Honorary Villain: Rumi Hidaka

Film: Perfect Blue (English title)
Pāfekuto Burū (Japanese title)

Voices: Rica Matsumoto (Japanese)
Wendee Lee (English)

The Character

The character, Rumi is probably as mysterious as Me-Mania but in many ways, she is much more. Me-Mania does come across as the villain at first. After all, he is obsessed with Mima but when you come to the end, you realise that he has been used as a pawn for a much higher power and it is her who is the main villain. Of course, how many of us were shocked when we discovered that the main villain, the one posting the TRAITOR fax, killing Mima's fish, sending the bombed letter and killing the photographer and agent was Rumi? This was kinda of a let down, more to the fact that Mima is showing symptoms of DID and in the end, it is Rumi who is suffering from the disorder.

I'm getting a bit ahead of myself here. I'll start at the beginning. Rumi is Mima's agent but she is more than that. She communicates more with Rumi more than her own mother and in a way Rumi is a mother figure. She is against Mima's choices to be an actress, especially when she has to do a rape scene but as it is Mima's choice, Rumi is powerless and can only give advice.

We learn that Rumi was once a pop star, just like Mima and you have to wonder if Rumi's main concern is to protect Mima and have a long-standing career, something that Rumi may have desired but never got the chance to. She could be compared to a mother who is pushing her child to live her dreams. The concern comes in as she watches Mima act out the rape scene; she cries and flees and it is at this point, we can speculate that she went to Mima's room and killed her fish.

It could be this longing to be like Mima that the DID developed and that she thought she was Mima. Not just Mima; the real Mima and she sees Mima as the fake Mima out to destroy the real Mima. Of course, instead of getting her hands dirty, she gets Me-Mania to do some of the dirty work. In the climax, as we see Rumi as Mima, we see the floating Mima in real life and Rumi only in mirror reflections. This is significant for this signifies that the Mima persona of Rumi has surfaced and Rumi has been pushed into the background. It should be noted that some of the symptoms of DID include blackouts so it could be that Rumi is unaware of her Mima persona which would make her just a victim of her own mind as Me-Mania and Mima are.

The voices behind the character

Wendee Lee is pretty good as Rumi. She’s really convincing as Rumi and she makes the twist so much more fun and heightens up the theory that Rumi has no idea that she has problems and is actually the one trying to hurt Mima. She gives off the impression of Rumi as a concerned mother rather than a pushy agent. And the fact that she makes Rumi sound almost robotic in the climax works in her favour for we know then that Rumi isn’t conscious of what she is doing.

Rica Matsumoto is softer in her tones than Lee is. She is less abrasive and angry in her confrontations although the assertive is still there. In the final climax, she is less robotic than Lee but is more girlish almost matching Junko Iwao’s Mima perfectly.

Honorary Princess(es): Gunslinger Girls

TV Series: Gunslinger Girl (English title)
Gansuringā Gāru (Japanese title)

Gunslinger Girls

Henrietta
Rico
Triela
Angelica
Claes
Elsa
Beatrice
Petrushka (manga only)
Silvia (manga only)
Chiara (manga only)

To make it clear, I know that for this entry and all for Guslinger Girl character entries, I will be basically focusing on the characters featured in the anime series, not the manga so for the entries, the list is Henrietta, Rico, Triela, Angelica, Claes, Elsa and Beatrice. The latter two are not featured in the picture above as they are minor characters in comparison to the other five. If there are any more anime series/films that feature more Gunslinger Girls as main characters, they will be included in the blog.

The Character(s)

"The girl has a mechanical body. However, she is still an adolescent child."

The title and tagline says it all about the main characters in this anime/manga. Basically, these girls are child assassins. Set in Italy, the show revolves around the Social Welfare Agency which is a charitable institution sponsored by the Italian government. The aim of the SWA is to aid the rehabilitation of the physically injured. Or, to be precise, that is what it wants the government and public to think they are doing, In reality, it is a military organisation that specialising in counter-intelligence and counter-terrorism. The Gunslinger Girls are a part of Section 2 which employs young girls as agents to assassinate terrorists, gangsters and other undesirable elements of society.

Doesn't sound realistic, does it? The truth is that it is based on a true fact of life. In some countries, South America and Mexico for example, children (especially pre-teens) are used as assassins. In truth, children are seen as perfect as assassins due to the overall perception that all children are innocent. Also, in most countries, minors are not jailed. Also, minors are very naive and can easier to control than adults are so they are more obedient overall. The perfect weapon.

The tragedy is not just about these girls being child assassins. That is merely the tip of the iceberg. These girls started off as patients brought into the SWA for several reasons, whether it'd be assault or illness. They have suffered at least one traumatic experience in their early lives and it is this that has brought them to the SWA. Once there, they are brainwashed into forgetting their pasts and they are fitted with cybernetic implants. The implants consist of synthesised muscles which result in heightened strength within the girls, improves their reflexes and give him a high resilience to physical damage and pain. As well as that, these girls are conditioned to use weapons and obey their Handlers.

Each girl is assigned to her own Handler (which, strangely enough are all male) who either have a military, police or intelligence background and therefore capable enough to provide the girl in his care with training as well as act as mentor. They are referred to as a fratello, which is Italian for "brother". Because of this authority and care, he is free to choose how to train her and how much his girl is conditioned (otherwise known as brainwashing).

The relationship between each girl and their handlers are different and range from the indifferent to an almost romantic aspect. How each girl feels towards her handler and how he treats her is an important element of the plot.

Although all the girls do not complain about their life in the SWA (one even states her life is happier), it should never be forgotten that these girls have been brainwashed and it is hard to know whether part of this love is from the brainwashing or whether they are truly happy.

The ultimate tragedy of this anime/manga is the outcome of these girls. They all experienced a traumatic experience before they were brought in the SWA and were turned into cyborg killers, conditioned to obey their handlers (and maybe even conditioned to love them to some degree). However, it is implied in the manga and anime that the cyborg program is a relatively new one and was only developed to use them as assassins when their first cyborg was quick in her reflexes during a fight between two older men. The SWA knows that the brainwashing process alone limits her life span and the more intense the conditioning, the shorter her life span but the cyborg process is not perfect as is shown through their first cyborg, Angelica and later through the second cyborg, Triela. Regardless of their swiftness and coldness when on the job, it is easy to forget that they are mortal and as seen in the manga and anime, does not last as long as the SWA would like.

They are seen as Princesses because a feeling comes that anyone with a heart would want to take these girls from this life and try to let them have a normal life. Sadly, one gets a feeling that even if this did happen and the conditioning was reversed, they are doomed girls anyway.

Ghibli Prince: Porco Rosso

Film: Porco Rosso (English title)
Kurenai no Buta (Japanese title)

Voices: Shuichiro Moriyama (Japanese)
Michael Keaton (English)
Jean Reno (French)

The Character

If there is one thing that every true Hayao Miyazaki fan knows is that in almost of all his Ghibli films, there are two aspects: pigs and flying. In most of his films, there is flight and in a few, there are pigs (in Laputa: Castle in the Sky, you see pigs for a brief second and in Spirited Away, the main character's parents are turned into pigs). With Porco Rosso, you get a flying pig!!!

He is like a prince from a fairy tale. When you peel away many of the elements, you find a story that resembles Beauty and the Beast or The Frog Prince, in the sense that Porco is a man cursed to look like a pig. However, what makes this story interesting that although the origin and nature of the curse is not revealed in the film, there is a strong opinion that the curse is self-inflicting.

Before he was cursed, he was Marco Pagot who was an ace pilot of the Italian Air Force during World War I. Now, in 1929, 11 years since the War ended, he works as a bounty hunter tracking down "air pirates" and he lives alone on an island. Between the Great War and 1929, he has quit the IFA due to the rise of fascism, become disillusioned with humanity and has "quitted" being a human. He seems to hate his human form for there is only one picture of him as a human that hangs on the wall of Gina's restaurant and he has crossed out his face on the picture, much to Gina's dismay.

It is not just that he looks like a pig either. He is also crude and lazy. He can be blunt and carries some sexist attitudes towards women, particularly 17 year old Fio. He cannot believe that she can be an excellent architect and he is not too comfortable about her tagging along for the ride when he tests the new place she created. In this case with his attitude and sexist ways, he is a "pig". Whether these attitudes were there before he turned into a pig or not is debatable as it is not mentioned in the film.

However, he has got heart. His sexist attitude towards Fio, in particular changes to concern when she is crowded by air pirates and then when Donald Curtis proposes to her. Although, he has sexist attitudes, he dims them down a lot when he is talking to Gina.

Of course, every Prince has his Princess. Not this guy: he's got two!! Yes, Fio and Gina love him so much and yet he cannot see it. In fact, Gina has loved him for years. It is implied that she could have been the first man she fell in love with but due to unexplained actions, she ends up marrying his best friend, who later dies whilst fighting alongside Marco/Porco. In fact, as Marco flies, he sees his best friend fly up to join the flying line of deceased pilots. Marco screams that he has to take care of Gina which shows he genuinely cares for her. It could be the realisation of his friend's death that sent him down on his path to self-hatred. It could be that he suffers from post traumatic syndrome and feels guilty that he lived whilst his best friend dies which would make Gina sad.

He also has a rival in the form of Donald Curtis. He falls in love with every girl he meets, Gina and Fio included and in a possible quest for pride and ego, he constantly attacks Porco. However, at the end, even Curtis brings Porco to realisation.

In the end, it is these three people that bring Porco down to having faith in humanity. Gina loves him unconditionally and when Fio and Porco are alone in the island, Fio sees a glimpse of Porco/Marco and later, he hugs him. The conversation between Porco and Fio at the camp set up the "kiss the frog prince" theory and she even hugs and pecks him on the cheek.

During the battle, Donald makes Porco realise that Gina loves him to which Porco is shocked and the final act is when Fio hugs his bruised body and kisses his cheek. It is implied that his features became changed because Donald demands a look at his face as if he is seeing things. However, this is not confirmed or whether the transformation (if any) was possible. The ending is left open if Gina and Porco eventually got together but we are left with the feeling that he did and that he overcame his self-loathing and, like all good Princes, lived happily ever after.



The voices behind the character

Shuichiro Moriyama has a gravelly voice that does show bitterness which is perfect for Porco. Once you know about the character, it is so easy to understand why he was chosen.

When it comes to the English dub, Michael Keaton is an interesting choice. He does have this dark almost gravelly voice of Porco but there is something lacking. He sounds like he's straining when all other dubs mentioned in this entry are way more natural. He can be a big too loud like he's in a theatre and trying to make the audience at the back hear him. Not the best dub ever BUT he's not the worst Ghibli dub, not by a long shot.

There is one version that outstrips even the Japanese version. It's true that the Japanese ones are very strong when it comes to anime but there is one non-Japanese version that is considered to be the strongest of all the dubs possible for this film, or any Ghibli film. That dub is the French dub. The cast is incredibly strong throughout but there is one actor that was not only good as his character but was downright perfect. That person is Jean Reno.

Yes, Jean Reno as in Leon: The Professional and The Da Vinci Code amongst others. Anyone who has seen any of Reno's films, English or otherwise can understand that his gravely voice was perfect for this kind of role. I see Porco as a bitter and apathetic character, traits that Reno brings out beautifully in his voice, particularly in Leon. He is even more gravelly than Moriyama which is a strength in Reno's favour. However, he can also show the emotion needed when possible, particularly when he shows concern for Gina. I just cannot find any reasoning as to why this guy is so perfect. It's one of those "watch it to believe me" kind of scenarios.

Honorary Sidekick: Princess Hinoto

Film: X (or X/1999) (English title)
Ekkusu (Japanese title)

Voices: Yuko Minaguchi (Japanese) (Feature film)
Stacey Jefferson (English) (Feature film)
Aya Hisakawa (Japanese) (TV series)
Bridget Hoffman (English) (TV series)

* I know I have mentioned this many times in this article but I want to make my point clear: the manga is INCOMPLETE. It was put on hold due to a dispute and finishes at Volume 19 Chapter 5.

* I know I mentioned Hinoto in the manga and I would love to put up pages from the manga to prove my point. However, Clamp have stated that fans do not upload or post images from the manga. I will respect their wishes but when I mention specific points, I will type in the volume number, chapter number and page number. There are many pages where you view/download the manga for free. Just go onto Google have have fun!

The Character

The thing that first struck me when I first saw "X" (the film...I did not see the TV series for the first time until about 7 months later) was that Princess Hinoto reminded me of a china doll. After seeing the film and TV series, I still feel the same. She is a dreamseer who is employed by the Japanese government whose dreams have never failed to come true which makes her a perfect asset to running the government.

She has long white hair and red eyes. She is blind, deaf, mute and crippled; the only way she can communicate with anyone is telepathically. She is assisted constantly by two female servants (Sōhi and Hien) as well as Seiichirō Aoki's nephew, Daisuke Saiki who is besotted by her.

Her powers as a dreamseers are her biggest strength in the battle between the Dragons of Heaven and Earth as well as the advent of Kamui. However, it is also her biggest weakness and although all her dreams have always come true, some of her dreams can be vague and open to interpretation. For example, she cannot determine whether the true Kamui will become a Dragon of Heaven or a Dragon of the Earth.

In the film, there is little to know of her except she has a younger sister, Kanoe. Also, she assists the Dragons of Heaven in any way she can, even teleporting Kamui away from near death by Fuma. She later holds her drying sister in her arms and then teleports Kamui to the final battle ground before she dies.

In the manga and anime, she is far more complex for several reasons. Because of the fact that her dreams have never been wrong, she conceals several facts from the Dragons of Heaven. This is not out of spite but purely to protect them. The first of these is revealed after Kotori is killed by Fuma. Hinoto reveals that she knew that the Kamui of Earth would kill Kotori, regardless whether Kamui (Kotori's love interest) or Fuma (Kotori's brother) would do the deed. Hinoto found that revealing this beforehand not only would have not affected Kotori's death but that it would have been too painful for Kamu to take. She only conceals the fact that she has foreseen that the Dragons of Heaven will lose the final battle.

In the anime, episode 22 ("Betrayal") could be seen as Hinoto's crowning moment. At the start, we see Hinoto crying over what has happened and what is going to happen. She is tortured by the fact that her dreams are coming true and it does not help that she is tormented by her sister, Kanoe who is helping the Dragons of Earth purely to spite and torture Hinoto. This episode is important for we also see a side to Hinoto not mentioned in the film but appears in both the anime and manga: Dark Hinoto.

Dark Hinoto is literally her dark half, mostly played in Hinoto's own consciousness. In the episode, "Betrayal", it is revealed that it is Hinoto who is behind several attacks on Kamui by using charms called shikigami (most of them happening within the first half of the series, with the last intervention being in episode 20 ("Ripple") when she stopped Kamui and Sorata from helping Arashi and Yuzuriha from Fuma by telling them that the Dragons of Earth will appear in two different places. However, after a spell sheet is left behind, Kamui is able to figure out that there are two sides to Hinoto: one that is fragile, like air or water but the other, a sense that comes from the spell sheets, is dark, passionate and evil. In the manga, Kamui suspects her of foul play and relays this to Sorata who, in turn, confronts Hinoto (Volume 19 ,chapter 5, pages 12-14). There is no outcome to this confrontation as it is at the end of that chapter that the manga comes to a halt.

In the manga, Dark Hinoto uses shikigami more often in particular to prevent the Dragons of Heaven from aiding each other but she has also committed acts not mentioned in the anime or film. Byt he end, she has taken Lady Arashi into her dreams, stating that when Arashi woke up, she will become a Dragon of Earth. (Volume 19 ,chapter 5, pages 6-8). When Kanoe steps into Hinoto's dream, she is killed (Volume 19 Chapter 3 pages 13-17). However, it has become a debate on who actually killed her; whether it was Hinoto, Dark Hinoto or even Fuma for he is seen holding up her body (Page 17)

While her evil persona is controlling Hinoto's body, the good persona is trapped in the dreamscape. This is true in both the manga and anime. However, there is closure for Hinoto in both the film and anime. In the film, she dies when a building crashes on her. She is the penultimate person to die. In the anime, her good side is trapped in the dreamscape and kills herself. thus taking her own life in the waking world as well so as to end her possession and save Kamui. With her death, the protection around the Sacred Sword becomes nothing and this leads onto the Final Battle played out in the last two episodes of the series. .

In the manga, her dark side has taken over and her last scene is when she is confronted by Sorata about her actions, claiming she is not the Princess and demanding to know where Arashi is. Of course, as the manga was put on hold due to a dispute with the publishers, we fans can only hope what happened next and pray that the manga will be complete.

The voices behind the character

In the feature film, Yuko Minaguchi brings a softness to Hinoto and brings out a gentle vulnerability in her. There seems to be genuine sadness in her voice towards the end of the film as I personally feel they should be.

Stacey Jefferson, on the other hand is deeper and louder. She sounds more authoritative and assertive in her voice. Towards the end, with some phrases, she sounds robotic and slightly unconvincing in comparison to the better performance of Minaguchi

In terms of the Japanese voices that have portrayed Hinoto, Hisakawa is overall better but then again, the film does not show many sides to Hinoto. In the film, she is more straightforward whilst in the anime, she is complex which meant a diversity of ways to do the voice. She sounds more fragile compared to Minaguchi.

Bridget Hoffman is calmer than Hisakawa overall and is definitely less authoritative than Stacey Jefferson achieved. She definitely sounds more fragile and is more natural in how she says the lines. When it comes to the revelation about Kotori's destiny to die, she shows more sadness than Hisakawa but the Japanese TV Hinoto is more genuine with her words.

For both Hoffman and Hisakawa, their strength seem to be when they portray Dark Hinoto. Hisakawa brings out a beautiful contrast between the good and bad Hinoto. It is really hard to tell that both are voiced by the same actress unless one really listens. She is dark, yet soft, almost as seductive as Kanoe in the film. And of course, who can forget the beautiful OTT performance of Dark Hinoto's last performance? The laugh....the OTT speech....need I say more? :-)

Whilst there is a difference in both characters when it comes to Hoffman, it is not as great as the Japanese version. Hoffman tries to be more Kanoe-like, laying on the seductive voice very thick. Hisakawa also does this as well but it is done without gaining any resemblance to that of Kanoe. The final moments of Dark Hinoto seem to be more OOT than that of the Japanese version but bizarrely, it works.

Ghibli Villain: Witch of the Waste

Film: Howl’s Moving Castle (English title)
Hauru no Ogoku Shiro (Japanese title)

Voices: Lauren Bacall (English Disney dub)
Akihiro Miwa (Japanese)

The Character

There is always a major problem when bringing a book (especially a popular one) to the screen. In some adaptations, some characters remain faithful, some are tweaked but some are changed so completely on screen, they become a shadow on of what readers have known them to be. The Witch of the Waste arguably comes dangerously close into belonging into the third category.

In the book by Diana Wynne Jones, she is the central villain and in the book, Howl is called upon by the King of Ingary to kill her. In the book, whilst her first appearance in the film is similar to her first main scene in the book, her story quickly changes and although some traits remain, she quickly changes from main villain into a character of very little importance. This also includes the change in her personality and how she is viewed.

As mentioned before, her first scene is almost identical to that of the film. She becomes offended by the main character Sophie and turns into an old crone, stating that she can't tell anyone about the curse. Fair enough but there is a main difference: the reason as to why she cursed Sophie. In the film, it is because she found out about Howl and Sophie's encounter and becomes extremely jealous. In the book, it is far more complex. It is because the Witch mistakes Sophie for her sister, Lettie and believed Sophie had some information she needed about Howl as well as the fact that Sophie inadvertently offends by unknowingly working magic on hats.

After this moment, the Witch changes from the book. In her next scene, after "being humiliated" by struggling to walk upstairs, she has her powers removed by Madam Suliman and instantly becomes as old as (if not older than) Sophie. After this, she becomes a character who smokes and seems to talk nonsense whilst clinging to Suliman's dog, Heen. There are some references that she fell in love with Howl and was rejected by him. This indeed happened in the book and in the book, this becomes the reason why Howl was cursed so that upon falling in love he would have to return to the Witch. In the book, what is also interested is that due to the Witch's involvement with her own fire demon is the reason why Howl and Calcifer are desperate to break theirs in the first place (a fact that is never brought up in the film as well the Witch's fire demon).

She becomes the reason and cause of most events in the book (such as the disappearance of Prince Justin) and is far more sadistic in her plans. It's a shame that Ghibli could not see just how much they could have done with the character because with the change of the main villain, it meant a almost complete change of the story and it sorta lacks the Wynne Jones magic. Also, considering how powerful and evil this character is meant to be, her punishment in the film seems rather light and she seems to regain redemption without doing much (well, except after taking the heart, eventually gives it to Sophie who uses it to break the contract). This last action by her is symbolic for while it is never speculated on whether the Witch still loves Howl in the book, it is very clear in the film that she does. She clings onto his heart with dear life like a child until she realises that Sophie and Howl love each other. By giving the heart to Sophie, it means she has let him go, something emphasised by the fact that minutes later, she flirted with Prince Justin.

So it is important that for all fans of this anime film, when it comes to the book, changes of opinion of this character are expected.

The voices behind the character

I think I'll start with Akihiro Miwa who is an interesting choice for the Japanese voice. It's a well-know fact that in some cases in anime, particularly with portraying voices of pre-adolescent boys, women tend to be used. This is the first time I have ever known for a female character in anime to be voiced by a man. Yes, in case you did not know, Akihiro Miwa is a male drag queen (his real name is Akihiro Maruyama but he goes by his stage name: Akihiro Miwa). Not only that but this is not the first time he has portrayed a female character in anime. Another notable role is that of Moro, the female wolf in Princess Mononoke (don't believe me? Google/Wikipedia it or go onto imdb.com)

What can I say? Miwa was perfect as the Witch, both young and old. As the young Witch, there is a dark voice to the Witch and is very effeminate although you can detect a hint of masculinity in her tone. As the old Witch, Miwa is far more convincing. Maybe his voice is a little scratchy in some places but that gives off the impression that the Witch is indeed a cackling old witch and the voice is completely female. It becomes really hard to believe a man is doing the voice.

Lauren Bacall was also spot-on. As the young witch, her voice is very low, posh and dark as if she is trying to mimic Miwa's performance. She makes the old Witch weaker and more empty as if to reflect her powers and beauty being drained away from her. The darkness has gone from her voice and there is more emotion to her.

Honorary Princess: Mima Kirigoe

Film: Perfect Blue(English title)
Pāfekuto Burū (Japanese title)

Voices: Ruby Marlowe (English)
Junko Iwao (Japanese)

The Character

Mima Kirigoe is one of the most realistic characters portrayed in anime. In fact, Perfect Blue is realistic in the way it tackles the celebrity world. It is real because we have all seen a Mima at least once in our lifetime, where a singer will try to attempt making a success in acting and actors will try to make a success in singing. Sometimes, it is a success but most of the time, it is a failure. And of course, in the case of some celebs, they will stoop to any level for a slice of success.

Mima is one of these celebs. At the start of Perfect Blue, she is the member of a J Pop and called Cham. Despite having a strong fan base, the band has never reached the charts and it could be this lack of fulfilment/satisfaction that makes her want to try her hand in the acting.

You would think that taking this life-changing path would mean she is a confident woman, knowing what she wants. This could not be more off the mark. She is humble, cautious and timid. In one of her scenes, we see her bubbly and confident as she sings but then seconds later, when she announces her departure from the band, one of her band members is the one who eventually starts the announcement after the fight between some yobs and Me-Mania breaks out.

Also, whilst we see her singing on stage, we get glimpses of her in an office as her friend (and business agent), Rumi and her talent agency manager, Mr. Tadokoro discuss Mima's upcoming part in Double Bind. Rumi challenges Mr. Tadokoro by asking, "What about how Mima feels?" but the irony is that neither ask Mima what she wants and she sits quietly like an obedient child as two adults argue over her. Later, as criticisms mount about the lack of screen time she has, she refuses to challenge or rationalise this.

She lives alone and doesn't socialise when she is not working. She has no boyfriend or any love interests. She seems to prefer her own company. The film suggests that her only friendship resides in Rumi where during a scene where Rumi teaches her about the internet, it is almost a mother-daughter relationship. We see or hear nothing relating to her family or nothing about her past.. When she and her ex-band members are in the same room, it is a case of little acknowledgement. Whilst Cham celebrate their first single to enter in the charts, Mima checks any incoming mail for her. She does not socialise with her band members.

Her most significant scene involves when her character in Double Bind is gang-raped. For her, this starts when Rumi challenges this change of events. This is the only time where Mima openly speaks out and ironically, we find out later (after the rape scene is filmed) that she never wanted to do it in the first place. It seems that her acceptance to do the rape was secretly reluctant and that she is willing to go with the flow of others for two reasons:

a) to please others

b) she believes that others know best for her

At this moment, we see her losing her soul (as well as her sanity) especially when she poses for some provocative pictures for a magazine. At this point, she is surrendering her identity for fame which does not help by the fact that she is losing sense of the real world (as well as seeing the doppelgänger Mima). Now as I mentioned in my analysis of Perfect Blue, Mima could be suffering from DID.

However, the ending suggests otherwise and it is only after encountering Me-Mania as well as the real killer in the film, she is able to set her self free. It is also ironic that all this occurs the night that Double Bind has finished filming. It is as if to say that Mima loses her identity and sanity whilst filming the TV series and now that has finished, she confronts the enemy and able to take back her life.

In her ending shot, it is important to notice that her hair is noticeably longer than it was at the climax which suggests at least several months have passed. She is more confident in herself and smiles at the fact that even though her schedule is not as busy as imagined, she is happy to have her identity back. It could be even suggested that she has turned her back on the celebrity and is no happily normal.

The voices behind the character

Junko Iwao is beautifully vulnerable and girl-like , aspects one would expect for a vulnerable creature like Mima. Her screaming is also spot-on, not to OTT that is expected from most Japanese anime. Ruby Marlowe is Mima-worthy but there is the loss of girlish charm and vulnerabiliy that Junko Iwao displays beautifully (and Iwao's screaming is far more precise for someone who is running for their life) although she does it well for the doppelgänger Mima.