Aside from CHAM’s split fanbase, Mima’s manager and confidante Rumi Hadaka ( Rika Matsumoto ) negotiates between disapproval and accommodation. Everyone around Mima has reservations about her career switch. Mima, who has spent years training to be someone else, is now undergoing a second transformation. Uchida is not the only character with a weakening grip on reality in Perfect Blue. Uchida represents the minority, those being the extreme otaku who devote their lives to their interest and have trouble separating fact from fiction. Kon, on the other hand, understands otaku are not a monolith he depicts a great deal of passionate yet fairly well-adjusted fans in Perfect Blue. His high-profile case caused a Japanese moral panic regarding anime and manga in the nineties.
#Hunter x hunter 2011 english sub episode 77 serial
Serial killer Tsutomu Miyazaki, dubbed the “Otaku Murderer” by the media, had a lot to do with those ill feelings.
Here it has simply become a term of endearment among anime fans, but parts of Japanese society still have a negative perception of this large subculture. The word is not used as lightly in Japan as it is in the West, though. This can include anime, music, and video games. In its original context, the term otaku applies to any person obsessed with a facet of pop culture. Of course once that artificial persona is revealed or stripped away, fans like Uchida are not always going to react rationally. When explaining why some people are more susceptible to idol fanaticism than others, the authors call these entertainers an “ideal construct” or a “‘mirror’ reflection.” The idol business incidentally encourages these fantasies by designing alluring yet unrealistic images for their “products.” Single, chaste, and attainable are only some of the ways these young men and women are presented, all in an effort to attract consumer-fans and keep them coming back. Karlin analyze both the popular idol ( aidoru ) industry and its influence on society in their book, Idols and Celebrity in Japanese Media Culture. Even his first name means “protect” in Japanese. CHAM’s own Kingburgs must be dealt with, though, and the apparent defender is the group’s security guard and Mima’s most devout fan, Mamoru Uchida ( Masaaki Ōkura ). Mima’s ability to evade the projectiles and ignore the din, all the while never missing a beat of the choreography, points to this not being an isolated incident. Meanwhile, several hecklers hurl soda cans on stage and shout disruptively. Idol Mima (voiced by Junko Iwao ) and her bandmates dance in front of a crowd made up exclusively of men. The relevance of this minor production is echoed in CHAM’s performance. An outdoor tokusatsu stage show has three suited performers scaring away their opponent Kingburg’s offense is causing a disturbance in the online community. The overarching theme of Perfect Blue is already underway within the first minute.
What might seem like a lateral move was more of an opportunity to bring out the emotional innards of the victim, as well as accentuate how her specific industry blurs the line between fantasy and reality. Takeuchi conceived a disturbing but straightforward tale of stalker horror, whereas Kon specifically wanted to make a psychological thriller. Of all the changes, the biggest was the genre switch. Things left untouched were the setting and Mima Kirigoe’s occupational hazard. Much of what viewers see in the 1997 film is the work of Kon and screenwriter Sadayuki Murai rather than a faithful adaptation of Yoshikazu Takeuchi ’s light novel. Kon’s Perfect Blue has little in common with its source material. At that point the director had already made Perfect Blue under the assumption it would not be seen by the general public, so it was unclear how everyone would respond to the film’s incredibly dark portrayal of Japan’s entertainment business. To his surprise, the project was rescheduled for theaters. Satoshi Kon thought he was making a mere straight-to-video release when he began production on Perfect Blue.