Satoshi Kon’s Legendary Film Perfect Blue Is Getting A 4K Theatrical Release

By Elijah Gonzalez  |  August 25, 2025 | 10:30am
Anime News perfect blue
Satoshi Kon’s Legendary Film Perfect Blue Is Getting A 4K Theatrical Release

We’ve got good news for cinephiles and anime fans alike: the late, great Satoshi Kon’s directorial debut, Perfect Blue, is headed for a 4K release in American theaters on October 3. GKIDS announced that they would be distributing the film during its Anime NYC panel on August 23.

Originally released in 1997, the film follows Mima Kirigoe, a J-pop idol who leaves her music group to pursue a career in acting. From here, events become increasingly hallucinatory as she’s pursued by a stalker amidst a series of murders. The film is based on the novel Perfect Blue: Complete Metamorphosis by Yoshikazu Takeuchi.

The movie is considered by many to be the director’s best film, although honestly, this distinction could probably go to any of his works because each is compelling in their own way. Perfect Blue was produced by Madhouse, an influential studio that animated a long list of acclaimed series, like Monster, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Chihayafuru, Redline, Hajime No Ippo, and many more.

Kon is considered by many to be one of the greatest anime directors of all time, helming four films—Paprika, Tokyo Godfathers, Millennium Actress, and this one—before his untimely death in 2010 at 46. Beyond his movies, he also directed the TV series Paranoia Agent.

Kon is known for his command of visual language; he frequently utilized match cuts while committing to ambiguity and dream logic. He’s been cited as a direct influence by many big-name Hollywood directors like Christopher Nolan—Inception has numerous parallels to Kon’s Paprika—and Darren Aronofsky—Black Swan is clearly an homage to Perfect Blue.

Perfect Blue received a 4K UHD Blu-Ray release in Japan on February 28, 2025. Here’s hoping that GKIDS will follow suit with a 4K home release of the film in the United States.

 
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