Next Club Meeting: January 17, 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.

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

Anime Viewing Schedule for January 17, 2026


 A N I M A T R I X   N E T W O R K
Saturday, January 17, 2026
Fountaindale Public Library
VIEWING SCHEDULE
          11:15 - 12:05   Apothecary Diaries - Season 2 eps 14-15
          12:05 - 12:55   Ranma 1/2 Remake: Season 2 eps 5-6
          12:55 - 1:25     Club Meeting
          1:25 - 2:15       Sanda eps 2-3
          2:15 - 4:50       Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle (Movie)
        
"First Club Meeting of the New Year!"
 
Fountaindale Public Library
300 W. Briarcliff Road
Bolingbrook, IL 60440 
Peggy J. Danhof Board Room
(Second Floor)
 
From 11:15 AM to 5:00 PM

All anime presented are fan-subtitled unless otherwise noted.
Don't miss these exciting anime series: Ranma 1/2 and Urusei Yatsura
* ANIME DESCRIPTIONS ARE BELOW *
11:15 - 12:05   The Apothecary Diaries - Season 2 eps. 14-15
The Apothecary Diaries
Plot Summary:  
Jinshi dreams of his childhood, recalling an old man being taken away by an angry old woman—later explained to him to be his father and grandmother, respectively. He also told that the man he believed to be his father was actually his brother. Jinshi knows that Maomao will eventually discover the truth. Meanwhile, while Maomao observes the penmanship school, she hears the teacher telling about the nation's founding myth, focusing on the Mother Royal, a foreigner who birthed the country's first emperor. The capital was built around a shrine—the Shrine of Choosing—where emperors were once selected through a test. The shrine has been abandoned since an epidemic wiped out nearly all of the previous candidates. She also learns that her adoptive father, Luomen, sometimes visited the shrine when he had free time, and became acquainted with the eunuch who maintains it, who is also the penmanship teacher. The emperor takes Jinshi and Maomao to the shrine to attempt the test once more. Following a series of colored doors according to specific instructions, they reach the final stage, only to fail again. The failure note implies the emperor doesn't descend from the Mother Royal. After the eunuch expresses belief Luomen would have uncovered the shrine's secret, Maomao asks the emperor about the previous emperors' eyesight, learning that only the previous emperor had good eyesight; and about the parentage of the previous emperor, whose elder brothers died in an epidemic. The emperor has Jinshi take the test, guided by Maomao, who takes them to the end, a balcony on an upper floor. The shrine's caretaker explains that if none of the candidates succeeded, they were allowed to try again, aided by a concubine of the right lineage. The emperor asks for an explanation, which the eunuch has Maomao give. She deduced that the shrine was built to select for red-green color blindness, a rare trait in the country but more common in the western lands where the Mother Royal was said to have hailed from, which Luomen would know, having studied medicine abroad. However, she withholds that allowing concubines with the trait is a method to ensure that the bloodline of the Mother Royal remains in power despite the prevalent patriarchal succession of rule. The emperor jokes about taking Maomao as a concubine, but is unwilling to anger Lakan, and finds Maomao's breasts as too small. The eunuch, though, warns about suddenly introducing new blood into the imperial family. Maomao continues to wonder about Jinshi, this time no longer seeing him as "just the emperor's favorite eunuch".
 
 
12:05 - 12:55   Ranma 1/2 Remake: Season 2 eps 5-6
 
RANMA 1/2 Remake

Plot Summary:
Soun Tendou runs the Tendou Martial Arts School accompanied by his three daughters: Akane, Nabiki, and Kasumi. One day, the sisters' lives are turned upside down when their father announces that he has promised one of them to be married to a fellow martial artist's son in hopes of carrying on the family legacy. In addition to their mixed reactions, when the fiancé arrives, the last thing the Tendou family expects is Ranma Saotome and his father, Genma. Ranma has been training in China with his father until an unfortunate accident changed them both. Now, when water touches them, Ranma turns into a girl and Genma into a giant panda. Ranma ½ follows Ranma as he attempts to get along with his newly betrothed, the youngest of the Tendou sisters, Akane. As the two begin to attend the same school, they deal with fellow friends and rivals, all of whom have something to say about their engagement.
 

12:55 - 1:25     Club Announcements
Movies
Anime
Music
Pop Culture
Conventions
Cosplay
Trailers
Video Games


1:25 - 2:15    Sanda ep 2-3
Sanda
Plot Summary:  
The story is set in Japan in 2080. Affected by the declining birth rate, Japan has implemented a series of control policies for minors, including arranging marriage partners from infancy, not allowing children to sleep to slow down development, and requiring them to use the toilet separately from adults. Young people's social status is also higher than adults. Santa Claus has been sealed for a long time because of the curse, which makes society think that Santa Claus has disappeared, and regard Christmas as an ancient custom or a fictional legend. On December 25, when it was snowing, middle school student Kazushige Sanda's body seal was broken by his classmate Shiori Fuyumura, making him look like Santa Claus. From that day forward he finds himself transforming into Santa whenever he wears red clothes. Later, Sanda discovers that he can change back by eating jellybeans. The reason why Fuyumura lifted the seal was that she hoped that Sanda would help find her missing classmate Ichie Ono, and also hoped that he would remind society of Christmas.
 
 
2:15 - 4:50    Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle (Movie)
Demon Slayer: INFINITY CASTLE
Plot Summary:   
After recovering from Kagaya Ubuyashiki's trap and subduing Tamayo, Muzan Kibutsuji retreats into his dimensional stronghold, the Infinity Castle, and traps the Demon Slayer Corps inside. The Demon Slayers are separated and face hordes of Lower Rank-level demons as they search for Muzan and Tamayo. Kagaya's son, Kiriya, and daughters, Kuina and Kanata, lead the operation by mapping the Infinity Castle with the Kasugai crows and locating its inhabitants, with former Hashiras Tengen Uzui and Shinjuro Rengoku standing guard.

Shinobu Kocho encounters Upper Rank Two Doma, recognizing him as her sister Kanae's killer. Despite her use of poisons, Doma develops immunity to her attacks, ultimately killing and consuming her. Shinobu's adoptive younger sister Kanao Tsuyuri arrives too late to save her and takes her place in the battle against Doma, while the Kasugai crows announce Shinobu's death to the rest of the Demon Slayers.

Zenitsu Agatsuma faces his former senior Kaigaku, who became the new Upper Rank Six after an encounter with Upper Rank One Kokushibo. Angered by Kaigaku's lack of guilt over his betrayal, which led to their master Jigoro committing seppuku, they battle. Kaigaku voices his frustration at being compared to Zenitsu, but is killed when he uses a self-taught Thunder Breathing form. Zenitsu passes out and momentarily enters the afterlife, where Jigoro reaffirms he has always been proud of him; he is then rescued by a disguised Yushiro, who has been using his Blood Demon Art to help the Ubuyashikis map the Infinity Castle. Meanwhile, Nezuko Kamado takes a drug produced by Shinobu and Tamayo to restore her humanity and is placed under the care of Sakonji Urokodaki.

Tanjiro Kamado and Giyu Tomioka fight Upper Rank Three Akaza. Though Giyu unlocks his mark to enhance his power, Akaza continues to overwhelm them. Determining that the demon is able to target people based on their willpower, Tanjiro recalls memories of Inosuke's ability to detect attacks and observing his late father in combat. He enters the Transparent World and Selfless State, giving him heightened perception and masking his emotions, successfully beheading Akaza. However, Akaza's body continues to resist and fight Tanjiro and Giyu while headless, pushing them to the brink.

Their persistence causes Akaza to remember his tragic past; he was a young criminal named Hakuji, who stole to fund his father's medication. After being caught stealing numerous times, his father committed suicide to unburden him, leading to a chance encounter with a dojo owner, Keizo. Hakuji served as his sole disciple while caring for his sick daughter, Koyuki. Hakuji and Koyuki eventually became engaged, but she and her father were poisoned by a resentful neighboring dojo that wanted his land while he visited his father's grave. The vengeful Hakuji massacred all of the dojo's members and was turned into a demon during an encounter with Muzan afterwards.

Despite regenerating his head out of sheer will, Akaza realizes his mistakes through his restored memories. Giving a final smile of gratitude to Tanjiro, he fatally injures himself and stops his regeneration, accepting defeat. He reconciles with his loved ones and reunites with Koyuki, who embraces him before accompanying him to Hell. Tanjiro and Giyu pass out from exhaustion as their victory is announced by the Kasugai crows.

Kokushibo and Doma are disappointed by Akaza's death, while the Infinity Castle's owner, Upper Rank Four Nakime, manipulates its layout to confuse the Ubuyashikis. Muzan traps Tamayo in a cocoon of his flesh, remaining confident of his victory over the Demon Slayers.

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