Mamoru Hosoda – Smaller Pictures

Perfect Blue (1997)

There are plenty of iconic anime films that have been released throughout the years. From the fantasy worlds created by visionary Hayao Miyazaki to Mamoru Hosoda’s brilliant coming-of-age stories, anime has always been an excellent medium within film for storytelling. One such pioneer of the medium was the late, great Satoshi Kon whose directorial debut, Perfect Blue was released 25 years ago this year. The film showed that anime is not just for children and made way for anime content that was catered for adults thanks to its gruesome violence, explicit nudity and mature themes. Perfect Blue follows Mima, a young woman wanting to make the transition from pop idol to mature actress. As she begins to take on more adult roles and gives her public image a makeover, Mima’s life starts to unravel as she deals with a stalker who is hellbent on ensuring that she maintains an innocent image.

The film was directed by Satoshi Kon and written by Sadayuki Murai who based the screenplay on Perfect Blue: Complete Metamorphosis by Yoshikazu Takeuchi. Satoshi Kon directed four films before his death in 2010 with Perfect Blue marking his debut and what a debut it is. The film is a complex look into the psyche of protagonist Mima as she begins to lose grip on reality as an imposter threatens to steal her identity. Kon’s unflinching approach has made Perfect Blue a staple, not only in animation, but in the psychological thriller genre as well. It is a visceral look into societal expectations placed on women and how that pressure to conform can have tragic consequences. Murai’s script is fast-paced while also providing plenty of scope for various factors to mesh and contribute to Mima’s eventual mental health deterioration. Kon’s gritty vision helps to list Murai’s words off the page, resulting in a brilliant film that feels both of its time and deeply relevant simultaneously.

Perfect Blue can be defined as a character study into its protagonist, Mima. Junko Iwao voices Mima and does a brilliant job of conveying the trauma and horror that the character has to endure throughout the film. Mima starts the film with a higher pitched tone to convey her innocent image that coincides with her pop idol career, but as the film goes on, her tone and attitude becomes more authentic and real as her life spirals downwards. Iwao perfectly captures the wide spectrum of emotions that Mima feels throughout. Mima is such an intriguing character and Iwao contributes to this. The idea of the pop idol and image is one that is especially monitored in Japan moreso than the majority of countries and seeing the extent of obsession for the fame and attention that Mima has makes for truly frightening viewing.

As with any film, the supporting characters are equally important. In particular, Rica Matsumoto’s contribution as Mima’s agent, Rumi, is brilliant. Rumi is a former pop idol herself and her obsession with Mima and her career shows how she longs for the life that Mima has, but isn’t willing to move on with her own life. Matsumoto’s performance is tinged with hints of longing and sadness throughout as Rumi clearly disapproves of the direction that Mima’s life is going in.

One of the best elements in the film is the music composed by Masahiro Ikumi which elevates the emotions felt by Mima throughout. As Mima begins to become disconnected and suffer from dissociative identity disorder just as her character does on the TV show she is in, the music begins to reflect this as the tracks become more chaotic. The track “Virtua Mima (Voice)” is especially haunting and its repetition drums in the confusion and terror that Mima is feeling. It’s a soundtrack that is essential to the overall film and helps to make the film as iconic as it is.

What makes Perfect Blue so gripping from start to finish is the editing by Harutoshi Ogata. Ogata does a fantastic job with the editing as he frames the film like a live-action psychological thriller featuring quick cuts to highlight the protagonist’s confusion and disconnection from reality. There are also longer scenes that make for uncomfortable viewing such as the scenes in which Mima is filming a scene for a television show in which she is victim of a sexual assault as well as the iconic chase scene that comes later on. The latter example has become synonymous with anime horror and it’s easy to see why. Ogata’s editing of the chase scene is one of the most eerie and frightening scenes without containing a huge amount of violence when compared with the rest of the film.

Perfect Blue has garnered a reputation over the years due to its explicit content and exploration into mature themes, while still remaining a gripping watch that boasts brilliant storytelling. Kon may have only made four films, but each one shows his immense talent as a filmmaker and Perfect Blue is a fearless glimpse into fame and the dangers of being a familiar face among a public that can easily hide. Despite the dated technology used in the film, Perfect Blue feels even more relevant now as social media has become even more commonplace. Not for the faint of heart, Perfect Blue should be on every film lover’s “to watch” list if they have not already watched it before.

What did you think of Perfect Blue? Let me know in the comments below!

Belle (2021)

Anime is always an exciting medium as it boasts some of the most progressive filmmaking. While most people are familiar with the works of Studio Ghibli, there is another huge animation studio that has become hugely popular in Japan and has a large following worldwide. Studio Chizu was founded by director Mamoru Hosoda and producer Yuichiro Saito in 2011 and has released four films to date. The newest of these films is Belle, which had its premiere at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, where it received a 14-minute standing ovation. The film is an adaptation of Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont’s fairytale Beauty and the Beast, but where there have been many traditional adaptations over the years (with the most famous rendition being Disney’s Oscar-winning 1991 animation), Belle completely reinvents the story for the modern-day by incorporating social media while still sticking to the moral and basic storyline of the tale.

The film follows Suzu, an introverted 17-year-old schoolgirl who loves music and singing but hasn’t sung since her mother died, who sets up an account on social media app U which allows users to create an avatar and experience a whole new world. Suzu’s avatar is called Belle and quickly gains popularity by singing songs that she has written. When Belle is due to perform at her biggest concert to date, the performance is crashed by the “Dragon”, a mysterious figure who is plagued with anger and fury, and the two eventually bond.

Like all of Studio Chizu’s outputs, Belle is written and directed by Mamoru Hosoda, who strips the original fairytale down to its core and propels it into the 21st century, while providing little nods to the 1991 Disney adaptation. What makes Hosoda such a brilliant visionary is his ability to delve deep into the characters’ internal conflicts and his fearless approach means that we are able to see all sides of his protagonists while injecting plenty of humour and lightness into the film to provide a perfect balance. With Belle, Hosoda provides plenty of background and characterisation for Suzu, so we get a perfect idea of who she is and why she acts the way she does. We see that Suzu has a deep internal conflict as she struggles to form her own identity which is contrasted with the confidence that she exudes as Belle in the world of U. Adding onto this, Hosoda is not afraid to shy away from mature themes and adds in discussions on grief, loss, and child abuse, proving that animation can discuss real-life topics in the same way that live-action films do.

The style of the film is captivating from the opening scene as we are immediately thrust into the world of U and get to see Belle performing a song while riding a whale. The great thing about the U universe is the limitlessness and imagination that takes hold as we see hundreds (if not thousands) of uniquely designed characters against a computer-animated backdrop that is vast and endless. The production design is carried out by Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart, Alice Dieudonné, Almu Redondo and Maria Pareja, who are best known for their work for Cartoon Saloon, and it proves to be a perfect combination as they help bring Hosoda’s vision to life.

Leading the cast is Kaho Nakamura, who voices Suzu and Belle, providing the speaking and singing performances. Nakamura perfectly captures Suzu’s frantic and nervous energy as we sense her internal conflict and desire to forge her identity, while also providing the confidence and sense of self that Belle has. Although Belle is technically Suzu, it is technically a role of two parts as Belle is a part of Suzu that Suzu feels unable to convey to the real world, meaning that this is not an easy task to achieve. However, Nakamura portrays every aspect of both characters beautifully, while also having the singing voice to match. The contrast between the opening scene in which we hear Belle sing confidently and fantastically and the following scene in which Suzu frantically gets ready for school shows a huge conflict in her personality and identity.

Now that we’ve discussed the Beauty, it’s important to discuss the Beast, which in this case is Dragon. Providing the voice of Dragon is Takeru Satoh whose performance is filled with the darkness and turmoil that the character feels. The character is introduced with a bang halfway through when Belle has risen to fame and is performing at a huge concert as he is pursued by a group of vigilantes who swear to bring justice and order to the U universe. Dragon’s first scene is highly intense and violent, marking a huge contrast to the events of the film up to this point, and perfectly marks the differences between the two main characters. Dragon doesn’t say a lot, but when he does, Satoh perfectly conveys the struggle that the character has and the physical and mental anguish that he is feeling.

Going against the norm, Belle incorporates musical elements, which is almost unheard of in Japanese cinema, especially within anime. Hosoda originally wanted Belle to be a musical but restricted the number of songs; however, the songs that managed to make the final cut are exceptional and fit beautifully into the story and the world of the film. The film’s opening number “U” is our introduction to the character of Belle, who we see before we are introduced to Suzu, and immediately immerses the audience into the world of U and the various characters that inhabit the social media world. The film’s climactic moments lie in the performance of “A Million Miles Away”, which is a slow ballad that Suzu sings when she is searching for Kei and Tomo. The song builds and builds, showing the power and community that has brought millions of social media users over. Comparing the emotional tone of “A Million Miles Away” with the upbeat and celebratory tone “U” displays the complexities in Suzu’s character, and her ability to connect with people through the power of music.

Belle is an animation that will steal your heart and stay with you long after it has finished. Fearless in its theme and progressive in style, Belle marks another triumph for Hosoda and Studio Chizu, and it is such a shame that it hasn’t had a look-in at the major award boards. Between Suzu’s impeccable characterisation and the wonderful songs, Belle is a film that has a lot to say and propels anime into a new age thanks to its combination of hand-drawn and computer animation.

What did you think of Belle? Let me know in the comments below!

Belle is available to watch in cinemas now!