a second, hallucinatory Mima who seems to be out to get herself, and winds up lending the film a thought-provoking, philosophical edge. This helped elevate Perfect Blue above its competitors and contemporaries, and has cemented the feature’s place in the canon, forming a core part of Kon’s legacy.