Animatrix Network

Next Club Meeting: November 3, 2018, at the Wood Dale Public Library from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The Animatrix Network is an anime & manga fan club located in the Southwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. We usually meet on the fourth 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, such as live-action films, comics, music, art, and other weird things to enjoy and contemplate.

Saturday, October 20, 2018

Live-Action Remake of Disney's ALADDIN

A L A D D I N

“Aladdin” is the exciting tale of the charming street rat Aladdin, the courageous and self-determined Princess Jasmine and the Genie who may be the key to their future. Directed by Guy Ritchie, who brings his singular flair for fast-paced, visceral action to the fictitious port city of Agrabah, the film is written by John August and Ritchie based on Disney’s “Aladdin.”

“Aladdin” stars Will Smith as the larger-than-life Genie; Mena Massoud as the charming scoundrel Aladdin; Naomi Scott as Jasmine, the beautiful, self-determined princess; Marwan Kenzari as Jafar, the powerful sorcerer; Navid Negahban as the Sultan concerned with his daughter’s future; Nasim Pedrad as Dalia, Princess Jasmine’s free-spirited best friend and confidante; Billy Magnussen as the handsome and arrogant suitor Prince Anders; and Numan Acar as Hakim, Jafar’s right-hand man and captain of the palace guards. The film is produced by Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich with Marc Platt and Kevin De La Noy serving as executive producers. Alan Menken provides the score, which includes new recordings of the original songs written by Menken and lyricists Howard Ashman and Tim Rice and two new songs written by Menken and songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.The film, which was shot on practical stages in London and on location amidst the stunning desert vistas of Jordan, has a talented creative team helping to bring Agrabah to life, including: director of photography Alan Stewart, production designer Gemma Jackson and costume designer Michael Wilkinson.

Friday, October 19, 2018

Official First Look at The Mandalorian (2019)

STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN

We have new details on The Mandalorian, the first Star Wars live-action streaming series led by Jon Favreau, including the first image from the show and exciting news on episodic directors.

Plot summary: After the stories of Jango and Boba Fett, another warrior emerges in the Star Wars universe. The Mandalorian is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. We follow the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic..

The Mandalorian is an upcoming American drama web television series, based on and set in the #StarWars universe created by George Lucas, that is set to premiere on the forthcoming Disney streaming service. The series is set to be written by Jon Favreau, who will also executive produce alongside Dave Filoni, Kathleen Kennedy, and Colin Wilson.

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Production on the first Star Wars live-action streaming series has begun! After the stories of Jango and Boba Fett, another warrior emerges in the Star Wars universe. The Mandalorian is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. We follow the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic. The series will be written and executive produced by Emmy-nominated producer and actor Jon Favreau, as previously announced, with Dave Filoni (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels) directing the first episode. Additional episodic directors include Deborah Chow (Jessica Jones), Rick Famuyiwa (Dope), Bryce Dallas Howard (Solemates), and Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok). It will be executive produced by Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Kathleen Kennedy, and Colin Wilson. Karen Gilchrist will serve as co-executive producer.

The idea of a Star Wars live action TV show goes back to at least 2005, following the premiere of The Revenge of the Sith. It wouldn't be until Disney grabbed the reins from George Lucas and greatly expanded the franchise that we'd finally get a Star Wars adventure fit for TV—or at the very least, a streaming service.

Favreau's production is wholly separate from Lucas's, which would have been set in the seedy underbelly of Coruscant between the original and prequel trilogies. Instead, The Mandalorian will take place three years after Return of the Jedi (originally reported as 7 years but corrected to 3).

With the fall of the Empire being so recent, the Star Wars galaxy will likely be a galactic Wild West as a very young New Republic grapples with its newfound powers. Right now the only piece of current Star Wars canon that falls within that time frame is the novel Last Shot, which details the continuing adventures of Han Solo and Lando Calrissian.

But the biggest piece of news we have about the show's plot is its name—The Mandalorian. Although a well-known piece of lore for devout Star Wars fans, Mandalorians, and their home planet Mandalore, is a relatively deep cut in the Star Wars mythos.

In the original and prequel films, the Mandalorians are most memorably represented by Jango Fett and his clone/son Boba Fett. While not born on Mandalore, these famous bounty hunters wore Mandalorian armor, which is why the only official image from the show (very top) feels so very Fett-ian.

Aside from the Lone Gunman and the particularly Western feel of the promo image, we're in the dark about other characters who will be in the show. But we do know who will not be in the show—anyone from previous Star Wars films. While it's possible considering the timeline that someone familiar could make an appearance, Favreau stated in an interview in May that his Star Wars show would feature "all new characters."

Disney is working hard to get its exclusive streaming service up and running by fall 2019, and The Mandalorian is set to debut on that service. Whether it will launch with the service or arrive at a later date is uncertain.

Long story short, we've still got quite awhile before we see Favreau's journey into the Star Wars universe, but I have a feeling many more details will flesh out The Mandalorian while we wait.

Thursday, October 18, 2018

Scary Spotify Ad Pulled from TV

SPOTIFY pulls Horror-themed Ad from U.K.

After Complaints from Terrified Kids

[Source: Syfy] A Spotify ad designed to look and feel like a short horror film has been banned in the United Kingdom, thanks to (if that’s the right phrase) the U.K. consumer watchdog group, the Advertising Standards Authority.

The horror-themed ad features a bunch of young, pretty, hip people using Spotify to play the Camila Cabello song “Havana,” which awakens some sort of doll/mannequin/robot from hell, which stalks the hapless music lovers. But of course, after a parent complained that the ad upset their kids, the ASA looked into it and said, absolutely not.

Now, to be fair to the ASA, the ad is pretty freakin’ terrifying — see for yourself:

Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Anime Viewing Schedule for October 20, 2018

A N I M A T R I X N E T W O R K
Saturday, October 20, 2018

Wood Dale Public Library

Follow Hilda onto the next "woff" you see

and fly to Week's End for the Club Meeting!

Main Meeting Room, 10:15 am to 5:00 pm

10:15 - 11:05 Planet With 3-4

11:05 - 11:55 Goblin Slayer 1-2

11:55 - 12:45 Hinamatsuri 5-6

12:45 - 1:15 Club Meeting / Announcements

1:15 - 2:05 Megalo Box 6-7

2:05 - 2:55 S.S.S.S. Gridman 1-2

2:55 - 4:40 Bleach (Live-Action Movie)

All anime presented are fan-subtitled unless otherwise noted.

Don't miss the exciting anime series: Goblin Slayer and S.S.S.S. Gridman

ANIME DESCRIPTIONS ARE BELOW

"Thermostat 6" - Animation Short Film 2018

"thermostat 6"

Diane can't ignore anymore the leak coming from the ceiling above the family diner…

Monday, October 15, 2018

Second Trailer for MORTAL ENGINES

MORTAL ENGINES

Welcome to the age of predator cities. Peter Jackson presents #MortalEngines, in theaters December 14.

Hundreds of years after civilization was destroyed by a cataclysmic event, a mysterious young woman, Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar), emerges as the only one who can stop London — now a giant, predator city on wheels — from devouring everything in its path. Feral, and fiercely driven by the memory of her mother, Hester joins forces with Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan), an outcast from London, along with Anna Fang (Jihae), a dangerous outlaw with a bounty on her head.

Mortal Engines is the startling, new epic adventure directed by Oscar®-winning visual-effects artist Christian Rivers (King Kong). Joining Rivers are The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies three-time Academy Award®-winning filmmakers Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, who have penned the screenplay. Visual effects are created by a Weta Digital team led by Ken McGaugh, Kevin Smith, Luke Millar and Dennis Yoo. The Universal and MRC adaptation is from the award-winning book series by Philip Reeve, published in 2001 by Scholastic.

On board as producers are Zane Weiner (The Hobbit trilogy), Amanda Walker (The Hobbit trilogy) and Deborah Forte (Goosebumps), as well as Walsh and Jackson. Ken Kamins (The Hobbit trilogy) joins Boyens as executive producer. Universal will distribute the film worldwide. www.mortalengines.com

Sunday, October 14, 2018

Next Club Meeting is October 20, 2018

A N I M A T R I X N E T W O R K

Where do you want me to put the dead bodies?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Wood Dale Public Library

520 N. Wood Dale Road

Wood Dale, IL 60191

Main Meeting Room

Saturday, October 20, 2018

10:15 AM - 5:00 PM

Map
Public Transit Options

Our next club meeting will be at the Wood Dale Public Library,
Main Meeting Room (on your far right as you enter the front doors),
from 10:15 AM to 5:00 PM
(until the library closes).

There is public transportation available.
A Metra train-stop is located within walking distance.

Please note: If you are driving, please park your car
on the south side of the building (not the front) in order to
make room for other library patrons.

A Viewing Schedule will be posted soon.

Hope to see you all there!

(Click below for maps)

Star Trek: Discovery - Comic-Con Trailer

STAR TREK: DISCOVERY - Season Two

Discover the next adventure of Starfleet. Watch a new trailer of the highly anticipated season two premiere of Star Trek: Discovery, which makes its epic return to CBS All Access on January 17, 2019! Debuted at New York Comic Con during its Madison Square Garden panel with cast and executive producers, this trailer previews the continued voyage of the U.S.S. Discovery and its crews' mission to discover new worlds and new life forms.

Friday, October 12, 2018

New AQUAMAN Trailer from NYCC 2018

A Q U A M A N

Watch the official extended trailer for DCEU adventure "Aquaman" starring Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Temuera Morrison, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Patrick Wilson, and Nicole Kidman. Directed by James Wan.

Release date: December 21st, 2018

Aquaman finds himself caught between a surface world that ravages the sea and the underwater Atlanteans who are ready to revolt.

Thursday, October 11, 2018

New Trailer for SHE-RA

S H E - R A

Adora's destiny turns out to be far greater than she could have ever imagined. As the legendary warrior princess, She-Ra, it's up to her and a spirited group of rebel princesses to restore balance in Etheria by defending it from the place she once called home. Join The Rebellion November 16th when She-Ra and the Princesses of Power begins streaming on Netflix!

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Best Cosplay Of New York Comic Con 2018

New York Comic-Con 2018

Whitney Moore looks at the best cosplay of New York Comic Con and gives out the prestigious paper plate awards to the best of the best.

New York Comic Con is the East Coast’s biggest and most exciting popular culture convention. Our show floor plays host to the latest and greatest in comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, toys, movies, and television. Our panels and autograph sessions give fans a chance to interact with their favorite creators. Our screening rooms feature sneak peeks at films and television shows months before they hit either big or small screens. And with dedicated professional hours, New York Comic Con is a marketplace, bringing together the major players in the entertainment industry. New York Comic Con is the second largest pop culture convention in America and the only one that takes place in the comic book, publishing, media, and licensing capital of the world — Gotham City.

Tuesday, October 9, 2018

"One Small Step" by TAIKO Studios

"One Small Step"

TAIKO Studios presents the story of Luna, a vibrant young Chinese-American girl who dreams of becoming an astronaut. From the day she witnesses a rocket launching into space on TV, Luna is driven to reach for the stars. In the big city, Luna lives with her loving father Chu, who supports her with a humble shoe repair business he runs out of his garage. As Luna grows up, she enters college, facing adversity of all kinds in pursuit of her dreams.

Recommended Anime

MADE in ABYSS

The Best Anime of 2017

Made in Abyss is centered around an orphan girl named Riko who lives in the town of Orth on an island in the sea of Beoluska. The city surrounds a strange, giant hole going deep into the earth, which is commonly called the Abyss. The Abyss harbors artifacts and remnants of a civilization long gone, and is therefore the popular hunting spot for so-called Cave Raiders, who undertake arduous and dangerous descents into the mist-filled pit to recover whatever relics they can find. However, the deeper one goes into the Abyss, the more they are afflicted by a progressively fatal malady called the Curse of the Abyss once they ascend back; few who have descended into the lower regions have returned to tell of their experiences. Some legendary Cave Raiders earn the title of White Whistle, one of them being Riko's mother Lyza.

Riko's goal is to follow in her mother's footsteps and solve the mysteries of the Abyss. One day she explores the caves and discovers a robot named Reg who resembles a human boy that she and her friends befriend. Some time later, Riko is informed that some items sent by Lyza were recovered, including a message to her, telling her to meet in the bottom of the Abyss. Riko then bids farewell to her friends and departs to the Abyss with Reg in search for her mother, despite knowing of the risks and the fact that due to the Curse of the Abyss, she will never be able to return.

Characters
Riko is a trouble-prone 12-year-old girl who wants to emulate her late mother, a legendary Cave Raider named Lyza the Annihilator who disappeared in the Abyss ten years ago. Riko is currently a Cave Raider-in-training at the Belchero Orphanage, and as a rookie bears the rank of Red Whistle. She has secretly taken possession of one of her finds, the Star Compass, which she hopes to use in her exploration of the Abyss. Her poor eyesight stems from the Curse of the Abyss, which she caught when her mother gave birth to her during a mission in the Abyss.

Reg is an amnesic robot in the shape of a human boy. Having no memory of his own name, he was given the name Reg after a dog Riko used to own. Surprisingly, he can consume organic food despite being classified as a machine. His mechanical arms extensible, and can also fire a deadly energy beam capable of melting even stone, which Riko dubs the "Incinerator".

Flashback Corner - Remember This?

THE DIRTY PAIR is a series of sci-fi comedy light novels written by Haruka Takachiho and illustrated by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko that was later adapted into anime and manga versions. The franchise has bounced across multiple formats and production companies, resulting in (so far) eight novels and a few shorter stories, a television series, two OVA series, two OVA features, a feature film, a number of graphic novels, and two short Japanese radio series. The 1985 television series won the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize for that year.

The stories take place in the years 2138-43, by which time humanity has spread across some few thousand star systems. A corporation called the World Welfare Works Association (WWWA or 3WA) helps member systems of the United Galactica (UG) federation deal with various planetary-scale problems, for profit, by sending agents called "trouble consultants". The series focuses on a team of trouble consultants in that section, named Kei and Yuri, who have a reputation for leaving a trail of destruction behind them, for which they are known publicly as the "Dirty Pair".

Kei and Yuri are the two members of Trouble Consultant team 234, code named "Lovely Angels". Almost every mission they are involved with ends up in disaster, but not failure (they'll catch the crook, but a city may be destroyed in the process), and thus they are more generally known as the "Dirty Pair", a nickname they hate. They are always cleared of any wrongdoing by the 3WA's Central Computer because the extreme collateral damage is never actually their fault (though their mere presence has been known to make things worse). In some but not all continuities, they have joint ESP powers, usually limited to precognition. This talent was the reason they were recruited in the first place.

Kei is a hot-headed tomboy with red hair and tanned skin who wears a silver-white uniform. She favors large weaponry and prefers to "shoot first, ask questions later". The more aggressive of the two, she is also the bustier of the pair and is attracted to manly, muscular men. Yuri is of Japanese ethnicity, and wears a golden-yellow uniform. She often uses non-gun weaponry such as energy whips or throwing cards. While the more feminine of the two, she is known to become very violent when crossed. She is the more bottom-heavy of the team and is also a coy flirt who prefers cultured, refined men. Her most recognized weapon is the Bloody Card, a technologically enhanced throwing card that can be used to take down several people at once.

Gaming Corner

NIER: AUTOMATA is an action role-playing game in which players take the role of combat androids from the YoRHa units across an open world environment. In addition to standard navigation on foot, using a special item allows the player to summon a wild animal to ride, and in some scenarios pilot a flying mech to fight enemies. As with the previous game, during navigation in some environments, the camera shifts from its standard third-person view to an overhead or side-scrolling perspective. Some areas also include platforming elements, requiring the player to navigate via jumping between platforms or over obstacles. The player can complete side quests for non-playable characters found throughout the world. Shops available in hub locations allow the player to purchase items, including consumables which recover health.

Combat is action-based, with the player fighting enemies in real-time in a variety of in-game environments. During battle, the player can use light attacks—which are fast but weak—and heavy attacks—slow and more powerful. The player can evade enemy attacks, and with successfully timed button presses, can gain temporary invulnerability and launch a counterattack which deals heavy damage. The player is also assisted by a Pod, a flying robot assistant which launches customizable ranged attacks varying from simple gunfire to heavy-hitting hammer attacks. Players can access four different weapon types in battle: short swords, long swords, bracers, and spears. While attacking, the player can alternate between both weapon types and attacks to create combination attacks. Attacks with different weapon types can also be charged and launched for increased damage. Weapon Stories, a recurring element in both Nier and the Drakengard series, where weapons found throughout the world have unique stories attached to them, are also featured.

As the players progress, they gain experience levels, increasing their health, defense, and attack power. Character progression is handled through chips, items installed onto the player characters that modify their attributes; these chips provide benefits ranging from altering the HUD, to granting status buffs. The number of chips that can be installed at once are limited by how many slots are available. Chips can either be purchased from shops, or picked up from defeated enemies. If the player dies, they will respawn at their previous save point. The player can then find their original body, and either retrieve items and experience left with it to gain a bonus, or attempt to repair it. Depending on the player's success, the body is either resurrected as a temporary ally, or as an enemy the player can defeat for an extra bonus. With online features enabled, the bodies of other players can also be retrieved or resurrected at the location in which they died.

Mighty Orbots - Remember this?

MIGHTY ORBOTS

In the future, Earth is threatened by various enemies, but none worse than the organization called Shadow, lead by the cybernetic menace known as Umbra. Against this, the Galactic Patrol strives to protect Earth, but the mild mannered young scientist, Robert Simmons, does more. In times of peril, he secretly fights as the leader of the Orbots, a team of unique artificially intelligent robots each equipped with their own unique capabilities that are invaluable in this war. Together, whether individually or united as parts of a giant combined robot, they represent Earth's most powerful defense.