Next Club Meeting: October 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.

Saturday, September 19, 2026

Armies rise... Worlds collide...

WILDWOOD
When Prue McKeel’s baby brother is taken into the mysterious forest beyond Portland, she sets out to bring him home and discovers a hidden world on the brink of war. From LAIKA, the studio behind Coraline, Kubo and the Two Strings, and ParaNorman, comes Wildwood, an epic new fantasy adventure directed by Travis Knight. 
Experience a world beyond your imagination, only in theatres October 23.

Friday, September 18, 2026

Your best friendship is worth fighting for...

FORGOTTEN ISLAND
(I love the number of Filipino clichés & stereotypes shown in this 4 minute clip.)
DreamWorks Animation, the studio that brought you unforgettable bonds between a boy and a dragon in How to Train Your Dragon, an ogre and a donkey in Shrek, and a robot and a gosling in The Wild Robot, now welcomes a dazzling and emotional story about two lifelong best friends who must come together before they drift apart in Forgotten Island.

The new original film is written and directed by Academy Award® nominee Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado and is produced by Academy Award® nominee Mark Swift, the filmmaking team behind Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

Grammy and Academy Award® winning supernova H.E.R. and Liza Soberano (Lisa Frankenstein, Alone/Together) star as high school graduates Jo and Raissa, who have been best friends since grade school but are now about to embark on separate life paths.

While celebrating their last night together, Jo and Raissa stumble upon a mysterious portal that transports them to the fantastical island of Nakali, packed with magical and mythological creatures they grew up hearing stories about from their Filipino families.

Some of these figures will become friends, some foes. Joined by well-meaning-but- hapless weredog Raww (Dave Franco) and a small-but-mighty pack of pals, Jo and Raissa must face The Dreaded Manananggal (Tony winning icon Lea Salonga), the most feared creature on the island. When they discover that the memories of their entire friendship are the price for returning home, Jo and Raissa will race to find a way to leave the island before they forget each other forever.

The film’s all-star voice cast also includes Emmy nominee Jenny Slate (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Dying for Sex), Manny Jacinto (The Good Place, Top Gun: Maverick), BAFTA nominee Dolly de Leon (Triangle of Sadness, Ghostlight), global comedy superstar Jo Koy (Haunted Mansion, Jo Koy: Live from Brooklyn) and Emmy winner Ronny Chieng (The Daily Show, M3GAN).
Forgotten Island - In Theaters September 25

Thursday, September 17, 2026

Masamune Shirow's New manga...

GLITCH WITCH
"Glitch Witch", a new "Ghost In The Shell" manga by Masamune Shirow (story) & Naoki Azuma (art). A parallel story set in the same world and during the same timeline as the 1989 manga.

Wednesday, September 16, 2026

Beautiful Retro Art Style...

I R O N  H E A V E N
Episode 1: The Sky Knows His Name
She found him broken in an alley.
A stranger with technology she barely understands, wounds that look anything but accidental, and no interest in explaining where he came from.
She repairs him anyway.
By morning, he’s gone.
But when their paths cross again, she begins to realize the man she pulled from the rain is something far more powerful than he appeared to be.
And somewhere above the city, something is looking for him.

Tuesday, September 15, 2026

Monday, September 14, 2026

Sunday, September 13, 2026

The Monster Doctor is In...

Ward Seven: Hospital For Monsters!
Meet Aya, the only human nurse brave enough to work at Ward Seven the world's only hospital for monsters, demons, and fallen gods. While they can end worlds, they still can't handle a simple flu shot.

You asked for the full story, and it's finally here. This is the official teaser for the upcoming "Ward Seven" anime series. If you enjoyed the Shorts, subscribe to STOICSTIC to see every episode as it drops!

In a world where the supernatural is reality, Aya keeps the peace (and the health) of the creatures that go bump in the night. From giant structural demons to ancient gods with splinters, she's seen it all. But in Ward Seven, some secrets are better left buried.

Saturday, September 12, 2026

"The Avatar Has Returned!"

Avatar: Seven Havens
Avatar: Seven Havens is an all-new series from creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. Set in a world shattered by a devastating cataclysm, a young Earthbender discovers she's the new Avatar after Korra. In this dangerous era, that title marks her as humanity's destroyer, not its savior. Hunted by both human and spirit enemies, she and her long-lost twin must uncover their mysterious origins and save the Seven Havens before civilization’s last strongholds collapse.
Avatar: Seven Havens premieres October 9 only on Paramount+. 

Friday, September 11, 2026

GODZILLA!!!!!

Godzilla Minus Zero
Godzilla Minus Zero, the upcoming film follow-up to the 2023 movie, Godzilla Minus One.

War reduced Japan to zero, and Godzilla plunged it into minus. Two years have passed since then, and the country has faced agonizing struggles to achieve recovery and finally reclaim its daily life.

Just as humanity managed to cling to a hard-won peace, a new threat strikes, crushing hope in an instant.

There is no third time. Everything ends here.

Ryunosuke Kamiki returns as Koichi Shikishima, the hero who stood against Godzilla’s terror in Godzilla Minus One, and is joined by Minami Hamabe as Noriko Shikishima, who miraculously survived Godzilla’s first attack on Tokyo. Min Tanaka joins the cast in the pivotal role of Kanji Murakami, a biologist carrying deep psychological scars from the war.

Additionally, Hidetaka Yoshioka reprises his role as Kenji Noda, who fought alongside protagonist Koichi Shikishima in Godzilla Minus One and now battles the new threat as the director of the Disaster Response Bureau. Yuki Yamada returns as Shiro Mizushima, the young crew member of the Shinseimaru who fought on the front lines, alongside Kuranosuke Sasaki as Seiji Akitsu, the captain of the same vessel. Furthermore, Sakura Ando reprises her role as Sumiko Ota, Shikishima's neighbor who now runs a local orphanage, and Miou Tanaka returns as Tatsuo Hotta, the former captain of the destroyer Yukikaze.

New cast members include Masami Nagasawa, who joins as Makoto Aoyama, a genius weather forecaster assigned to the Disaster Response Bureau. Further cast additions include Jun Kunimura, cast as Dr. Ogata, and Ko Maehara as Professor Murakami’s (Min Tanaka) assistant Akira Hagiwara. Additionally, Motosuke Iida is confirmed to reprise his role as Akio Itagaki, the Toyo Balloon section chief who made significant contributions to the Godzilla extermination operation in Godzilla Minus One. Further cast additions include Kenji Misuhashi, Eita Okuno, and Kai Inowaki.

Godzilla Minus Zero, directed by Takashi Yamazaki, will make its world premiere as the Spotlight Gala selection for the 64th New York Film Festival on Saturday, September 26. The wide theatrical release across North America begins November 6, 2026. It will debut in Japan on November 3, 2026.

Thursday, September 10, 2026

The Remake of a Classic is Coming this Christmas...

Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone
A new era of Hogwarts begins. The HBO Original series Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone premieres this Christmas.

Wednesday, September 9, 2026

It's a Crime if you mess with this Thai dish...

THE KAPRAO CRIMINALS
‘Kaprao’ the dish the whole nation takes seriously.

Tuesday, September 8, 2026