Thirty years ago, the Animatrix Network Anime Fan Club (1995-2025) was founded amidst the ashes of one of the Midwest’s most bitter disputes that left the anime fan community in near ruins. Before Animatrix, in the late 1980’s, there was the Greater Chicago Megazone, founded by Doug Killings, who, through his own passion and perseverance, organized one of the earliest (and best) Anime Clubs in America. Doug’s anime collection was one of the most eclectic and diverse in the entire country. He would have some of the rarest and even the most complete anime series available from Japan. These were raw, unedited, original Japanese language (before fan-subtitling ever existed) anime on VHS tapes. He was a true collector. One of the perks of being a member of the Greater Chicago Megazone was that you could ask for anime copies of anything in his collection, limited to two VHS tapes a month. Simply give Doug some blank tapes, and he will copy the anime for you. But if you’re familiar with VHS dubbing, it takes a long time to make duplicate copies for members, especially with just one person doing all the work using his own equipment and time. Doug Killings was an inspiration to us all, and I personally admired his dedication and commitment to anime fandom. Each monthly club meeting, we would eagerly await for our names to be called out to pick up our completed requests. If you were lucky, it would only take a month. But there were times it would take about a year (even more). The copies were duplicated so many times that the color would fade. And still no one complained. They were just happy to get their tapes! The early days of fandom meant everyone was hungry for anything anime. First club meetings had fifty people crowded in a tiny basement of a municipal library all huddled in front of a 19" cathode-ray TV set watching an anime called Saint Seiya in raw unsubtitled Japanese. Oh, the suffering we had to endure! Despite all that, these were some of the best memories of being an anime fan in the Midwest, because anime meant pure escapism. Each month Doug would show us something new, something different. His passion for anime was infectious. Occasionally, one of the members who knew some Japanese would do a rolling translation of the anime, just enough to understand the story. I always looked forward to those monthly club meetings for the camaraderie of fellow anime fans and the assortment of anime. Those days were memorable and fun! Unfortunately, nothing good lasts forever.
There came the dark times. One day, around the year 1990, Doug announced that he was going to study overseas, and there was a question on how the Greater Chicago Megazone would continue without him. His friends came together and decided to officially form an administrative body where there would be an elected President, Vice President, Secretary, etc. Doug would leave his vast anime collection with trusted friends who would continue the work of dubbing tapes for members, while he studied abroad. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but whenever you bring politics into a group, it tends to divide people rather than bring them together. Without Doug Killings’ guiding hand, the Greater Chicago Megazone spiraled into a war between the Old Guard (traditionalists) and the new progressive sectarians. Within a year of Doug’s departure, the Megazone was split into these two groups all vying for power over the club and, most importantly, Doug’s anime collection. He who controls the collection, controls the club. Soon, many of Doug’s prized anime were suddenly missing, and there was finger-pointing and accusations. Long time friends soon became bitter rivals. If you were a regular club member, you had no idea what was going to happen next, and it seemed that the club was on the verge of collapse. Many of the elected officers didn’t even bother to show up for the monthly meetings, leaving the rest of the membership out in the cold.
Only a few of the original Megazone members (including myself) remained; less than a dozen dedicated fans would attend the monthly meetings in the hope that things would get better. Since we no longer had access to Doug’s anime collection, the rest of us had to find other sources. I began to contact other anime clubs and especially the newly emerging fan-subtitling groups that sprouted all across the country. My personal collection slowly began to grow, and soon the club came to depend on me for its continuing supply of anime. I took on the role of Doug Killings, and each month, I would collect the blank tapes, duplicate the requested anime, and have them ready the following month. It was a lot of work, but I felt it was worth it just to keep the fandom and the club alive. With just a handful of dedicated members, we were able to bring the club back from the edge of a cliff and get to a more stable footing. None of the remaining members who helped were elected officers, and I think it was the absence of politics and the emergence of individual hard work that won the day. But again, even that moment didn’t last for long.
In 1994, it was time to elect a new administration for the Greater Chicago Megazone. Since our current officers were absent most of the time, members urged me to run for President. I was already running most of the club, using my own anime collection, VHS machines, and personal time in order to keep it alive. I decided to go for it just to make it official. All of the ten remaining paid members who attended each month gave me their full support. But on the day of the election, I noticed there was an up-swell of attendance. Fifty additional people showed up! People I had not seen before (or even rarely seen) were there to vote, but for someone else! It was a landslide victory for this other guy (whom I will not name); someone who hardly attended but was good at talking big. He floods the election with his friends and wins and expects things to continue. This guy didn’t even put in the work, nor did he have the drive or passion to get things done. He just wanted the prestige, and I could immediately see that this was just a repeat of past history. Politics always divides people. All that work that a handful of us did to save the club from ruin meant nothing to him. And again, the club was being torn apart by people who saw to use it for their own personal gains. There was no love for the anime. Now I know how Doug Killings felt when everything he worked for came crashing down. Politics became the downfall of the Megazone. The cycle of destruction would only continue. The only way forward was to start anew.
I did not want to be there to see the fall of the once great Chicago Megazone. So, immediately after the election, I quit the club. I took my anime collection and left. Without a source of anime, the Megazone floundered aimlessly. I think politics alone doesn’t make a club. Passion does.
Soon after, in May of 1995, I founded the Animatrix Network. This new anime club was built using all of the contacts I made throughout the years, established trades with other clubs, and began to build our membership through word of mouth. Animatrix avoids politics, so we have no elections. Everything is done with the cooperation and goodwill of its members.
For about a year or so, Animatrix and Megazone were two of the biggest anime clubs in the Midwest, but eventually, the Megazone closed its doors for good. Their President and elected officers were unable to find the spark that would reignite interest in their organization. Hard to believe that for about five or six years, the Megazone was the most popular anime club in America, even recognized in the Japanese Newtype magazine, but now, due to political infighting, it has become nothing more than a memory. The Animatrix Network went on to help build Anime Central and several other anime conventions. We have seen the emergence of numerous anime companies throughout the years, such as Pioneer, ADVision, Manga Entertainment, and many others. And outlasted nearly all of them. We have had uninterrupted monthly meetings for thirty years (except for a couple due to weather conditions, oh, and Covid). We have been a large part of the anime revolution and continue to be a voice of anime fandom. I credit Doug Killings for his inspiration. That spirit and passion for anime is at the very heart of the Animatrix Network.
Thank you for being a part of anime history! Thank you all for your support!
Our thirty years in existence has been a wonderful ride! Looking forward to the next thirty!
Take care! And Godspeed!
There came the dark times. One day, around the year 1990, Doug announced that he was going to study overseas, and there was a question on how the Greater Chicago Megazone would continue without him. His friends came together and decided to officially form an administrative body where there would be an elected President, Vice President, Secretary, etc. Doug would leave his vast anime collection with trusted friends who would continue the work of dubbing tapes for members, while he studied abroad. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but whenever you bring politics into a group, it tends to divide people rather than bring them together. Without Doug Killings’ guiding hand, the Greater Chicago Megazone spiraled into a war between the Old Guard (traditionalists) and the new progressive sectarians. Within a year of Doug’s departure, the Megazone was split into these two groups all vying for power over the club and, most importantly, Doug’s anime collection. He who controls the collection, controls the club. Soon, many of Doug’s prized anime were suddenly missing, and there was finger-pointing and accusations. Long time friends soon became bitter rivals. If you were a regular club member, you had no idea what was going to happen next, and it seemed that the club was on the verge of collapse. Many of the elected officers didn’t even bother to show up for the monthly meetings, leaving the rest of the membership out in the cold.
Only a few of the original Megazone members (including myself) remained; less than a dozen dedicated fans would attend the monthly meetings in the hope that things would get better. Since we no longer had access to Doug’s anime collection, the rest of us had to find other sources. I began to contact other anime clubs and especially the newly emerging fan-subtitling groups that sprouted all across the country. My personal collection slowly began to grow, and soon the club came to depend on me for its continuing supply of anime. I took on the role of Doug Killings, and each month, I would collect the blank tapes, duplicate the requested anime, and have them ready the following month. It was a lot of work, but I felt it was worth it just to keep the fandom and the club alive. With just a handful of dedicated members, we were able to bring the club back from the edge of a cliff and get to a more stable footing. None of the remaining members who helped were elected officers, and I think it was the absence of politics and the emergence of individual hard work that won the day. But again, even that moment didn’t last for long.
In 1994, it was time to elect a new administration for the Greater Chicago Megazone. Since our current officers were absent most of the time, members urged me to run for President. I was already running most of the club, using my own anime collection, VHS machines, and personal time in order to keep it alive. I decided to go for it just to make it official. All of the ten remaining paid members who attended each month gave me their full support. But on the day of the election, I noticed there was an up-swell of attendance. Fifty additional people showed up! People I had not seen before (or even rarely seen) were there to vote, but for someone else! It was a landslide victory for this other guy (whom I will not name); someone who hardly attended but was good at talking big. He floods the election with his friends and wins and expects things to continue. This guy didn’t even put in the work, nor did he have the drive or passion to get things done. He just wanted the prestige, and I could immediately see that this was just a repeat of past history. Politics always divides people. All that work that a handful of us did to save the club from ruin meant nothing to him. And again, the club was being torn apart by people who saw to use it for their own personal gains. There was no love for the anime. Now I know how Doug Killings felt when everything he worked for came crashing down. Politics became the downfall of the Megazone. The cycle of destruction would only continue. The only way forward was to start anew.
I did not want to be there to see the fall of the once great Chicago Megazone. So, immediately after the election, I quit the club. I took my anime collection and left. Without a source of anime, the Megazone floundered aimlessly. I think politics alone doesn’t make a club. Passion does.
Soon after, in May of 1995, I founded the Animatrix Network. This new anime club was built using all of the contacts I made throughout the years, established trades with other clubs, and began to build our membership through word of mouth. Animatrix avoids politics, so we have no elections. Everything is done with the cooperation and goodwill of its members.
For about a year or so, Animatrix and Megazone were two of the biggest anime clubs in the Midwest, but eventually, the Megazone closed its doors for good. Their President and elected officers were unable to find the spark that would reignite interest in their organization. Hard to believe that for about five or six years, the Megazone was the most popular anime club in America, even recognized in the Japanese Newtype magazine, but now, due to political infighting, it has become nothing more than a memory. The Animatrix Network went on to help build Anime Central and several other anime conventions. We have seen the emergence of numerous anime companies throughout the years, such as Pioneer, ADVision, Manga Entertainment, and many others. And outlasted nearly all of them. We have had uninterrupted monthly meetings for thirty years (except for a couple due to weather conditions, oh, and Covid). We have been a large part of the anime revolution and continue to be a voice of anime fandom. I credit Doug Killings for his inspiration. That spirit and passion for anime is at the very heart of the Animatrix Network.
Thank you for being a part of anime history! Thank you all for your support!
Our thirty years in existence has been a wonderful ride! Looking forward to the next thirty!
Take care! And Godspeed!
Michael Palmaira
Animatrix Network
Animatrix Network
I believe I'm now have been a member for half of your club's lifetime, since Jan. of 2010!
ReplyDeleteActually I could of been in it much longer if it weren't for my crappy retail jobs after getting out of collage.
Of course thank you for giving us "old-takus" a chance to connect with others that share the same interests as me as well as showing us series and movies that even I would have a hard time getting access to. Peace! ^_^V