Next Club Meeting: April 20, 2024, 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, such as live-action films, comics, music, art, and other weird things to enjoy and contemplate.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Sunday, August 28, 2011

SDCC 2011: Green Lantern: Animated Series

Watch the Official Sneak Peek
Have you seen the new Green Lantern movie? Don't worry... Hal Jordan's adventures won't end in the theater! Green Lantern is coming to Cartoon Network in an all-new original animated series! Download the exclusive wallpaper at http://www.CartoonNetwork.com/GreenLantern and stay tuned for more details!

Saturday, August 27, 2011

D23 Expo 2011: Movie Announcements

Look what's coming in the near future!
Planes [2013]
[Source: aicn.com] John Lasseter reveals a sneak peek of the direct-to-DVD complement to the CARS franchise. The main character is a plucky crop duster named "Dusty" (Jon Cryer) who yearns to be fighter jet.

Brave [2012]
Pixar's summer 2012 offering: BRAVE. It's an original story about a headstrong Scottish princess, Merida (Kelly Macdonald), whose bow-wielding quest for personal freedom inadvertently results in the release of a dangerous curse only she can break. It's Pixar's first fairy tale and, more importantly, its first film with a female protagonist. In one scene, Merida crashes her own courting ritual, embarrassing her would be suitors with a dazzling display of archery (concluding with Merida "castrates" them by splitting the arrow of the guy who luckily hit a bull's eye). Merida, with her fiery red hair and take-charge attitude, looks to be a fine addition to the Disney princess roster.
Lasseter reiterates Pixar's sequel policy: "We do it because we've found a story as good as or better than the original." And what was the "as good or better" idea that set MONSTERS' UNIVERSITY in motion? "How did Sulley and Mike Wazowski become friends?"
Director Dan Scalon shows off the sketches of undergrad Sulley and Mike (the former thinner and shaggier, the latter sporting a retainer), the D23 faithful are delighted.
 
Scanlon also gives a peek at the Ivy League-inspired campus setting of Monster University. Sulley and Mike will start as "enemies" at the university's prestigious "Scare School" (they both want to be the best scarer in their class). 



THE UNTITLED PIXAR MOVIE ABOUT DINOSAURS (2013)

From Bob Peterson (co-writer of UP and the voice of Roz, Mr. Ray and Dug) comes Pixar's inevitable dinosaur movie. It's been suspected that this one was in the works for a while now, but now it's confirmed. Premise: What if that life-exterminating meteor missed Earth, and the dinosaurs never died out. Dinosaurs and humans cohabiting? Simple, yes, but loaded with potential.


THE UNTITLED PIXAR MOVIE THAT TAKES YOU INSIDE THE MIND
(Summer 2014)

From the great Pete Docter (MONSTERS INC., and UP) comes an animated movie that takes place in the human brain. Sounds kinda like HERMAN'S HEAD.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

D23 Expo 2011: Avengers Assemble!

The Avengers assembled at the D23 expo. Kevin Feige introduces the Avengers and explains why D23 is where they wanted to bring them out.

Monday, August 22, 2011

D23 Expo 2011: Has Arrived!

D23 opened its doors to Disney fans all over the world! 
A highlight of the opening morning was the prestigious Disney Legends Ceremony. Hosted by ABC's Tom Bergeron, this years Disney Legends include Jim Henson and Regis Philbin!

Why was SDCC's panels so light this year?

Because some of the Best Stuff went to Disney's D23 Expo
[Commentary] San Diego Comic-Con has been in the past few years the place to make major studio announcements for big movies next summer. However, this year, SDCC's panel schedule has been light on the major hitters, namely Marvel and Pixar. The reason being is that Disney's first media convention, D23, premieres one month after Comic-Con, and since Disney owns both Marvel and Pixar, they saved the best panels for their own convention.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

SDCC 2011: Cartoon Voices - Part Three

Live Reading of Snow White
The voice actors perform a live-read of a short script based on the story of "Snow White" without having seen it first. They use their cartoon voices to bring the characters to life. This was one of the best panels at San Diego Comic-Con this year!

SDCC 2011: Adventure Time

With Fionna and Cake!
What the cabbage? It's a girl version of Finn and Jake! Watch the sneak peek of the new Adventure Time episode featuring the voice of Neil Patrick Harris!

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Disney D23 Expo this weekend!

Marvel Makes an Appearance at D23
[Source: D23] Marvel will make its historic debut at D23, the ultimate Disney fan event, and they're pulling out all the stops! 

On Sunday, August 21, at 10:15 a.m. in the Arena, join creators from the Marvel team for an exclusive and unprecedented experience that will take you through the evolution of the first comic book in 1939 to Marvel's current position as one of the most important creative forces in the world. During this presentation, which will include interactive Q&A segments, you will not only get an inside glimpse of the history of Marvel and its iconic Super Heroes but also discover why Marvel truly is a House of Ideas. This session will be hosted by Joe Quesada, one of the most respected and sought-after writers and artists in the entertainment industry and chief creative officer, Marvel. 
"We're thrilled to be a part of the one-of-a-kind show that is Disney's D23," Joe says. "Whether attendees are new to the world of Marvel or longtime fans, they're going to love what we've planned for them!" 

Also, be sure not to miss Marvel's own president of Production Kevin Feige as he joins some of the top names in film on Saturday, August 20 at 10:30 a.m. at the Walt Disney Studios panel to discuss Marvel Studios' plans for 2012, including the hotly anticipated Marvel's The Avengers!

SDCC 2011: Dr. Who Trailer

Trailer for the second half of Season 6, which starts on 27th August. Sneak peek of The God Complex is here.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Anime World Chicago - August 19 - 21, 2011

Anime World Chicago is bringing you the very newest and best anime convention experience in the Midwest, and delivering all your addictions right to Chicagoland. We'll bring you fan favorite guests, thrilling game tournaments, spectacular cosplay and fashion events, wall-worthy artwork and a fully-stocked vendors' hall, plus all the panels, videos, glomping, game shows, fangirling, Pocky and hallway dancing you can cram into three days (better start practicing your Hare Hare Yukai and Caramelldansen for the retro hour!).

SDCC 2011: The Walking Dead

Season 2 Trailer

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

SDCC 2011: Zombie Walk

Undead Outbreak on the Streets of San Diego
 
Zombie parade during Comic-Con 2011. Held on 5th Avenue in the Gaslamp District of San Diego on July 23, 2011.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Thursday, August 11, 2011

CGI Godzilla is just awesome

Scream if you want more!
This is a scene from a dream sequence in the Japanese comedy Always Zoku Sanchome no Yuhi (which translates as Always: Sunset on Third Street 2).

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Anime Programming Schedule for August 13, 2011

The Perfect Anime Summer Continues!
NOTE: During the summer months, our meetings will be pushed back by one hour due to a class in the morning. Starting time is now 1:00 pm.

1:00 - 1:50   Dragon Crisis 1-2
[Source: Wikipedia] A normal high school boy Ryūji Kisaragi's peaceful life is turned into an adventure by the return of his second cousin, Eriko, a sexy young woman with a penchant for adventure and trouble. Ryūji and Eriko seize a relic box from a black market broker named FANG. In the box, they find a red dragon girl whom Ryūji names Rose because of her rose like pattern on her left hand. In order to protect Rose from the black organization, Ryūji decides to fight using his power as a relic handler. High school student Ryuji's older cousin Eriko returns from abroad to drag him to the scene of an underground transaction where he gets caught up in a shootout and car chase. While they thought they had stolen a miraculous Lost Precious from the criminal brokers, they ended up with a mysterious young girl. The young girl happily latches on to Ryuji even though they have never met. Who is this little girl? Thus begins the romantic story of the beautiful young Rose and Ryuji. Rose, Ryuji and Eriko are suddenly invited to the Japanese branch of the society by a researcher named Tokura. While Rose is indistinguishable from a young girl, the society performs a variety of examinations after hearing she is a dragon, and the results are...! Unconcerned by her situation, Rose is simply happy to be with Ryuji, and enjoys eating ice cream. However, a young man in black and an underground broker has come for Rose!

1:50 - 2:40  Fractale 5-6
[Source: Wikipedia] The story takes place on an island resembling a futuristic Ireland (certain scenes are directly taken from Galway city in the west of Ireland), in a world ruled by the "Fractale System" that ensures mankind's stability and prosperity. One day, Clain meets a fleeing girl called Phryne, who disappears during the night leaving a pendant. When he is able to activate the pendant (which turns into a "dopple" named Nessa), Clain sets out for a journey with the girl-shaped avatar Nessa to look for Phryne and discovers the secret behind the Fractale System. While taking a walk, Clain has an encounter with the mysterious Phryne who was running away from a gang of pursuers. Clain and Phryne soon become friends, but in the following day she disappears without saying a word, leaving a mysterious item behind. While examining the brooch left by Phryne, Clain finds that Nessa, a doppel in human form, was sealed inside it. After trying to dispose of her, he ends up accepting Nessa's company, just before being captured by the same trio that was pursuing Phyrne. Clain and Nessa are taken to a village that is the headquarters of "Lost Millennium", an organization that is rebelling against the Fractale System. Soon after, Clain is caught up in a vicious confrontation between the rebels and the priestesses, where he meets Phryne again. The members of Lost Millennium kidnap Phryne and the temple puts a price on their heads. Clain decides to not get himself involved in the conflict, and just when he is about to run away with Nessa, the village is attacked by the temple's forces. After escaping the Temple's forces, Clain is forced to earn his keep aboard the airship by doing odd jobs. He notices Sanko with her visor on while playing with someone, whom she claims is Nessa. But when Clain checks, Nessa is nowhere to be found. Later, Clain encounters Phryne and tells her that he believes that Nessa is still around, but she will not appear. Phryne answers that it is because Nessa is jealous as she has become attached to Clain. Soon, the airship begins to experience problems and flies into a thunderstorm, which Clain believes is Nessa's doing. The crew begins looking for Nessa, which turns into a game of hide-and-seek. Thinking that Nessa will not come out while she is around, Phryne attempts to escape the airship. Though Clain tries to talk Phryne out of it, it is Nessa who "finds" Phryne and convinces Phryne to stay. While the airship undergoes repairs, Clain and Phryne encounter refugees who found themselves outside the range of Fractale's signal. During an argument between a refugee and man who had taken pictures while Phryne was skinny-dipping, a man named Dias appears and invites the refugees to a nearby town. The photographer runs off and Clain follows him and learns that the man is an antique collector. The collector invites Clain to return that night, which Clain does with Phryne in tow. Along the way, they see Dias's group feeding and vaccinating the refugees. The two arrive at the collector's home and the collector temporarily boosts Fractale's signal to show what the town looked before the signal was lost. However, the refugees learn that the "vaccinations" were actually removing the terminals from their bodies. When a refugee attempts to flee, Dias has him killed. Afterword, the collector gives Clain the camera.

2:40 - 3:05    The World God Only Knows 10
[Source: Wikipedia] This episode Shiori is embarrassed on what she said and tries to leave but when Keima comments on why books are useless nowadays, with much courage and anger, she verbally calls him stupid before quickly leaving. Keima later reveals to Elsie that he is purposely angering Shiori in order for her to speak up. Shiori laments on the fact that her shyness has prevented her to speak to people normally but decides she doesn’t need to communicate with people and the only things she need is her books. The next day, the Library committee has decided to add a Media room for the library. Shiori tries gives her opinion to the committee but is too shy to speak up. Later, she catches Keima writing in one of the library books which he justifies that he was making corrections and comments how books can’t instantly be corrected, angering Shiori and quietly shouting him an idiot before leaving. The next afternoon, she catches Keima doing it again only to realize he’s scribbling in his own book. In anger and confusion, she starts talking her inner thoughts out without realizing it until Keima points it out. The next day after that, Keima introduces himself to Shiori and talks about the library, now that she is speaking normally to him. With Shiori now speaking up, Keima decide it’s time to capture her heart after finding a Library notice to dispose library books for the Media room.

3:05 - 3:55   Deadman Wonderland 5-6
[Source: Wikipedia] Ganta is thrust into his Corpse Carnival match with Crow and is at a disadvantage as his projectiles use too much blood and cause him to develop anemia. As he becomes helpless, he recalls memories of Shiro and manages to stand back up, using the environment to get a hit on Crow. After escaping from the corridor, Yō and Shiro head towards G-Block after Yō hears the whereabouts of a women he is searching for. After Ganta recovers from his victory, he is horrified to find that Crow is forced to have one of his eyes removed as a result of losing. As Yō uses Shiro as a diversion so he can escape on his own, he bears witness to her true destructive ability, as she herself has the Branches of Sin. As Shiro falls unconscious and is picked up by some strange men whilst Yō continues his way to G-Block, Ganta meets a girl named Minatsuki, another Deadman who had killed her abusive father. Ganta offers to help Minatsuki escape, but soon learns she is his opponent in the next Corpse Carnival. When the match begins, Minatsuki's personality changes completely and attacks with her whip-like Branches of Sin, revealing she had manipulated him into taking an injury prior to the match. However, Yō appears, revealing Minatsuki to be his little sister, saying that he plans to gain enough Cast Points to buy her freedom before entering the arena. Minatsuki tries to manipulate Yō against Ganta, but he turns on her instead, having learned the truth behind his father's death. Minatsuki captures Yō and uses him as a human shield against Ganta, revealing she has shown hatred ever since her mother left her for dead during the Red Hole incident. Ganta manages to disable one of her whips and free Yō, before knocking her out with a headbutt, winning the match.

3:55 - 4:20    Steins;Gate 3
[Source: Wikipedia] Self-proclaimed mad scientist, Rintarō Okabe, goes to a seminar on time travel with his friend, Mayuri Shiina. While there, he meets a girl named Kurisu Makise who explicitly states that he had met her 15 minutes ago, despite having never met her before. Later on, Rintarō hears a scream and discovers Kurisu has been stabbed. As he sends a text to another one of his research buddies, Hashida Itaru, Rintarō has a strange experience, finding the street he is on has suddenly become deserted and a strange satellite has crashed into the building he was just in. Later on, while fiddling about with their strange remote-controlled microwave, which turns bananas into a gel-like substance, Hashida tells Rintarō that the seminar he supposedly attended was cancelled, much to his surprise. Rintarō later discovers that the text he sent to Hashida had been sent a week ago, just before encountering Kurisu, who is alive and well. Rintarō agrees to let Kurisu look at the mobile microwave on the condition she become a lab member. They discover that Hashida was using the microwave at the time Rintarō sent his text about Kurisu's stabbing. Rintarō concludes that the mobile microwave is, in fact, a time machine which sent his message into the past. After hearing about the large hadron collider and micro-black-holes, Rintarō asks Hashida to hack into SERN's network. There, they discover SERN had already been performing top secret micro-black-hole experiments, during which humans had died.

4:20 - 5:20    Club Meeting and Announcements
San Diego Comic-Con Convention Coverage
-  Animation News from around the world
-  Cosplayers
/Skits/Masquerade
-  New Anime Releases

-  And other interesting stuff...

  
5:20 - 6:10    Gosick 8-9
[Source: Wikipedia] Gosick takes place in 1924 in a small, French-speaking fictional European country of Sauville. The story centers on Kazuya Kujo, the third son of a Japanese Imperial soldier, who is a transfer student to St. Marguerite Academy, where urban legends and horror stories are all the rage. There he meets Victorique, a mysterious yet beautiful and brilliant girl who never comes to class and spends her days reading the entire content of the library or solving mysteries that even detectives can't solve. The series mostly focuses on Kazuya and Victorique getting involved in different mystery cases and their struggle to solve them, at the same time forming important bonds with different people. Just after reading an article on a newspaper brought by Kujo, Victorique flees from the academy and sets with him for the small town of Horovitz. After arriving there, she explains to him that her mother, Cordelia Gallo, was falsely accused of murder, and she refuses to return home before proving her innocence. Victorique and Kujo explore the "Village of the Gray Wolves" where her mother lived in search for clues to prove her innocence, but Victorique gets disappointed when she uncovers the truth and figures that she lacks the means to clear her name. To complicate matters, two of the tourists who were visiting the village with them are killed among strange circumstances. Victorique manages to find the culprit behind the recent deaths at the village and to clear her mother's name by exposing the woman who framed her. However, when the woman attempts to escape, she starts torching the entire village, and Kujo must confront her while protecting Victorique with his life. Victorique gets a fever as Kujo sets out alone for some errands in Saubreme. While searching for a souvenir for his sister, he meets a girl among a pile of mannequins. The girl asks for help, but when he gets back to the department store with the Inspector, she is nowhere to be found. Kujo calls Victorique by phone to ask her help, but the call is cut short as he is taken away.


FEATURE PRESENTATION:
6:10 - 8:50    The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya [MOVIE]
[Source: Wikipedia]
The story takes place from December 16 until December 24, a month after the cultural festival. The SOS Brigade, led by Haruhi Suzumiya, make plans to have a nabe party for Christmas. However, on the morning of December 18, Kyon arrives at school and finds out everything has changed. Haruhi and Itsuki Koizumi are missing, Ryoko Asakura has mysteriously returned, Mikuru Asahina does not recognize him and Yuki Nagato is an ordinary human. Only Kyon is aware that everything is different, as no one remembers anything about Haruhi or the SOS Brigade. The only clue Kyon manages to find is a bookmark left by the alien version of Yuki before everything was changed, telling him to gather 'keys' to run a program. While wondering about this clue, he gets to know the new Yuki, who appears to be quite fond of him. As December 20 comes, Kyon learns from Taniguchi that Haruhi was at another high school the whole time, along with Itsuki. By revealing his identity to her as 'John Smith' (his alias when he first traveled back in time and assisted a young Haruhi), Kyon manages to convince Haruhi to believe his story. With her assistance they gather the SOS Brigade together in the club room, thus bringing the keys necessary for a program built by alien Yuki. Wanting to go back to his interesting life, Kyon activates the program and goes back in time to the Tanabata of three years ago. After meeting up with the future Mikuru, he obtains an uninstall program from the past's Yuki, which needs to be shot at the culprit right after the change in the early hours of December 18. Returning to the present, they find the culprit, Yuki, who had borrowed Haruhi's power to change everyone's memories except Kyon's, giving him the choice of which world he would rather live in. Kyon questions himself about his choice, and decides that his original world was more interesting and fun. Kyon tries to install the program into Yuki but is stabbed by Ryoko, who had retained her psychotic behavior. Before Ryoko can finish him off, he is rescued by future counterparts of Yuki, Mikuru and himself. He wakes up a few days later in a hospital, where the world is back to normal, but almost everyone believes Kyon had been in a coma since December 18 after having fallen down the stairs. When Yuki mentions to Kyon how the Data Integration Thought Entity would punish her for her actions, Kyon tells her to let them know that if they ever do, he can tell Haruhi about him being John Smith and have her alter reality so the Data Integration Thought Entity would cease to exist. As December 24 comes and his everyday life returns, Kyon stops by the SOS Brigade's clubroom as he smells a spicy fragrance coming from it, meaning that Haruhi and the others had already started working on the nabe. Convinced that there is still time until he has to go back in time to save himself, and restore the original world, he enters the room with a fresh smile on his face.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Saturday, August 6, 2011

First Look at New Superman from "Man of Steel"

Henry Cavill is ready to go up, up, and away!
"Man of Steel," directed by Zack Snyder, will not fly into movie theaters until June 14, 2013.  But this November, you can see Henry Cavill in the mythological action spectacle "Immortals."  Watch the trailer for that below.

Friday, August 5, 2011

SDCC 2011: Meet Victoria Schmidt, Super Fan

"What really symbolizes Comic-Con are the costumes"
Meet Victoria Schmidt, who takes the whole dressing-up thing to another level. By her own admission, she spends the entire year and most of her monthly paycheck on getting a guise just right, be it Princess Leia or Kate from "Lost." Click on the video below and see someone who takes Comic-Con very, very seriously. [Source: Yahoo! Movies]

Thursday, August 4, 2011

SDCC 2011: Batman Arkham City

Official Penguin Trailer
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment announced Batman: Arkham City as the title for its follow-up to the award-winning, critically acclaimed hit videogame Batman: Arkham Asylum . Batman: Arkham City will be available for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Games for Windows PC and the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system in Autumn 2011.

Developed by Rocksteady Studios, Batman: Arkham City builds upon the intense, atmospheric foundation of Batman: Arkham Asylum, sending players soaring into Arkham City, the new maximum security "home" for all of Gotham City's thugs, gangsters and insane criminal masterminds. Set inside the heavily fortified walls of a sprawling district in the heart of Gotham City, this highly anticipated sequel introduces a brand-new story that draws together a new all-star cast of classic characters and murderous villains from the Batman universe, as well as a vast range of new and enhanced gameplay features to deliver the ultimate experience as the Dark Knight.

Batman: Arkham City is based on DC Comics' core Batman license. Fans can visit http://www.batmanarkhamcity.com to sign up to receive updates regarding the game.

Monday, August 1, 2011

SDCC 2011: Terra Nova

Dinosaurs and Time Travel
Hundar interviews the stars and producers of the new TV show, Terra Nova, like Stephen Lang, Brannon Braga, and Aaron Kaplan.