Aachi & Ssipak (2006) User Reviews

If Duckman and Akira had a baby.

[ElijahCSkuggs · 8/10 · 6 July 2008]

Aachi and Ssipak is one film I've been wanting to see for a while now, and lemme just say "Wahoo!" for it satisfied my expectations. But not for the poopiness, but for the insane amount of violence and nods to famous film. Well, the poopiness is also a plus.

Story revolves around poop being the only(?) resource for energy, addictive Popsicles called Juicy-bars which you're rewarded with if you make a poop, and lots of little mutants who use Juicy-Bars as their means of provision. Oh, you can throw in Aachi and Ssipak if you want, but the real enjoyment comes from the violence you watch whenever the Diaper Gang is on screen. There is also a main villain who leads the Diaper Gang, but at times you seem to root for him, which was a nice touch. And then there is Geko, one of the best fighting machines you'll ever see. He's only killing little blue freaks, but hell, those lil blue freaks carry uzi's and machine guns, and Geko takes care of them without a stutter.

Aachi and Ssipak was 2/3rds awesome violence, and the other third is slightly tedious story-filler. And weirdly, that's when A and S are on screen. Sure they're in some of the fights, but mainly, they're second fiddles to the Villain and Geko, and all the little blue freaks known as the Diaper Gang.

Overall though, this is a welcome addition to any fan of animation who likes the weird and violent as well. I dug the heck outta this film for it's unique animation style, which seemed to combine the show DUCKMAN and the film AKIRA. And with a unique story, good characters and great violence, this is one flick I'm sure I'll be adding to my collection very soon.

A Nutshell Review: Aachi and Ssipak

[DICK STEEL · 7/10 · 30 April 2007]

Aachi and Ssipak is a delightfully wicked piece of animation. It's full of fun, and politically incorrect, full of high octane action, and set against a nonsensical background in the future. It's rude, vulgar, and totally unapologetic about it.

In the future, humans have learnt how to harness human waste to become rich sources of energy. As a result, the government encourages everyone to defecate and collect their waste to power our world. To reward its population, those who defecate are given juicybars as rewards when they do their business at designated collection points. However, these juicybars (they look so phallic when being sucked upon) are addictive, and here you have a black market churned from obtaining and selling these bars. With gangs, one of the most notorious ones called The Diaper Gang, come forth to wreck havoc on the populace, and with the authorities not going to sit back and do nothing, they unleash their cyborg policeman Geko to take them down, violently.

And all these happen in the first 5 minutes. Like I said, it moves at breakneck speed, infused with comedy and various pop movie references galore, ranging from Pulp Fiction and the Untouchables to the obvious Robocop, and a sequence taken straight out of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. If you thought that the Koreans had the most ultra realistic and violent movies in their crime genre, this is also brought over to the animation field, with this movie a showcase just how violent a cartoon can be - heads get shot off constantly, and various dismemberment happen so often, you'll start to want nothing less than a swift violent end for its characters, in particularly the members of the Diaper Gang, who serve as disposable fodder.

So where does Aachi and Ssipak fit in you say? They're small time hoodlums who discover a girl called Beautiful (whom I thought was anything but), who has the capability to defecate and be rewarded bucketloads. As small time hoodlums, they see this as a get rich opportunity, and it becomes like a round robin hide and seek game amongst all the players involved.

There are plenty of human waste jokes and references, coupled with tons of swearing and showing of bad signs (middle finger, thumb in between fingers, the flipping of the forearm, etc), and probably served as direct insolence to both the gangsters as well as to the V for Vendetta like fascist government and their polices.

If you like your animations vulgar, fun, full of action and violence, then Aachi and Ssipak will be right up your alley.

A ceaseless tirade of potty humor that somehow remains charming from start to finish.

[rushknight · 6/10 · 17 August 2014]

I like to think of myself as above potty humor. You know what I mean? Fart jokes, clever references for the butt, an absurd interest in what goes on in the bathroom..

The world is full of giggling children who can't pronounce the word "defecate" but can use the s--t word with great effectiveness. For some reason, this type of humor never grows old to some folks, but sticks itself into the collective psyches of many adults permanently.

It was never my thing. So how did I end up watching this? Well, for starters the whole movie is a not so subtle metaphor for society in general. The idea of breaking down the advanced and intricate systems of the world and then articulating it all in overly simplified terms is always a winning movie making formula to me.

This movie is vaguely similar to a film called "Equilibrium," where the basic foundational idea of society is presented as a single statement: "Obliterate all human emotion to create the perfect society." The film then grows out of that idea. The plot grows organically as a result of trying to maintain the believability of the original idea.

In the case of this film: "All energy comes from collecting human feces; encourage the populace to defecate profusely." The idea is so simple it leaves you wondering immediately if there is more buried underneath it. Well, unfortunately there isn't. The basic plot flow of this film is not original. It has been done before in hundreds of movies. It's very formulaic really. But it still works because of the setting.

But no one is really watching for the plot. By now word has gotten around that this movie is violent as heck. It really is. Gore, explosions, torture.. it's got it all. DO NOT play a drinking game with this one, especially if you need to drink every time someone dies. There are several sexual references, so don't think this is appropriate for your kids. There's also some pretty creepy looking characters. The police Captain in particular was worthy of a cringe or two.

The voice acting is acceptable (if you are watching the English dubbed version), but not great. The animation itself is somewhat difficult to follow from time to time; characters wiggle like jello and bend like Gumby.

All told, the film holds itself together admirably and is very entertaining. It's not going to be a favorite of mine, but I do not regret watching it. It was worth a watch.

The only thing it doesn't have (surprisingly) is the actual showing of fecal matter. The mere reference to it is apparently enough.

Clever and energetic political parody

[[e-mail] · 6/10 · 28 May 2007]

Warning: this film is vulgar and violent. If you can't get beyond the fact that there is much too much discussion of defecation and killing in this film then don't watch it. But for those who can overlook the aggressively adolescent fascination with feces and fighting will find beyond it a rather diverting discussion of political instability. Much like the Cambodia government of 1975 or any number of contemporary African government, the political authorities of the world envisioned by this film are facing an insurgency of fanatical children soldier led by a cult-like totalitarian leader. And much like the same governments, the authorities respond with equally ruthless violence and complete indifference to the well-being of their citizens or even allies. Trapped between these two equally vicious groups are our anti-heroes, interested only in making easy money. Their anti-heroic struggle against overwhelming odds to control the unlikely source of energy in their bizarre world should be an inspiration to entrepreneurs everywhere.

An animation so concerned with faecal matter and the anus...

[movedout · 6/10 · 6 May 2007]

For what it's worth, "Aachi & Ssipak" represents a stylistic and technical milestone for Korean animation. Now, even if it might not be good or enjoyable, it does manage to drop jaws in the sequences that do work. Quite obviously inspired by the glut of web animation on the Internet, the film twines absurdity, political lampoons and sexuality into an incoherent mess that's just much too energetic and maniacal to take your eyes off. In his simplest form, it's about a ragtag crew of criminal elements caught in the middle of a war between the city's Big Sister government and a terrorist group called the Diaper Gang. The prize, ultimately, being the proliferation of an addictive candy delivered in phallic-like packaging called a Juicy Bar. In an animation so concerned with faecal matter and the anus, there's not much subtext to be gleaned from its fascination with derrieres other than its producer's willingly gleeful lapses into iniquity

Animation junkie goes to heaven.

[poetmaniac · 10/10 · 12 May 2010]

Holy ****(pun intended) this movie never apologizes for where it goes and where is goes caused me some problems laughing so hard at 1 in morning amid housemates. I suggest you read nothing of the plot and just go in blindly, unless you dislike childish potty humor even if it is done in satire and with skill and class.

This is not for kids and not for folks who can't take satire and black humor that lives somewhere between the bottom of the toilet and the sewer.

Japan has been giving us lewd b-grade porno/potty toons for decades now and I have seen nothing that trumps this South Korean gem. It is way too much fun and very pointed. The subtitles felt natural and true to the story. The animation was slick but not overly proud of itself (and it mixed styles and types of animation fluidly).

This film is not for everyone, even I usually hate potty humor. But this film isn't really potty humor because it basks so directly in it's filth that is rises above the immaturity of say something MTV or Adam Sandler to make a greater point. In fact I wonder if the folks who made this weren't making a direct statement about North Korea. But anyway...

I laughed and loved it!!!

Not Dumb, but not smart either.

[solidgameboy12-1 · 8/10 · 21 January 2008]

Aachi and Ssipak is one of the new animated films coming from a foreign country and will probably be different, bizarre, life changing and overall, will be praised by anime fans world wide.

No, not likely. It's actually a new animated film from Korea, out of all those movies from Korea, This would be the first and only one I've seen from the country. It's different and bizarre, in that it's plot sounds something like "Mad Max", with "Idiocracy", "Robocop" and "Demolition Man" all compiled together. As for it being accepted by anime fans, it all depends on if you like the story and animation.

The Story takes place in an unknown future, where all energy is now powered by defecation. Yes, Human waste is what saves the world and supplies it with energy. The people who do this are rewarded with Juicy-Pops, sort of like a Popsicle with almost drug inducing side effects, the people get hooked on them, and everyone loves them.

As the movie kicks off, it introduces the Diaper gang, a group of mutants who can't excrete (How, I don't think is explained or yet, not knowing how come they can't, is a better use of words.) but love the delicious Juicy Pops so much, they hijack tankers carrying them to have them.

Within the first two or three minutes, this movie starts to go from a plot that John Waters could make with Adam Sandler, and moves to something that Michael Bay could make with Adam Sandler as the movie goes from excretory humor to an almost nonstop bullet festival as we find these little monsters, as well as average people want the delicious Juicy-Pops for financial and personal gain, and ammunition is spent faster than a World War II movie as it turns into an all out brawl with a mixed up plot to see what happens next.

Aachi and Ssipak are two poor guys whose lives are horrible, they barely have a thing but their motorcycles to their names. A mixed up plot with a crappy movie director (pun intended), the evil leader of the Diaper gang, the government, Aachi and Ssipak and a girl known only as Beautiful becomes the rest of the plot.

The plot is almost too crude to put into words, and as I felt this movie would go nowhere, it speeds up to an action plot and drops the comedy about 45 minutes in. At 1 hour and 24 minutes, it just about wears out its welcome, but because it drops off the bathroom humor about halfway through, there is more "plot" to focus on, which in this case means, watching bullets fly and ridiculous story to commence.

What does the movie provide to you, though? Well for one, it's not a date movie, it made be animated, but it's not for kids, and it's violent, yet cannot compare to Katsuhiro Otomo's "Akira", but how does it sit so well to be watched by anybody? If you look it at, it's basically another film to be remade in America with some famous actors, since "The Ring", "Premonition", and all these foreign films have been getting adapted to American Audiences, give it to the Happy Gilmore production crew to make a new movie idea.

It also felt like I could be watching the future. How? With Ethanol, Global warming, and other kinds of power for the future, this movie feels like the future to me? Yes. I can't imagine we aren't much farther away from using defecation for something in society, just have to find a scientist who says it's a great alternate fuel source or something to believe it.

Still, I'm recommending this movie. To who? Well, You have to have a stomach for the plot, be willing to watch something so weird that you'd think 14 year old came up with it, and be willing to watch blood fly and have fight scenes that are so unreal, The Matrix couldn't even have fight scenes of its magnitude in it.

It's entirely inconceivable to make a movie like this, but it has been made, and you know what, it's actually not that bad. Be prepared for some humor that will make you feel like you repeated 4th grade and fight scenes that are simply silly, but it's still a good movie.

I give it an 8/10 Or easily a 3/5.

Silly

[crappydoo · 4/10 · 7 August 2007]

4 stars for guts and the direction it takes in the first 30 minutes. Snore-fest thereafter (seriously, I fell asleep). The rest of it is nothing special and the movie progresses as just another lame commercial movie. Once you get over the surprise factor, there is nothing much to talk about.

The animation quality is pretty good. However it isn't enough to cover-up the faults. I believe the producers could have made a better film if they spent a little longer in contemplation and creativity.

There was no place for this to be played in the Auckland film festival. I believe the authorities should be more careful in selecting movies in the future. I am certain that the Korean dialogues must have been funnier than the subtitles as I could figure out by the loud laughs generated by the Korean audience members. To a non-Korean speaker, it wasn't too funny.

Watch it only if you must.

Not for children

[tobiasnan · 10/10 · 8 December 2007]

This is the best cartoon movie I saw in the last few years. Surely a movie for adults, you'll find it out in the first 2 minutes where the body count starts raising, and rockets to the sky.

Hope this wont take away anyones appetite watching it, because this is a movie with lots of black humor, beautifully graphics, lots of action.

Why not to watch it? Disgusting, sick story, 3-4 deaths for each minute.

Why to watch it? Disgusting, sick, and 3-4 deaths for each minute.

You either like it, either hate it.

The good guys are violent hoodlums who want to get rich by selling drugs on the black market, the bad guys are the diaper gang, the police is the tyrannic force in the city. The power source of the future is human feces. And the state collects it and rewards the people with addictive juicy bars.

The funniest characters are the ant like diaper gang members. They are the addicts of the drug that can be received after defecation. These poor guys/girls (they have no longer any sex) need the juicy bars, but because they cannot defecate they have to find other ways to get the desired food. In their efforts they loose their live by the dozens. Mostly because of the cyborg police officer Geco. He is like Robocop, defying the laws of physics, mainly with unlimited ammo usage. The diaper gang calls themselves orphans of the city. Their small size, and as they act I think they are like kids turned into addicts. (Despite the original story that they were normal citizens.) The rest of the characters are bad guys too: Aachi and Ssipak are always arguing on something. They are marauders attacking people on the toilet. Beautiful the woman is a porn star, or prostitute. The leader of the police is much like an angry chiwawa: a little blonde girl, shouting with her inferior officers.

Overall: lots of action, lots of location, good storyline, weird ideas.

Underappreciated animated middle finger

[KaZenPhi · 8/10 · 11 January 2022]

In the shadow of the South Korean movie hype that brought masters like Bong Joon Ho into the international limelight there was also a small but unique movement to emancipate the country as a quality provider of animated features in its own right, and not just a cheap location for Japan and the US to outsource their inbetweening to. Echoing the same development rival Japan went through when it emerged in the eighties as an animation powerhouse. Unfortunately, close to 15 years later now, 2D animation hasn't taken off to the same degree in South Korea despite the undeniable qualities of movies like Yobi the five tailed fox, wonderful days or this vulgar gem whose title I literally can't translate into English because it would violate imdb language standards.

Aachi & Ssipak is a satirical view of modern mass media with a few subtle stabs at North Korea and many not so subtle references to classic movies, spiced up with a very dark and crass sense of humour.

In the future the only remaining energy source is fecal matter, hence feces become quasi-religious symbols. Citizens get rewarded for their business with lollipop-like drugs that eventually turn them into tiny smurf-esque creatures called the diaper gang that can only live on these drugs and thus roam the cities and desolate wastelands as marauding scavengers.

...It all makes a little more sense in the context of the movie...

Despite the cartoonish look this isn't a movie for children (unless you're a really cool parent). It's filled with sexuality, graphic violence and vulgar slang (especially in the original Korean dub). Yet it never feels like it's trying to be edgy, it just has this natural offbeat punkrock FU attitude that you will either love or hate. I find it intensely likeable myself.

Give it a chance and you'll be rewarded with something very unique and unironically some of the best animated action scenes in recent memory.