Yeah, this is that OTHER Goku fellow.

My personal introduction to the anime genre came in the mid to late 90’s, when I was in university.  Many of the films, series and OVAs produced in the time roughly between the late 80’s to the late 90’s were of a particular flavour that held my interest at that age.  They typically featured over- the top action and violence (whether swordplay or gunplay), ridiculous plots, cringe-worthy voice acting (except in the unfortunate cases where I had to tolerate subtitles) and often had futuristic/dystopian elements thrown in for good measure.  I continue to be an occasional consumer of anime but very little produced from the year 2000 to the present grabs hold of me like the stuff I enjoyed when I first discovered it.  Whether it’s the change in animation styles, the heavier reliance on computers or a shift in tone that explains my different reaction… I’m not entirely certain why.

Some of the classics of that older era, like Ninja Scroll, Akira and Ghost the in Shell, are well respected, and deservedly so.  Those latter two works in particular are great examples of anime based in not-too-distant, technologically advanced, future worlds that were the settings for so many of the films I watched and loved.  It is with that type of setting in mind that I wanted to review a couple of my favourite and lesser-known anime OVAs from my favourite period.

I first watched Goku Midnight Eye on VHS (two cassettes) many years ago and even though I eventually forgot the exact wording of the title, the experience was undoubtedly memorable.  I’m not going to try and suggest this is will be the best anime you’ll ever watch, but I have to give it points for originality.  It is based on a manga series written by Buichi Terasawa of Cobra/Space Cobra fame that apparently lasted only a few volumes.  I briefly had one of these books in my hands once and confirm that the look, plot and characterisations of the anime closely follow the source material.  It appears the two OVAs created are roughly analogous to the two first manga volumes.

Renowned director Yoshiaki Kawajiri, creator of Ninja Scroll and Wicked City is at the helm and it isn’t difficult to recognize his style here.  The future-Tokyo setting of both Wicked City and Demon City Shinjuku feel close to that of Midnight Eye, though without the supernatural elements of those films.  The protagonist of the story is the titular Goku Furinji, a private eye and former police detective plying his trade in a mega-city version of Tokyo in an unspecified year.  Advanced technology, including cybernetics and automated vehicles are part of the fabric of life.  Goku ‘s mannerisms seem to be heavily influenced by various clichés about detectives in standard film noir, from the dry sense of humour, world weary narration and cynical attitude right down to the cigarettes.  He seems to have ongoing issues with the opposite sex, and women he get involved with have a nasty habit of ending up dead, despite his best efforts.  One thing that definitely sets him apart is his choice of clothes: a three-piece suit consisting of the usual jacket, vest and trousers…but with a skinny-tie and no shirt.  Given none of the other characters seem to take any notice of this, you’ll be surprised how quickly, as the viewer, you simply accept it and move on.  Only in an anime…

Goku’s design is by no means the strangest.  One of the more unusual adversaries he faces in the course of the two episodes is a biker chick.  As in a half-naked, half-female, half-motorcycle (complete with handlebars) gynoid, with a laser cannon mounted in the back of her throat.  Yes definitely, only in an anime…

The first OVA functions both as a mystery for Goku to solve and as an origin story.  A suspicious number of Tokyo city police detectives (once colleagues of Goku) are committing suicide under unexplained circumstances.  Each one has been investigating the same shady night-club owner, who in fact turns out to be a devilishly creative arms dealer.  Despite being warned to keep his nose out, Goku takes the case personally, not least because of an unspoken affection for the remaining member of his old team.

At the risk of spoilers, I’ll explain that in attempting to discover the cause of the suicides, Goku runs afoul of the same malevolent force that killed the police detectives.  He narrowly avoids death and loses an eye in the process.  Waking up in an unknown place, a voice explains to him that not only has he been fully healed but granted with an extraordinary gift – his damaged eye has been replaced with a micro-computer of incredible power, capable of networking with virtually all devices or computers on Earth.  In effect, he can access limitless data and control nearly anything within his sight (or that of any orbiting surveillance satellites) in a mere blink.

Goku is offered no explanation or justification for this, nor does his unseen benefactor ever explain his reasons.  Presumably had the series gone on longer, this would have eventually become a key plot point.  Almost every piece of science fiction requires some degree of willing suspension of disbelief on the part of the audience.  Admittedly, this development with a near omnipotent computerized eye requires quite a lot.  While it doesn’t make our hero invincible by any stretch, it does grant him abilities that make him more than a match for the average villain.  For myself, I was willing to go along for the ride.  Cyberpunk fiction had long foreseen the existence of a world-spanning “Net” to which all computers would be attached, but upon the release of this film in 1989, wireless technology was years from being realised.  I would argue that concept of the eye back then was, if you’ll pardon the pun, at least as visionary as it is far-fetched.

Less time is spent on explaining the other gift that Goku is given: a powered, telescoping rod which can extend from either end with deadly speed, force and accuracy.  The implanted eye can apparently control it with little effort and he quickly learns it can be used as a fast means of conveyance as much as a weapon.  All I can say at this point is if you weren’t able to get onboard for the eye, the rod isn’t going to be any easier to accept.  Maybe it is the 19 year-old part of me but I can’t help but find this incredibly cool, even years later.  And, like I said earlier, it is pretty original stuff.

The second episode is, in my opinion, the weaker of the two, and, with regards to the villain(s) is a fairly well travelled type of story, involving a secret military experiment gone wrong.  Some of the highlights include a near Roy Batty clone cyborg equipped with a psychic field generator, a ruined Yokohama plagued by roving mono-cycle gangs, robot cyber-hounds and a flying Corvette with a Batmobile make-over.  The damsel in distress that hires Goku in the opening of the tale isn’t exactly truthful about why she needs his help, and over the course of the story the full details are revealed.  Expect more sequences of the rod and eye being unleashed to their fullest potential and be prepared for not one, but two sex scenes, one of which goes horribly wrong.

The art is excellent and typical of both the era and of Kawajiri directed animation of the time.  They really just don’t make them like this anymore.  Anyone who has compared current anime to this type of offering knows what I’m talking about.  The voice acting is also definitely a product of this specific period: of a mixed quality and with a number of line readings that simply have to be heard to be believed.  The music doesn’t stand out to me, but certainly fits.  A few jazzy, muted pieces accompany Goku’s narration at the appropriate times, reminding you that this is, at least when it isn’t being completely bonkers, a detective story.  By far the most memorable song is the J-Pop gem featured in the closing credits sequence, “Fighting in the Danger”.  Switching awkwardly between Japanese and English, it is an unintentionally comical delight for the senses.

Be forewarned, if you don’t like violence and occasional nudity, this is not the anime for you.  For veterans of the genre, there is plenty you have seen in late 80’s to mid-90’s anime that would rank as far more bloody or lascivious than Goku Midnight Eye.

I make no apologies – I love this OVA, perhaps more than when I first watched it.  It’s a woefully underappreciated anime that deserves more praise and, I should add, deserves a wider release.  To this day, it appears it is especially hard to find on DVD.  I took several months of searching to locate my copy and even now the majority of EBay listings are for the old VHS version.

Before May concludes I’ll return with a second recommendation of mine from the same era as Midnight Eye: another cyberpunk infused OVA with Yoshiaki Kawajiri’s fingerprints all over it.