Perfect Blue
“"excuse me... who are you?"”
Rising pop star Mima Kirigoe quits singing to pursue a career as an actress. After she takes up a role on a popular detective show, her handlers and collaborators begin turning up murdered. Harboring feelings of guilt and haunted by visions of her former self, Mima's reality and fantasy meld into a frenzied paranoia.
Your rating
Your review
Cast
31 people
Junko Iwao
Mima Kirigoe (voice)
Known for
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Cardcaptor Sakura
Rica Matsumoto
Rumi (voice)
Known for
Pokémon
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters
Shinpachi Tsuji
Tadokoro (voice)
Known for
Fairy Tail
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Masaaki Okura
Uchida (voice)
Known for
Akira
Fatal Fury 2: The New Battle
Yosuke Akimoto
Tejima (voice)
Known for
Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out!
Blade of the Immortal
Masaaki Ôkura
Uchida
Yoku Shioya
Shibuya (voice)
Known for
Slam Dunk
Rurouni Kenshin
Hideyuki Hori
Sakuragi (voice)
Known for
Dragon Ball Z
Saint Seiya
Emi Shinohara
Eri Ochiai (voice)
Known for
Naruto Shippūden
Fighting Spirit
Masashi Ebara
Murano (voice)
Known for
Naruto Shippūden
Fullmetal Alchemist
Kiyoyuki Yanada
Kantoku (voice)
Known for
Fighting Spirit
Slam Dunk
Toru Furusawa
Yada (voice)
Known for
TRIGUN
Cyborg Kuro-chan
Satoshi Kon Director · Sadayuki Murai Screenplay Yoshikazu Takeuchi Author
Worldwide gross $2.7M · Budget $830K · United States release August 20, 1999
Box office
Budget
$830,442
Worldwide gross
$2,743,097
Gross vs. budget
3.3×
Production
Madhouse
Production
Rex Entertainment
Production
Kotobuki Seihan Printing
Production
Asahi Broadcasting Corporation
Production
Fangs
Production
ONIRO
Production
Tokyo Laboratory
Production
Japan
Produced in
Languages
Original language
Japanese
Spoken on screen
Japanese
Release dates
Canada · August 5, 1997
Premiere · Fantasia International Film Festival
Japan · February 28, 1998
Theatrical
United States · August 20, 1999
Theatrical
United States · December 6, 2005
Physical · UMD
United States
December 10, 2007 · TV · Starz Encore
March 26, 2019 · Physical · Blu-ray
September 6, 2020 · Theatrical · 20th anniversary re-release
September 21, 2021 · Physical · Steelbook (Blu-ray + DVD)
September 6, 2022 · Digital · Shudder
September 6, 2023 · Limited theatrical · 25th anniversary Anime Expo Cinema Nights re-release
October 3, 2025 · Theatrical · 4K restoration
December 1, 2025 · Digital · HBO Max
December 23, 2025 · Physical · 4K Collector's Edition
American Samoa
November 30, 2025 · Digital · HBO Max
Argentina
November 13, 2025 · Limited theatrical · 4K Restoration
Australia
June 2, 2001 · Theatrical
April 12, 2008 · TV · SBS
Belgium
February 28, 1998 · Limited theatrical
October 9, 2002 · Premiere · Gent International Film Festival
November 19, 2016 · Premiere · Kuma Anime Film Festival
Canada
April 26, 2003 · Premiere · Waterloo Festival for Animated Cinema
September 6, 2022 · Digital · Shudder
October 3, 2025 · Limited theatrical · 4K Restoration
China
April 18, 2024 · Premiere · Beijing International Film Festival (4K restoration)
June 17, 2024 · Premiere · Shanghai International Film Festival (4K restoration)
Czechia
December 3, 2005 · Premiere · Filmasia Film Festival
Estonia
April 3, 2009 · Premiere · Japanese Anime Festival
Finland
February 28, 1998 · Theatrical
September 19, 1998 · Premiere · Helsinki International Film Festival
July 25, 2025 · Limited theatrical · 4K Restoration
France
September 8, 1999 · Theatrical
June 7, 2001 · TV · Canal + (Nuit manga)
March 20, 2003 · Physical · DVD
May 24, 2017 · Physical · Blu-ray
June 12, 2017 · Premiere · Annecy International Animation Film Festival
May 9, 2018 · Theatrical · Re-release
April 13, 2019 · Digital
September 3, 2020 · Digital · Anime Digital Network
Germany
February 16, 1998 · Premiere · Berlin International Film Festival
April 15, 2000 · Premiere · Nippon Connection Film Festival
July 6, 2000 · Theatrical
July 1, 2016 · Physical · Blu-ray
January 26, 2018 · Physical · Blu-ray
March 22, 2024 · Physical · Blu-ray
May 26, 2026 · Theatrical · Re-release
Guam
December 1, 2025 · Digital · HBO Max
Hong Kong SAR China
August 18, 2021 · Premiere · Summer International Film Festival (restored version)
August 18, 2021 · Theatrical
January 13, 2023 · Physical · Blu-ray
January 11, 2024 · Limited theatrical · 4K Restoration
Hungary
July 17, 2008 · Theatrical
Indonesia
December 1, 2023 · Premiere · Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival
Ireland
May 21, 1999 · Theatrical
Italy
April 22, 2024 · Limited theatrical · 4K Restoration
Japan
February 29, 2008 · Physical · Blu-ray
September 15, 2023 · Limited theatrical · 4K Restoration
Mexico
October 30, 1998 · Theatrical
October 5, 2022 · Limited theatrical · Cultura UNAM
Netherlands
September 3, 2020 · Digital
May 22, 2025 · Premiere · Framed Animation Film Festival
Northern Mariana Islands
December 1, 2025 · Digital · HBO Max
Poland
August 6, 2025 · Premiere · Octopus Film Festival
Puerto Rico
March 26, 2019 · Physical · Blu-ray
September 21, 2021 · Physical · Steelbook (Blu-ray + DVD)
September 6, 2022 · Digital · Shudder
November 6, 2025 · Limited theatrical · 4K Restoration
December 1, 2025 · Digital · HBO Max
Singapore
March 26, 2019 · Physical
South Korea
August 30, 1997 · Premiere · Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival
May 26, 2004 · Theatrical
September 11, 2025 · Theatrical · Re-release
Spain
November 6, 1998 · Theatrical
Sweden
February 6, 1998 · Premiere · Göteborg Film Festival
February 28, 1998 · Theatrical
Taiwan
November 21, 1999 · Premiere · Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival
June 11, 2009 · Physical · DVD
November 11, 2010 · Physical · Blu-ray
July 17, 2020 · Theatrical · Digitally remastered
May 17, 2024 · Limited theatrical · 4K Restoration
Thailand
December 16, 2023 · Limited theatrical · 4K restoration
March 14, 2024 · Limited theatrical
March 14, 2024 · Theatrical
U.S. Virgin Islands
September 6, 2022 · Digital · Shudder
December 1, 2025 · Digital · HBO Max
United Kingdom
May 27, 1999 · Theatrical
November 4, 1999 · Physical · VHS
July 31, 2000 · Physical · DVD
November 27, 2013 · Physical · Blu-ray + DVD Collector’s Edition
February 2, 2015 · Physical · Blu-ray
August 22, 2016 · Physical · Blu-ray
October 27, 2017 · Theatrical · 20th Anniversary re-release
April 29, 2019 · Physical · Blu-ray + DVD + CD Ultimate Edition
October 10, 2025 · Limited theatrical · 4k Restoration
December 8, 2025 · Physical · 4k Ultra HD Blu-ray + Blu-ray Deluxe Edition
December 20, 2025 · Digital
More from Satoshi Kon
Other films they directed, best known first.
If you liked Perfect Blue
Picks that share its genres, themes, cast and crew.
Some details come from TheTVDB.