I thought chickensh*ts like you only picked on women.'
- Goku

Before Wicked City and Ninja Scroll (and more recently, Vampire Hunter D – Bloodlust), Yoshiaki Kawajiri directed this two episode OVA. It was shown around midnight on SBS – possibly due to its violence, hyped-up masculinity, and traces of misogyny, which Kawajiri's later works shared.

Goku might ring bells for Dragon Ball Z fans, and in both instances, the name alludes to the legendary monkey in Chinese literature who wields a magically extendable rod and rides on a cloud.

This time around, the hero is detective Goku Furima, a guy who wears a tie and a suit without the shirt in the middle. Fashion tastes aside, he is the muscular and righteous guy who takes on any worthwhile assignment.

Goku gets an extendable steel rod after a car accident, and a cybernetic eyeball implant too! Though the rod gets upgraded to steel, the cloud is missing…

The plot is cohesive but lacks intricacy, which doesn't really matter - this is an action flick where the hero messes with the wrong people, meets the damsel in distress, fights the bad guys while taking time off for extra-curricular activities (heroes need sleep too, and the bed's big enough to fit the damsel…), and ultimately wins the fight but loses something dear.

The only problem is that the mystery surrounding Goku's rod is never lifted, and it would have been nice to get a complete story instead of a mere look into an incident in Goku's life.

Fantastic action, a realistic metropolitan backdrop, and a look into darker aspects of technology makes Goku Midnight Eye a worthwhile watch. I hope it gets a re-run.

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