Synopsis
An omnibus film composed of 5 short comedic pieces based on the cartoons of Mangataro, the charismatic presence of the Japanese cartoon world. The main episodes are the first and the second series of Babaa Zone, an old lady with magic power sporting the hair like a mushroom cloud, dirty rags all over her body, complete with a mysterious sack. Despite her weird appearance, she has a heart of gold and helps out the timid neighbors with the magical items from the sack. She prescribes a legendary potion of bravery to a junior high student who's too shy to ask for a porn book and gives a magic potion that reduces the sexual lust to a man who's so virile as to throw a fortune renting countless piles of porn videos. Is it, however, a happy ending the beneficiaries are to have? A word of advice: Stop thinking and just Enjoy! Mangataro's cartoons are grotesque, shocking and very unconventional and have a unique and loyal followings. The live film version of Babaa Zone lives up to the expectations and sports a refreshing sense of humor, with a cartoon-ish plot development and impossible jokes. It may seem a little bit bland to the fans of such cartoons as Inachu Pingpong Club. However, in general, we can't help appreciating the author's best efforts in order to find out a seed of beauty from the heaps of ugly, grotesque portraits of the humanity. Especially the ending, the bewildering ending that no one could possibly expect, is the final counterblow to the viewers who kept trying to find out a flicker of moral message in this short films. (YI Sul)