Alright, alright, listen up, y’all. You wanna watch some of them cartoons, the ones like that “Perfect Blue” thing? The one with all the twists and turns, makes ya scratch your head, ya know? Okay, okay, I gotcha. I ain’t no fancy movie expert or nothin’, but I watched a few of them things in my time, so lemme tell ya what’s what.

First off, you got that “Akira” movie. Heard of it? Big city, motorcycles, and folks gettin’ all messed up in the head. It’s wild, I tell ya, wild! Stuff blowin’ up, people screamin’, and this kid with powers… it ain’t exactly like “Perfect Blue” but it’s got that same… what’s the word… that same psychological thing going on. You know, makes you think, “What in the tarnation is happening here?” It’s a head-scratcher for sure.

Then there’s this other one, “Paprika.” Now, this one’s a bit different. It’s all about dreams, ya see? People goin’ in and out of other folks’ dreams, and things gettin’ all mixed up. It’s kinda like “Perfect Blue” ’cause it messes with your head, makes ya question what’s real and what ain’t. Confusing as a goose in a hailstorm, I tell ya! But pretty darn cool too. Lots of pretty colors and strange things happenin’. If you like that trippy stuff, this one’s for you.

• “Akira” – Big city, crazy powers, mind-bending stuff.
• “Paprika” – Dreams, reality gettin’ mixed up, another head-scratcher.

Now, them two ain’t the only ones. There’s a whole bunch of ’em out there, all them Japanese cartoons, or “anime” as the young folks call it. They like makin’ stories that get you thinkin’, ya know? Not just shoot-em-up bang-bang stuff, but things that make you wonder about people’s heads and what makes ’em tick.

I remember watching one a while back… can’t quite recall the name… it was about this singer, just like that girl in “Perfect Blue.” She was tryin’ to be an actress, and folks were stalkin’ her, and she was losin’ her mind, poor thing. It was dark, real dark. Made me feel all uneasy in my stomach, ya know? That’s the kind of stuff these cartoons do, they get under your skin. They ain’t afraid to show the bad side of things, the ugly stuff. And that’s why folks like ’em, I guess. They ain’t just fluff, they got somethin’ to say.

So, if you’re lookin’ for somethin’ like “Perfect Blue,” somethin’ that’ll keep you guessin’ and make you think, somethin’ with that thriller feel, then you gotta check out them movies I mentioned, and keep your eyes peeled for others like ’em. They ain’t always easy to watch, mind you. They can be disturbing, and they can be confusing. But they sure are somethin’ else. They stick with you, long after you’ve finished watchin’. And that, in my book, is the sign of a good story, even if it’s just a bunch of drawings movin’ around on a screen.

And don’t let nobody tell you cartoons are just for kids. These things? They’re for grown-ups, for folks who ain’t afraid to look at the dark side of things. They’re for folks who like a good mystery, a good scare, and a story that’ll make ‘em think long and hard after the credits roll. So go on, give ’em a try. You might just find yourself hooked.

Remember, these ain’t your grandma’s cartoons, that’s for sure. They are deep and they are not always easy to understand. But if you give them a chance, they might just surprise you. And if you’re lucky, you might even find another “Perfect Blue” out there, something that’ll blow your mind and keep you up at night.

One more thing, these cartoons, they ain’t afraid to be different. They try new things, they push the boundaries, and they ain’t scared to be weird. And that’s what makes them so darn interesting. So keep an open mind, be patient, and don’t be afraid to get a little lost in the story. You never know what you might find.

Tags: [Anime, Psychological Thriller, Perfect Blue, Akira, Paprika, Satoshi Kon, Japanese Animation, Mature Anime]