The appeal of a film lies at the most basic level: Not in elaborate camerawork or in the beauty of the images, but in the essence of the story. After his first feature, Knock Out, a sensation during the fledgling industry years, his 1990 film about boxing, Iron Fist, singlehandedly destroyed the Rocky image. His other films Checkmate (91), about the world of chess, and Tokarev (93), about a brutal neighbors′ feud - also dealt exclusively with male societies. Goofball is no exception. Hisashi, a pitiful yet sincere youth gets fired because of his short temper. He′s plunged into self-despair until he meets a kleptomaniac housewife who asks him to find her runaway son, Masaru. In need of money, Hisashi agrees. He locates Masaru who would rather hang out creating mischief than go home. The two steal a gun from a policeman and find themselves running from the law. A special bond develops for these societal misfits. This film is the second installment of Bloody Angel, whose character is from an old Japanese TV show of the same title. "Kizudarakenotenshi" Goofball, however, is Hisashi′s story up to meeting Investigator Mitchiru. Moreover, the story′s strength and Sakamoto′s direction make this an original film that stands on its own.(Yang Shion)