Perfect Blue

Name: Perfect Blue
Genre: Animation, Thriller
Released: 1998-02-28
Duration: 1 h 22 min
Rating: 8.3
Cast: Junko Iwao, Rica Matsumoto, Shiho Niiyama, Masaaki Okura, Shinpachi Tsuji

1998·Movie·R·82 min·★ 8.3(3,216)

Animation Thriller More Japanese titles

“"excuse me... who are you?"”

Rising pop star Mima 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.

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Where to watch Perfect Blue in United States

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Click a service to open Perfect Blue there. Availability last verified on June 20, 2026.

Where is Perfect Blue streaming around the world?

Country	Streaming on	Rent / Buy
United States	HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, HBO Max	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies
United Kingdom	—	Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, Sky Store
Canada	—	Apple TV Store, CosmoGo
Australia	Crunchyroll Amazon Channel	—
Germany	—	Amazon Video, maxdome Store, Freenet meinVOD
France	Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel	—
Spain	—	Amazon Video
Japan	Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, U-NEXT	Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
South Korea	Netflix, Watcha, Netflix Standard with Ads, TVING	—

About Perfect Blue

Perfect Blue is a 1998 Japanese-language animation and thriller film directed by Satoshi Kon. The cast is led by Junko Iwao, Rica Matsumoto, Shiho Niiyama. It has a runtime of 1h 22m. Viewers rate it 8.3/10 across 3200 ratings. In United States, it is currently streaming on HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, HBO Max.

Perfect Blue was produced by Madhouse, Rex Entertainment, and Kotobuki Seihan Printing and made in Japan. It was released on February 28, 1998, and carries a R certification. Made on a budget of about $3 million, it went on to gross $3 million worldwide.

Director: Satoshi Kon
Writers: Sadayuki Murai
Release date: February 28, 1998
OTT release: December 1, 2025
Original language: Japanese
Age rating: R
Status: Released
Country: Japan
Budget: $3 million
Box office: $3 million
Production: Madhouse, Rex Entertainment, Kotobuki Seihan Printing

#career#based on novel or book#paranoia#stalker#celebrity#singer#fame#female protagonist#psychological thriller#mental illness#madness#split personality#adult animation#j-pop

Perfect Blue cast & crew

Perfect Blue was directed by Satoshi Kon and written by Sadayuki Murai.

The cast features Junko Iwao as Mima Kirigoe (voice), Rica Matsumoto as Rumi (voice), Shiho Niiyama as Rei (voice), Masaaki Okura as Mamoru Uchida (voice), Shinpachi Tsuji as Tadokoro (voice), and Emiko Furukawa as Yukiko (voice).

Behind the camera, the score was composed by Masahiro Ikumi, cinematography is by Hisao Shirai, and it was produced by Hiroaki Inoue and Yoshihisa Ishihara.

Is Perfect Blue worth watching?

Perfect Blue holds an audience score of 8.3/10 from 3,216 ratings, ranking it among the most acclaimed animation films.

At 1h 22m, it's an easy, time-light watch.

If you enjoy animation and thriller, Perfect Blue is worth a place on your watchlist.

How and where to watch Perfect Blue

In United States, you can stream Perfect Blue on HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, and HBO Max, or rent and buy it on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, and YouTube. Click any service above to open it directly.

It first became available to stream digitally on December 1, 2025.

Streaming rights change country by country and month by month, so the options above reflect United States today — switch your country at the top of the where-to-watch section to see availability elsewhere.