Next Club Meeting:May 23, 2026,at the Fountaindale Public Library in Bolingbrook from 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
The Animatrix Network is an anime & manga fan club located in the Southwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. We usually meet on the third Saturday of each month (except when holidays or conventions coincide). The meetings are free and open to the public. Join us for a day filled with anime.
This site provides news, reviews, commentaries, and previews of the world of anime and everything it inspires in today's pop culture, such as live-action films, comics, music, art, and other weird things to enjoy and contemplate.
Neon Odysseyis a 1,400+ page trilogy that brings Space Opera to D&D 5.5e, drawing inspiration from legendary Sci-Fi Films, retro Video Games, classic Animation, pop-culture Nostalgia, and more. Launch into a space adventure with galactic GM Tools in a colorfully cosmic Campaign Setting, or suit up with an astral arsenal of Player Options to soar among the stars.
In a world where sports and magic combine, farm boy Key discovers his ultra-powerful natural talent and learns he could be the legendary Dragon Striker. Set at Kal Asterock, an elite school for students who possess extraordinary abilities, Key joins goalkeeper Ssyelle on a scrappy new team to challenge the school champions. As he struggles with the raging dragon inside him and Ssyelle fights to hold her team together, they learn dark secrets of the past and uncover an ancient evil.
Katsuhiro Otomo, the legendary creator behind Akira, is officially returning to the anime industry after more than 12 years with the launch of a brand-new animation studio called Oval Gear. Otomo remains one of the most influential figures in anime and manga history after creating the groundbreaking Akira manga and directing its iconic anime film adaptation, which helped shape modern cyberpunk storytelling worldwide.
The newly announced studio has already sparked major excitement among fans because its branding heavily references Orbital Era, the long-awaited anime project Otomo originally announced years ago. Many viewers now believe the film could finally move forward under Oval Gear with Otomo directly leading the creative process while building a new generation of anime talent around him.
According to the studio’s official statements, Oval Gear was created not only to produce new animation projects but also to preserve and pass down Otomo’s artistic philosophy and visual storytelling style to future creators. The studio is already recruiting production staff and freelancers, signaling a major new chapter for one of anime’s most respected creators. Humans waited over a decade for this man to return, and the anime world instantly reacted like a dormant volcano waking up. Completely justified, honestly.
The year is 2029. In near-future Japan, networks and micromachine technology have advanced dramatically. Motoko Kusanagi, a full-body cyborg, leads Public Security Section 9—an offensive unit known as the “Shell Squad,” formed to stop threats before they escalate. While investigating high-level cybercrimes, the team encounters a phantom: an unidentified hacker known as the “Puppet Master.” Based on the manga “The Ghost in the Shell” by Shirow Masamune originally serialized in YOUNG MAGAZINE published by KODANSHA Ltd.
The “Branch of Reincarnation” grants the talents of past lives but only to those who slit their own throat with it. Touya Senji, crushed by self‑doubt and overshadowed by his gifted brother, believes he’s destined to remain ordinary… until he witnesses his quiet classmate Haito Luo Buffett battling a serial killer with powers from a former life. Now Touya is pulled into a world where reincarnated talents, hidden pasts, and deadly secrets collide, and the Branch awaits his choice.
Follow Leo and Erin’s emotional survival journey from the very beginning
to the latest episode of this Ghibli-inspired zombie apocalypse story.
Episode 1 begins with Leo and Erin trying to survive in a ruined city, gathering food, escaping real-looking zombies, and finally reaching a survivor compound where hope still exists. Inside the compound, Leo slowly finds comfort, friendship, and a place that feels safe, while Erin invites him to join a new supply mission for the people who still need help.
Episode 2 takes them to an enormous old river ship near the dock, where their mission turns dangerous. They search for supplies, discover the ship’s hidden kitchen, share a rare peaceful meal, and then face disaster when Erin falls into the river. Leo returns broken, believing he lost Erin, while Commander Alden and the search team desperately look for him. But the story takes a hopeful turn when Erin wakes up alive in a hidden hospital, rescued by Sofie and Dr. Martin.
The latest episode continues with Leo, Erin, and Sofie finally crossing paths again in the city. New bonds form, old guilt begins to heal, and the three stand together as a team against the dangers around them. What started as a survival story becomes a story about friendship, family, courage, forgiveness, and finding light even when the world feels lost.
A cinematic anime survival story filled with emotional moments, rooftop escapes, abandoned cities, real-looking zombies, quiet healing scenes, and hopeful reunions.
After death, before reincarnation, the souls of the deceased transit through a fantastical realm known as, Another World. Gudo is a spirit that helps to guide these transient souls to their reincarnation. While guiding a young girl named Yuri, he learns that humans have emotions that he does not understand. Tasked by Goddess Mira to help Yuri control her rage and prevent her transformation into a monster, Gudo embarks on a perilous mission.
Two thieves enter the same dungeon searching for a gem worth incredible wealth, but what they find along the way is worth more than all the treasure in the dungeon combined. This is the BYU Center for Animation's 2025 short animated film project.
