The film was originally conceived as a live-action feature, but became an anime when several backers abruptly pulled out in pre-production.
The film is based on the 1991 novel, "Perfect Blue: Complete Metamorphosis" by Yoshikazu Takeuchi. The novel's sequel, "Perfect Blue: Awaken from a Dream" was released in 1995, two years before the film was released.
The film's original 35 mm camera negative was accidentally destroyed. As a result, all copies are sourced from lower-quality prints.
The choreography from Mima's group CHAM is not in unison. This is intentional to keep the realism of the film.
(at around 47 mins) The famous bath scene in Requiem for a Dream (2000) was directly inspired by the bath scene in this movie. Another example of director Darren Aronofsky using this film for inspiration.