"From the director of Ninja Scroll and Wicked City comes GOKU MIDNIGHT EYE PART ONE, the first in a pair of imaginative, violent and stylish techno-thrillers from Manga star Buichi Terasawa."
"The year is 2014. Tokyo is a city balancing on a knife-edge between financial prosperity and seismic destruction, a place where the threat of imminent destruction breeds crime like a disease. For Goku Furinji, ex-cop and super-powered private detective, however, crime is money. A rash of unexplained deaths is decimating the ranks of Tokyo's Special Investigations Section. Goku's investigations almost bring him close to death but he is rescued by a mysterious power and given weapons of frightening capabilities."
"Now out for revenge and armed with these weapons, Goku faces the the most dangerous corporate executives in the city: an elegant genius with a fetish for bizarre weapons, a killer android with a laser-beam scream, and a girl whose hypnotic power can drive a man to suicide, or even worse......"
Director: Yoshiaki Kawajiri
Screenplay: Buichi Terasawa
Character Design: Hirotsugu Hamazaki
Copyright: Terasawa Pro. Co. Ltd/Toei Company Ltd./
Scholar Publishers Inc.
Language Format: English Language
Running time: 50/56 mins
Certificate: 18/18
Label: Manga Video
Catalogue no: MANV 1123/MANV 1136
Price: £9.99 each
Release Date: 5th Feb/15th Apr 1996
Goku is a private investigator, who becomes involved when the efforts of the Japanese police to investigate a powerful gangster meet with disaster. While investigating the Hyakuryu building several detectives apparently go mad and kill themselves or their colleagues. Goku investigates with the sole squad survivor Yoko, and the immediate outcome is another disaster. Goku finds himself hypnotized by one of the gangster's androids, a "peacock girl" and escapes only by stabbing himself in the left eye to break the hypnosis. He is rescued by a mysterious group and equipped with a cybernetic left "eye" and an extending metal staff/shock gun. Armed with his new powers, Goku resumes his attack on the Hyakuryu building and its defending androids.
This is an energetic, inventive and interesting thriller with 'tec noir overtones, and works really well as an action video. The laid-back English voice acting suits the style of the piece. Falls short of being an anime classic, but recommended. (***) [Geoff Cowie]
In this part, Goku is asked by a young woman to track down her brother, but he finds that nothing is quite what it seems. Again, Buichi Terasawa's creation is vastly improved by being directed by someone else, namely Yoshiaki Kawagiri. The second part of Goku is pretty much as good as the first, except that the product that Goku commands the automatic arms factory to make for him is a bit naff, and the ending of the story is weak. If you liked the first part, get this too. [Geoff Cowie]