Goku: Midnight Eye

—by Darius Washington

(Note: Adult content. Strongly suggested for mature viewers.)

"Interesting way of looking at things..."

When I saw GOKU a few years ago, this was the first thought to hit me. The second was "That was some good animation." I'm still thinking these thoughts after viewing Urban Vision's release, but, I'm getting ahead of myself — let me give you some background information first.
Taking place in the distant future, GOKU: MIDNIGHT EYE tells the story of an ex-cop turned private investigator who takes just about any kind of case for the money. However, when he hears news of his ex-partner's suicide (the latest of his old squad in the past few months), Goku opts to do some pro bono work. The resulting investigation leads him to some tough adversaries including toxic insects, a really big henchman, a peculiar motorcyclist and a hypnotic woman who induces suicidal tendencies. To avoid being the next casualty, Goku stabs his own eye and has a car wreck.
When he awakes, he has a cybernetic eye connected with every computer system in the world. (No, I don't think it uses AOL.) He can access anything electronic at any time. He is also given a staff that can extend to impossible lengths or blast a hole in someone that works in conjunction with his eye. Goku's benefactor chooses to remain anonymous, saying that he'll find out the answers in due time.
Based on the manga by Terasawa Buichi (SPACE ADVENTURE COBRA), GOKU: MIDNIGHT EYE is full of impossible gadgetry and erotic imagery, which is typical for Terasawa works. They're usually the type of stories a young boy might think up while daydreaming in grade school. In this case, he used the Chinese Monkey King legend (very popular in Asian culture) and placed it in a dark setting.
Dark settings are usual fare for Kawajiri Yoshiaki (CYBER CITY, NEW VAMPIRE HUNTER D), the video's director. At the time, Kawajiri had just completed work on WICKED CITY and DEMON CITY SHINJUKU, where his high contrasts and humanistic characters demonstrated he was the ideal leader for the project. Remember though, this video was originally released in 1989, so the computer assists aren't as smooth as they are in, say, NINJA SCROLL, but they're still slick and compelling to watch nonetheless.
My only complaint is with the English dubbing. The dialogue is decent, but the actors try too hard to emphasize the importance of any of the film's situations. They're not quite as bad as a William Shatner monologue, but they get pretty close sometimes. After I watched the video a second time, however, I found I was a bit more used to it.
After a rocky start, I decided I had a decent time watching this and remembering how good a director Kawajiri is, as well as how much Terasawa makes me think of being a little kid again. At the same time, I got a kick-butt action video to boot. If you like the same kind of anime, or if you just want to see some well-animated violence, I think you should give GOKU: MIDNIGHT EYE a look.

Released in North America by Urban Vision
Dubbed VHS, UV1042, $19.95
Available now in the USA
Where to buy