Perfect Blue, Satoshi Kon’s anime masterpiece, is coming to theaters in 4K

Satoshi Kon solely directed 4 films earlier than dying at age 46, however he is thought-about one of many biggest anime filmmakers of all time. And whereas his movies run the gamut from high-concept science fiction to slapstick comedy, his biggest work is arguably his directorial debut: Perfect Blue.

When you’ve by no means seen it, now we have some excellent news. Following a 4K restoration launched on Blu-ray earlier this yr, the movie is now headed to theaters throughout the U.S. by way of distributor GKIDS. Good Blue will arrive in cinemas on Oct. 3. GKIDS introduced the information throughout its Anime NYC panel on Aug. 23.

Written by Sadayuki Murai (and primarily based on the novel Perfect Blue: Complete Metamorphosis by Yoshikazu Takeuchi), Good Blue tells the story of a pop star named Mima Kirigoe who’s determined to remodel herself right into a critical dramatic actor. On the similar time, a stalker begins to pursue her. The pressures of Mima’s life finally attain a breaking level as she begins to lose her sense of actuality, all whereas a string of murders appear to comply with her profession and anybody related to it.

Whereas Good Blue and Kon’s different movies by no means discovered mainstream attraction within the U.S. in the way in which different anime films have, his affect on Western filmmakers is plain. Darren Aronofsky has been accused of ripping off Perfect Blue‘s iconic bathtub scene for his film Requiem for a Dream. (Calling it an homage is maybe a nicer strategy to body the similarities.) He is a famous fan of Kon’s work. There are additionally some clear similarities between Kon’s dream-based sci-fi thriller Paprika and Christopher Nolan’s Inception, although Nolan has by no means admitted to taking any inspiration from Paprika — and even being conscious of its existence.

However whereas loads of American films could borrow liberally from Kon’s films, nothing beats experiencing the actual factor. See for your self when the 4K model of Good Blue arrives in theaters on Oct. 3.