Source: GKIDS

Special Thanks to Rae D'Agnillo

 

GKIDS, the acclaimed producer and distributor of award-winning animation from around the world, announced out of their panel at Anime NYC that it is bringing PERFECT BLUE (パーフェクトブルー, Pāfekuto Burū, 1997), the legendary first film from the late auteur director Satoshi Kon to cinemas nationwide in a gorgeous new 4K restoration. PERFECT BLUE comes to cinemas nationwide starting October 3, 2025.

PERFECT BLUE is the debut feature from the legendary director Satoshi Kon (PAPRIKA, MILLENIUM ACTRESS, TOKYO GODFATHERS). The groundbreaking feature is singular in its impact throughout the film world at large, and its influence can still be felt today. PERFECT BLUE has been hailed as one of the best animated features of all time and is only one of a handful of projects the late Satoshi Kon directed before his passing in 2010. The shocking debut feature remains relevant to this day, with a prescient vision of shattered identities

formed by living in the public eye in an online world. Kon’s bold view on how technology and media can mold and distort our own perceptions of ourselves has only grown more haunting with time.

 

SYNOPSIS

“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...

Perfect Blue marks the directorial debut of Satoshi Kon, who fascinated audiences around the world with PAPRIKA, MILLENNIUM ACTRESS, and TOKYO GODFATHERS. Hailed as the first animated film to feature an authentic psychological suspense story, this film was acclaimed at international film festivals and was released in theaters in Japan in 1998. Blending a play within a play, the story unfolds as fiction and reality, dreams and delusions, and cyberspace intertwine—like an optical illusion.

About GKIDS

GKIDS is the Academy Award-winning producer and distributor of artist-driven and award-winning animation from around the world. After an astounding 13 Best Animated Feature nominations, the company took home the Oscar in 2024 for Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli’s acclaimed feature, THE BOY AND THE HERON. The company’s previous nominations include THE SECRET OF KELLS in 2010, A CAT IN PARIS and CHICO & RITA in 2012, ERNEST & CELESTINE in 2014, THE TALE OF THE PRINCESS KAGUYA and SONG OF THE SEA in 2015, BOY AND THE WORLD and WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE in 2016, MY LIFE AS A ZUCCHINI in 2017, THE BREADWINNER in 2018, MIRAI in 2019, WOLFWALKERS in 2021, and THE BOY AND THE HERON in 2024.

For more than a decade, GKIDS’ influence on cinema has redefined the perception of animation as an artistic medium on par with live-action film through its stewardship of the Studio Ghibli catalog and by introducing American audiences to the critically-acclaimed films of other master filmmakers from around the world such as Mamoru Hosoda (MIRAI, BELLE), Tomm Moore (THE SECRET OF KELLS, WOLFWALKERS), Benjamin Renner (ERNEST & CELESTINE), Makoto Shinkai (WEATHERING WITH YOU), Nora Twomey (THE BREADWINNER), Alberto Vázquez (UNICORN WARS) and Masaaki Yuasa (INU-OH, THE NIGHT IS SHORT, WALK ON GIRL), among countless others. Also, GKIDS is the founder and host of ANIMATION IS FILM, the annual LA-based film festival which embraces the highest aspirations of animation as a cinematic art form, and is a vocal advocate for filmmakers who push the boundaries of the medium to its fullest range of artistic expressions.

 

About MBS

Mainichi Broadcasting System, Inc., (MBS) is known as a pioneer in the Japanese broadcasting industry. Tracing back through history, MBS was one of the first commercial radio stations in Japan, starting its first radio broadcasts in 1951 and later beginning terrestrial television broadcasting in 1959. MBS has its head office in Osaka, which is the business center of Kansai, the western part of Japan, with new emerging businesses and innovative ideas. For anime, MBS has been co-producing and broadcasting for more than half a century. The broadcaster is the TV home to numerous global hit anime franchises like ATTACK ON TITAN, FULL METAL ALCHEMIST and JUJUTSU KAISEN. In addition to co-producing those and many other series, MBS was a co-producer of AKIRA, seen as one of the most influential anime films of all time. | Website

 

About Science SARU

Science SARU is an animation production company committed to nurturing new talent and implementing cutting-edge creative technology; the company has produced projects across different mediums, including for television, film, and streaming. Some of Science SARU’s best-known works include LU OVER THE WALl, DEVILMAN crybaby, KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF EIZOUKEN!, INU-OH, and THE COLORS WITHIN, among others. Science SARU’s future releases include the TV anime series SANDA, planned for broadcast in fall 2025, and THE GHOST IN THE SHELL, planned for broadcast in 2026. | Website