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, September 30, 2015

Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans


M O B I L E   S U I T   G U N D A M
The series will take the closest-ever look in Gundam’s 35-year history at the bonds and clashes between its protagonists and the drama of their growth to adulthood, telling the story of a band of young boys and the changes their own maturation spurs in the “Gundam”.
Iron - Blooded  Orphans

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Monday, September 28, 2015

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2

With the nation of Panem in a full scale war, Katniss confronts President Snow [Donald Sutherland] in the final showdown. Teamed with a group of her closest friends – including Gale [Liam Hemsworth], Finnick [Sam Claflin], and Peeta [Josh Hutcherson] – Katniss goes off on a mission with the unit from District 13 as they risk their lives to liberate the citizens of Panem, and stage an assassination attempt on President Snow who has become increasingly obsessed with destroying her. The mortal traps, enemies, and moral choices that await Katniss will challenge her more than any arena she faced in The Hunger Games.

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Japanese kids are independent at very young age

In Japan, children as young as five travel to school on their own. Why is it so different here?

Saturday, September 26, 2015

'Guardians of the Galaxy' Animation Premieres

G u a r d i a n s   of   the   G a l a x y
Guardians of the Galaxy are coming to the small screen as part of Disney XD’s ambitious Marvel animated programming block. The show formally debuts Saturday, September 26, on Disney XD, so Marvel has dropped several new clips and interviews from the series. We get an interview with David Sobolov (Drax), an interview with Vanessa Marshall (Gamora) and a larger behind-the-scenes clip of the cast talking about the show, plus a clip showing the team getting into trouble (as usual).



Friday, September 25, 2015

Marvel Comics: Introducing Jessica Jones

[Source: MTV-News] The first teaser trailer (technically, launch date announcement) for Netflix’s “Marvel’s Jessica Jones” is here, and it’s as moody and mysterious as you’d want from the upcoming spiritual sequel to the hit “Daredevil.”

J E S S I C A   J O N E S
The full show — all 13 hours — officially launches on Netflix on November 20, 2015 at 12:01am PT across the entire world. It follows Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), a former superhero whose career was cut short by a tragic event. She’s trying to rebuild her life as a detective in New York, only to run into trouble in the form of the villainous Kilgrave (David Tennant), and some romance from Luke Cage (Mike Colter) — who is spinning off into a series of his own.

There’s a ton to unpack in the graphic tease, including the news that Jessica will be working at Alias Investigations, just like she did in the comic by Brian Michael Bendis… As well as the expanded color palette from the moody grays and blacks of “Daredevil.”

And it’s not a stand-alone, either. The series will lead into both “Luke Cage” and “Daredevil” season two, as well as an upcoming “Iron Fist” series. It all culminates in “The Defenders,” an “Avengers”-style team-up between Marvel’s street-savvy characters.

By then, at least, the world will definitely know Jessica’s name.
Who Is Jessica Jones?

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Anime Viewing Schedule for September 26, 2015

Saturday, August 29, 2015
Wood Dale Public Library
It's Fall. The Season of New Anime.
"I think I may have left the gas on..."
Memoirs of a Huntress (Anime Movie)
Main Meeting Room, 10:15 am to 5:00 pm

10:15 - 10:40    Blood Blockade Battlefront 9-10
11:05 - 11:55    Aldnoah Zero 23-24 (End)
11:55 - 12:45    Parasyte the maxim 20-21
12:45 - 1:15      Club Meeting / Announcements
1:15 - 2:05        Charlotte 1-2
2:05 - 2:55        Gangsta 3-4
2:55 - 4:45        Memoirs of a Huntress (Movie)
All anime presented are fan-subtitled unless otherwise noted.
 
Keep watching the exciting new anime series: Charlotte and Gangsta!
ANIME DESCRIPTIONS ARE BELOW

10:15 - 11:05    Blood Blockade Battlefront 9-10
Blood Blockade Battlefront
Plot Summary: [Source: Wikipedia] It centers around the crime fighting organization "Libra" and their battles in Jerusalem's Lot, formerly known as New York City. Jerusalem's Lot was created in a single night when a portal to the "Beyond" opened, and now it is a paranormal melting pot of monsters, magic and the everyday mundane city life. It's up to Libra to prevent the horrors of this city from spreading to the outside world.  Leonard Watch is a young man whose special power, the "All Seeing Eyes" catches the attention of Libra.

11:05 - 11:55     Aldnoah Zero 23-24 (End)
Aldnoah Zero
Plot Summary: [Source: Wikipedia] In 1972, an ancient alien hypergate was discovered on the surface of the moon. Using this technology, humanity began migrating to Mars and settling there. After settlers discovered additional advanced technology, the Vers Empire was founded, which claimed Mars and its secrets for themselves. Later, the Vers Empire declared war on Earth, and in 1999, a battle on the Moon's surface caused the hypergate to explode, shattering the Moon and scattering remnants into a debris belt around the planet. Cut off from Mars, the remnants of the Vers Empire established several massive orbital space stations within the debris belt and a ceasefire was established. 15 years later, in 2014, an attack on the Vers princess during a peace mission causes the Empire to launch a new attack on Earth, this time determined to conquer it once and for all.

11:55 - 12:45    Parasyte - the maxim 20-21
P a R a S y T e
Plot Summary: [Source: Wikipedia] Parasyte centers around a 17-year-old teen named Shinichi Izumi, who lives with his mother and father in a quiet neighborhood in Tokyo. One night, worm-like aliens called Parasites invade Earth, taking over the brains of human hosts by entering through their ears or noses. One Parasite attempts to crawl into Shinichi's ear while he sleeps, but fails as Shinichi is wearing headphones, and enters his body by burrowing into his arm instead. In the Japanese version, it takes over his right hand and is named Migi, after the Japanese word for 'right'; Tokyopop's version, in which the images are flipped horizontally, has the Parasite take over Shinichi's left hand and it is named Lefty. Because Shinichi was able to prevent Migi from travelling further up into his brain, both beings retain their separate intellect and personality. As the duo encounter other Parasites, they capitalize on their strange situation and gradually form a strong bond, working together to survive. This gives them an edge in battling other Parasites who frequently attack the pair upon realization that Shinichi's human brain is still intact. Shinichi feels compelled to fight other Parasites, who devour humans as food, while enlisting Migi's help.

12:45 - 1:15     Club Meeting / Announcements
Convention Highlights
  • Convention Coverage
  • Animation News from around the world
  • Cosplayers/Skits/Masquerade
  • Anime Music Videos
  • And other weird, interesting stuff...

1:15 - 2:05    Charlotte 1-2
C H A R L O T T E
Plot Summary: [Source: Wikipedia] In an alternate world, a small percentage of children are able to manifest superpowers upon reaching puberty. Yuu Otosaka, a boy who awakens the ability to temporarily possess others, hopes to use his power to live an easy going high school life. However, he is caught red-handed by the mysterious Nao Tomori and is forced to transfer to Hoshinoumi Academy (星ノ海学園 Hoshinoumi Gakuen?, "Star Ocean Academy"), where he and the other student council members must help students with abilities.


2:05 - 2:55    Gangsta 3-4
G A N G S T A
Plot Summary: [Source: Wikipedia] The series revolves around two "Handymen" who take on jobs for both the mob and the police force that no one else can handle. The two, named Worick Arcangelo and Nicolas Brown, work in the town of Ergastulum, which is full of mafia, hoodlums, prostitutes, and dirty cops. Worick wakes up from a dream of Nic killing his father. Since Worick has to work his other job, Alex and Nic leave to make deliveries for Dr. Theo. Nic explains to Alex that Worick is a gigolo. While making a delivery to Joel, Alex sees a newspaper featuring an article about the killing of the Arcangelo family twenty-two years ago and the kidnapping of their youngest son. Worick then joins them after finishing with his customer. They make a delivery to Monroe, who asks Nic to come back to the mafia, but Nic refuses. Next they deliver a batch of Twilight drugs to the madam of the brothel where Worick used to work. Before they leave, Alex sees Nic in a room with a mysterious woman. The next day, Worick and Alex talk about his past and his job as a gigolo. The episode ends with both Nic and Worick having a flashback to their childhood. Chad summons Nic and Worick to the police station to help identify a pile of mangled bodies found in District 6. Worick identifies them using his photographic memory. Chad then receives a call from Monroe, who asks him to send the Handymen over to help in a gang war he is involved in. Monroe and his men are then attacked by a knife-wielding Twilight of the same rank as Nic, who kills many of them. Nic arrives to fight the Twilight, and Monroe asks his men if they want to place bets on who will win. Worick and Nic's backstory is interspersed with the events of the episode, showing Nic being hired as a mercenary bodygaurd for Worick, who is at first outraged that his bodyguard is disabled while the rest of his family's bodyguards are not. However, he soon comes to empathize with Nic. Meanwhile, Alex hallucinates Barry's bloody and animate corpse when faced with the dilemma of staying with the Handymen or living on her own. 

2:55 - 4:45    Memoirs of a Huntress (Movie)
Memoirs of a Huntress (Movie)
Fuse Teppō Musume no Torimonochō
Plot Summary: [Source: Wikipedia] Hamaji is a strong and independent girl who lives alone in the mountains. Surviving as a hunter just like her grandfather, she one day receives a letter from her brother who lives in the city of Edo. He wants her help in hunting "fuse", half-human half-dog beings who consume human souls. Reaching the big city, she gets lost and ends up meeting Shino, a fuse. The two begin an unusual friendship: the hunter and the hunted.

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Christina Ricci as Morticia Addams

She’s creepy and she’s kooky, mysterious and spooky - and, on this evidence, she’s every bit as good a fit for the role of ‘The Addams Family’s matriarch as she was for their daughter. Social media has been going gaga for this photoshopped image of Christina Ricci as Morticia Addams (based around a publicity still of Anjelica Huston from the 1990s, as shown below).
Still, the image certainly gives pause for thought for how well suited Ricci would be for the role of Morticia, should a new big screen take on ‘The Addams Family’ ever be on the cards.
An eleven year old Ricci became an overnight sensation thanks to her scene-stealing performance as the gloomy, potentially psychotic Wednesday Addams in the 1991 movie of ‘The Addams Family,’ based on the 1960s TV series and the original Charles Addams cartoon strips,
She went on to appear alongside Johnny Depp in 1999′s ‘Sleepy Hollow,’ and has recently went Gothic once more for TV mini-series ‘The Lizzy Borden Chronicles.’ No live action reboot of ‘The Addams Family’ is thought to be in the works at present, but there has been word of a new animated movie featuring the characters.

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Next Club Meeting is September 26, 2015

"So what did you learn today?"
"Always be prepared if it involves anything anime!"

Wood Dale Public Library
520 N. Wood Dale Road
Wood Dale, IL  60191
Main Meeting Room
Saturday, September 26, 2015
10:15 AM - 5:00 PM

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