Perfect Blue Ultimate Edition Release Date & Final Details Revealed!
UK distributor Anime Limited have finally announced the full details for their upcoming re-release of Perfect Blue, coming back as a special ultimate edition release.
ABOUT THE FILM
Perfect Blue is a psychological horror film directed by the late Satoshi Kon, who also worked on Millennium Actress, Paranoia Agent and Tokyo Godfathers. Perfect Blue was released in Japanese theaters in February 1998 and is based on the novel Perfect Blue: Complete Metamorphosis written by Yoshikazu Takeuchi (which is available to read in English by publisher Seven Seas). The anime is celebrating its 21st anniversary this year.
Plot Synopsis via Anime Limited:
“Mima Kirigoe is ready to leave her career as a pop idol behind and forge ahead towards a bright new future as an actress. However, casting aside her former image proves to be far more difficult than she imagined, and the murky world of show business threatens to drag her into the depths of despair.
As the strains of her new career path take their toll, and a menacing presence from her pop star past lurks in the background, is Mima able to keep a firm grasp on the things that define her? And as delusions, fiction and reality blend together in her mind, just what is it that defines her anyway?”
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 2013 & 2019 UK RELEASE
Perfect Blue had already been released in the UK a couple times. Originally distributed by Manga Entertainment for VHS and DVD, the anime film was eventually rescued by Anime Limited in 2013 and was released on Blu-ray for the first time in English outside of Japan. Six years have passed and we now have a brand new release for the film.
The biggest difference between the 2013 version and the 2019 version is the Blu-ray transfer, which has been completely remastered by Justin Sevakis of Media OCD. Sevakis has collaborated with Anime Limited on other titles in the past and has worked with other distributors, most notably Discotek Media.
The new Blu-ray transfer is an improvement to the original 2013 UK release which the distributor has provided a comparison video below (here’s the link if you can’t see it).
ULTIMATE EDITION RELEASE DATE
The special ultimate edition release from Anime Limited will be available on 29th April 2019. As the release is limited, there are only 1000 units available. It will be available exclusively through Shop AllTheAnime and Zavvi. The SRP is £99.99 which can be purchased through Zavvi for £89.99 plus postage or if you managed to sign up for Anime Limited’s newsletter there is a special offer included!
ULTIMATE EDITION CONTENTS
The Blu-ray transfer is not the only addition included with the ultimate edition release. In fact there are a couple notable inclusions that might grab your interest, especially if you are a fan of the film.
Main Content:
Just like the previous releases, the English dub from Manga Entertainment and the original Japanese audio with English subtitles are included on the disc. Plus, the ultimate edition will have both the original Japanese mono and a brand new Japanese 5.1 audio for the Blu-ray.
The on-disc extra features from the 2013 Blu-ray release will make their return for this upcoming set and the distributor has added a couple more to make sure this is the definitive release for the UK.
Brand new to the 2019 release are a couple lecture videos from Satoshi Kon himself. These videos go over how he has directed select scenes into detail which the distributor has noted to be very entertaining to watch. There are three lecture sessions included.
If you thought that was it, the release will also include the English version of the song “Angel of Your Heart” and a new UK trailer for the film. In fact the distributor has also confirmed that you can watch the original standard definition version of the film (in Japanese mono with English subtitles) on the same disc.
In total, here are the list of features included on the Blu-ray disc as follows:
- Original Standard Definition version of the film
- Satoshi Kon Lecture 1 – Mima: From Idol to Actress
- Satoshi Kon Lecture 2 – The Appearance of Virtual Mima
- Satoshi Kon Lecture 3 – Mimi, Lost Between Dream and Reality
- Interview with Satoshi Kon (Director)
- Interview with Junko Iwao (Japanese voice of Mima)
- Interview with Ruby Marlow (English voice of Mima)
- Interview with Wendee Lee (English voice of Rumi)
- Interview with Bob Marks (English voice of Me-Mania)
- “Angel of Your Heart” Recording Session footage
- “Angel of Your Heart” English Version
- Original UK/US trailer
- Anime Limited UK trailer
Soundtrack:
As mentioned when it was first announced at MCM London Comic Con May 2018, the original soundtrack for the film composed by Masahiro Ikumi will also be included. The CD will feature 10 tracks of the following:
“Angel Of Love” by Misa, Emiko Furakawa, Mie Shimizu
“Alone But at Ease” by Emiko Furakawa, Mie Shimizu
“Mima’s Theme” by Masahiro Ikumi
“Nightmare” by Masahiro Ikumi
“Virtual Mima” by Masahiro Ikumi
“Uchida’s Theme” by Masahiro Ikumi
“Cherish These Moments” by Misa
“Nightmare (Kaminari Version)” by Masahiro Ikumi
“Virtual Mima (Voice Version)” by Masahiro Ikumi
“Season” by M-Voice
A4 Books:
The ultimate edition release will come with two A4-sized books; a 48-page soft cover and a 384-page storyboard hardcover.
The 48-page soft cover book features artwork, layouts, rough sketches and character designs from the film. In addition it also includes comments and notes taken from a series of lectures featuring the director Satoshi Kon himself that add extra information about the film. This book has never been released outside of Japan and has been translated into English for this ultimate edition.
The 384-page hard cover storyboard book covers the entire film in storyboard format. In addition there are also untouched notes taken by the director himself and also includes deleted scenes that never made it to the final product of the film. The storyboard book was first announced at MCM London Comic Con May 2018, and has never been made available before outside of Japan. To honor the director’s legacy and in respect of those who worked closely with him, the storyboard book will be left untranslated.
OTHER ADDITIONAL NOTES
There are a couple pieces of information that the distributor has also clarified on with regards to this release:
- Both the Blu-ray disc and the soundtrack CD will be stored inside the storyboard book itself, as the entire set is A4 size.
- The weight of the set is approximately 2.5kg.
- The dimensions of the rigid case is 21cm width x 30cm height x 4.5cm deep.
- As mentioned the storyboard book will not be translated into English.
- The original soundtrack is exclusive to this release.
- There are plans to make the books available later in the future, but at the moment there is not much information to say when.
And that is all the information available for the Perfect Blue Ultimate Edition, which will be available on 29th April 2019. The original Blu-ray and DVD UK sets from years prior are available now.
Source: Anime Limited
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