Perfect Blue Officially Lands On HBO Max

27 Years Later, the Greatest Anime Movie Ever Is Now Streaming on HBO Max

HBO Max Logo over streaming movies and series

By Evan D. Mullicane Published 16 minutes ago Evan Mullicane is the senior editor and founder of Screen Rant's anime section. Having started as a writer for the Comics Team at the beginning of the Pandemic, Evan was swiftly promoted from writer to editor, and then from editor to lead of Screen Rant's newly established anime vertical. Throughout his time with Screen Rant, Evan has made a handful of appearances at conventions such as Anime Expo and San Diego Comic-Con, and has interviewed some of the biggest names in Anime and Comics history. In addition to editing anime and manga articles for Screen Rant, Evan is also a science fiction and fantasy author. In 2018 and 2019, his short story "The Demon's Mother" won honorable mentions from the Writers of the Future contest. You can find Evan on Twitter @EvanDM and BlueSky @evandmu.bsky.socia Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Apart from the (almost) complete library of Ghibli movies and a few Adult Swim series, HBO Max isn't known for its deep catalog of anime films. This is why fans were so surprised to learn that an underrated anime masterpiece has come to the service, and it's available to stream now.

HBO Max had announced plans to expand its anime offerings back in August, and that includes some truly standout films. Your Name, The Place Promised in Our Early Days, and Angel's Egg were a few standout films coming to the service.

The crown jewel in HBO Max's anime crown, however, is Satoshi Kon's forward-thinking masterpiece, Perfect Blue. Now that it's available on HBO Max, anime fans have the perfect opportunity to watch one of the most devastating and tense anime films ever made.

Perfect Blue Is Anime's Greatest Thriller Of All Time

Mima covered in blood from Perfect Blue

Animated by Studio Madhouse and based on the novel Perfect Blue: Complete Metamorphosis by Yoshikazu Takeuchi, Perfect Blue is a masterclass in psychological horror.

The film follows an idol named Mima who, after splitting from her idol group to pursue a career in acting, is faced with a stalker. As increasingly brutal murders occur in Mima's orbit, the lines between reality and fiction blur, threatening Mima's sanity and her perception of self.

Perfect Blue is an absolutely brutal deconstruction of idol culture. Though the movie was mostly well-received upon release, Perfect Blue and Satoshi Kon have since become incredibly influential.

There is strong evidence that the award-winning director Darren Aronofsky drew inspiration from Perfect Blue for a famous scene in Requiem for a Dream. Although the director denies that Kon's film influenced Black Swan, it is difficult to ignore the similarities in plot and theme.

Additionally, scenes from the film were used as the backdrop to a Madonna tour in 2001.

Perfect Blue is More Relevant in 2025 Than it Was in 1997

Mima Kirigoe lying on the ground in Perfect Blue.

What makes Perfect Blue rank among the best anime films of all time is just how prescient the film was. While Perfect Blue's themes of public perception breaking someone's sense of self were relevant when the film originally released, they've only grown more important now.

The omnipresence of the internet and social media means that there is pressure on celebrities, especially young women, to always be on. Parasocial relationships aren't just a side effect of celebrity life in 2025; they're something deliberately cultivated.

As a result, fans feel more possessive of their idols than ever.

Everyone lives a public life, to some extent, in the modern world. Perfect Blue is a perfect illustration of how such a life can create a rift within people. The fact that this underrated masterpiece is now on HBO Max is great, as it means more people have access to this vital message than ever before.

9.0/10

Perfect Blue

10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed R15+ Animation Thriller Release Date February 28, 1998 Runtime 82 minutes Director Satoshi Kon Writers Sadayuki Murai Producers Hiroaki Inoue, Hitomi Nakagaki, Masao Maruyama, Yoshihisa Ishihara, Yutaka Togo

Cast

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Junko Iwao Mima Kirigoe (voice)
Rica Matsumoto Rumi (voice)

Genres Animation, Thriller Powered by

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Anime
Perfect Blue
HBO Max

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