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.

Saturday, October 31, 2020

Friday, October 30, 2020

This is how to hunt down those Trolls on Youtube...

TROLLHUNTER
The government says there's nothing to worry about -- it's just a problem with bears making trouble in the mountains and forests of Norway. But local hunters don't believe it -- and neither do a trio of college students who want to find out the truth. Armed with a video camera, they trail a mysterious "poacher," who wants nothing to do with them. However, their persistence lands them straight in the path of the objects of his pursuits: trolls. They soon find themselves documenting every move of this grizzled, unlikely hero -- the Trollhunter -- risking their lives to uncover the secrets of creatures only thought to exist in fairy tales.

Thursday, October 29, 2020

Apex Legends Season 7 – Ascension Launch Trailer

Rise to new heights in
APEX Legends - Season 7
on the floating city of Olympus

 
There’s a whole new world waiting to be explored. The stakes are higher and the falls are deadlier on Olympus. New Legend Horizon understands the gravity of the situation, and she’s sure to give the other Legends a lift -- whether they want it or not. Plus hop on Olympus’s floating Trident vehicles, grab the latest Battle Pass, ascend to the top of Ranked, and build your community with Clubs. Up your game when Season 7 releases on November 4.
Apex Legends™ is a free-to-play battle royale game where legendary characters battle for glory, fame, and fortune on the fringes of the Frontier. Play for free now on Xbox One, PS4, and Origin for PC. And play on Steam when Season 7 launches on November 4!
Watch the Trailer
Learn more about Apex Legends Season 7 – Ascension:
http://x.ea.com/65921

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Who or What are The Feeaks?

DON'T FEED THE FREAKS
Apocalyptic Animated Short Film
"If you're reading this. If you find this book; 
I'm sorry but I have no answers. 
But I can tell you what I've seen and what I know".
A young man travels the lifeless wasteland of what was once civilization. He's following the breadcrumbs of an apparent thriving society hidden somewhere in the vast, long-dead wilderness.

This short was crazy-fun to work on. It was ambitious as hell and was the cause of many sleepless nights but I really got to run with my imagination in a way I feel I haven't for a while. Just balls-to-the-wall creativity and it was really frustrating and really fun. It's also a story about isolation and I love to make those, considering around 75% of my short films are about being alone.
by David James Armsby 

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

AINBO: Spirit Of The Amazon Official Trailer

AINBO: Spirit of the Amazon
A girl was born and grew up in the deepest jungle of the Amazon, Colonia, that rests on the back of the most powerful Mother Spirit in the Amazon, Turtle Motelo Mama. One day she discovers that her homeland is being threatened and realizes that there are other humans in the world besides her people. As she fights to save her paradise against the greed and exploitation of children, logging, and illegal mining, she begins to struggle to reverse this destruction and impending evil of the Yucuruna, the darkness that lives in the Amazon. Guided by her mother's spirit, Ainbo is determined to save her land and save her people before it's too late.
AINBO: Spirit Of The Amazon is an animation adventure movie starring Bernardo De Paula, Thom Hoffman & Dino Andrade.
In theaters February 10, 2021

Monday, October 26, 2020

Anime Movie Smashes Box Office Despite Covid

Japanese animated film smashes
box office despite Covid
While cinemas around the world have been shut down for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic, an animated Japanese movie is playing to full houses and is shattering domestic box office records.

The film, “Demon Slayer: Mugen Train”, is based on a best-selling manga and its release had been eagerly awaited by fans as well as a movie industry keen to get people back into cinemas.

The response, however, has come as something of a surprise - particularly given that the coronavirus is still very much on people’s minds.

More than 3.4 million people - almost 3 per cent of the entire population of Japan - braved the possibility of being exposed to the virus over the opening weekend of the film. It took £33.78 million at the box office in its first three days, far beyond expectations, and more than double the previous record, for “Frozen 2”.
Those figures made it the biggest movie opening in the world last weekend, although the competition is thin at the moment as Hollywood studios continue to push back the release of their big-budget titles.

The film tells the tale of a young boy who battles demons in Japan in the early 1900s and is based in a manga series that sold more than 100 million copies during its publication between 2016 and 2020. An animated television series has also proved popular.

Japanese movie-goers appear to have been emboldened by the coronavirus effectively flat-lining, but they also admit they are tired of not being able to do all the things they used to enjoy before the pandemic.

“I was a little concerned, but my daughter really wanted to see the film so I thought we could go if we were careful”, said Fumio Takenaka, a 48-year-old housewife from Yokohama.

The Burg 13 cinema where she went to see “Demon Slayer” with her 7-year-old daughter, Ayano, was taking plenty of precautions, she said.

Everyone was required to wear a mask at all times and had their temperature taken before they were permitted to enter the auditorium, she said. Bottles of sanitising liquid were at each entrance and no-one was allowed to eat, although drinks were permitted. Announcements before the film reiterated the rules, while another message from the management of the cinema reassured viewers that extractor fans were constantly replacing the air in the auditorium.

No major outbreaks of the virus have been traced to a cinema and industry groups have been keen to play up the safeguards that have been introduced.

“I was less nervous when I saw all the precautions”, Mrs Takenaka told The Telegraph. “But everyone who was there was also very good at following the rules and being considerate about other people”.

Those same courtesies are visible in everyday life in Japan, where it is highly unusual to see someone in a public place not wearing a face mask.

To date, Japan has reported 94,014 cases of coronavirus in a nation of 126.5 million people. A total of 615 new infections were reported nationwide on Friday, with most cases in the urban sprawl of Tokyo. Nine people died of the virus on Friday, bringing the total number of fatalities to 1,694.

The Japanese government is also clearly pleased at another sign that life is returning to something approaching normality for the public.

Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister in charge of overseeing Japan’s economic revitalisation, described the film in a Twitter message as “A spectacular achievement for the worlds of culture and entertainment as they struggle with the coronavirus”.

Sunday, October 25, 2020

Watch and listen to the ALIEN graphic novel....

ALIEN: The Battle for Ryushi
Trials of Machiko Noguchi

Three species found themselves in conflict over dominance on the planet Ryushi. A Yautja hunt had gone terribly wrong, a xenomorph infestation had plagued the planet, and a small human population was caught in the middle, fighting for survival. 

Saturday, October 24, 2020

The Story of Ilvermorny

Return to the Wizarding World of
-- H A R R Y   P O T T E R --

The Secret History of Ilvermorny

Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, shortened Ilvermorny, is an American school of magic, which serves as the school for the North American continent. It first appeared in a short story by J. K. Rowling on Pottermore on June 28, 2016, and its first onscreen mention was in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. The school was founded in the seventeenth century in Adams, Massachusetts, on Mount Greylock, the highest natural point in the state. It is concealed from the non-magic world by enchantments which may sometimes appear as a cloud surrounding the peak. Modeled after Hogwarts, the school has four Houses into which the students are sorted upon arrival.
Ilvermorny was founded by Isolt Sayre after she traveled from Ireland via England to North America on the Mayflower in 1620 and named after the cottage in which she had been born. She had not had the opportunity to attend Hogwarts during her childhood, and partially modeled Ilvermorny after what she had heard of Hogwarts, as well as her own imagination. Her first students were her own adopted children, Chadwick and Webster Boot.  

Ilvermorny is divided into four houses: Thunderbird, Horned Serpent, Pukwudgie, and Wampus, each said to represent a different part of the ideal wizard. The names were chosen by Isolt Sayre and her family after their favourite magical creatures. Chadwick being "intelligent but also temperamental" chose the Thunderbird, his brother Webster "argumentative and fiercely loyal" chose the Wampus. Isolt herself was a Parselmouth and chose the Horned Serpent, and her No-Maj (Muggle or non-magical) husband James Steward picked the Pukwudgie, since Isolt's stories about one made him laugh. Ilvermorny has no house colours, but every student wears blue and cranberry robes, fastened by a gold Gordian Knot.
The Sorting process is also different to that of Hogwarts. While the rest of the school watches from the circular balcony overhead, new students file into the round entrance hall. They stand around the walls and, one by one, are called to stand on the symbol of the Gordian Knot set into the middle of the stone floor. In silence the school then waits for the enchanted carvings to react. If the Horned Serpent wants the student, the crystal set into its forehead will light up. If the Wampus wants the student, it roars. The Thunderbird signifies its approval by beating its wings, and the Pukwudgie will raise its arrow into the air. Unlike Hogwarts, more than one Ilvermorny house can claim a student; when two or more carvings react, the student is entitled to choose their house.

Friday, October 23, 2020

Japanese Town Replaced Humans With Scarecrows

A Japanese town populated by human-size dolls
"In a small Japanese town with a dying population, we find hundreds of scarecrows, zero children, and a voice that I hope I never forget... "
- Tokyo Lens
On the island of Shikoku in South-Western Japan, there is a village that has replaced humans with scarecrows. This is the story of Nagoro Village.
Welcome to Nagoro, Japan

Thursday, October 22, 2020

RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON Official Teaser

RAYA and the LAST DRAGON
Long ago, in the fantasy world of Kumandra, humans and dragons lived together in harmony. But when an evil force threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, that same evil has returned and it’s up to a lone warrior, Raya, to track down the legendary last dragon to restore the fractured land and its divided people. However, along her journey, she’ll learn that it’ll take more than a dragon to save the world—it’s going to take trust and teamwork as well. From directors Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada, co-directors Paul Briggs and John Ripa, producers Osnat Shurer and Peter Del Vecho, and featuring the voices of Kelly Marie Tran as Raya and Awkwafina as the last dragon Sisu, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Raya and the Last Dragon” opens in U.S. theaters on March 2021.
Raya and the Last Dragon is a Disney princess animation adventure movie starring Awkwafina & Kelly Marie Tran. 
In theaters March 12, 2021 
[Source: Yahoo!] Disney has unveiled the first trailer for its upcoming animated tentpole “Raya and the Last Dragon,” directed by Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada. The movie is set to introduce Raya as Disney’s next animated warrior princess, and the trailer suggests she’s bound to be as much of a sensation as Moana and Elsa. Raya is voiced by Kelly Marie Tran, returning to Disney after playing Rose in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.”

According to Disney’s official synopsis, “Raya and the Last Dragon” centers around “a lone warrior who sets out to find the last dragon in existence and save the kingdom of Kumandra from the villainous Druun.” The last dragon is named Sisu and is voiced by “The Farewell” Golden Globe winner Awkwafina. Sisu is a water dragon who can transform into a human being. “Raya” is set to make history as Tran is the first Southeast Asian actress to lead a Disney animated film.

“She is someone who is technically a princess, but I think that what’s really cool about this project, about this character specifically, is that everyone’s trying to flip the narrative on what it means to be a princess,” Tran told EW earlier this year about voicing the title character. “Raya is totally a warrior. When she was a kid, she was excited to get her sword. And she grows up to be a really badass, gritty warrior and can really take care of herself.”

“I remember having this experience of recognizing some of the words and recognizing some of the names and the locations and even certain characters and our job descriptions of what influenced them to be a certain way,” Tran continued. “I felt so seen, and it was such a blissful feeling. I don’t know if I can even explain it, but it was this surprise. I’ve worked on some things before which obviously weren’t as culturally specific as this, and I don’t think that I knew that I needed that.”

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

What Horrors Do They See on Those White Walls?

"White Walls"
Lovecraftian Horror Animated Short Film
"Imagine a man. He lives in a place where man's entire world is a white wall. It made some happy, some were sad. Some found it funny and others got angry. The man, though, was content. All he ever wanted, all he ever sought, was here. He knew nothing more."
This short film is inspired by the works of HP. Lovecraft. It's not based on any particular story but rather based around a lot of the ideas I find compelling about his work. I find Lovecraft's stories that center around the limits of human comprehension the most interesting. This film is about our ignorance of all that is beyond us, and how catching a glimpse of the terrifying enormity of the universe can drive one to madness. We all contently live in tiny little rooms staring at blank walls compared to the universe's vastness and its indifference. 
by David James Armsby

Tuesday, October 20, 2020

10 BEST Anime of Fall 2020 - Ones to Watch

10 Best Anime this Fall 2020
Anime production is back on track in Fall 2020, and there are a lot of shows to choose from. Luckily, I'm here to help you choose the best of the best. Help the Animator Dormitory team build a better Anime Studio: https://bit.ly/3m9fMY3
Chapters:
0:00 Intro + Animator Dormitory Spot
2:55 Jujutsu Kaisen
5:54 Talentless Nana
8:16 Dragon Quest: Dai no Daibouken
10:38 Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle
13:15 Magatsu Warheit Zuerst
16:10 Moriarty the Patriot
18:08 Tonikawa: Over the Moon For You
20:33 Adachi and Shimamura
22:41 The Day I Became a God
25:02 Akudama Drive
28:03 Bonus: Higurashi & Yashahime 

Monday, October 19, 2020

UN DIABLE DANS LA POCHE

A DEVIL IN THE POCKET

After witnessing a crime, a group of children is forced to keep it a secret. Auguste, the youngest kid, finds the burden too heavy and decides to break the silence. To punish his behavior, the rest of the children plot to get rid of him.
UN DIABLE DANS LA POCHE

Sunday, October 18, 2020

Ghost in the Shell Music Video

GHOST IN THE SHELL
Ghost in the Shell is a 2017 American science fiction action film directed by Rupert Sanders and written by Jamie Moss, William Wheeler and Ehren Kruger, based on the Japanese manga of the same name by Masamune Shirow. It stars Scarlett Johansson, Takeshi Kitano, Michael Pitt, Pilou Asbæk, Chin Han and Juliette Binoche. Set in a near future when the line between humans and robots is blurring, the plot follows the Major (Johansson), a cyborg supersoldier who investigates her past. 
Filming for Ghost in the Shell took place in New Zealand from February to June 2016, with additional filming in Hong Kong that June. The film premiered in Tokyo on March 16, 2017, and was released in the United States on March 31, 2017, in IMAX, 3D, IMAX 3D, and 4DX. It received mixed reviews, with praise for its visual style, action sequences, cinematography and score, but criticism for its story and lack of character development. The casting of Caucasian actors, particularly Johansson, drew accusations of racism and whitewashing in the United States. It grossed $169.8 million worldwide against a production budget of $110 million. The film debuted at No. 2 on home media.

Saturday, October 17, 2020

The SATOSHI KON PROBLEM

S A T O S H I   K O N
A retrospective on Satoshi Kon's career, life and the biggest problem that came from that.
00:00  Origins
05:49  The Anime Industry
11:00  Perfect Blue
18:12  Millennium Actress
25:20  Tokyo Godfathers
31:41  Paranoia Agent
37:28  Paprika
44:00  May 18th
51:45  Conclusion

Friday, October 16, 2020

GUNDALA Official Trailer (2020) Superhero Movie


G U N D A L A
Martial-arts film Gundala, about the origins of a young man's crimefighting career as the title character, is an adaptation of Indonesian comic-book creator Harya Suraminta's electric superhero. Blending Indonesian fighting styles with tropes of the superhero genre, the film is packed from beginning to end with hard-hitting martial-arts action sequences, while keeping audiences engaged by its cast of characters.
The film opens with a young boy named Sancaka, who watches as his factory worker and social activist father is killed during a riot against the authorities. Sancaka displays strange, electricity-based powers subconsciously, and soon runs away from home to learn martial arts from a traveling orphan. As an adult, Sancaka becomes a security guard, but after Jakarta descends into a violent crime wave largely orchestrated by a powerful crime lord, Sancaka is struck by lightning, resulting in his latent superpowers developing in earnest. This leads him to create the superhero persona of Gundala -- Javanese for "thunder" -- so he can use his gifts to fight crime and protect those he loves.

Thursday, October 15, 2020

Promise (English Cover)【JubyPhonic】

P * R * O * M *  I * S * E
Watch the Video
✦ Game: Epic Seven
✦ Music: 지루박
✦ Lyrics: COMO, 박창학
✦ Original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAAiU...
✦ Vocals: JubyPhonic
✦ Mix: Bulletmaggot
Voice Actress / Vocaloid Singer JubyPhonic – Juliet Simmons

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Remember this? - X-Men: Evolution!

X-Men: Evolution
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, who has the mutant ability to read minds, searches for new mutants to train them how to use their powers for good and to prevent the mutants from harming themselves and others at his School for Gifted Youngsters. His opposition, Magneto "Master of Magnetism", is doing the same thing, but for evil purposes. He has made Mystique who is a shape-shifter, a principle of his high school to gather evil mutants to prepare them for war against non-mutants. The most interesting plot of the story is that all the heroes and villains attend the same high school. The classic battle of good vs. evil has begun again.

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Animaniacs get Reanimated by Spielberg...

Animaniacs Return... Like Jurassic Park
[Source: Syfy] Ahead of the long-awaited Animaniacs return next month, the voice cast and producers popped by New York Comic Con to do what they do every night ... try to take over the world! Well, not exactly — NARF! They actually talked about the upcoming Hulu reboot, which executive producer Wellesley Wild (Family Guy) hopes will deliver on "some nostalgia, some comfort, and some silliness" in these difficult and uncertain times.
The Metaverse panel unveiled the very first footage from the show: a cold open inspired by the iconic scene in Jurassic Park where Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler, and Ian Malcolm see the Brachiosaurs for the very first time. Instead of freaking out over a herd of dinosaurs, however, the two paleontologists marvel at the resurrected Warner siblings: Yacko (Rob Paulsen), Wacko (Jess Harnell), and Dot (Tress MacNeille). Steven Spielberg, who returns as a producer, shows up as the John Hammond character. Never shy about delving into topical satire, the Animaniacs turns Donald Gennaro into a greedy Hulu executive. And since Spielberg is involved ("he's incredibly hands-on," according to Wild), they were even able to use some of John Williams' famous score.

Monday, October 12, 2020

Gods and Titans storm through Netflix this October

BLOOD of ZUES
In a brewing war between the gods of Olympus and the titans, Heron, a commoner living on the outskirts of ancient Greece, becomes mankind's best hope of surviving an evil demon army, when he discovers the secrets of his past. 
Premieres October 27 only on NETFLIX.

Sunday, October 11, 2020

Zombieland Meets Cloverfield for 'Love & Monsters'


v^v^v--LOVE and MONSTERS--v^v^v
[Source: Paste] As the ongoing pandemic continues to wreak havoc with the release calendars of major Hollywood studios, we continue to see films that were once bound for theaters showing up on VOD with relatively little fanfare. The latest: Paramount’s Love and Monsters, a creature feature love story that could clearly boast a budget considerably bigger than most streaming horror comedies. Originally intended to release in March of this year, it will now hit VOD on Oct. 16, 2020, and you can catch the impressive first trailer below.

Love and Monsters stars The Maze Runner and Teen Wolf’s Dylan O’Brien as Joel Dawson, a young man who lost his family and girlfriend during a sudden outbreak of monster attacks that sent humanity into hiding. Seven years later, he learns that his girlfriend is still alive in a community 80 miles away, and decides to make a life-or-death journey to reunite with a young woman who surely must have a different boyfriend by now, don’t you think? Standing in his way are a veritable cornucopia of impressively realized CGI monsters, which he must navigate or defeat with the help of two survivors he meets along the way: Clyde (Michael Rooker) and Minnow (Ariana Greenblatt). 

It’s impossible to avoid comparisons in this particular premise, especially given that Rooker is channeling his inner Yondu once again while simultaneously stepping into the comedic shoes vacated by Woody Harrelson after Zombieland. That zombie series feels like the single most relevant touchpoint here, although the romance angle also recalls Warm Bodies, while the insectoid monsters themselves have more of a Cloverfield vibe. Regardless, Love and Monsters isn’t a film you’ll be watching for storyline originality.

Once again, we must note: The action and CGI look pretty damn impressive, especially for a film making its debut via CGI. So too does the sense of humor feel in the right place, with O’Brien quipping at the end that he “feels like Tom Cruise” after blowing up a monster and exulting in his momentary victory. Check out the full trailer for Love and Monsters below.

Saturday, October 10, 2020

Cinema Symphony LIVE - Ghost In The Shell OST

GHOST in the SHELL
Kenji Kawai - Cinema Symphony 
Kenji Kawai (川井 憲次, Kawai Kenji, born April 23, 1957) is a Japanese music composer for motion pictures, anime movies, video games and televised programs. He has contributed to the musical scores for numerous films from Japan and other countries in Asia, working in film genres as diverse as anime, horror, sci-fi and historical epic. Among his credits are Toei's Kamen Rider Heisei Generations Forever, Tsui Hark's Seven Swords and Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon; Wilson Yip's Ip Man; Mamoru Oshii's films The Red Spectacles, StrayDog: Kerberos Panzer Cops, Ghost in the Shell, Mobile Police Patlabor and Avalon; the anime adaptations of Rumiko Takahashi's Ranma ½ and Maison Ikkoku; the live-action adaptation of Gantz and Hideo Nakata's films Ring, Ring 2, Chaos, Dark Water and Kaidan. He was born in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan.  

Friday, October 9, 2020

'Cause I'm the Bad Guy...

WANDER OVER YONDER
Wander Over Yonder is an American animated science fiction comedy television series that aired on Disney Channel and Disney XD. Created by Craig McCracken, it follows Wander and his best friend and steed Sylvia. Adventurous and optimistic, Wander rides across the galaxy to help the inhabitants of various planets live freely, against the intentions of Lord Hater to rule the universe. The series is McCracken's only production for Disney Television Animation; he previously helmed The Powerpuff Girls and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends for Cartoon Network.

The series was originally aired on Disney Channel on August 16, 2013. New episodes were moved during its first season to Disney XD on March 31, 2014. The series ran for two seasons until its cancellation in 2016.

The series follows Wander, a nomadic and overly-optimistic intergalactic traveller and his best friend and steed, Sylvia the Zbornak, as they travel from planet to planet helping people to have fun and live free, despite the continuing encroachment of Lord Hater, one of the most powerful villains in the galaxy, and his army of Watchdogs. 

The show's first season is episodic; there are very few strong ties between episodes, and they can be viewed independently of each other. In the second season, however, a more sequential story is introduced; as Lord Dominator begins to conquer the galaxy, the show's tone becomes more serious and the focus moves from stopping the rather incompetent Lord Hater to stopping the extremely competent Lord Dominator. As a result, the episodes are more closely linked and there are several developments in the overarching plot. 

Thursday, October 8, 2020

Enterprise D Virtual Tour

Take a Virtual Tour of one of Star Trek's most memorable starships
Take the Tour
USS Enterprise – NCC-1701-D (or Enterprise-D) is a 24th-century starship in the fictional Star Trek universe and the principal setting of the Star Trek: The Next Generation television series. The Enterprise-D also appears in the pilot episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ("Emissary"), the series finale of Star Trek: Enterprise ("These Are the Voyages..."), and the movie Star Trek Generations.

The Enterprise-D is a Galaxy-class ship and the fifth Federation starship in the Star Trek universe to carry the name Enterprise. Enterprise-D is the flagship of Starfleet. The commanding officer is Captain Jean-Luc Picard for the majority of the ship's service.