Next Club Meeting:February 21, 2026,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 in today's pop culture, such as live-action films, comics, music, art, and other weird things to enjoy and contemplate.
Reclusive novelist Makio Koudai has always preferred the company of books—but when her sister and brother-in-law pass away, Makio unexpectedly becomes the guardian of her 15-year-old niece, Asa Takumi. As they navigate grief, clashing personalities, and the challenges of living together, the two slowly open their hearts to each other, discovering warmth, understanding, and the meaning of family.
I am working on this film. The premiere of the full version is scheduled for early 2026. The materials currently being published here are a demonstration of the work-in-progress. Eventually, all fragments will be combined, refined, and edited into a single cohesive story. Subscribe so you don't miss the premiere!- kosspax
Yuji Itadori is a boy with tremendous physical strength, though he lives a completely ordinary high school life. One day, to save a classmate who has been attacked by curses, he eats the finger of Ryomen Sukuna, taking the curse into his own soul. From then on, he shares one body with Ryomen Sukuna. Guided by the most powerful of sorcerers, Satoru Gojo, Itadori is admitted to Tokyo Jujutsu High School, an organization that fights the curses... and thus begins the heroic tale of a boy who became a curse to exorcise a curse, a life from which he could never turn back.
Tengen reveals to the sorcerers that the true identity of the man currently possessing Suguru Geto's body is named Kenjaku. They continue to explain the purpose behind his Culling Games, which is to force evolution throughout all mankind in Japan, and that the games will allow him to collect enough cursed energy to achieve this by assimilating with Tengen. Kenjaku had attempted this plan several times over the past 1,000 years, but had always been halted due to him being defeated by a Six Eyes user, while Tengen assimilated with a Star Plasma Vessel. Between Toji's killing of the previous Star Plasma Vessel,[e] Kenjaku acquiring Geto's body, Tengen now being vulnerable to Geto's Cursed Spirit Manipulation, and Gojo's sealing in the Prison Realm, his plan is now close to completion. The sorcerers further learn that the Culling Games will not end until every player has been killed, however, one of the rules allows a player to make a new rule, which they could use to let others leave the game, which Megumi wants to do for to help Tsumiki. Tengen then reveals that they are in possession of the "Back" of the Prison Realm, however it can only be opened by a technique capable of cancelling out cursed techniques. The two items capable of this were already destroyed by Gojo, but one of the Culling Games players, a sorcerer from 1,000 years ago known as Hana Kurusu aka "Angel", possesses this technique and is currently in the Tokyo Colony. After going over all the current rules of the Games, the group form their plan: Choso and Yuki volunteer to stay behind and protect Tengen, Maki prepares to raid the Zen'in vault for cursed tools, Yuta plans to enter a Colony to investigate, and Yuji and Megumi will go to recruit Kinji Hakari, a suspended third-year of Jujutsu High. Meanwhile, Fumihiko Takaba laments over being failed comedian, unknowingly also a Culling Game player.
JUJUTSU KAISEN: The Culling Game hits January 2026!
Kaya-chan is a notorious problem child in her kindergarten, but none of the adults know her secret–till Chie-sensei is put in charge and learns of Kaya-chan’s hidden ability to see evil spirits and vanquish them with a punch! What will happen to this five-year-old who gets in trouble when she’s only trying to help?
Amazon has released the first official image of Sophie Turner as Lara Croft, ahead of the release of its Tomb Raider TV series. In a recent interview, Turner said that she's been playing the video games and reading the comics in preparation for the role. Oh, and training eight hours a day, five days a week, since February 2025.
At The Game Awards 2025, Crystal Dynamics and Amazon announcedtwo newTomb Raider games: Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, a 2026 reimagining of the 1996 original, and Tomb Raider: Catalyst, a new 2027 adventure set in Northern India, with both featuring Alix Wilton Regan as Lara Croft. Legacy of Atlantis celebrates the series' 30th anniversary with updated visuals and gameplay, while Catalyst offers the franchise's most expansive entry yet, exploring themes of trust and power.
Scott Raymond Adams was an American cartoonist, author, and conservative commentator. He was the creator of the Dilbert comic strip and nonfiction works of business, self-improvement, commentary, and satire.
Adams worked in various corporate roles before he became a full-time cartoonist in 1995. By the mid-1990s, Dilbert, created in 1989, had gained national prominence in the United States and began to reach a worldwide audience, remaining popular throughout the following decades and spawning several books written by Adams. In the mid-2010s, Adams emerged as an independent commentator on events and politics.
He wrote in a satirical way about the social and psychological landscape of white-collar workers in corporations. In addition, Adams wrote books in various other areas, including the pandeistic spiritual novella God's Debris and books on political and management topics, including Loserthink.
Kathleen Kennedy is officially OUT as the head of Lucasfilm, but does that mean Star Wars will be saved? More telling according to her "exit interview" is that she regrets nothing... and, of course, blames the fans. Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan are replacing Kathleen Kennedy as Lucasfilm president.
Kathleen Kennedy HUMILIATED by Disney in SAD Exit
from Lucasfilm! No Celebrations, No Awards!
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What Does the Future Hold for Star Wars?
This has been a week of massive change in pop culture. Yesterday Paramount released their latest Trek release for free on YouTube to disastrous results that may prove to be Secret Hideout's Waterloo, and it was announced that this is Kennedy's final week as President of Lucasfilm, which would mean today is her last day. What does all this mean for pop culture? Here are my thoughts on these staggering developments!
Koyuki Hikawa is a socially withdrawn student who keeps an emotional wall between herself and others. The only person she spends time with is her childhood friend, Miki Azumi. One day, Koyuki's quiet life is disrupted when a boy named Minato Amamiya inexplicably starts trying to break through her barriers. The aloof Koyuki, the popular Miki, the overly familiar Minato and the laid-back basketball player Yota share an awkward, occasionally frustrating, yet wholesome student life. An ensemble drama shaped by the crossed paths of youth is about to begin.
The story of GNOSIA takes place on a ship drifting through space. Gnosia is an enemy that disguises itself as a human and attacks them. It is now on the spaceship, causing everyone onboard to be suspicious of each other. The crew decides to vote on the most suspicious-looking person every day and put them into a cold sleep. If the humans succeed in putting Gnosia to sleep, they'll win. On the other hand, if they don't, everyone on board is in danger. The right decision must be made. No matter what decision is made by the main character, Yuri, she finds herself in a time loop that returns her to the first day of the crisis. Will the crew on board make the right decision? What is the secret behind the time loop? What secrets hide behind the faces of everyone on board? GNOSIA begins now – a story of looping, fleeting moments that feels like an eternity but passes by in an instant.
Pulled back from the edge of space, Luke Skywalker survives Cloud City - but nothing feels certain anymore. The truth about Vader changes everything, and the Jedi teachings he trusted now feel incomplete. As the Rebellion regroups, Luke quietly wonders what it truly means to be a Jedi… and how to walk that path without losing himself.
On a quiet rainy day in the old Japanese countryside, Chia meets a mother cat and her kittens seeking shelter. Soft rain, gentle piano, and a family that arrives without words
Once feared as the ruler of all demons, Demon King Ahriman seeks to conquer the world…until he’s stopped by an unexpected force: his daughter, Dou! Too kind for chaos and too gentle for war, Dou melts the hearts of demons, humans, and even angels. Desperate to restore demon pride, Ahriman’s aide Jahi vows to train Dou to become a proper demon. But is Jahi any match for Dou’s compassion?!
In a world where heroism is a punishment, Xylo Forbartz, a condemned goddess killer, battles endless hordes of monstrous abominations as part of Penal Hero Unit 9004. Death is no escape, only a cycle of resurrection and relentless combat. But when Xylo encounters a mysterious new goddess, their unlikely alliance sparks a rebellion that could shatter the chains of eternal punishment.
Desperate for credits, a punch-burn laborer joins a hazard crew harvesting psychoactive sap from the forests of Jatar. Seduced by whispers from the ancient trees, he’s lured into the deep woods and consumed by the forest’s memories, witnessing the terraforming of the planet at the hands of ancient humans, the rise of a paradise on a once barren world, and humanity’s ultimate destruction by the very ecosystem they engineered.
Forget what you know about Dimension C-137 and prepare for a blast from the past. This video teleports Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith back to the golden age of anime, reimagining their chaotic adventures as a lost sci-fi classic from the 1990s. Witness their interdimensional travels through a new lens: grainy film, vibrant neon-drenched colors, and the unmistakable hand-drawn aesthetic that defined a generation of animation. See Rick's cynical genius and Morty's signature panic, all presented with the dramatic flair and sharp character designs of a retro masterpiece. This is the interdimensional cable broadcast you wish you had in 1992.
Facing Darth Vader on Bespin, Luke Skywalker lost his hand, his lightsaber, and his innocence—learning the devastating truth about his father.
Haunted by those events and desperate for answers, Luke returns to Tatooine in search of ancient Jedi texts Yoda once mentioned—texts he believes will help him construct a new lightsaber and complete his training before facing Vader again.
The writings lead Luke on a dangerous journey close to home: a map to a Force “well,” a rare place where the Force gathers to protect objects of immense power. In this case, a long-hidden Kyber crystal—one Obi-Wan Kenobi secretly left behind for him.
To reach it, Luke must survive the treacherous Beggar’s Canyon—a labyrinth of deadly valleys, jagged formations, and sheer canyon walls deep within the Jundland Wastes. Once part of the legendary Boonta Eve Podracing Classic, the canyon now presents a different kind of trial.
Hunted by the dangers of the desert and forced to scale an immense canyon wall, Luke ventures toward a cave that holds not only the crystal he seeks—but truths about the Jedi, the Force, and himself.
Set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Beggar’s Canyon is a Star Wars fan film exploring Luke Skywalker’s transformation into the Jedi Knight he must become.
(This is a non-commercial fan film made for creative and educational purposes. Star Wars and all related characters are the property of Lucasfilm Ltd.)
*This project makes use of AI tools as part of an experimental filmmaking process. It is not a replacement for artists, performers, or craftspeople, whose work and rights are deeply respected. This film exists in support of artists, not in opposition to them.
Life is a beautiful journey filled with simple joys and unforgettable adventures. 🌿 This animation takes you from the quiet charm of village life—morning walks through green fields, fresh groceries from the local market, and cooking warm homemade meals—to exciting moments of traveling to meet my best friend, where laughter and heartfelt memories make every trip special.
The adventure continues by the ocean’s edge, where the sound of waves and the golden glow of the sunset bring a sense of calm and wonder. We dive deep into the magical underwater world, exploring colorful coral reefs, swimming alongside fascinating sea creatures, and soaking in the serenity of the deep blue sea. After the dive, there’s nothing better than enjoying a plate of fresh, flavorful seafood while listening to the peaceful rhythm of the waves.
From cozy mornings in the countryside to thrilling dives into the ocean, this journey is all about finding beauty in every little moment—whether it’s cooking with love, sharing smiles with friends, or embracing the wonders of nature
What happened at Cloud City BEFORE the Millennium Falcon arrived?
While Han, Leia, and Chewie flee Hoth in the damaged Millennium Falcon, Darth Vader arrives at Cloud City first to set the ultimate trap. Watch as the Empire systematically takes over Bespin, Lando Calrissian is forced into an impossible choice, and Vader prepares to capture the rebels… and lure Luke Skywalker into his grasp. Set during The Empire Strikes Back, this Star Wars fan film explores these unseen events at Cloud City.
2025 has been one of the strongest years for anime in recent memory — from mind-blowing action series and emotional masterpieces to new-gen hits redefining storytelling. In this video, we’re counting down the Top 10 Best Anime of 2025, ranking the shows that dominated fan discussions, broke streaming charts, and reminded us why we fell in love with anime in the first place.