Goku Midnight Eye is a 1989 anime OVA directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri and written by Buichi Terasawa (who also wrote the manga).
An OVA was similar to a TV mini-series but intended for direct-to-video or later direct-to-DVD release. Goku Midnight Eye comprises two roughly hour-long episodes. Despite being intended for direct-to-video release the OVA was a perfectly respectable format in Japan and they were made on reasonably generous budgets. Compared to a TV series they were much less constrained by censorship and could be a lot more daring. Because the budgets were lower than feature film budgets they allowed a bit of risk-taking when it came to subject matter.
Goku Midnight Eye is definitely cyberpunk. And it’s real cyberpunk. The digital technology is not just there to add coolness – it’s integral to the story. The influence of William Gibson is fairly obvious. As in Kawajiri’s Cyber City Oedo 808 we’re dealing with a society that is perhaps a bit too dependent on computers. The danger of over-reliance on computer technology is a common theme in 80s cyberpunk. Of course we now know that those dangers are worse than anyone in the 80s could have imagined.
There’s usually a touch of film noir cynicism and pessimism in cyberpunk. In this case there are slight hints of a fiIm noir aesthetic as well.
Midnight Eye I introduces us to our hero Goku, a private eye (adding to the hardboiled/noir flavour) who used to be a cop. He worked for the S.I.U., a specialised elite unit.
Various members of Goku’s old squad have recently committed suicide. Too many. Clearly there’s something sinister going on. Goku isn’t a cop any longer so it’s none of his business so naturally he gets himself involved in the case. He teams up with another S.I.U. squad member, a sexy lady named Yoko.
All the cops who killed themselves were investigating a man named Hakuryo, a rich businessman who is probably involved in some very shady dealings.
It doesn’t take long for Goku to encounter the feather lady. She’s very pretty, almost naked and there are these peacock feathers that seem to surround her. The wisest thing is not to look at her but it’s impossible not to. If you do look at her you’re in big trouble.
In an indirect way that’s how Goku loses his left eye. He is given a new one although he has no idea who gave it to him or how or why. It’s not an ordinary eye. It’s not just a bionic eye – it’s much much more than that. Goku is now at least partially a cyborg and he has access to just about every computer in the world.
Midnight Eye II is a rollercoaster action ride. A young woman, Ryoku, hires Goku to save her brother Ryu. Goku has the feeling that she is not telling him the whole truth and is possibly not telling him any truth at all. He soon discovers major holes in her story.
Ryu and Ryoku had been adopted years earlier by a senior military figure. Her brother was supposedly taking part in some top-secret military experiments. It seems that the idea was to turn him into a perfect killing machine. Ryoku believes that Ryu is about to embark on an orgy of violence and destruction.
There’s obviously a lot more to the relationships between these people than meets the eye.
Goku’s problem is that Ryu really is just about unstoppable. Goku has formidable abilities of his own thanks to his computer implant but he’s going to have to find something really special to take on Ryu.
And of course Goku is by no means certain that Ryu truly is evil.
Given that this is a Yoshiaki Kawajiri anime you might be wondering if it’s going to be sleazy, if there will be nudity and sexual kinkiness and if it’s going to cross the boundaries of good taste. You need have no fears. It is indeed sleazy, there is nudity, there’s sexual weirdness and it doesn’t just cross the boundaries of good taste, it rides roughshod over those boundaries.
The motorcycle girl is a highlight. I’m not talking about a girl who rides a motorcycle. She is a motorcycle. She’s a cyborg and she’s part motorcycle.
Goku is a hero with some definite film noir flavouring, and definite affinities with classic Hollywood private eyes of the 40s. He has a fatalistic almost existentialist streak. He’s a romantic and a cynic. He thinks he should keep away from women but he can’t, and they always lead him into trouble. He sticks his nose into things that aren’t his business. He keeps getting knocked down. He keeps getting up again but sometimes he thinks it just isn’t worth it. Given the choice he’d rather save the woman he loves than save the world. Sometimes he thinks that whichever way he jumps he’ll end up losing. He’s an interesting character with a bit of complexity.
Goku Midnight Eye is very very stylish, very violent, very sexy and very exciting. What more could you want? Highly recommended.
I’ve also reviewed Yoshiaki Kawajiri’s Cyber City Oedo 808 and Wicked City.
Goku Midnight Eye is available on Blu-Ray and it looks great