Post-Anime Club: Tokyo Idols & Perfect Blue
It’s all about the dangers of becoming a Japanese idol in the latest Post-Anime Club, with a disturbing double feature of a new documentary and a classic anime. Okay, okay, we know this segment is meant to be strictly live-action Japanese films, but even though Carlo and Jenna slid back into their comfort zone both these films are far from comfortable. Capitalism, loneliness and purity is the name of the game here, all of which are discussed in depth as Carlo and Jenna attempt to navigate the darker aspects of a society they otherwise tend to admire.
Kyoko Miyake’s documentary Tokyo Idols (2017) is a critical and sometimes deeply disturbing dip into the world of ‘idols’–a sub culture of teen-girl pop singers whose entire lives are built around catering directly to their 30 to 40-year-old fans. The documentary follows a local singer named Rio just as she’s come to the end of her idol career at the old age of 19. Trigger warning– while everybody involved is shown to be having a G-rated and an outwardly good time, there is definitely a lot of creeping pedophilia themes throughout.
Pairing this documentary with Satoshi Kon’s classic Perfect Blue (1997) seemed to have only elevated the importance of both films. This well-known animated feature focuses on life after a successful idol career, following Mima after she leaves her band CHAM! to become an actress. Throw in one or two murderous stalkers, a digital hallucination, plus multiple attempted rapes, and the film’s true themes become obvious. It's a surprisingly thoughtful meditation on the tightrope women must walk between the purity of girlhood that society prizes and inevitably of aging into their “tarnished” womanhood.
A new episode of Notes From the Back Row will be released every other week. If you have a new movie premiering, drop us a line – we might be interested in setting something up with you too!
Subscribe today on iTunes, listen on Spotify, use our handy RSS feed in your favourite podcatcher, or keep visiting us right here at Back-Row.com. Help support the show by becoming a member of our Patreon account.
