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.

Monday, February 29, 2016

Inside Out, 'Bear Story' Win Animated Oscars

[Source: Anime News Network] Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera won the Animated Feature Film category at the 88th Academy Awards for Pixar and Disney's Inside Out film on Sunday. The film competed against Hiromasa Yonebayashi and Studio Ghibli's When Marnie Was There film as well as Anomalisa, Boy and the World, and Shaun the Sheep Movie
 
No anime were nominated for this year's Animated Short Film category. The nominees were "Bear Story," "Prologue," "Sanjay's Superteam," "We Can't Live Without Cosmos," and "World of Tomorrow." Gabriel Osorio Vargas and Pato Escala Pierart's Chilean short "Bear Story" won the category. 

Mamoru Hosoda's The Boy and The Beast and the religious anime film The Laws of the Universe Part 0 were also eligible for the Animated Feature Film category, but neither received a nomination. When Marnie Was There's theme song "Fine on the Outside" was eligible for the Original Song category, but it did not earn a nomination. 

Last year Disney's Big Hero 6 film won the Animated Feature Film category, and competed against Isao Takahata and Studio Ghibli's The Tale of the Princess Kaguya film. Patrick Osborne and Kristina Reed won the Animated Short Film category for Disney's "Feast."

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Print Your Guy


This heartwarming 3D Animated short called "Print Your Guy" tells the story of Pamela, who lives on her own in an apartment in Paris. One evening while watching a movie she sees a commercial for a company who claim they can print her perfect guy, by logging on at printyourguy.com. Very excited, she runs to her computer to order one, but when it arrives, she realizes that the product wasn't exactly what she was expecting

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Princess Rap Battle: KATNISS VS HERMIONE


When the Goblet of Fire selects the ‘girl on fire,’ Hermione (Molly C. Quinn) takes on Katniss (Whitney Avalon) in a book-babe brawl.

Friday, February 26, 2016

Anime Viewing Schedule for February 27, 2016

Saturday, February 27, 2016
Wood Dale Public Library
Get Ready for a New Season of Anime!
"Race you to the Club Meeting!"
Main Meeting Room, 10:15 am to 5:00 pm

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

10:15 - 11:05    One Punch Man 7-8
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 9-10
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 3-4
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
Rejoice! A New Season of Anime is Here!
"Hey gang, let's trip him and steal his hover board!"
Convention News!
New Sci-fi Shows Premiering!
Shannara Chronicles
New Daredevil Season
Suidcide Squad
Batman v Superman
Star Wars: REBELS!



1:20 - 2:10    Lupin the Third (2015) eps 6-7
L U P I N  the  T H I R D
Plot Summary: [Source: Wikipedia] Zenigata is assigned to protect Elena Gotti, the famous wife of a recently deceased billionaire, Roberto Gotti. In fact it's said that she's the only one to know where Roberdo hid all his money, so her life is continuously threatened by many robbers, included Lupin. Elena was a poor girl forced into prostitution by her own father, until she met Roberto which saved her; but when he found out that she had a lover he spread the false news about her knowing about his caveau's hideout before he died, in order to make her life a living hell. Zenigata manages to protect her from Lupin, but it's later revealed that she was really aware of the caveau's hideout: however, after having known Zenigata, she decides to use it for the good of Italy.


2:10 - 3:00    Dimension W eps 3-4
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. 

3:00 - 4:45    Ajin - Movie Part 1
A  J  I  N  (Movie - Part 1)
Plot Summary: [Source: Wikipedia] The story is about a student named Kei Nagai, who discovers he is an immortal "Ajin" when he is hit by a truck. He becomes a wanted person because the Ajins are considered "criminals" and the only person who is there to support him is his best friend, Kaito. In reality, the Ajins are branded criminals so they can be easily hunted down and captured for research and cruel experimentation in order to unlock, control, and eventually reproduce the strange powers that all Ajins have, even though many of the Ajins themselves don't understand or even know why they have their abilities. As a result, many of the Ajin encountered in the series are cold and unfeeling; some even look down on humans with contempt and wish death upon them.

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Who is better? Batman or Superman?


Henry Cavill asks kids:
Who would win in a fight, Batman or Superman? 
Watch these super-fans-in-training give Superman their (brutally) honest answers, then enter to hang with Henry, Ben Affleck and Jesse Eisenberg at the premiere of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Hasbro unveils new Star Wars merchandise

Princess Leia and Darth Revan are getting
new 6" Black Series figures, and you can
also build your own lightsaber...

[Source: Den of Geek] At the New York Toy Fair which took place earlier this month, Hasbro unveiled a shedload of additions to their already-massive range of Star Wars merchandise. The toymakers have revealed new 6-inch Black Series figures of Princess Leia, the Snowtrooper, and the Knights Of The Old Republic videogame’s masked evildoer Darth Revan.

If you fancy building your own lightsaber, you might also be interested in the latest additions to the BladeBuilders range. A red and a green one have been added, allowing you to choose the Dark Side or the Light before piecing together your own unique weapon.

Additionally, fans of Star Wars: Rebels will be happy to see new moveable figurines of Kanan, Sabine and the Seventh Sister Inquisitor (voiced by Sarah Michelle Gellar in season 2 of the show).

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

The Star Darlings


Sage, Leona, Libby, Scarlet, Vega and seven other Starling Academy students discover that they are the chosen “Star-Charmed” Star Darlings. Will they have what it takes to save Starland from the negative energy that is threatening their world? As far back as anyone can remember, Starlings have granted wishes for Earthlings. But when an evil force suddenly threatens Starland, twelve Star-Charmed girls are sent on the most magical adventures of their lives…as THE STAR DARLINGS!

Our Starlings believe in making wishes from the heart, dreaming big and embracing your inner star, because anything is possible! Wish upon your Star!

Monday, February 22, 2016

Disney's Pete's Dragon

At four years old, Pete is orphaned by a tragic accident and nearly killed while lost deep in the woods. He is saved by a dragon, and the description of what we can expect is very different from the sort of exaggerated and cartoony Elliot from the original film. This time, expect Elliot to be "enormous, 4 stories tall, with wings tucked back against his body and a spiny back with a great tail that looks like it could level the whole forest with a single swipe." He also has a tendency to change color and blend into environments, with his natural colors being green and brown like the forest itself.

The story picks up six years after that opening, when Pete is discovered and brought to Millhaven, a small American town in the Pacific Northwest. There's a bit of Truffaut's The Wild Child in here, and there's a subplot about industrialization and the decimation of our natural resources, and all of it is there in service of a truly heartbreaking story about a little boy and his best friend.

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Next Club Meeting is February 27, 2016

A N I M A T R I X   N E T W O R K
Leap into new worlds of imagination!
"Get on your cloud and don't miss out on the action!"

Wood Dale Public Library
520 N. Wood Dale Road
Wood Dale, IL  60191
Main Meeting Room
Saturday, February 27, 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