why is it called perfect blue

The title "Perfect Blue" has multiple layers of meaning connected to the film's themes and Japanese cultural symbolism. "Blue" in Japanese culture can symbolize purity and female energy, which is relevant to the protagonist Mima's identity and transformation. The color blue also reflects Mima's psychological state throughout the film. The film's name additionally plays with the tension between Mima's "perfect" pop idol image and the darker, more sexualized "blue" work she moves into in her acting career. This contrast highlights the pressures and identity struggles she faces. The director Satoshi Kon chose the title because it was the original novel's title and felt significant and mysterious, though its meaning was not explicitly tied to specific elements in the film. The phrase "Perfect Blue" appears in the film and may relate to the mental anxiety and pressure of maintaining a perfect public persona amid transition and fame. The title also evokes the image of a clear blue sky seen at the film's end, symbolizing clarity or peace of mind amid the protagonist's psychological turmoil. In summary, "Perfect Blue" symbolizes the complex interplay of purity, identity, psychological states, and the pressures of performance and transition in the protagonist's life, wrapped in a culturally resonant and visually symbolic color.