Next Club Meeting: September 20, 2025, 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.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Anime Viewing Schedule for April 19, 2p014

Saturday, April 19, 2014
Wood Dale Public Library
Get out of the rain!
And watch some anime!
Main Meeting Room, 10:15 am to 5:00 pm
(Click on links to view Video Previews)

10:15 - 11:05    Noragami 5-6 [Video]
11:05 - 11:55    Nagi no Asukara 6-7 [Video]
11:55 - 12:45    Captain Earth 1-2 [Video]
12:45 - 1:35      Nisekoi 3-4 [Video]
1:35 - 2:15        Club Meeting / Announcements [Video]
2:15 - 3:05        Wizard Barristers 5-6
[Video]
3:05 - 3:30        Coppelion 10 [Video]
3:30 - 4:45        Short Peace (Movie) [Video]

 

ANIME DESCRIPTIONS ARE BELOW -- Spend the day watching anime with friends and cohorts --

10:15 - 11:05    Noragami 5-6
Plot Summary: [Source: Wikipedia] Noragami literally means "Stray God." Hiyori Iki was a regular middle school student until she gets hit by a bus in order to save Yato's life. This incident causes her to transform into a half-phantom. Soon after she learns that Yato is a war god, and her life is never the same again.
Episode 5 "Borderline": After Yato teaches Yukine how to make a borderline, which regalia can use against phantoms, Hiyori decides to have Yukine live in her house, feeling Yato can't look after him properly. After some reluctance, Yato agrees to let Yukine stay with her. Yato ends up sneaking himself too, keeping Yukine in check before he gets any ideas about Hiyori. The next day, Yukine runs away after Hiyori stops him from stealing a skateboard, with Yato later explaining to her that any impure thoughts Yukine has results in pain for himself. Whilst running away, Yukine encounters a little girl, which he later learns to be the spirit of a girl who died in a traffic accident. However, the girl ends up getting possessed by a phantom and becomes consumed by it, forcing Yato to use Yukine to defeat her against his will .
Episode 6 "Scary Person": Yukine, depressed about being used by Yato to kill the girl spirit instead of saving her, steals the skateboard he had his eye on before. When Yato stops him, Hiyori appears, deciding to cover for Yukine by claiming she bought it for him. Just then, a god named Bishamon, holding a personal grudge against him, appears and attacks Yato. Hiyori calls Kofuku and Daikoku to help, tracking Yato's location using her sense of smell. However, Kofuku's attempt to stop the battle ends up making things worse by causing a huge hole with raging storms appear. Bishamon tries to take advantage of the situation, dealing some damage to Yato, but is urged by one of her regalia, Kazuma, to retreat to protect her other regalia. 

11:05 - 11:55     Nagi no Asukara - "A Lull in the Sea" (Episodes 6-7)
Plot Summary: [Source: Wikipedia] Long ago, human civilization had lived on the oceanfloor. However, there were many humans who wanted to live above the surface and they moved to land creating a fundamental separation between the two. After their school closes down, four middle school students from the sealand have to go to school on the mainland. This is about their lives as they adjust to a new environment and the relationships with each other.
Episode 6 "Beyond Tomoebi": The children are taking swim classes and the boys get hyped upon Chisaki's body. Hikari and Tsumugu decide to have a small competition but Hikari ends up crushing his toenail and Manaka rushes in quickly to assist him, leaving Chisaki once again ashamed as once again Manaka stood up to him ahead of her, to the point of refusing to help taking him to the infirmary and Hikari gets frustrated not only for hurting himself, but for realizing that Tsumugu can swim faster than him at the surface. After classes, the children join together to rebuild the Ofunehiki, joined later by Miuna, Sayu and the rest of the class. However, Chisaki leaves earlier and Manaka fails to cheer her up, as she is still troubled by her feelings. On her way back home, Manaka meets Tsumugu and reminisces about the day when she and her friends failed to witness the Tomoebi, a rare underwater natural phenomenon because it took to long for her to join them. Back at Shioshishio, Manaka witness the Tomoebi starting again and manages to call Chisaki to watch it with her, and taking Tsumugu's advice, she speaks her mind without hesitating to reconcile with her, but regretting that they could not watch it together with the boys, unaware that Hikari and Kaname are watching it too while overhearing them. 
Episode 7 "The Ofunehiki Shakes": Assisted by their friends, the children manage to rebuild the Ofunehiki. However, the real festival will not be held as the fishermen and the men from Shioshishio are at odds with each other. After helping the others to collect signatures for a petition to hold the festival again, Hikari fails to convince his father Tomori to comply but he ends up taking part in the reunion between both parts arranged by him. Despite being impressed at first with the offering, it does not take long for both sides to reignite their old feuds and start fighting, a situation that gets even more hectic when Akari and Itaru enter the room together, to the point that the offering is destroyed once again by accident. After the failed meeting, Tomori attempts to once again persuade her to break up with Itaru but she had made her decision and prepares herself to leave her house in Shioshishio. Hikari decides to leave with her as well but Uroko uses his powers in attempt to stop them until Tomori asks him to let them go.

11:55 - 12:45    Captain Earth (Episodes 1-2)
Plot Summary: [Source: Wikipedia] High-school student Daichi Manatsu works for the Globe (グローブ Gurōbu) organization to pilot a giant robot called the Earth Engine Impacter (アースエンジンインパクター Āsu Enjin Inpakutā) to protect the Earth from the invading alien force known as the "Kill-T-Gang" (キルトガング Kirutogangu). from the planet Uranus.

12:45 - 1:35     Nisekoi (Episodes 3-4)
Plot Summary: [Source: Wikipedia
Nisekoi follows high school student Raku Ichijo, the son of a leader in the yakuza faction Shuei-Gumi, and Chitoge Kirisaki, the daughter of a boss in a rival gang known as Beehive. They unexpectedly meet when Chitoge hops a wall and knees Raku in the face. After she runs off, Raku realizes he has lost his locket which was given to him by his childhood sweetheart with whom he made a secret promise. After discovering Chitoge is a new transfer student in his class, he forces her to help him look for the locket. During the search, they begin to dislike each other. Upon returning home, Raku learns that the Shuei-Gumi and Beehive gangs have agreed to settle their feud by pairing their leaders' children. Raku learns that his girlfriend-to-be is none other than Chitoge. For the next three years, they must pretend to be in a relationship to maintain peace between the gangs. This turns out to be quite a challenging task, not only because of their hatred for one another, but also because Raku has a crush on another schoolmate, Kosaki Onodera, whom he secretly wishes was the girl who bears the key to his locket. Various developments complicate the situation, including Chitoge's over-protective bodyguard, a female hitman, a girl who claims to be Raku's fiancée, and the existence of multiple keys.

 1:35 - 2:15     Club Meeting / Announcements

  • Convention Coverage
  • Animation News from around the world
  • Cosplayers/Skits/Masquerade
  • Anime Music Videos
  • And other weird, interesting stuff...

2:15 - 3:05    Wizard Barristers 5-6
Plot Summary: [Source: Wikipedia] In 2018, humans and wizards live together in Tokyo. Police continue to protect order in society, but wizards (known as Wud) are tried according to magical law via Magic Prohibition Law, in special courts defended by wizard barristers via the Court of Magic. At age seventeen, half Japanese half Canadian Cecile Sudou, has just become the youngest wizard barrister after passing the bar exam at age fifteen, and begins work at the Butterfly Law Offices. While she hasn't realized it yet, she has tremendous magical potential.

3:05 - 3:30    Coppelion 10
Plot Summary: [Source: Wikipedia] In 2016, a catastrophe occurs after a nuclear meltdown from the nearby Odaiba nuclear power plant contaminates Tokyo, forcing the government to order its citizens to evacuate. 20 years later, Tokyo has become a ghost town due to the high levels of radiation which the government has banned entry for anyone. When a distress signal is received from Tokyo, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force dispatches 3 teenage girls from the Dispatch 3rd Special Force Coppelion, who comprise the "Healthcare Team". Due to genetic engineering, the Coppelions are immune to radiation while also possessing special skills. Thus the Coppelions journey to the ruined capital to find survivors.
Episode 10 "Human": Ibara and her team manages to lure the Ozu Sisters and the Ghosts to a park while Gennai, Oyakata and Gojiro tries to fix the railway power lines while Taeko deals with Ibuki's water breaking. Unable to track them due to Haruto's traps, the Ozu Sisters head back to the Sarcophagus. To stop them, Mr Nonsense carries Aoi to bait the Sisters to chase them since they bullied Aoi in the past. When Mr Nonsense tries to protect Aoi from Shion, Aoi stands up to Shion, activating her teleportation powers before escaping on a paddle boat. With Shion distracted chasing Aoi at the lake, Ibara and Haruto try to find Ibuki's lover. However, they are captured by Kanon and the Ghosts, with Kanon electrocuting the two but they escape thanks to Ibuki's lover. After convincing him to join them for Ibuki and their child's sake, the three of them try to rendezvous with Aoi who is rescued from Shion by Mr Nonsense. Meanwhile, Gennai, Oyakata and Gojiro manage to fix the power lines but realizes the substation isn't sending electricity. With the storm forming early and for his daughter's sake, Gojiro volunteers to fix the substation, revealing he worked at the Obaida power plant, which was the cause of the accident. Ibara reunites with her team but the Ghosts summon a giant robot spider to the park.

3:30 - 4:40    Short Peace [Movie]
Plot Summary: [Source: Wikipedia] Short Peace (ショート・ピース Shōto Pīsu) is a compilation of four short anime films produced by Sunrise and Shochiku. The four films were released in Japanese theaters on July 20, 2013 and will be screened in North America during April 2014. Sentai Filmworks have licensed the films for North America.

Possessions (九十九 Tsukumo) - Nominated for Academy Award
A lone traveler is confronted by unusual spirits in an abandoned shrine. Directed by Shuhei Morita.
Combustible (火要鎮 Hi Yō Mamoru)
A spectacular tale of love, honor and firefighting in ancient Japan. Directed by Katsuhiro Otomo.
Gambo
A mysterious white bear defends the royal family from the predations of a red demon. Directed by Hiroaki Ando.
A Farewell to Weapons (武器よさらば Buki yo Saraba)
A tour-de-force saga of men battling robotic tanks in apocalyptic Tokyo. Directed by Hajime Katoki. 

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Bruce Timm's Batman 75th Anniversary Short

"Batman: Strange Days"
A brand new short from producer Bruce Timm featuring a lost tale from Batman's past, the Dark Knight tracks a strange giant to the mysterious lair of Dr. Hugo Strange.
75th Anniversary Short

Monday, April 14, 2014

Next Club Meeting is Saturday, April 19, 2014

Listen up!
Next Club Meeting is this Weekend!

Wood Dale Public Library
520 N. Wood Dale Road
Wood Dale, IL  60191
Main Meeting Room
Saturday, April 19, 2014
10:15 AM - 5:00 PM

Our next club meeting will be at the Wood Dale Public Library
Main Meeting Room (on your right as you enter the front doors), 
on April 19, 2014, from 10:15 AM to 5:00 PM 
(until the library closes).

There is public transportation available. 
A Metra train-stop is located within walking distance. 

Please note: If you are driving, please park your car 
on the south side of the building (not the front) in order to 
make room for other library patrons.
 
A Viewing Schedule will be posted soon.
 
Hope to see you all there!

(Click below for maps

Sunday, April 13, 2014

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

The Opening Battle...
The film will be based on the comic book storyline "Days of Future Past," which ran in Uncanny X-Men #141 and 142 back in 1981 during Chris Claremont and John Byrne's run and introduced the idea of an alternate future for Marvel's mutants that grew out of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants killing an important senator, leading to a future where all mutants are hunted by Sentinels.

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Winnie the Pooh as Darth Vader!

DARTH POOH...
Jim Cummings has voiced hundreds of characters, including Winnie the Pooh and Tigger. At last year’s ConnectiCon, Cummings and fellow voice actor Lauren Landa read a few lines from Star Wars using their characters’ voices.

There’s nothing quite like hearing Darth Vader end a dark line with, “Oh bother…”

Friday, April 11, 2014

How To Train Your Dragon 2 - Official Trailer

How to Train Your Dragon 2
It's been five years since Hiccup and Toothless successfully united dragons and Vikings on the island of Berk. While Astrid, Snotlout and the rest of the gang are challenging each other to dragon races (the island's new favorite contact sport), the now inseparable pair journey through the skies, charting unmapped territories and exploring new worlds. At the beginning, Hiccup is pressured by Stoick to start a family and become chief, but Hiccup rebels by flying away from Berk and exploring new lands.

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Spider-man and his Mini-me


Spider-man meets his miniature self in this amusing commercial for evian.

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

First Look at Live-Action Lupin III

--  L U P I N   III  -- 
[Source: AnimeNewsNetwork] The first official character visuals from the new live-action film of Monkey Punch's Lupin III manga debuted on Wednesday. It stars (from left to right) Tadanobu Asano as Detective Kōichi Zenigata, Gou Ayano as Goemon Ishikawa, Shun Oguri as Lupin, Tetsuji Tamayama as Daisuke Jigen, and Meisa Kuroki as Fujiko Mine.

The photoshoot caused even Monkey Punch to remark, "Looks good. This is going to be quite a movie." Notably, Oguri is wearing the red velvet jacket and yellow necktie of the second television anime series. He underwent 10 months of action training with sticks and lost eight kilograms (about 18 pounds) for the role. Oguri wields Lupin III's favorite Walter P38, while Tamayama bears the familiar Smith & Wesson Model 19 Combat Magnum as Jigen. Kuroki performed her own wire action stunts as Fujiko.

The first live-action adaptation of Lupin III in four decades will open on August 30. It will tell an original story while being faithful to the original work. Lupin III and his gang will infiltrate the high security of the Ark of Navarone, a gigantic fortress-like safe, to lay claim to the Crimson Heart of Cleopatra within. It is said that whoever possesses this treasure shall "unite the world."

The movie began filming on October 3 and finished principal photography on December 26. The production shot in Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the Philippines. It is now in the middle of the final steps of editing, and the staff aims to complete post production and the film itself at the end of June. Ryuhei Kitamura (Azumi) is directing the film, and Mataichirō Yamamoto wrote the script.

Take Yoshida, a writer and a friend of director Kitamura, had told the website zakzak that the director intends to change the setting to make the characters modern. Yūki Meguro played Lupin in the first live-action film, 1974's Lupin III: Strange Psycho-Kinetic Strategy.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

GRAVITY - The Alternate Beginning...


    G R A V I T Y  &  Man of Steel
    • Hard to believe, but Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuaron ("Children of Men") originally shot an opening scene for Gravity with Christopher Reeve that would have radically changed the film. Too bad the brass at Warner Bros. rejected this version.

    Monday, April 7, 2014

    Live-Action 'Attack on Titan' Film

    Haruma Miura
    Japanese daily newspapers are reporting on Thursday that 23-year-old Haruma Miura is starring in the live-action film of Hajime Isayama's popular manga Attack on Titan. The papers say that the actor is preparing for the beginning of filming early this summer at Hashima Island in Nagasaki Prefecture. The island has been nicknamed Gunkanjima ("Battleship Island") and is known worldwide for its landscape of dilapidated buildings.

    Miura's previous manga-inspired projects include Gokusen 3, Bloody Monday, Crows Zero II, and Kimi ni Todoke.

    Isayama's manga depicts the battles between humans and the giants who now rule the world outside humans' walled enclaves. The film incorporates original elements into its own story. 

    The film is slated to open next year. 
    While Miura missed an event on March 30 due to poor health, the newspapers reported that he is already working again.

    Higuchi already shot a live-action Attack on Titan commercial for the Subaru Forester:

    Sunday, April 6, 2014

    Harley Quinn: "Do You Wanna Kill The Batman?"

    Harley Quinn's version of the song Do You Wanna Build A Snowman from Disney's Frozen
     

    Saturday, April 5, 2014

    Godzilla - New Trailer

    An epic rebirth to Toho's iconic Godzilla, this spectacular adventure, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, pits the world's most famous monster against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity's scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence.

    Friday, April 4, 2014

    LUCY - Starring Scarlett Johansson

    LUCY
    From La Femme Nikita and The Professional to The Fifth Element, writer/director Luc Besson has created some of the toughest, most memorable female action heroes in cinematic history. Now, Besson directs Scarlett Johansson in Lucy, an action-thriller that tracks a woman accidentally caught in a dark deal who turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic.
    Director: Luc Besson
    Starring: Scarlett Johannson, Morgan Freeman
    In Theaters August 8th, 2014 

    Thursday, April 3, 2014

    Maleficent - Full Movie Trailer

    MALEFICENT
    "Maleficent," the untold story of Disney's most iconic villain from the 1959 classic "Sleeping Beauty," reveals the events that hardened Maleficent's heart and drove her to curse the baby, Aurora.
    In theaters May 30, 2014

    Wednesday, April 2, 2014

    FUNimation reveals Date A Live's English Dub Cast

    DATE A LIVE
    FUNimation announced the English dub cast for its June 10 release of the Date A Live television anime series on Wednesday:
    Tohka Michelle Rojas
    Shido Josh Grelle
    Tonomachi Nick Haley
    Kurumi Alexis Tipton
    Reine Barrett Nash
    Kotori Bryn Apprill
    Yoshino Tia Ballard
    Tamae Anastasia Munoz
    Mana Felecia Angelle
    Origami Michelle Lee
    Kannazuki J. Michael Tatum
    Ryoko Caitlin Glass
    Narrator Alex Moore
    Joel McDonald is serving as ADR Director, and Cris George is the ADR Engineer Funimation also shared a trailer for the English dub and a synopsis: 
    In a world devastated by mysterious Spatial Quakes, Shidoh isn't what you'd expect in a hero. He's an average Joe who gets bossed around by his adorable little sister and mocked by the popular girls at his school. You'd definitely pick him last for dodge ball, but when it comes to saving the planet from imminent destruction, Shidoh's got one thing going for him: intergalactic hotties can't keep their hands off him! When the secret to stopping the Spatial Quakes turns out to be romancing the extraterrestrial Spirits responsible for all the chaos, Shidoh the loveable loser becomes the hero of all humanity. For every Spirit he makes out with, mankind breathes a little bit easier. Kiss the girls – save the world. That name of the game is driving the space babes crazy, and nobody does it better than Shidoh!

    Tuesday, April 1, 2014

    "Kill La Kill" April Fools' Day Joke

    Be prepared for some local food humor
    [Source: Scott Green of Ainititcool News] Food humor can be a bit local, so the April Fools' Day joke on the Kill La Kill site might not totally translate. The background you need to know is that konnyaku is a mostly tasteless gelatinous food that gives texture to dishes such as oden, made from a fibrous plant in the same family as taro. Here, it's been mixed with life fibers.

    In the announcement, Honnoji Academy has introduced new Konnyaku with Life Fiber, created through a joint development with the Sanageyama Konnyaku company. This konnyaku tastes good for a change... and one more thing! It also works as a phone, complete with touch panel and the new operating system "sOS" developed by Honnoji Academy's own Shiro Iori.
    Sanageyama Konnyaku has a long history in the industry, with connections through Uzu Sanageyama, this new venture has been financially backed by the Kiryuin family. The press conference also saw the introduction of Naniwa Kinman High school's new lighter, more cost effective model of Meat Armour.