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| Eastern Eye (Australia). Region 4, PAL. 1.85:1 (16:9 enhanced). Korean DD 5.1, Korean DD 2.0. English Subtitles. 84 minutes |
| The Movie |
| Cover Art |
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| Credits |
Director: Jo Beom-jin
Stars: Chang Jung Lim, Seung-beom Ryu
Writer: Jo Beom-jin, Yeon-won Jeong
Country: South Korea
AKA: Achi-wa ssipak |
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Anime.
You've got to love it.
The Asian entertainment art form that allows grown ups to legitimately watch cartoons, and say that we aren't watching kid stuff. Sure the Disney set tried to convince us of the same thing for years, but when you see a lion sing an Elton John song, well that's just not a convincing argument.
Aachi and Ssipak is a different type of anime: for one thing it comes from South Korea, which, to be honest, I am not sure means it even qualifies as an anime, but due to it being released by the folk over at Australian distributors Madman, through their Eastern Eye division, for the sake of argument, and for this review, we will refer to it as such. Also, it does not feature the usual trappings of Japanese anime: big eyed girl heroes in school uniforms in giant robots fighting demons, but instead looks like a Tim Biskup creation, or something you would find in the 'New Stuff' section of lowbrow art magazine Juxtapoz.
Aachi and Ssipak is set in the future, where natural resources have become low, and the government, who are a bunch of fascist madmen controlled by a tiny blonde woman, have developed a way of using one's ...ahem... leavings, as a power source. Every member of society, when they are born, has a chip inserted into their anus so the government can reward them for every Number 2 they deposit into a government sanctioned lavatory. And their reward? A lovely Juicy Bar. A lovely addictive Juicy Bar.
Aachi (voiced by Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance's Seung-beom Ryu) and his partner in crime Ssipak (voiced by Sex is Zero's Chang Jung Lim) are dealers in stolen Juicy Bars, which they get by whatever means they can, until one day they hit the jackpot: a girl, Beautiful, who has had many ID chips inserted in her butt by a gang of Juicy Bar addicted mutants (known as the Diaper Gang) so every time she takes a dump, she is delivered hundreds of Juicy Bars.
In other words, her arse is a goldmine!
The three live high on the profits of her bowel movements for a while, but eventually they are caught up with by the Diaper Gang, the government, and the gang that offers them 'protection for a price'.... and much action, comedy and violence ensues.
Poop, transvestites, people being executed for stuffing things in their anus, piss takes of Julie Strain, Robocop, Aliens and the 'big three' from DC, drug addiction and much, much more weirdness... Aachi and Ssipak pretty much well has everything you didn't realize you wanted to see in an anime.
The writer/ director, Jo Beom-jin, also deserves credit for some of his self-deprecating humour, and the animation, a combination of traditional and CG, is beautiful to watch! The story certainly isn't for everyone, especially when you consider the amount of bum and faeces jokes, but it is pretty funny to those who aren't above such humour. |
| Video |
| Aachi and Ssipak is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio with 16:9 enhancement, and the image is beautiful. The animation itself is particularly colorful... hardly any brown at all really... and benefits greatly from how well the DVD has been put together. |
| Audio |
| This film can only be watched in Korean, and comes in either 5.1 or 2.0. There are of course English subtitles available. |
| Extra Features |
There are several extras on this disc:
A music video of the title track to the movie by MC.K and Pano A, performed in Korean.
The teaser and original trailers for the film Aachi and Ssipak.
A ridiculous and redundant stills gallery, which features 38 images form the film. A silly extras on a normal disc but even moreso on an animation: if I wanted to see a still picture, I'd just press pause.
I was disappointed to see that there was no 'making of' on this disc. I would have loved to have heard Jo Beom-jin talk about where he got the idea for this film that feels like an animated version of the film adaptation of Tank Girl, but for the coprophile set.
As usual, Madman have trailers of other films in the Eastern Eye section. These films include Dead Leaves (which is a suitable partner for Aachi and Ssipak), Afro Samurai (Director's Cut), The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (Volume 1) and The Host. |
| The Verdict |
Remember MTV's Liquid TV? Aachi and SSipak would not have been out of place amongst The Head or The Maxx. This film certainly moves along at a rocket pace and the violence runs thick and fast, and while I certainly enjoyed this movie, it is definitely not for everyone. Only those with a uncultured sense of humor (that is, those that enjoy fart jokes, like me) will fully enjoy the filth that is Aachi and Ssipak. One other thing I have to point out is that I made it all the way through this review without using the word 'shit' once. Well, except for just then.
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