Junko Iwao

In Perfect Blue (1998), Mima Kirigoe wants to start a different working life, and Junko Iwao makes that wish easy to understand. As Satoshi Kon makes the images harder to trust, her voice keeps Mima's distress from becoming just another puzzle to solve. We were worried for Mima because Iwao makes her vulnerability painful, even when the film leaves us unsure what to believe. It is a strong leading performance in a thriller whose cleverness might otherwise have left us watching from a distance.

Iwao had been a member of the idol group Saint Four in the mid-1980s before moving into voice acting, a useful connection for a role in which she supplies both Mima's speaking and singing. Her anime debut was Melissa Thorn in Montana Jones (1994). Hikari Horaki in Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995) and Tomoyo Daidouji in Cardcaptor Sakura (1998–2000) established another part of her working life, in recurring supporting roles. Perfect Blue puts her at the centre, with much more depending on our willingness to follow one person's distress.

Her history as a singer might tempt us to call the casting self-explanatory, which would undersell the acting. A matching credit on a CV cannot supply the vulnerability that makes this performance work. Kon needs us to stay with Mima when we cannot confidently follow every change in perception, and Iwao makes that possible. We have reservations about the film's final explanation, but the acting gives us something to care about well before explanations arrive.

The later credits include Kikyo in Hunter x Hunter (2011) and Kazuko Saotome in Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011), with work in anime, films and games continuing into the 2020s. Her work spans psychological thrillers, magical-girl stories and mecha series. For a first encounter, though, we would choose the feature that asks her to carry so much of our concern. Start with Perfect Blue, provided a frightening evening is the plan.