Next Club Meeting: December 14, 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.

Thursday, June 30, 2022

One of the Greatest Viking Tales Continues...

VINLAND SAGA: SEASON 2
On May 5, 2022, it was announced that MAPPA will be taking over for the second season of the series. On June 8, 2022, it was announced that the second season will premiere in January 2023 on Tokyo MX and BS11. The season will run for 24 episodes.
While Askeladd receives his reward for saving Prince Canute, he daringly questions King Sweyn's order to subjugate his own homeland of Wales. Askeladd justifies his statement by saying that the poor mountainous country of Wales is not worth the cost to conquer, and offers to broker a peace instead. Surprisingly, Sweyn accepts Askeladd's counsel, but then forces him to choose between Wales or Canute – if he chooses Wales, he must deliver the head of Canute. Meanwhile, Leif Erikson almost convinces the badly beaten Thorfinn to sail away with him, but the youth returns to the Imperial Council. Sweyn's offer proves too much for Askeladd who openly insults the king and denounces him. He reveals that his real name is Lucius Artorius Castus, and claims to be the legitimate heir to rule Britannia. Floki tries to save the king, but Askeladd beheads Sweyn before anyone can move and then fights alone against the Danish soldiers. Canute realizes that Askeladd is acting to protect him, but Thorkell reminds the prince that Askeladd is his man, so Canute steps forward and kills Askeladd with a stab to the heart. Thorfinn arrives only to have Askeladd die in his arms. Angry at missing his last chance to duel with Askeladd, Thorfinn attacks and cuts Canute in distress and despair, but Canute takes charge and claims command of the Viking army and the rule of England. Thorfinn is dragged away, and as he drops his knife in the chaos, his erstwhile journey flashes in the blade's reflection. Season One ends with scenes of upcoming people and events. Thorfinn's story has just begun...

Wednesday, June 29, 2022

The Touch - Stan Bush (HD Restoration)

TRANSFORMERS
Optimus Prime rolling into Autobot City to turn the tide has to be one of the greatest heroic moments in Transformers and cinema history.

Tuesday, June 28, 2022

A Perfect Pop Culture Crossover?

The Crazy Story of Daicon III & Daicon IV
The Daicon III and IV Opening Animations are two 8mm film anime short films that were produced for the 1981 Daicon III and 1983 Daicon IV Nihon SF Taikai conventions as a way to introduce the conventions and celebrate every character and vehicle and robot in pop culture at the time.
They were produced by a group of amateur animators known as Daicon Film, who would later go on to form the animation studio Gainax.
Notably Hideaki Anno who went on to create Neon Genesis Evangelion and direct such films as Shin Godzilla worked on both films.
The Daicon III and IV Opening Animations are also known for their unusually high production values for amateur works and for including numerous references to otaku culture, as well as the unauthorized appropriations of the Playboy Bunny costume.

Monday, June 27, 2022

Saints and Sinners Serving Up Fast Food Fun!

The Devil is a Part-Timer!! Season 2
The Demon Lord Satan seeks to conquer the world of Ente Isla by annexing its four continents with the help of his demon generals Alciel, Lucifer, Malacoda, and Adramelech. After being confronted by the hero Emilia and her companions, after they had killed Malacoda and Adramelech, Satan and Alciel escape the world of Ente Isla through a gate to modern Tokyo, Japan. However, due to the lack of magic in the modern contemporary world, both Satan and Alciel change into forms representing what they would look like if they were human. In order to survive, Satan takes a part-time job in a fast food restaurant named MgRonald's, while Alciel serves as his houseman. One day, Satan, who now goes by Sadao Maō, meets a girl who is actually Emilia in the form of Emi Yusa. The story then unfolds and explores the personalities of each of the characters and their moral values. More characters show up from Ente Isla and they too face the new world dilemmas, often comically.
Watch the Trailer
The highly anticipated second season of the anime The Devil is a Part-Timer! will release in July 2022, according to a new trailer for the series. 

Sunday, June 26, 2022

Combine Ecchi Anime & Heavy Metal and you get...

B A S T A R D !!
Babes, Blades, and Blood
The new original net anime of Kazushi Hagiwara's Bastard!! Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy action manga will be debuted on June 30. Furthermore, this anime take set in the kingdom of Metallicana, which is under attack from the Four Lords of Havoc. This party of villains—ninja master Gara, deadly thunder empress Nei Arshes, cold and calculating Kall-Su, and enigmatic dark priest Abigail—will stop at nothing to get what they want, even if it leaves utter destruction in their wake.
High Priest Geo is desperate to help save the kingdom and its people. He unleashes the mighty wizard Dark Schneider, a man who used to be an ally of the villains. Unfortunately, Dark Schneider has his own plans in mind. Will he stop the Four Lords of Havoc or join them in their conquest of the world?

Saturday, June 25, 2022

Holy hand-grenade! She's back!

WARRIR NUN: Season 2
[Source: Collider] Netflix has a lot of popular shows returning in the second half of 2022. One of the shows finally coming back for its second season is Warrior Nun. The series, which is based on the popular comic series by Ben Dunn, left fans on a cliffhanger for the last two years. Now, as part of Netflix's Geeked Week, the streamer has released the first teaser for Season 2, revealing Ava’s battle will continue this winter.
The teaser catches up on the story so far with Ava (Alba Baptista) narrating the events that transpired in Season 1. How she died, came back to life with the power of a magical Halo, got superhuman abilities from that Halo, and joined The Order of the Cruciform Sword (OCS) to defend the world from demons. Ava also refers to the massive cliffhanger that Season 1 left us dangling on, which she admits she’s still trying to figure out what happened. The cliffhanger in the last episode saw Ava about to enter battle against Adriel’s army, after Adriel tried to trick Ava into thinking he was an angel earlier in the finale when in fact he was a demon who manipulated the Catholic Church for centuries.

Friday, June 24, 2022

To Infinite Mystery... and BEYOND!

Disney's STRANGE WORLD
Check out the teaser trailer from Walt Disney Animation Studios’ all-new feature film “Strange World.” Jake Gyllenhaal (“The Guilty,” “Spider-Man: Far from Home”) lends his voice to Searcher Clade, the son of a steadfast explorer. The original action-adventure journeys deep into an uncharted and treacherous land where fantastical creatures await the legendary Clades, a family of explorers whose differences threaten to topple their latest—and by far— most crucial mission. Helmed by Don Hall (Oscar®-winning “Big Hero 6,” “Raya and the Last Dragon”) and co-director/writer Qui Nguyen (co-writer “Raya and the Last Dragon”), and produced by Roy Conli (Oscar®-winning “Big Hero 6,” “Tangled”), “Strange World” releases November 23, 2022.

Thursday, June 23, 2022

Season 4 of Dragon Prince is Coming!

THE DRAGON PRINCE: Mystery of Aaravos
The next phase of The Dragon Prince saga has begun.
Many questions remain following The Battle of the Storm Spire, but only one continues to haunt the very heart of Xadia: “Who is Aaravos?” Where did this enigmatic Startouch elf come from? What does he want? And what price will our heroes have to pay to stop him? Unveil the “Mystery of Aaravos” and more in SEASON 4–coming to Netflix in 2022!

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

She Sells Seashells By the Seashore...

Marcel the Shell With Shoes On: A Tiny Hero
Marcel is an adorable, 1-inch-tall shell who ekes out a colorful existence with his grandmother, Connie, and their pet lint, Alan. Once part of a sprawling community of shells, they now live alone as the sole survivors of a mysterious tragedy. However, when a documentary filmmaker discovers them, the short film he posts online brings Marcel millions of passionate fans, as well as unprecedented dangers and a new hope of finding his long-lost family.

Tuesday, June 21, 2022

A film by the world's best stop-motion animator...

MAD GOD
From the imaginative mind of Phil Tippett, the world's pre-eminent stop motion animator...

The film opens with a tall figure shrouded in a jacket and gas mask known only as The Assassin descending into a ruined, hellish world via a diving bell. In his possession the Assassin has a map of the world and a suitcase with a bomb which he has been tasked with detonating behind enemy lines within the desolate world; however, the map slowly deteriorates along the way.

Continuing his trek through the ruins, traveling through mutant lands, The Assassin encounters captive electronic torture victims and other horrors. Eventually he comes to find a city behind enemy lines, which is home to an army of nameless, faceless drones ruled by a baby-babbling monstrosity with filthy teeth and seared flesh. The Assassin halts for a moment here, pondering whether or not to take an ally, before he decides to escape while he can and descends into the bowels of the city, leaving a drone to be killed for walking away from the others. The Assassin discovers a mountain of suitcases just like his own, beneath the city bowels. These contain bombs, which his own bomb will detonate. As the Assassin primes his bomb and prepares to set it off, sitting down to await his death along with presumably every other mutant and person behind enemy lines, the Assassin fails to notice the creeping presence of a mutant of technological design. The mutant then pounces on The Assassin, capturing him and dragging him away as the bomb fails to detonate.
The Assassin is put on public display, where he is stripped and tortured in front of a mass of spectators. Shackled to a table, The Assassin lies there for what appears to be many days and weeks. His bandages, which cover his entire body, are yellowed with age, and his one exposed eye is red with dryness, having not blinked for quite a while. The Surgeon, or the Torturer, appears with a Nurse, who both begin a sadistic medical procedure upon the weakened Assassin. Systematically, and painfully, and ultimately fatally for the Assassin, the Surgeon cracks open The Assassin's chest, and begins rummaging through his chest cavity. Jewelry, and books, metaphors for useful secrets of war, are pulled and strewn about and read through - a particularly interesting book catches the Surgeon's eye, and he investigates, before throwing it away. Eventually, after a long period of rummaging and bloody searching, the Surgeon finds his goal; a precious, screaming child. The Surgeon hands it to the Nurse.

In the world above, the Last Man gives a map forged by witches to another Assassin and sends him down in another diving bell. Driving a motorcycle and then a jeep, the New Assassin follows the map through a munitions depot, a graveyard, and a war zone before descending down a spiral roadway. The nurse brings the baby to a floating creature who escorts the child to an alchemist’s lair. The alchemist grinds the baby into liquid, smelts the liquid into metal, and crushes the metal into crystals that he hands back to the creature.

The creature scatters the crystals into a fiery portal. A new universe forms that rapidly decays into another ruined world.

Monday, June 20, 2022

So This is Basically Genshin Impact...

What's it like playing this game?
"This video took us so long to make because it took 90 wishes before we hit pity and pulled it. Oops."

Sunday, June 19, 2022

Now, THIS is Star Trek!

STAR TREK: Voyager
The Animated Series
What if Filmation had made episodes of Voyager?
Watch the Video

Saturday, June 18, 2022

Animated Avatar Movies Coming Soon...

NEW AVATAR MOVIES
Forget the Netflix live-action Avatar series. We're getting three proper animated Avatar movies from the original showrunners. You know, the guys that quit the Netflix series in disgust?

Friday, June 17, 2022

The Best Star Wars Fan Film I've Ever Seen

STAR WARS: X-WING
We take a look at Star Wars: X-Wing, a Star Wars Fan Film by NobleEngine, which is an amazing take on the Battle of Coruscant as it first appeared in Star Wars Legends.

Thursday, June 16, 2022

Legacy of a Space Ranger...

LIGHTYEAR  Featurette
“I’ve been a fan of Buzz since the first time I saw Toy Story."
Hear our star cast and filmmakers share the impact that our heroic space ranger has had in their lives. Experience the legacy of Disney and Pixar's Lightyear only in theaters this June 17.
The film features the voices of Chris Evans as accomplished Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear, Uzo Aduba as his commander and best friend Alisha Hawthorne and Peter Sohn as Sox. Keke Palmer, Taika Waititi and Dale Soules lend their voices to the Junior Zap Patrol’s Izzy Hawthorne, Mo Morrison and Darby Steel, respectively, and James Brolin can be heard as the enigmatic Zurg. The voice cast also includes Mary McDonald-Lewis as onboard computer I.V.A.N., Isiah Whitlock Jr. as Commander Burnside, Efren Ramirez as Airman Diaz, and Keira Hairston as Young Izzy. Directed by Angus MacLane (co-director “Finding Dory”), produced by Galyn Susman (“Toy Story That Time Forgot”) and featuring a score by award-winning composer Michael Giacchino (“The Batman,” “Up”), “Lightyear” opens only in theaters on June 17, 2022.

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Anime Viewing Schedule for June 18, 2022


 A N I M A T R I X   N E T W O R K
Saturday, June 18, 2022
Fountaindale Public Library
VIEWING SCHEDULE
          11:15 - 12:05   Tokyo 24-ku ep. 6-7
          12:05 - 12:55   Heike Monogatari 7-8
          12:55 - 1:25     Club Meeting
          1:25 - 2:15       Ghost in the Shell: SAC Season 2 eps. 1-2
          2:15 - 4:45       Vampire in the Garden eps 1-5
Say, "AAAAAAHHHH!"
 
Fountaindale Public Library
300 W. Briarcliff Road
Bolingbrook, IL 60440

Board Room, Second Floor 
 
From 11:15 AM to 5:00 PM

All anime presented are fan-subtitled unless otherwise noted.
 
Don't miss the exciting anime series: Tokyo 24-ku and Heike Monogatari
* ANIME DESCRIPTIONS ARE BELOW *

Tuesday, June 14, 2022

"Avert your eyes, kids!"

Leaked footage from
INSIDE JOB: Part 2
Coming soon to Netflix. For employees of Cognito Inc., conspiracies aren’t just theories, they’re a full time grind. INSIDE JOB is a peek inside the actual Deep State, as one woman manages the chaotic office of lovable morons secretly controlling the world.

Monday, June 13, 2022

"It's like a relaxing holiday..."

THOR: Love and Thunder
In theaters July 8, 2022
Thor embarks on a journey unlike anything he's ever faced -- a quest for inner peace. However, his retirement gets interrupted by Gorr the God Butcher, a galactic killer who seeks the extinction of the gods. To combat the threat, Thor enlists the help of King Valkyrie, Korg and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster, who -- to his surprise -- inexplicably wields his magical hammer. Together, they set out on a harrowing cosmic adventure to uncover the mystery of the God Butcher's vengeance.
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Chris Pratt, Taika Waititi

Sunday, June 12, 2022

Next Club Meeting is June 18, 2022

A N I M A T R I X   N E T W O R K  
"To Infinity and..."

  M O N T H L Y   M E E T I N G

Fountaindale Public Library
300 W. Briarcliff Road
Bolingbrook, IL  60440
Board Room (2nd Floor)
Saturday, June 18, 2022
11:15 AM - 5:00 PM
 
We will be in the BOARD ROOM on the Second Floor.
 
Hope to see everyone there!

 
A Viewing Schedule will be posted soon.
 
Hope to see you all there!

(Click below for maps)

Saturday, June 11, 2022

This is the Story of an Unlikely Hero...

W*I*L*L*O*W
An epic period fantasy series with a modern sensibility set in an enchanted land of breathtaking beauty, “Willow” features a diverse international cast with Jonathan Kasdan, Ron Howard, Wendy Mericle, Kathleen Kennedy, and Michelle Rejwan serving as executive producers. The story began with an aspiring magician from a Nelwyn village and an infant girl destined to unite the realms, who together helped destroy an evil queen and banish the forces of darkness. Now, in a magical world where brownies, sorcerers, trolls, and other mystical creatures flourish, the adventure continues, as an unlikely group of heroes set off on a dangerous quest to places far beyond their home, where they must face their inner demons and come together to save their world.

Friday, June 10, 2022

I am the King of Dreams...

THE SANDMAN

The Lord of Dreams has been summoned, and captured, by mortal men. Once free from his captivity, this eternal ruler of Dreams will realize that his troubles are only just beginning.

The Sandman is a Netflix series based on the groundbreaking comic book series created for DC by Neil Gaiman. The series is Executive Produced by Neil Gaiman, Allan Heinberg, & David S. Goyer.
The Sandman is a comic book written by Neil Gaiman and published by DC Comics. Its artists include Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg, Jill Thompson, Shawn McManus, Marc Hempel, Bryan Talbot, and Michael Zulli, with lettering by Todd Klein and covers by Dave McKean. The original series ran for 75 issues from January 1989 to March 1996. Beginning with issue No. 47, it was placed under DC's Vertigo imprint, and following Vertigo's retirement in 2020, reprints have been published under DC's Black Label imprint.

The main character of The Sandman is Dream, also known as Morpheus and other names, who is one of the seven Endless. The other Endless are Destiny, Death, Desire, Despair, Delirium (formerly Delight), and Destruction (also known as 'The Prodigal'). The series is famous for Gaiman's trademark use of anthropomorphic personification of various metaphysical entities, while also blending mythology and history in its horror setting within the DC Universe.[2] The Sandman is a story about stories and how Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams, is captured and subsequently learns that sometimes change is inevitable.[3] The Sandman was Vertigo's flagship title, and is available as a series of ten trade paperbacks, a recolored five-volume Absolute hardcover edition with slipcase, a three-volume omnibus edition, a black-and-white Annotated edition, and is available for digital download.
Critically acclaimed, The Sandman was one of the first few graphic novels ever to be on The New York Times Best Seller list, along with Maus, Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns. It was one of five graphic novels to make Entertainment Weekly's "100 best reads from 1983 to 2008," ranking at No. 46.[4] Norman Mailer described the series as "a comic strip for intellectuals."[5] The series has exerted considerable influence over the fantasy genre and graphic novel medium since its publication and is often regarded as one of the greatest graphic novels of all time.

Various film and television versions of Sandman have been developed. In 2013, Warner Bros. announced that David S. Goyer would be producing a film adaptation of the comic book series starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt within its upcoming Vertigo film slate,[6] but Gordon-Levitt dropped out in 2016.[7] As of June 2019, an adaptation has been in development for Netflix.[8] In 2020, a full-cast audio drama comprising the first three volumes of the series was released exclusively through Audible, narrated by Gaiman, dramatized and directed by Dirk Maggs and starring James McAvoy as Morpheus.

Thursday, June 9, 2022

Run the Razor's Edge this Fall...

CYBERPUNK: EDGERUNNERS
Tell your Chooms: CD PROJEKT RED + Studio Trigger = Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, a 10 episode anime story.
Jack in September 2022.
The series tells a standalone, 10-episode story about a street kid trying to survive in Night City — a technology and body modification-obsessed city of the future. Having everything to lose, he stays alive by becoming an edgerunner — a mercenary outlaw also known as a cyberpunk. CD PROJEKT RED, the company behind the Cyberpunk 2077 video game, is producing the series with Rafał Jaki (The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher: Ronin) as Showrunner and Executive Producer, with Satoru Homma, Bartosz Sztybor and Saya Elder serving as producers. The team at CD PROJEKT RED has been working on this new series since 2018. Acclaimed Japan-based animation company, Studio Trigger, will serve as the animation studio on the series and bring the world of Cyberpunk to life with their signature, vibrant style. Hiroyuki Imaishi (Gurren Lagann, Kill la Kill, Promare) will direct the series along with creative director Hiromi Wakabayashi (Kill la Kill), character designer and animation director Yoh Yoshinari (Little Witch Academia, BNA: Brand New Animal), and the adapted screenplay by Yoshiki Usa (GRIDMAN UNIVERSE series, Promare) and Masahiko Otsuka (Star Wars: Visions ‘The Elder’). The original score will be composed by Akira Yamaoka (Silent Hill series).

Wednesday, June 8, 2022

Call of the Beast!

THE SEA BEAST
From Academy Award winning filmmaker Chris Williams (Moana, Big Hero Six), THE SEA BEAST takes us to where the map ends, and the true adventure begins. Starring Karl Urban, Zaris-Angel Hator, Jared Harris, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Dan Stevens and Kathy Burke.
In an era when terrifying beasts roamed the seas, monster hunters were celebrated heroes - and none were more beloved than the great Jacob Holland. But when young Maisie Brumble stows away on his fabled ship, he’s saddled with an unexpected ally. Together they embark on an epic journey into uncharted waters and make history.
This monstrous adventure attacks Netflix July 8.

Tuesday, June 7, 2022

Before he made Evangelion, there was Nadia...

NADIA: THE SECRET OF BLUE WATER
From Hideaki ANNO comes one of the Greatest Anime Series ever made!
It’s 1889 and people from around the globe are flocking to Paris to see scientific achievements at the Exposition Universelle despite rumors of dangers lurking in the oceans. While attending the fair, teenaged inventor Jean meets Nadia, a mysterious girl who possesses a highly sought-after crystal called Blue Water. Pursued by nefarious forces, the pair journey by sea and by sky to escape their would-be captors and to discover the secret of the crystal.
NADIA: THE SECRET OF BLUE WATER is a sci-fi adventure on the high seas from Hideaki ANNO. The classic series is a preview into ANNO’s early directorial vision before creating NEON GENESIS EVANGELION, and returns with an all-new 4K restoration.
On Blu-ray AUGUST 2

Monday, June 6, 2022

Fly Like a Hero...

This Unreal Engine 5 Superman Demo
is MIND BLOWING
A Superman Unreal Engine 5 demo experiment has gone viral. This small experience shows how big next gen games and Superman games can really be.
Download the Demo today and give it a try!
SOURCE and GAME DEMO INFO: https://tjatomica.itch.io/superman-ue5

Sunday, June 5, 2022

A Slice of Life from Real People Living in Japan...

A Day in the Life of a...
Japanese Manga and Anime Figure Sculptor
(at Good Smile Company located in Akihabara Tokyo)
This is a typical Japanese working day at the office at one of the top figure production companies in Japan. Creating all sorts of popular figures like Jujutsu Kaisen, and even Kimetsu no Yaiba! We follow Sho from morning until evening to see what a complete day would be like working at a Japanese figure making company. Sho works in Japan as a Genkeishi, also known as a Figure Sculptor. Sho sculpts his anime figure prototypes by hand using Nendo, in English putty or clay, in his case, a polyester putty. And for his main tools, uses a toothpick to add putty and a sharp q tip to smooth out the surface. Today, he is working on a Nedoroido (Nendoroid) style figure. We also meet and talk to some of the other office workers in the Japanese company and give a full office tour. This is life in Tokyo for a Japanese anime and manga figure sculptor.

Saturday, June 4, 2022

"Darling... Where are you?"

How "Urusei Yatsura" Changed Anime Forever
This is an in-depth look & review of Urusei Yatsura, a quirky series which helped shape the modern anime & manga landscape. We'll also be looking at the life and work of its creator, Rumiko Takahashi, and her many influences on the Japanese animation industry through the decades, from Ranma 1/2 to Inuyasha and beyond.

Friday, June 3, 2022

Thursday, June 2, 2022

"We are the Shadow Garden..."

The Eminence in Shadow
Ever since he was a child, he wanted to become a shadowbroker, a person who operates in the shadows. He trained up his body, doing practically everything possible in the world, until one day on one of his training sessions, he encountered magic. However, this was not magic and was in fact, the headlights of a car. And so, he died.

Even after reincarnating, the boy, now the son of a noble, Cid Kagenou, wanted to achieve his dreams. After rescuing a girl, Cid creates an elaborate plot about how he was the leader of an ancient organization, sworn to fight the Cult of Diabolos, so as to prevent said cult from resurrecting Diabolos. The girl swears her allegiance to Cid and so, he builds his organization, the Shadow Garden.

Little does he know that his eighth-grader syndrome-induced story has actual basis in the world...

Wednesday, June 1, 2022

Meet the Bad-ass Gods...

DISLYTE
Dislyte is available now on iOS and Android. Meet the characters and get a peek at the story in this action-packed cinematic launch trailer for the turn-based RPG.
In Dislyte, the advent of Miracles has struck the world like a double-edged sword; giving rise to a surge of raging Miramons, whilst bestowing people with divine powers. Among those who have gained new powers, some chose to follow their own desires, whilst others decided to stand up and fight to protect the world from the new threat. Today, a newly formed Union squad is heading out to a crisis-ridden place to carry out their first mission.