The new 4K restoration of influential anime film Perfect Blue will be available to rent exclusively from Letterboxd Video Store tomorrow, February 27.
The 1997 Japanese animated psychological horror thriller is directed by Satoshi Kon and written by Sadayuki Murai, based on the novel by Yoshikazu Takeuchi.
“Following rumors that the original 35mm camera negative was accidentally destroyed, the Letterboxd exclusive premiere of the picture’s 4K restoration is nothing short of a miracle,” Letterboxd writes. “The film was originally conceived as a live-action feature — but there’s something so deeply intoxicating about these visuals that it’s impossible to imagine it any other way.”
Rising pop star Mima has quit singing to pursue a career as an actress and model, but her fans aren’t ready to see her go. Encouraged by her managers, Mima takes on a recurring role on a popular TV show, when suddenly 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. As her stalker closes in, in person and online, the threat he poses is more real than even Mima knows.
Junko Iwao, Rica Matsumoto, and Shiho Niiyama lead the Japanese voice cast, while the English dub features Ruby Marlowe and Wendee Lee.
The Perfect Blue 4K restoration is also available on collector’s edition 4K UHD + Blu-ray via GKIDS.