This is one of my favorite anime films simply because it is very unique in style. I have a subtitled copy at home and when I watch it late at night, it's still one of the few films that manages to truly freak me out. One of the most common complaints is that the dream versus reality bit is overdone, but I think it's very effective in producing a mental state in the audience that mimics the main character's sense of confusion.
The artificial rape scene disturbs me much more than "real" rape scenes in other movies, and I think that that's the emotion that such a scene should provoke. I almost always object to such scenes in movies, but this scene is pivotal to the plot. In case you haven't figured it out, this is not a "date movie" in the stereotypical sense. Also casual anime fans might be disappointed with the lack of mechs and sex. A general knowledge of what a Japanese "Pop Idol" is would also be nice to have, but a rough idea can be figured out pretty easily.
Now, I do not consider myself a subtitle-snob. When that one in a million decent English dubbing job comes by (Wings of Honneamise for example), I give it credit. Admittedly, this movie has some difficult roles, but this should have made the search for good voice actors that much more important. The voice of Mima is appropriate. However the voice of the Mimaniac totally ruins any sense of menace or seriousness he possesses, and the voice of Mima's Idol "Ghost" is more annoying than eerie or frightening. As a result, the dubbed version of the movie loses much of its ability to provoke any sense of horror. I recommend watching the movie at the theater just to support the release of anime in US theaters, but please try to find a fan-subbed copy to truly enjoy the film.
One last thing, the English dubbing of the songs is surprisingly well done. Unfortunately, this is relatively unimportant as the movie progresses.
The artificial rape scene disturbs me much more than "real" rape scenes in other movies, and I think that that's the emotion that such a scene should provoke. I almost always object to such scenes in movies, but this scene is pivotal to the plot. In case you haven't figured it out, this is not a "date movie" in the stereotypical sense. Also casual anime fans might be disappointed with the lack of mechs and sex. A general knowledge of what a Japanese "Pop Idol" is would also be nice to have, but a rough idea can be figured out pretty easily.
Now, I do not consider myself a subtitle-snob. When that one in a million decent English dubbing job comes by (Wings of Honneamise for example), I give it credit. Admittedly, this movie has some difficult roles, but this should have made the search for good voice actors that much more important. The voice of Mima is appropriate. However the voice of the Mimaniac totally ruins any sense of menace or seriousness he possesses, and the voice of Mima's Idol "Ghost" is more annoying than eerie or frightening. As a result, the dubbed version of the movie loses much of its ability to provoke any sense of horror. I recommend watching the movie at the theater just to support the release of anime in US theaters, but please try to find a fan-subbed copy to truly enjoy the film.
One last thing, the English dubbing of the songs is surprisingly well done. Unfortunately, this is relatively unimportant as the movie progresses.