Perfect Blue (パーフェクトブルー, Pāfekuto Burū) is a 1997 theatrical anime film loosely based on Yoshikazu Takeuchi’s novel Perfect Blue: Complete Metamorphosis. The film was animated by studio Madhouse, and the staff credits include director and character designer Satoshi Kon, screenplay writer Sadayuki Murai, original character designer Hisashi Eguchi, character designer Hideki Hamasu, and music composed by Masahiro Ikumi. The film theatrically released in Japan on February 1998, though it was first screened at Fantasia International Film Festival in August 1997.
Disclaimer: This unboxing features visual designs and artwork that are that are not suitable for work.
Background:
““Who are…you?”
Mima Kirigoe, a former pop idol, makes a bold transition into acting, taking on a role in a drama that includes a disturbing assault scene, and even releasing a provocative nude photo book. Her dramatic reinvention grabs public attention, but also provokes unease among her fans, her manager, and even herself as she struggles with the rapid shift from her days as a pop idol. As a stalker begins to shadow her, a screenwriter and a photographer are murdered one after another. “Did I kill them?” Mima begins to wonder if a split personality is gradually taking over, just like the character that she plays in the drama. Then “the other Mima” the pop idol who was supposed to have “graduated,” appears in front of her…”
Plot Synopsis via Anime Limited, December 2025.
We’re almost at thirty years since Perfect Blue was first made by Satoshi Kon and the folks at Madhouse. The psychological thriller classic was one of the few that broke mainstream back in the 90s alongside Akira, Ghost in the Shell and Ninja Scroll and for UK distributor Manga Entertainment it was a hit amongst the fans. The director’s other works; Millennium Actress, Paranoia Agent, Tokyo Godfathers and Paprika, were not as huge as Perfect Blue but still gained a good amount of attention. I’ve seen almost all of his works (Paranoia Agent being the only one remaining) and really enjoyed each of them.
Millennium Actress I watched for the first time via Anime Limited’s 4K Ultra HD SDR release and it looked great, so it’s going to be interesting to see Perfect Blue in 4K this time around, especially given the amount of re-releases the film has had. This is one of Anime Limited’s first licenses for their company and at this point is probably their most re-released title to date.
In 2013, they released a collector’s edition Blu-ray using the only existing master available for high definition quality, which is how I first watched the film. In 2016, the film was re-released as a steelbook. Then in 2019, they teamed up with MediaOCD (the authoring company behind Discotek Media’s releases and also the recent AnimEigo releases) to release a new version of the film to improve its visual quality.
And now we’re in 2025 with a brand new 4K restoration that was released in Japan a year prior. North American distributor GKIDS was the first to reveal plans to bring this over to theatres and UK distributor Anime Limited followed suit later down the line.
Admittedly it has been 12 years since I last watched Perfect Blue and I didn’t get around to watching the 2019 version of the film, but I recall that particular authoring was not as well received due to essentially using the same master and removing grain, though that ultimate edition packaging and contents are among one of my favourite anime releases in general. I did really enjoy the film especially the animation and music score and I look forward to revisiting the film via the new 4K release. I’m also aware of its influences, with the most notable being director Darren Aronofsky taking inspiration and homage from the anime for his films Requiem for a Dream and Black Swan.
Deluxe Edition Contents:
This is literally the fifth release for Perfect Blue after putting out a collector’s edition, standard edition, steelbook edition and ultimate edition. The only edition left to give this release a name is the deluxe edition, though the North American release by GKIDS, which is pretty much the same set as this (like their previous collaborations including PROMARE), will be called a collector’s edition.
The deluxe edition release is presented with a rigid box, a Amaray case (not a 4K case for whatever reason) housing the discs, a 132-page book, ten art cards and a replica quad poster. The artbook includes character designs, concept artwork, and an introductory talk about the film between director Satoshi Kon and Ms Luna Nagai.
The rigid box artwork is free of any information or BBFC content and the info sheet covers the information and specification like previous Anime Limited releases. The deluxe edition 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray combo pack has an unspecified number of units printed (but is expected to be the usual 1000 run) for an SRP of £79.99. A standard edition is not available at the time of this write-up but should appear a couple months later down the line (or sooner once this edition sells out).
I pre-ordered the film on its own during Anime Limited’s early bird offer last October for £49.99 (£44.99 with the 10% off Anime Unlimited discount) plus £3.50 postage.
Physical Contents:
- Rigid Box with clean artwork
- Amaray case packaging
- Info sheet for specification and BBFC description
- 132-page Book
- 10 Art Cards
- A 101.6 x 76.2cm replica quad poster
On-Disc Contents:
Distributor: Anime Limited
Released: 8th December 2025
The deluxe edition 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray release for Perfect Blue contains the film on a single 4K Ultra HD disc and single Blu-ray disc plus an additional Blu-ray disc with more bonus features. This is a bit of a weird release.
On the 4K Ultra HD disc, we have the film presented in 4K using the new restoration and in Standard Dynamic Range (SDR). The disc was authored and encoded by VDMS and includes the original Japanese audio with English subtitles and the Animaze English dub commissioned by Manga Entertainment. Even though GKIDS’s logo is on the 4K Ultra HD disc, there’s no support for English Hard of Hearing subtitles. The white subtitles are locked during playback.
The main feature Blu-ray disc on the other hand, is the exact same disc included in the April 2019 Ultimate Edition UK release (& GKIDS release), which was authored and encoded by MediaOCD. While it won’t be using the 4K restoration, it does include optional English SDH subtitles as well as the Standard Definition version of the film which you can watch in either Japanese or English. The white subtitles (and coloured subtitles for lyrics) are unlockable during playback.
New to the English Blu-ray releases are three Satoshi Kon lectures included on the bonus Blu-ray disc, which was authored and encoded by VDMS. This is available in the original Japanese audio with English subtitles.
The 4K Ultra HD disc is playable to 4K players of any region, and the Blu-ray disc is region locked to players set to B.
4K Ultra HD Specs (Main Feature Film):
| Languages | Japanese, English |
| Audio | Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 |
| Video | 2160p Ultra High Definition format 1.85:1 aspect ratio SDR |
| Region | All Region |
| Subtitles | English |
| Locked Subtitles | Yes |
| Discs | 1 BD-66 |
Blu-ray Specs (Main Feature Film + Extras):
| Languages | Japanese, English |
| Audio | Main Feature Film (2019 master): Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 (Mono) English Dolby Digital 5.1 Main Feature Film (Original SD Transfer): Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1 English Dolby Digital 5.1 Bonus Blu-ray Disc: Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 |
| Video | Main Feature Film (2019 master) & Bonus Blu-ray Disc: 1080p High Definition format 1.85:1 aspect ratio Main Feature Film (Original SD Transfer): 480p Standard Definition format 1.33:1 aspect ratio |
| Region | Main Feature Film Disc: B (Panasonic Menu Method also works) Bonus Blu-ray Disc: AB |
| Subtitles | English, English SDH |
| Locked Subtitles | No |
| Discs | 2 (1 BD-50, 1 BD-25) |
4K Ultra HD On-Disc Extra Features:
- Promotional Video Edited by Satoshi Kon (11:35 runtime)
- Rex Logo Trailer (01:57 runtime)
- Madhouse Logo Trailer (01:55 runtime)
- GKIDS Trailer (02:27 runtime)
- Shudder Trailer (01:01 runtime)
Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:
Disc 1: Main Feature Film:
- Original SD Version (01:21:19 runtime)
- Satoshi Kon Lecture (41:10 runtime)
- English Credits (03:47 runtime)
- “Angel of Your Heart” Recording Session (04:22 runtime)
- “Angel of Your Heart” Full English Version (04:15 runtime)
- Original US/UK Trailer (01:39 runtime)
- UK Re-release Trailer (01:11 runtime)
- Japanese Trailer (01:56 runtime)
- Interviews:
- Satoshi Kon (Director) (10:45 runtime)
- Junko Iwao (Mima – Japanese VA) (05:41 runtime)
- Ruby Marlowe (Mima – English VA) (02:40 runtime)
- Wendee Lee (Rumi – English VA) (02:21 runtime)
- Bob Marx (Me-Mania – English VA) (02:00 runtime)
Disc 2: Bonus Disc:
- Satoshi Kon Lecture 1 (36:11 runtime)
- Satoshi Kon Lecture 2 (34:31 runtime)
- Satoshi Kon Lecture 3 (46:38 runtime)
Unboxing Photos:
Final Notes:
Perfect Blue is available to purchase on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray by Anime Limited in the UK & Ireland.
The deluxe edition release is 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray combo pack release is available to order from AllTheAnime Store, Amazon UK, HMV and Zavvi.
(Disclaimer: Amazon links are also included when available. They are affiliated so if you decide to order them, I’ll earn a small percentage if they ship which will help me with any hauls or small bills.)
The Normanic Vault 
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