Satoshi Kon in 4 days (ad-hoc simulwatch optional)

I won't leave you hanging:
🤛😌

I preferred Perfect Blue, both good though. I think it's because I like the psychological/mystery stuff
We've definitely got similar views in that regard.

I will say this, though: I've long given Perfect Blue the nod over Millennium Actress, but you know what? I like Millennium Actress more and more the more I watch it.

It's catching up.
 
The end of the booklet in the AL release has a summary of all of Chihoko's works. Theres apparently 17 entries!

I saw a bunch of different styles she appeared in the film, think my count would have been closer to the 7 I thought it was rather than the 17 you mentioned though!
 
I saw a bunch of different styles she appeared in the film, think my count would have been closer to the 7 I thought it was rather than the 17 you mentioned though!
So I now dont think the film necessarily goes through them all. It mentions that a book that came out for the film has a section going through her full filmography with film posters for all her works and there are 17 there.
 
So I now dont think the film necessarily goes through them all. It mentions that a book that came out for the film has a section going through her full filmography with film posters for all her works and there are 17 there.

I guess it's probably not actually based on a real person, but instead a fictional person, loosely based on a real person?
 
I guess it's probably not actually based on a real person, but instead a fictional person, loosely based on a real person?
Its fully fictional as far as know. I'm guessing when developing the story Kon came up with a lot of film ideas for Chiyoko and as the story took shape that got distilled to the 7 or so he wanted to tell the story.
 
The closest thing I am reminded of when watching this is something like Cloud Atlas, where the era/setting changes frequently, but it's kind of one story continued throughout time.
Aaahh nice one, I remember not being greatly impressed by that movie but loving the concept to bits and an interesting similarity. In the same way, I love how this movie weaves Chiyoko's real life story into her characters' stories from her movies, that is pure Kon and probably the most phenomenal & interactive recollection an interviewer like Genya could've asked for! How the truth is implied and pieced together rather than a specific & accurate narrative, especially with the hint at the narrator's unreliability from her confession that "tomorrow I won't remember", I thought was all brilliant.

For me the key from the painter was symbolic to unlock her life itself: the passion and spirit for life, her ambitions, love and life pursuit. Though the initial spark was the infatuation, it was all ultimately her motivation to live.
Otaki was pretty creepy wasn't he? Interesting to note that the key prevented his first attempt at "seducing" Chiyoko, when she lost the key, probably by his machinations, was when she succumbed to marrying him. She didn't seem happily married, and finding the key again, followed by the accident lead to her escape and reclusion.
Exactly, her having that drive (key) meant she was protected from giving in and settling but it's loss resulted in her she succumbing to the life & role expected of a woman in society, until she found it again and broke free. The witch's use as her inner self/insight was also very interesting (the mole seen on her cheek at the end confirming she is a representation of Chiyoko herself), in that her first appearance coincided with her discovering the news headline, during the train ride in Manchuria to find the painter, which stated the capture of dissenters. It reflected her potentially subconscious, if not overt, realisation that the painter had been caught with little hope of eventual survival. That is when the witch's curse took hold in the story weaved right after and gave her an obsession to chase and thereby live with unbridled passion and drive. Eventually when she loses the key at the end of her career, she also sees the witch after the accident, and it's at that instance that the curse appears to break, leading her to retire (and as I think Genya noted that it was odd that she had retired then and she not when she had realised the key was stolen and gone off in the vain search of the painter & returned from Hokkaido). Thereafter she has life breathed into her when Genya returns the key. Also found the use of the earthquakes interesting as literally ground-breaking moments in her life. I think there was similar symbolic use of the water lilies but I didn't quite get that.
Genya was the perfect interviewer given his past history with Chiyoko, and his adoration of her was clear.
I think Genya was probably my favourite character in the movie and a great stand-in for the audience. I loved his adoration & loyalty and also his unrequited love (though I put that more on the platonic fan spectrum). It was hilarious how he kept saving Chiyoko in the reenactments (in addition to, & as a reflection of his nature, in real life), starting off on a wonderful saviour's confession every time but being left talking to himself as Chiyoko with her boundless drive would wait for no man. His assistant was hilarious and again a perfect stand-in for the youth of society with the hubris that "these old folk and their achievements are sooooo yesterday and irrelevant to the great individual that is me!". Also interesting comparison with the jealousy and hate a celebrity in the limelight can get from those they succeed in the form of Eiko in this & the more extreme & psychotic Rumi from Perfect Blue yesterday. Also amusing how Eiko is literally shown being sidelined by appearing, inevitably, in Chiyoko's background in their movie posters.
Forgot to add that she said at the end that she just enjoyed the chase, I can kind of see that. She must have known that her earlier dream of finding this guy was probably long dead, and instead it became an excuse for her not to settle down, start a family etc, she just wanted to carry on the adventure without shackles. and with no exact destination in mind.
Exactly my take on this movie and I also loved how the end of her life is wonderfully depicted as getting into a rocket and flying off to realms/dimensions/existence unknown. In my opinion, it has the best line to ever conclude a movie, phenomenal insight. It is very much my take on romance in general, the reason it is so effectively portrayed in high school settings in anime & a lot of other media, is that it's potency & thrill is all in the chase. Most romance dramas don't usually carry on once the couple get together & in a similar vein the depiction of 'romance is dead' in the concepts of the honeymoon period, mid-life crises, affairs, etc. I'm not for a moment saying love dies when a couple commit, but it transforms into something more mature, and I guess in the process losing that childlike innocence & the "butterflies in the stomach" thrills. Likewise in life, if one doesn't keep cultivating their passions & the chase involved in these, life can pretty quickly grind to a halt.

Right enough rambling on this, suffice to say that I love, love, love this movie - it really is as close to a perfect masterpiece as can be for me.
 
I won't leave you hanging:
🤛😌


We've definitely got similar views in that regard.

I will say this, though: I've long given Perfect Blue the nod over Millennium Actress, but you know what? I like Millennium Actress more and more the more I watch it.

It's catching up.
Heheh I know what you guys mean. I will generally almost always prefer psychological thrillers/drama/horror over standard drama alone. After watching Perfect Blue yesterday I was thinking, "you know what, I think I may like this as much as Millennium Actress!"

But nope, tonight's re-watch reaffirmed that Millennium Actress will remain my favourite work from Kon. As much as I love his psychological dramas, I cannot commend him enough in bringing those mind bending narrative techniques to a drama so full of spirit, heart & maturity.

Also, I forgot to mention yesterday how great the use of meta on meta in Perfect Blue is with the whole overview & perspective of the fans & Otaku shown. Also loved that mini plot point, a cliche which nonetheless has the potential to be used to devastating effect, about how Mami had just neatly fitted the tragic events in her life into the delusion they were all part of the TV drama she acted in. I thought even if the movie had finished there, it had been done so well that it would've been a great end in itself but it was more like a beautifully executed Easter egg....brilliant!
 
Bit late to write my thoughts here despite watching Perfect Blue last night, so sorry if I'm interrupting the flow a little. But it was my first time watching it and I loved it, a real 10/10 anime classic and just classic piece of film in general. This will be full of spoilers of course so definitely stop reading now if you haven't seen it (though I imagine most of us have in this thread!)

I love films like this that brilliantly capture the details of the era they were made in, and thought it was interesting how this film depicts a very early example of internet based harassment and stalking, but it's something that is of course as relevant now as it was then of course, as is obsession and fan culture. I think the film also powerfully makes us feel the perniciousness of the constant male gaze that women in general are subjected to let alone someone who has been marketed as a cute idol to be consumed by the public, and the state of fear and anxiety that can engender, Whether it's the fans who are only interested in the hollow idea of Mima the Idol they've been sold, pushy photographers wanting nude shots, selfish managers and scriptwriters quick to exploit her. The rape scene she had to act felt traumatic to have to go through and like a violation in itself. There isn't a single sympathetic male character in the entire film. Although apart from Mima there isn't really a single sympathetic character in the entire film, of course apart from the sympathy we feel for a broken and deranged Rumi by the end.

But I agree with the others who've said the main theme is about identity and where edges of one's own sense of self can get blurry and confused, especially when one works in the media and is a celebrity. Mima tries to escape the stifling Idol life and become an actor only to find that world just as suffocating and no more freeing. Then being haunted by an online apparition of her idol alter ego and murder seeming to follow in her wake, we begin our gradual descent into delirium. Kon manipulates us masterfully and the audience is no more aware of what is real or not. I absolutely did not see Rumi's revelation coming at all, it's done so well that even when she said "I'm taking you back to Mima's room" I thought that was odd but I still didn't even have an inkling!

Rumi seems to have internalised a version of Mima's fictional idol persona within herself that then turns murderous when the real Mima seems to her to be forsaking those idol principles of purity. I feel this is the part that the film just leaves up to our imagination, what caused Rumi (a former idol herself, who you would imagine to be clued up on the illusory and seedy nature of the industry) to become so entirely obsessed with Mima's idol persona? Did working in that unhealthy industry for so many years cause her to internalise its illnesses? We just don't know. But she's surprisingly sprightly being able to jump from her apartment balcony to that next roof in chase of Mima! That whole chase scene was terrifying!

The discussion between @Neil.T and @ayase was very interesting! At first I thought it was slightly far fetched how Rumi could don the mask of the perfectly sensible and sane manager person by day and then come home and start living her warped Mima fantasy, but actually I don't suppose it is. The human mind is so capable of and inclined towards adapting ourselves and letting certain aspects of ourselves in and out of view and creating ourselves and recreating ourselves. Every person is just unfathomably vast. And to be honest I feel like my persona can even change depending on what jacket I wear before leaving the house! Or even what accent I talk with (I have at least a couple and neither one feels authentic!) can have an impact on my mannerisms. I don't know what that says about me really, but I've long abandoned the ideal of having a complete and consistent sense of self but at the same time also hope I'm pulling these various parts of me together slowly as I grow older, I feel I am. I feel like the only weak point of Perfect Blue for me was the almost happy ending, not that I like depressing endings, but I felt like Mima having seemed to completely magically resolved her identity issues as implied with the "I'm real!" was a little bit of a cop out for such an otherwise complex film. Still 10/10 though!
 
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Millennium Actress
First time watching this and what a great movie! I have to admit that I found large portions of it quite predictable, but the way it was presented fully made up for it. In essence it's a pretty simple story, but the added layers of presenting it as an interview and depicting/re-enacting parts as the films she starred in was a brilliant choice. It didn't do this to appear deep or complex, but solely to execute the story in a unique and compelling way.

As a result the movie is really accessible. Apart from the things you're supposed to be confused about, it's remarkably easy to follow during an initial viewing. Decisions like giving Chiyoko a beauty mark and that man a scar on his face, albeit small things, really help in this regard.

The returning of the key being the catalyst that unlocked her memories and allowed her to re-live her experiences, in the end we never did learn what the key unlocked. But personally I'd like to say the key didn't unlock anything physical of importance, and instead it unlocked memories, it was a focal point that tied her years and experiences together, and her love for the unnamed man she could never truly find again.
My interpretation is slightly different. The key doesn't so much unlock memories, but unlocks the "journey" she has been on for most of her life. Whenever she had the key in her possession she chased her unnamed love. Yet when the key was stolen, she settled and married. Finding the key again made her continue her chase. Losing the key a second time, again, resulted in her settling down. Genya returning the key at the start of the movie actually restarted her chase yet again, which we get to see at the end of the movie. Now obviously there are a lot of memories associated with this journey, so in effect the key also unlocked those.

Chiyoko deliberately tells her story through the movies she starred in. Initially I just considered it a bit of a quirk. Having Genya join in, just made it seem more likely that this was just their approach to the "interview". But seeing that all the movies seem to feature a heroine chasing there love, I now look at it differently. I thought it would be unlikely that all movies feature the same theme. But on the other hand since she has the lead role and most stories feature a romance (sub)plot anyway, it won't be hard to find a scene that "matches" Chiyoko's own situation. Creative liberties were definitely still taken in the retelling, but it doesn't seem like such a stretch I initially thought it was.

In fact, there might be a very clear reason why those films feature "matching" scenes. Chiyoko is simply very, very good at "acting" in those. Those also happen to be the scenes that brought Genya to tears over and over. Early on we see young Chiyoko fail to recall her lines. It's here that she gains the advice that once you "become" that character the lines will come naturally to you. Following that she even manages to shock Eiko with the deliver of her line. It wouldn't be strange for the studio to focus on stories that feature similar themes/moments.

But there's another side effect to this. Since Chiyoko doesn't really need to act in those scenes, they become part of her journey to her unnamed love. As a result these movie scenes are inadvertently intertwined with her own story. This means that when retelling her own story (which is this movie) she has no other choice than to tell it in this fashion as that is how she experienced it.

Anyway, there's so much more to say about this movie, but it just takes me way too long to write down 😅. Anyway, it's always nice to read everyone's thoughts and interpretations.
 
even when she said "I'm taking you back to Mima's room" I thought that was odd but I still didn't even have an inkling!
Something worth noting as well is that it's even more seamless in Japanese because it's perfectly natural to use someone's name in place of a pronoun such as "you". Also with the word heya ("room") being used to refer to a single-room apartment, there's really no difference between Rumi saying "I'm taking you back to your apartment, Mima" and "I'm taking you back to Mima's Room."

It's very subtle and very clever.
 
Aaahh nice one, I remember not being greatly impressed by that movie but loving the concept to bits and an interesting similarity. In the same way, I love how this movie weaves Chiyoko's real life story into her characters' stories from her movies, that is pure Kon and probably the most phenomenal & interactive recollection an interviewer like Genya could've asked for!

Yes, Cloud Atlas wasn't great narratively but it was an entertaining watch by virtue of the constantly changing scenarios, this felt kind of similar.

For me the key from the painter was symbolic to unlock her life itself: the passion and spirit for life, her ambitions, love and life pursuit. Though the initial spark was the infatuation, it was all ultimately her motivation to live.

I think reading what you and @IdiomaticLynx said, I can agree that the key is more than just memories, more on that in my reply a bit further down.

The witch's use as her inner self/insight was also very interesting (the mole seen on her cheek at the end confirming she is a representation of Chiyoko herself)

Yes I assumed the crone was possibly herself early on, I think it got confirmed later with the reflection she saw, as I recall? The crone was also only shown a couple of times, the other characters had fairly repeating appearances.

I think Genya was probably my favourite character in the movie and a great stand-in for the audience. I loved his adoration & loyalty and also his unrequited love (though I put that more on the platonic fan spectrum).

Yes, the exact opposite of the creepy type of fan we'd come to expect in something like Perfect Blue, Genya was a respectful gentleman and a clear fan of her work. He didn't even use any hooks to get her to agree to the interview, he could have said "I saved your life, let me interview you", but he wanted to interview her on a level playing field which I can respect.

Exactly my take on this movie and I also loved how the end of her life is wonderfully depicted as getting into a rocket and flying off to realms/dimensions/existence unknown. In my opinion, it has the best line to ever conclude a movie, phenomenal insight

I think the line about how much she enjoyed the chase was a really powerful one, as it changes how we see the entire series of events that happened preceding it. Without that line, her chase was very naïve and some would call her obsession strange, but with that line it changes the meaning to all of it.

Bit late to write my thoughts here despite watching Perfect Blue last night, so sorry if I'm interrupting the flow a little. But it was my first time watching it and I loved it, a real 10/10 anime classic and just classic piece of film in general. This will be full of spoilers of course so definitely stop reading now if you haven't seen it (though I imagine most of us have in this thread!)

Never too late, I made this thread partially because I wanted to share my thoughts on each film in sequence, but partially to see what others thought as well, and in case anyone else wanted to dip in or out it was all optional. This was setup at short notice based on a whim I had so don't worry about ruining the flow :)

I love films like this that brilliantly capture the details of the era they were made in, and thought it was interesting how this film depicts a very early example of internet based harassment and stalking, but it's something that is of course as relevant now as it was then of course, as is obsession and fan culture.

I said the same kind of thing in my initial thoughts as well, it was really quite nostalgic seeing all of the old IT stuff going on. I agree that the stalking and idol stuff is 100% as relevant today as it was back then as well, possibly more of an issue now with way more advancement in tech.

One thing I just thought of whilst reading this, Rumi was the one who helped her "get online" on the computer, thinking back I thought she was just being helpful at the time, but on reflection I think she was actually just doing it to get Mima to read Mima's room pages to see how much of a mistake she was making.

Rumi seems to have internalised a version of Mima's fictional idol persona within herself that then turns murderous when the real Mima seems to her to be forsaking those idol principles of purity. I feel this is the part that the film just leaves up to our imagination, what caused Rumi (a former idol herself, who you would imagine to be clued up on the illusory and seedy nature of the industry) to become so entirely obsessed with Mima's idol persona?

I'd guess Rumi never quite made it as an idol, but wants to live through Mima's success instead, and with Mima not wanting to be an idol forever, Rumi goes a bit crazy trying to change her mind in a very delusional way. It was interesting to me that whilst in her normal job role, she really didn't fight that hard to steer Mima to staying as an idol, or not taking certain roles.

But she's surprisingly sprightly being able to jump from her apartment balcony to that next roof in chase of Mima! That whole chase scene was terrifying!

Seeing her make no sound and just kind of leap around like a magical girl of some kind was terrifying, then you saw the reflection and she was an absolute mess!

I feel like the only weak point of Perfect Blue for me was the almost happy ending, not that I like depressing endings, but I felt like Mima having seemed to completely magically resolved her identity issues as implied with the "I'm real!" was a little bit of a cop out for such an otherwise complex film.

I can kind of agree with this, I guess it could be argued that Mima realised that it was Rumi and not another version of herself running about, when she saved her from being hit by that truck (and possibly being isekai'd) her own self-doubt left her, as she figured out that it wasn't some identity crisis she had, but was instead it was people behind it?

As a result the movie is really accessible. Apart from the things you're supposed to be confused about, it's remarkably easy to follow during an initial viewing. Decisions like giving Chiyoko a beauty mark and that man a scar on his face, albeit small things, really help in this regard.

The facial features definitely helped, especially as the roles and appearances changed quite frequently throughout.

My interpretation is slightly different. The key doesn't so much unlock memories, but unlocks the "journey" she has been on for most of her life. Whenever she had the key in her possession she chased her unnamed love. Yet when the key was stolen, she settled and married. Finding the key again made her continue her chase. Losing the key a second time, again, resulted in her settling down. Genya returning the key at the start of the movie actually restarted her chase yet again, which we get to see at the end of the movie. Now obviously there are a lot of memories associated with this journey, so in effect the key also unlocked those.

Having read what you said I am inclined to agree, the key was the catalyst, and not possessing it she halted. Based on this, I think the key is both for unlocking her momentum and also for unlocking her memories, so a double meaning.

I thought it would be unlikely that all movies feature the same theme

I thought the same, I guess it's possible that the themes are on the same sort of thing, but the key itself is unlikely to be in each of the films as a plot device.

It's here that she gains the advice that once you "become" that character the lines will come naturally to you. Following that she even manages to shock Eiko with the deliver of her line. It wouldn't be strange for the studio to focus on stories that feature similar themes/moments.

That's very true, the key and the man started off her career, and when she took on the excuse in her real life of chasing the man down to return the key, she could act that kind of role and understand it fully instinctively.

Something worth noting as well is that it's even more seamless in Japanese because it's perfectly natural to use someone's name in place of a pronoun such as "you". Also with the word heya ("room") being used to refer to a single-room apartment, there's really no difference between Rumi saying "I'm taking you back to your apartment, Mima" and "I'm taking you back to Mima's Room."

It's very subtle and very clever.

It's also not unusual for people to refer to themselves by name sometimes right?
 
Tokyo Godfather. First time viewing.

Satoshi Kon definitely doesn't make basic films, even when the plot seems more straightforward than the other two films preceding this, I could see why all of them would benefit from subsequent re-watches.

Our main cast of 3 (4 if you count count Kiyoko) are an interesting bunch, all being homeless (including Kiyoko involuntarily) makes for a strange group of protagonists in this film.

The distinction is clear though, they are a family unit even if the mother is a drag queen, and none of them are related. The absurdity of them trying to keep the child and raise it is obvious, yet the most obvious answer of taking it immediately to the police, is not the one they opt to do. I suppose doing that would have made for a very boring film.

What follows after the introduction is them deciding to return the child to the rightful parents, or at least find out why the child was abandoned. The film centres around this idea and how all of the events link together on this central topic.

So much is achieved because of this one goal, some of it impacting them negatively, some of it positively. We learn the back stories of all 3 of them, and how, in my opinion, all 3 of them have made themselves homeless through bad decisions, or simply being unable to face their families and reconcile with them. Gin is probably the one with the hardest route back given how much debt he was in, and how that debt would burden his family.

Through these events and chance meetings, they all come to reconcile in some way, we don't see the happily ever after that one assumes will follow at the end, but with the hint that they have the winning lottery ticket of all 1's, they at least won't be homeless for long.

The elephant in the room for me, and the reason why I personally prefer the two previous films, is that too much of this film is based on contrivances. From who they bumped into, to what they find, there are so many things that just work out, that it actually bugged me. Given how unfortunate they have all been in some respects, in this film they are all largely very fortunate.

This meant that no matter what occurred I was certain it would all come together in the end, and for that reason I lost the kind of tension I had in Perfect Blue, or the uncertainty about what would happen next in Millennium Actress.

One thing I did like was some of the newer tech that came into the action, the camera following our characters down hallways, or the action when they were chasing the lorry. Some of the shots of the cityscape in the snow were truly beautiful as well, especially at certain times such as when they left the train and were walking along the snow covered tracks, or when Hana jumped off the building to save Kiyoko and the sunrays lit up the flakes of snow as the slow motion fall went on.

I could see what the film was trying to achieve, but it felt a little too boxed in with forcing more or less every situation to go the way of the protagonists, even if in a roundabout/indirect fashion. It was almost like Kiyoko was some kind of leprechaun lucky charm! 😂

Saying all of the above, I think I just have to admit that Christmas miracle films aren't really for me, I guess this was Satoshi doing a film along those lines but with a bit of a twist with how it was approached.
 
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Tokyo Godfathers

I didnt rewatch last night but for the sake of discussion/sharing views heres a couple of posts I wrote last time about it
Tokyo Godfathers

I really enjoy the rowdy priest at the start. He has this real wrath of God attitude which is really at odds with the rest if the films benevolent little miracles. I guess I'd describe the film as a modern urban fantasy.

It's also interesting that the film introduces at the main characters as mostly pretty awful people. Especially Gin and Miyuki. Rampant transphobia, homophobia, assault, spitting on people. They are all deeply traumatic and traumatised characters. That actually leads into the most interesting aspect of the film which is their backstories. The way they are told and revised as the story progresses until we know the truth is very well constructed. And incidentally fits very well with Perfect Blue and Millennium Actress as stories about stories within stories.

Theres a lot of fun moments in this film. Possibly my favourite being when they realise they have found the house and its in ruins, Gin steps over the rubble to the door and the key fits, then he step back inside and goes Honey I'm home.

The twist is also very well executed and something I'd forgotten and really helps create a very dramatic end for the story.

Overall I think his other films are better but this still a highly enjoyable romp about what it means to have family.

In fairness it's because of Hana that the story even kicks off really. Also shes very clearly the glue holding the group together to begin with. Gins biggest issue is his daughter and Miyukis is her father and they've become a replacement for each others trauma. But without Hana they wouldnt be able to be near each other and so she essentially enables their healing to begin.

Hana by contrast carries a lot less baggage even if outwardly as a trans person looks like she would have the most, shes actually the most comfortable in who she is. The appearance of the baby itself is her baggage in that it's a reminder of something she'll never have (whereas the other two are focused on what they've lost) and that's the impetus for the story.
 
My order of ranking for Satoshi so far is:

Perfect Blue
Millennium Actress
Tokyo Godfathers

Paprika unplaced so far due to that being the one I am planning to watch tonight.

What about the rest of you, how do you rank the films?
 
I have to admit that I found large portions of it quite predictable, but the way it was presented fully made up for it. In essence it's a pretty simple story, but the added layers of presenting it as an interview and depicting/re-enacting parts as the films she starred in was a brilliant choice. It didn't do this to appear deep or complex, but solely to execute the story in a unique and compelling way.
That's something I love about work from directors like Kon & Nolan - their work is quite accessible whilst being intelligent, without being too arthouse or needing knowledge of psychological & philosophical concepts per se (e.g. like Kunihara's work). So one can get the themes straight away and yet find new intricacies on every re-watch. I also like how versatile they can be, bringing their distinctive flairs to a variety of genres. Danny Boyle also comes to mind here as one who makes smart mainstream movies.
In fact, there might be a very clear reason why those films feature "matching" scenes. Chiyoko is simply very, very good at "acting" in those.
Good point and I was also thinking along the lines that it was actually Chiyoko who was herself drawn to & picking to work in those movies, given her status she was probably able to pick & choose what to work in.
Something worth noting as well is that it's even more seamless in Japanese because it's perfectly natural to use someone's name in place of a pronoun such as "you". Also with the word heya ("room") being used to refer to a single-room apartment, there's really no difference between Rumi saying "I'm taking you back to your apartment, Mima" and "I'm taking you back to Mima's Room."

It's very subtle and very clever.
Heh yeah with the subtitles/dub it's seems a very clever bit of writing but in the context of the language's idiosyncrasies that is further elevated!

@Lordhippos, coming back to Perfect Blue: very good catch on Rumi getting Mami online, that hadn't occurred to me yet! I think Rumi did make it as an idol in her time but as @WMD mentioned, I think her hatred arose from Mima having an out and future career to graduate from the idol industry (whereas an idol's shelf life is potentially more limited) that she herself didn't have, in addition to the fact that Mami was corrupting the image Rumi held dear in her mind.

(By the way @Neil.T , thanks for clarifying this @ function, it's great and the auto-entry for names is really handy! But now I can't stop heh).

she saved her from being hit by that truck (and possibly being isekai'd)
Oh wow, that is genius, and I can see a terribly goooooood sequel in the making with a most innovative ending of it all having been in Rumi's head whilst admitted!
 
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