Okay, the Black Swan may be an old film but after seeing it, I couldn’t just help but compare it to the Japanese animation movie Perfect Blue.

Many have claimed that the Black Swan was a rip-off of Perfect Blue. Both have different stories with similar situations. Both movies have a troubled leading lady with seemingly split personalities after undergoing some sort of change which puts them under extreme pressure. Both movies have a somewhat dark mental theme with murder. Both movies have their leading ladies explore her sexuality in a way… had a double and was convinced that she has murdered someone.

Is it a coincidence or not?
For me it is not. The stories are too similar despite having some different situations. I also noticed that the names sound the same—Perfect Blue has Mima while Black Swan has Nina. Fishy, huh?

Here are the stories:

Perfect Blue:
Mima is a cute and innocent pop star in a trio called “Cham” who decided to change careers and become an actress. Her road to the world of acting wasn’t that smooth—she was given little roles to start with. She was offered a rape scene which she accepted despite being warned that it will damage her reputation. Mima was traumatized by that and then was unable to distinguish reality from the movie sets. The sad part is that while she’s struggling with her career, her former group which is now a duo, has reached to the chart’s top 100—it isn’t much but it is worth celebrating.

Black Swan:
Nina is a ballet dancer in a prestigious company. The director of the company wanted a new cast to portray the Swan Queen in Swan Lake forcing the previous cast to retire. The chosen ballerina has to portray both of the swans—The innocent White Swan and the evil twin who is the Black Swan. Nina was perfect as the white swan but fails to portray the black swan. A newcomer named Lily who has the personality which is perfect for the Black Swan impresses the director. This threatens Nina of the role   and this is when her struggles start—the process of letting another personality bloom just to portray the black swan. 

To those who just discovered Perfect Blue because of this write up, do not be fooled by how it looks. Perfect Blue may be animated but it has one of the best stories which could win thrill-seekers over any movie, anytime. Perfect Blue was supposed to be a live-action film but because of the Kobe earthquake of 1995, the studio was damaged and the film budget was reduced to original video animation.

Both Films are very good and one is unique to the other. I recommend watching both films although these aren’t for the faint-hearted.

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