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.

Sunday, January 31, 2016

"The Legend of the Flying Tomato"


A CGI 3D animated short film "The Legend of the Flying Tomato" by the talented team: Michael Yates, Aurry Tan, and Sharon Huang. The film was produced at Ringling College of Art and Design, Department of Computer Animation, Class of 2014.

Saturday, January 30, 2016

"NO - A" - Directed by Liam Murphy


TheCGBros "Online Premiere" of "No - A" , a CGI Animated Short Film Directed by Liam Murphy! --- The world is a desolate, unforgiving place in this action sci-fi with a surprising amount of heart. We follow NO-A (Noah), as he attempts to rescue Aixa, the young woman that created him. In his desperate attempt to save her, he must face an unknown enemy force and fight to keep them both alive. NO-A is the passion project of several Visual Effects artists from around the world.

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Justice League vs. Teen Titans


[Source: ScreenRant] DC continues to release more entries in a successful line of animated films. The films showcase everything from adaptations of popular comics like The Dark Knight Returns, to tie-in films like Assault on Arkham (part of the Arkham Asylum video-game franchise), to original stories like the most recent Batman: Bad Blood. Soon DC will release another animated film called Justice League vs. Teen Titans, the first animated film to feature the Teen Titans.

Justice League vs. Teen Titans will be part of DC’s shared animated film universe that began with Justice League: Warand continued with other titles like Throne of Atlantis. These films are loosely based on New 52 continuity, but they do not hold exactly to that continuity. For example, Aquaman is introduced in Throne of Atlantis instead of Justice League: War where he first appeared in the New 52 comics. Despite deviating from the source material, the films have maintained internal continuity, and even introduced new stories like Batman: Bad BloodJustice League vs. Teen Titans will also be an original story set in this animated DC film universe.

We now have a new teaser trailer for Justice League vs. Teen Titans which you can check out above. The trailer doesn’t show much but it does establish the character line-up for both teams (the Justice League and Teen Titans), as well as the main threat in the film: the demon influences of Trigon, who we see briefly at the very beginning of the trailer.
Trigon is one of the most powerful beings in the DC Universe. He is a demon with inter-dimensional origins and has enslaved millions of worlds, killing billions in the process. In a recent casting announcement, we learned that Trigon would be played by Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead, Daredevil).

Trigon is a common villain for the Teen Titans in other stories, so it’s no surprise that we’ll see him. The plot for Justice League vs. Teen Titans will center around the Teen Titans as they face off against a Trigon-possessed Justice League. While this is an original film, it does borrow elements from other stories. For example, the animated show Young Justice saw a similar showdown between a possessed Justice League and the younger superheroes. And it looks like this iteration of the Teen Titans will be very similar to Young Justice with the inclusion of characters like Blue Beetle.

In addition to Bernthal, the film introduces Taissa Farmiga (American Horror Story) as the voice of Raven, Jake T. Austin (The Fosters) as Blue Beetle, Brandon Soo Hoo (From Dusk Till Dawn) as Beast Boy, and Kari Wahlgren (Rick and Morty) as Starfire. The Justice League will be voiced by returning actors from past entries in the DC animated film universe, such as Jerry O’ Connell as Superman, Jason O’ Mara as Batman, Rosario Dawson as Wonder Woman, and Christopher Gorham as the Flash. The film will be directed by Sam Liu (Justice League: Gods and Monsters) from a script by Alan Burnett and Bryan Q. Miller.
Justice League vs. Teen Titans will be released sometime in the spring of 2016.

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Monday, January 25, 2016

First Look at the new Wonder Woman Movie


This played during the DC FILMS PRESENTS: DAWN OF THE JUSTICE LEAGUE Special on the CW.

Sunday, January 24, 2016

Suicide Squad Trailer


Worst.  Heroes.  Ever. 
See SUICIDE SQUAD in theaters August 5th.

Saturday, January 23, 2016

The Return of 'The X-Files'

T H E   X - F I L E S
Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016
Thirteen years after the original series run, the next mind-bending chapter of THE X-FILES is a thrilling, six-episode event series from creator/executive producer Chris Carter, with stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson re-inhabiting their roles as iconic FBI Agents FOX MULDER and DANA SCULLY. Mitch Pileggi also returns as FBI ASST. DIR. WALTER SKINNER, Mulder and Scully’s boss, who walks a fine line between loyalty to these investigators and accountability to his superiors. This marks the momentous return of the Emmy- and Golden Globe Award-winning pop culture phenomenon, which remains one of the longest-running sci-fi series in network television history. THE X-FILES debuts with a special two-night event beginning Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016 (10:00-11:00 PM ET/7:00-8:00 PM PT), following the NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, and continuing with its time period premiere on Monday, Jan. 25 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT). The upcoming event series will encompass a mixture of stand-alone episodes and those that further the original show’s seminal mythology. In the opening episode, Mulder and Scully take on a case of a possible alien abductee. The all-new episodes will feature appearances by guest stars, including Joel McHale (“Community”), Robbie Amell (“The Flash”), Lauren Ambrose (“Dig,” “Six Feet Under”), Annabeth Gish (“The Bridge”), Annet Mahendru (“The Americans”), Rhys Darby (“Flight of the Conchords”), Kumail Nanjiani (“Silicon Valley”) and William B. Davis, who reprises his role as “Cigarette Smoking Man.” Three of the episodes are written and directed by Chris Carter, with the remaining new episodes written and directed by original series veterans Glen Morgan, Darin Morgan and James Wong.

Friday, January 22, 2016

Anime Viewing Schedule for January 23, 2016

Saturday, January 23, 2016
Wood Dale Public Library
Happy First Meeting of the Year!
"Crushing all competition!"
Main Meeting Room, 10:15 am to 5:00 pm

10:15 - 11:05    One Punch Man 5-6
11:05 - 11:55    Charlotte 8-9
11:55 - 12:20    Noragami Aragoto 1-2
12:45 - 1:20      Club Meeting / Announcements
1:20 - 2:10        ERASED 1-2
2:10 - 3:00        Gangsta 7-8
3:00 - 3:50        Lupin the Third (2015) eps 3-4
3:50 - 4:40        Dimension W eps 1-2
All anime presented are fan-subtitled unless otherwise noted.
 
Keep watching the exciting new anime series: One Punch Man and Gangsta!
ANIME DESCRIPTIONS ARE BELOW

10:15 - 11:05    One Punch Man 5-6
One Punch Man
Plot Summary: [Source: Wikipedia] The story takes place in the fictional Japanese metropolis of City Z. The world is full of strange monsters that mysteriously appear and cause disasters. Saitama, the protagonist, is an exceptionally powerful hero who easily defeats the monsters or other villains with a single punch. However, due to his overwhelming strength, Saitama has become bored with his powers and is constantly trying to find stronger opponents who can fight him. On his adventures, he meets new friends, enemies, and his own disciple, the cyborg Genos, and joins the Heroes Association in order to gain fame for all of his efforts to defeat evil. Despite defeating many strong monsters that even the Heroes Association’s top members are unable to defeat, Saitama struggles to gain respect. Most people look down on him due to his plain physical appearance, and some accuse him of being a counterfeit hero. Only a small number of individuals recognize his incredible talent and humility towards others.

11:05 - 11:55    Charlotte 8-9
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.

11:55 - 12:45    Noragami Aragoto 1-2
Noragami Aragoto
Plot Summary: [Source: Wikipedia] Hiyori Iki was a regular high junior school student until she was hit by a bus while trying to save the life of a track-suit-wearing person named Yato. This incident causes her to transform into a half-phantom. Soon after, she learns that Yato is a god and she ends up being dragged into the world of Gods while having to attempt staying in the realm of the living. This is Season Two of the popular series.

12:45 - 1:20     Club Meeting / Announcements
Awesome New Shows!
    New Anime Season!
    New Sci-fi Shows Premiering!
    Shannara Chronicles
    Jessica Jones
    Suidcide Squad
    Wonder Woman
    Star Wars: REBELS Returns!



    1:20 - 2:10    ERASED 1-2
    E R A S E D
    Plot Summary: [Source: Wikipedia] The story follows Satoru Fujinuma, a man who possesses an ability that sends him back in time moments before a life-threatening incident, allowing him to prevent it from happening. When his mother is killed, Satoru's ability suddenly sends him back eighteen years to when he was still in elementary school, giving him the opportunity to prevent a kidnapping incident that took the lives of three of his classmates

    2:10 - 3:00    Gangsta 7-8
    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.

    3:00 - 3:50    Lupin the Third (2015) eps 3-4
    L U P I N  the  T H I R D
    Plot Summary: [Source: Wikipedia] In this mystifying world, a secretive and horrible creature is reborn every 333 years. This creature is Kuiba. The creature is an exploitation of a loophole in the Universe. It brings disaster to all each time it appears. Even the deities are at its mercy. To keep Kuiba from returning, deities and people from the entire world team up and destroy the creature every 333 years, which is known as "The Revival of Kuiba". In the year 1664, Kuiba's rebirth, the extermination of Kuiba failed, as Kuiba was able to fall into the body of Manji. Manji, a young boy, as no idea of Kuiba being inside of him. Due to the failed extermination, the people of earth recruit for an army to defeat Kuiba. Manji and his Master are eager to prove themselves to be top notch warriors, so they enlist in the army to fight Kuiba. As they prepare for battle against Kuiba, Manji and Master man not only encounter a variety of dynamic characters, but also encounter a beast which will prove if they are ready for the challenges ahead that lay ahead.

    3:50 - 4:40    Dimension W eps 1-2
    D I M E N S I O N   W
    Plot Summary: [Source: Wikipedia] In the year 2072, the world's energy problems seem solved by a network of cross-dimensional electric-field inductors—"coils"—that extract energy from a seemingly infinite source. That source is the W dimension, a fourth plane that exists beyond the X, Y, and Z dimensions. In this world, unofficial "illegal" coils harness powers that the police can't hope to counter. Dealing with these coils is the job of coil-hating repo man Kyoma, whose run-in with the unique coil android Mira leads the two to form a reluctant partnership.

    Thursday, January 21, 2016

    Next Club Meeting is January 23, 2016

    Welcome to the First Club Meeting
    of the New Year!

    "Dance your way to the next club meeting!"
    Wood Dale Public Library
    520 N. Wood Dale Road
    Wood Dale, IL  60191
    Main Meeting Room
    Saturday, January 23, 2016
    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