Perfect Blue: Awaken From A Dream: Am I Still Asleep?

 Recently, I decided to slowly go through Yoshikazu Takeuchi's Perfect Blue: Awaken From A Dream. It's a collection of three short stories from within the Perfect Blue universe. This was a funny way to describe this collection as the first two stories actually preceded the Perfect Blue tale, according to Takeuchi in the afterword. But if you're trying to sell your collection of Idol-themed Horror, it would make the most sense to tie them to the most popular one. A move that most likely resulted in the translation of these in the first place. So, what compelled me to read these stories was the fact that they pertained to Perfect Blue funnily enough. A true win for this marketing decision. 

Yet, my takeaway at the end of it pertained more towards my love of this style of Horror, rather than the Perfect Blueness. When I talk about that Perfect Blueness, I mean the reality-bending nightmare aspect. The Wake Me From This Dream and Cry Your Tears stories do have similar ethereal elements within, like what was found in Perfect Blue and Even When I Embrace You, but they also felt more grounded to me. Featuring relatable situations that could be found on the local news, or from some anecdote in a documentary. Reminding the reader that people are capable of things thought to be unimaginable, for better or worse. 

And so, this anthology handled many Horror Tropes, as well as its own unique ideas, in very interesting ways. For example, men in any of the protagonists' lives were shown to be dismissive of any event until they saw it happening. While the women were quick to believe in the horrors happening to the idols fairly quickly. This aspect is unfortunately common in Horror Media and reality. It's why women, and even some men, have problems confiding in them. They let the issue persist until it becomes a problem, and then wonder what more could have been done. 

Another similar feature shared across the stories were the descriptions of the Fanatics. Takeuchi always made sure to focus on the fans on the fringe of their Idol's Fandom. Not only acknowledging their existence, but depicting them in the most vile manner. Giving them greasy skin, the most foul odors, and depicting their misogynistic power fantasies in the most deplorable ways possible. There was no room made for empathy or sympathy when showcasing them as they were the scummiest men inside and out. It really made me think that there was no one who hated these Idol-obsessed men than Takeuchi. Just vile takedowns of gross psychopaths that made me look at how other pieces of media chose to depict similar types, and how they weren't doing it like Takeuchi.  

For the rest of this piece, I'm going to give my general thoughts and talk about the things that I liked the most with each story. So, what better way than to start with the first story, Wake Me From This Dream. A tale that states its premise within the title itself. Toshihiko was a lazy, disgusting individual who obsessed over his favorite idol, Asaka Ai, to the point that he even fantasized about killing her. And then suddenly as he laid in his dank apartment watching her recorded TV performances, he found that he had become her. 

A realization that left him elated in a few ways. First, Toshihiko had finally found happiness with his appearance. For the first time in his life, he could look at a mirror and not be immediately disgusted. This happiness immediately made me think that Toshihiko had cracked his egg. Finding love through transitioning. But, I'm not entirely sure that Takeuchi meant it this way. Regardless, this aspect felt very progressive, especially when Trans People would normally be the butt of jokes. 

So, after the egg-cracking moment, Toshihiko slipped back into his disgusting incel tendencies. Relishing in the fact that he could now fondle Asaka Ai at all times. Ignoring any outside factors, until he started to notice a presence. And for the rest of the story, Toshihiko became tortured by this mysterious stalker. A truly startling ordeal that would leave him paranoid and sleepless. Finally putting him into the shoes of Asaka Ai and others like her. It's what made the title so salient as "Wake Me From This Dream" became the main goal. 

It was all fun and games until he actually had to live the life of his beloved Idol. A great start that showcased Takeuchi's approach and style when delivering these Idol Horror Tales. Like, it has everything. That sense of dread, the reality of the situation that really made it feel more like non-fiction, and the supernatural elements that would become more prevalent in Perfect Blue proper. What also helped Wake From This Dream, was the fact that it's quick and to the punch. Thirty pages was all he needed to get the ball rolling. An aspect that I think tended to drag down some of the other stories, as they could overstay their welcome. 

It's amazing how this story was only supposed to be for a contest amongst friends. Like, there's a reality where Takeuchi doesn't make it at all, and Perfect Blue doesn't happen. And that would a boring reality for Psychological Horror Works that truly unsettle people to their core. This was easily my favorite amongst the crop of short stories for its ability to convey all of the things I love about this genre of Horror. 

Next up, we have Cry Your Tears. A story that follows Kawasaki Yuma and her ordeal with the Elephant-Eyed Man. Seeing as he never gets a name, this was what I called him. A common theme for the Fanatics outside of Toshihiko from the previous work. But what separated the EEM from Toshihiko, was the fact that the EEM was more radical. They tended to act similar in the ways that they would convey their love for their Idol, yet the EEM actually committed to his violent fantasies. Yuma has to follow the Idol Code and preserve her purity. Saving it only for the likes of her most loyal follower, him. To me, the EEM was the most dangerous amongst all of the villains in Takeuchi's works. Nothing could stop him aside from luck and willpower. This was the unstoppable force that no person ever wanted to meet. And when left unchecked, he left destruction in his wake. 

And there's other little layers to this character that made him terrifying. His obsession with a girl that just turned eighteen has many causes for concern. Especially when the EEM viewed Yuma as a sexual object. Couple this volatile love with his pure image of Yuma, and you get an extremely unhinged individual that needed to banned from the Public until further notice. There's no reasoning with someone so far gone already. 

While I give a lot of props to the depiction of the EEM, I did think that Yuma matched the villain in terms of willpower. Her intuition and capability made her consistent with the other protagonists. She could sniff out the EEM both physically and metaphorically. She made any and every attempt to prevent her own tragedy, only to be thwarted by negligence from the men in her life, specifically her manager, Bando and boyfriend, Kawai Yukio. Leaving the stylist, Makki, as her only believer, who just so happened to be a woman. What a surprise indeed. 

Overall, I think the strongest element to Yuma's character was her intuition. That ability to sense and confront danger in the ways that she did made the story that much more gripping. She knew what she was dealing with without ever really knowing until she was met with the danger itself. It's something that can be seen all too often in the real world, where the signs all point toward a tragedy. Thus leaving destruction in the wake of an extremely preventable situation. 

But this sentiment cannot really be replicated in the final story, Even When I Embrace You. Starring Tsukioka Yukiko, Even When I Embrace You definitely has those post Perfect Blue Elements that were mostly absent in the previous tales. As this one featured the Rabbit as the antagonist. He's a man in a Rabbit Mascot Costume that seemed to transcend the rules of reality. The Rabbit was everywhere and nowhere. Constantly burrowing into the mind of Yukiko as she navigated the struggles of being a Top Star in a dying industry. So, there's really not much to the Rabbit, as he's more of an obsession given form. His fanaticism aligns with Toshihiko and the EEM, yet his supernaturalness left me questioning just how real he was ultimately. 

Just like with Yuma, Yukiko has a strong intuition, yet her paranoia was much stronger. Her manager, Domoto Yoriko, even believed her worsening condition to be related to her scheduling and overwork because of how much stress she was accumulating. Something that Yukiko was completely fine with, as she never believed in her own talent anyway. So, much of this story revolved around Yukiko and Yoriko trying desperately for people to believe in the dangers presented by the Rabbit. 

It's a dynamic that works really well when drawing comparisons to Mima and Rumi from Perfect Blue. Both pairs function well, and attempt to do the utmost for each other while being upheld by the skepticism of men who were never in any danger. So, you have to painstakingly watch, or read in this case, as Yukiko has to perform for an audience that only cared about the performance, and product they're being sold. Meanwhile, Yoriko does everything within her power to prevent the inevitable from happening. 

So, there's a few more things that I want to make note of in regard to Even When I Embrace You. First, there's the rabid fanbase. Something that I think scaled with the popularity of each Idol. As Yukiko's base was much more unhinged than anything seen with Yuma, Mima, or even Ai. It reinforced the idea that the more popularity gained, the less people seemed to care about the well-being of the performer. Especially when you consider that Yukiko's Fan Club was more useless than helpful. Like, it's nice that they were willing to die for her, yet it never felt like they took into account what that meant in the event that they would fail. Yukiko might as well have been a precious jewel to them rather than a human being.

For my final note, I would like to get back around to the Rabbit and the design of the costume. In my head, it resembled Robbie the Rabbit from Silent Hill 3. They're both mascot rabbits with big ol' eyes and overalls. Seeing that Even When I Embrace You predated the game, I believe that there may have been some crossover. And I know the designers for Robbie stated that the inspiration came from mascot costumes in general. But it's just so funny that they were virtually the same aside from a few personal details. It's also one of the reasons why I was able to visualize the Rabbit clearly. So, the more likely answer to this query was that Takeuchi and Team Silent were looking at the same rabbit mascots. Boring, but most likely to be the case. 

Ultimately, Perfect Blue: Awaken From A Dream by Yoshikazu Takeuchi shows that anything with the Perfect Blue name is worthwhile. I had been very interested in reading the books ever since watching the Satoshi Kon film. So, it's nice to see that Takeuchi was just as sick of an individual as the people who were tasked with adapting his work. Horror needs more of that chilling reality. It makes you question the things you do in your day-to-day, and how you can prevent the next Perfect Blue. Trusting your instincts, and acknowledging when people are right in their fears. 

And remember to Free Palestine, Free Congo, Free Sudan, Free Venezuela and to Free Lebanon from the onslaught of their oppressors. Never stop talking about them. They think that we don't care, but we see everything. Never forget that. They are trying to suppress our voices because they matter, remember that. There may have been a ceasefire in Gaza, but Palestine still needs to be completely free.