Perfect Blue

PERFECT BLUE
ORIGINAL SOUND TRACK
Copyright © 1997 Rex Entertainment Co. Ltd. / INOKS Records, Inc.
Pony Canyon PCCR-95001
18 Feb 1998
¥2,800

—by Maria Rider

1. Ai no Tenshi, CHAM 4:21

Angel of Love

2. Hitori demo Heiki, New CHAM 4:39

(Alone But at Ease)

3. Mima no Theme 5:48

Mima's Theme

4. Akumu 5:22

Nightmare

5. Baachiya Mima 4:53

Virtua Mima

6. Uchida no Theme 4:20

Uchida's Theme

7. Omoide ni Dakare te ima wa 5:10

Cherish these Memories

8. Akumu (Kaminari Version) 5:56

9. Baachiya Mima (Voice Version) 4:42

10. Season 3:40

PERFECT BLUE premiered in February and its controversial view of the pop singer industry in Japan has sparked a lot of discussions among anime fandom in general. Despite its psycho thriller theme, the PERFECT BLUE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK has a number of j-pop songs that gives the movie an elusive mask to its real nature.
The CD contains ten tracks: four vocals, mostly pop music, and six BGMs which convey the nature of the film better than the vocals. The music has both a dance club quality to it as well as a foreboding and scary tone, giving the CD some unique character instead of strictly concentrating on just the J-pop or just the thriller side of the movie.
The disc opens with "Ai no Tenshi" (Angel of Love), the movie's signature track. It encompasses the whole focus of the movie: idol singers. CHAM, the three girls singing group, sings this song at the very beginning of the movie. It has a very catchy beat to it and is easily addicting to those who like j-pop.
"Hitori demo Heiki" (Alone but at Ease), is another j-pop song sung by CHAM, but this time only by the two members of CHAM without Mima, the main character. This song has a slower beat compared to the first track. A slow, swaying beat coupled with a steady beating of synthesized drums make this track a good follow-up song as it takes place after Mima quits CHAM.
"Mima no Theme" (Mima's Theme), the main character's theme music, is very foreboding, with a mysterious single bell ringing repetitiously. Unlike the first two tracks, this track has no vocals. It is the first in a number of BGM tracks that populate this CD.
Switching gears, "Akumu" (Nightmare) has constant drumming beats, and some droning-like wails add to the song much like American Indian chants. The wails are also apparent in "Baachiya Mima" (Virtua Mima), "Akumu (Kaminari Version)", (Nightmare (Kaminari Version)), and "Baachiya Mima (Voice Version)". All these tracks have a very primal feel, very down to earth and yet soothing to the soul. Kaminari refers to the singer while Virtua refers to Mima's ghostly idol image that taunts her several times in the movie.
"Uchida no Theme" (Uchida's Theme), the second most-played BGM, is very soft yet incorporates some industrial music into it. The driving beat provides the feeling of being chased. Mima's desperate cries for help are answered only with this BGM. This dark song is a reflection of the prime antagonist of the film Uchida, a dark, foreboding character.
"Omoide ni Dakare te ima wa" (Cherish these Memories), is a ballad sung by a solo vocalist with piano accompaniment. The song slowly goes on to add the gentle strummings of a guitar and a soft beat of a drum. This makes it reminiscent of a folk song. The additional backup singers help to pick up the tone of this song, and in so doing prevent the song from becoming stale and boring. "Season" ends the movie on perhaps an all-too-happy feeling of closure. Then, the song goes into a danceable beat with lively vocals and good rhythms.
The vocals provide more repeat value on this CD than the BGM. In fact, the BGM sometime gets repetitious, so having more vocal tracks would have enhanced the CD.
Overall, despite perhaps too much BGM, this is a great CD. It is already getting difficult to find the PERFECT BLUE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK in its first pressing (which is usually more valuable for those who are avid collectors).