Horizon on the Middle of Nowhere's TV Ad

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kira

'Magical Girl' Promo

Anne Hathaway in Full Catwoman Garb...

Is Causing Some Controversy

(Photo from Nukethefridge.com)

Like the Wonder Woman outfit debacle, the new Catwoman costume just isn't doing it for some fans. 

Here's the comic book version:

AWESOME Augmented reality Glasses

"StarkHUD 2020" from FUJIKAWA 

STARK HUD 2020 FEATURES:
* Matchmaker targeting, Augmented dating
* Social networking tools and applications!
* Geo-location services and tourist information!
* Weather and traffic updates!
* Mood-monitoring jukebox!

PRESS: HUD (Heads Up Display) technology has long been the stuff of comic books and science fiction. Now it's a reality. Fujikawa, the Japanese electronics manufacturer released a first glimpse of their Stark HUD 2020 which will be on display at Stark Expo early next month.

This is game changing technology which promises to take consumer optics and communication into another dimension.

It enables the user to fully and effortlessly interact with their environment and social network: you can find out what's happening in downtown Shibuya, check the weather, catch up with friends, you can even find love. with its compatibility profiling

More details such as price and launch date will be revealed at http://www.starkexpo2010.com.

[Viral Marketing for Iron Man 2]

Augmented (hyper)Reality

"Domestic Robocop"

The latter half of the 20th century saw the building environment merge with media space, and architecture taking on new roles related to branding, image and consumerism. Augmented reality may recontextualise the functions of consumerism and architecture, and change in a way in which we operate within it.

This film was produced for the final year Masters in Architecture, part of a larger project about the social and architectural consequences of new media and augmented reality.

Chicago Man Held Woman Hostage...

They Met at an Anime Convention

Cops: Man Held Woman Hostage for More Than Two Months: MyFoxCHICAGO.com

By Andy Grimm Tribune reporter

1:18 p.m. CDT, September 25, 2011

[Source: Chicago Tribune] A Northwest Side man was ordered held without bail this morning, accused of holding captive a woman he met at an anime convention.

Sir Wilfred Camaligan, 22, faces attempted murder, kidnapping and aggravated domestic battery charges. Police and prosecutors say he battered the young woman and had her cut herself during the time she was forced to stay in his home in the 5300 block of West Lawrence Avenue.

Camaligan was found hiding in the basement of his residence Friday and was arrested, according to police. Officers went to the home after the 20-year-old woman escaped, prosecutors said.

Camaligan and the woman began a relationship after corresponding on Facebook and meeting at the anime convention, according to prosecutors. The two moved in together in July and he became possessive, beating her with crowbar and a stick, forcing her to kneel on rice and cut herself, prosecutors said. He also cut her hands and cut an "X" into her chest, the prosecutors added. 

Police said the woman was not allowed to leave Camaligan's home without permission. On Friday, the victim was allowed to leave the residence to run an errand when she flagged down a woman, police said. The victim contacted her mother, and the mother called police. Camaligan was arrested the same day. 

Prosecutors said the victim suffered hearing loss in one ear and a fractured shoulder blade. She also told authorities Camaligan choked her until she passed out.

Investigators confiscated a black metal knife decorated with red spiders, a wooden stick with a black plastic case and a crowbar from Camaligan's home, according to an arrest report.

A Cook County assistant public defender representing Camaligan said he was a nursing assistant and recently passed a certification exam. 

Judge Adam D. Bourgeois Jr. said he usually reserves no bond orders for defendants accused of murder.

"This is beyond the pale," he said. "I don't think there is any conditions of bond I could set that would keep the community safe from you."

UPDATE: One Anime Fan's Opinion Posted Here.

Young Justice

Episode 11 - "Terrors"

Miss Martian and Superboy go undercover at a Federal penitentiary where the world's most dangerous super-villains are kept under lock and key.

My Neighbor Cthulhu

Pippi Longstocking by Studio Ghibli

An Anime Film That Never Was

Did you know that Hayao Miyazaki once tried to make an anime adaptation of the classic children's book Pippi Longstocking? Here is some of the artwork proposed by Studio Ghibli.

Motivational Poster - Chainsaw

CNN Interviews Hayao Miyazaki

Hayao Miyazaki and the Tsunami on CNN

From Up On Poppy Hill

The next animated film from Studio Ghibli

The film was released on July 16, 2011 in Japan and it is the second film directed by Hayao Miyazaki's son Gorō Miyazaki. The story takes place in 1963 in Yokohama. Kokuriko Manor sits on a hill overlooking the harbour. A 16 year-old girl, Umi, lives in that house. Every morning she raises a signal flag facing the sea. The flag means "I pray for safe voyages". A 17 year-old boy, Shun, always sees this flag from the sea as he rides a tugboat to school. In preparation for next year's Tokyo Olympics, people are destroying the old and believing only in the magnificence of the new. In that time, at a high school in Yokohama, a small struggle occurred. The building of the Culture Club, nicknamed Quartier Latin, is old but full of history and memories. Should it be destroyed or preserved? In the middle of this, Umi and Shun meet. Shun appeals to the students who want to protect the building. Umi suggests a big clean up of the building to show its good parts. Gradually the pair are drawn to each other but they are faced with a sudden trial. They may be siblings. Even so, they keep going without running from reality. Then, in the middle of the battle and the aftermath, they come to know how their parents met, loved and lived.

ComiPo! - Manga Creation Software

Great news for people who love Manga but can't draw!

With ComiPo! you can easily create manga style art now. If you can use a mouse, you can create your own manga. Choose a character, select a pose and expression, add text and print or share with friends.

Upcoming SciFi/Fantasy Conventions near Chicago

Chicago Horror Film Festival [tweet this]

Sep 22nd-25th 2011 • Portage Theater, Chicago, IL 60641 

film, horror,

The Chicago Horror Film Festival has become a Chicago institution. With a past that started with the historic 3 Penny Cinema and a future continuing to grow with moving on to new and better venues. What has once started with a simple one day festival to showcase Short Independent Horror films has now become a festival for both feature and short horror films and to be known for seeing many of it’s featured films picked up for distribution.

Conception [tweet this]

Sep 23rd-25th 2011 • College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137

board game, card game, roleplaying game,

A fall convention held at the College of DuPage.

Gaming Hoopla [tweet this]

Sep 23rd-25th 2011 • Johnstown Community Center, Janesville, WI 53546

board game, card game, miniatures, roleplaying game,

The Gaming Hoopla will once again be hosting Lee Maile and the Gen Con Games Library!

Official Star Trek Con [tweet this]

Sep 30th-Oct 2nd 2011 • Westin O’Hare Hotel, Des Plaines, IL 60018

celebrity, science fiction, star trek,

The Official Convention Celebration of the 45th Anniversary of STAR TREK concludes with our visit to Chicago, one of the true hotbeds of Trek fandom. Join the fun of a full weekend devoted to Gene Roddenberry’s legacy and enjoy the guests, events, and fellow fans from around the globe!

Rock-Con [tweet this]

Nov 4th-6th 2011 • Wedgebury Indoor Sports Center, Loves Park, IL 61111

board game, collectibles, computer, costume, fantasy, historical, horror, miniatures, pirate, roleplaying game, science fiction, steampunk, video game, war game,

Rock-Con 2011 Game Fair is the Midwest’s premier regional gaming convention. This year we welcome you to celebrate Rock-Con’s 38th anniversary! The convention features historical and fantasy miniature gaming, collectible miniatures, role playing, collectible card and board gaming events covering the entire spectrum of adventure gaming.

WindyCon [tweet this]

Nov 11th-13th 2011 • Westin Lombard Yorktown Center, Lombard, IL 60148

anime, board game, card game, comics, computer, fantasy, filk, roleplaying game, science, science fiction,

The periodic table of science fiction elements

TeslaCon [tweet this]

Nov 18th-20th 2011 • The Sheraton of Madison, Madison, WI 53713

art, board game, card game, celebrity, costume, craft, dance, doctor who, fan fiction, film, historical, literary, media, music, mystery, paranormal, pirate, science fiction, space, steampunk, tea party, technology, vampire, victoriana, writing,

TeslaCon is North America’s only full Steampunk Immersion experience. From the moment you enter you will be transported back into the 1880s aboard a huge submarine for your weekend getaway. Join us this year as we embark on our newest voyage with mystery, panels, a grand ball and of course an interactive murder mystery aboard the HMS Trident.

Midwinter Gaming Convention [tweet this]

Jan 19th-22nd 2012 • Hyatt, Milwaukee, WI 53203

board game, card game, costume, fantasy, film, geek, larp, miniatures, roleplaying game, steampunk, vampire,

Four days of all things gaming...from RPG’s to CCG’s, Boardgames to Miniatures and especially LARP! There’s something for everyone!

OddCon [tweet this]

Apr 20th-22nd 2012 • Radisson Hotel, Madison, WI 53719

board game, card game, collectibles, comics, fantasy, roleplaying game, science fiction, writing,

Oddcon (Odyssey Con 12) is a general interest science fiction convention in Madison WI held every April.

Chicon 7 [tweet this]

Aug 30th-Sep 3rd 2012 • Hyatt Regency Chicago, Chicago, IL 60601

academic, animation, anime, art, costume, fan, fantasy, filk, horror, literary, science, science fiction, space, technology, zine,

Chicon 7 is the 70th World Science Fiction Convention, the premier gathering of science fiction authors and fans in the world. Our guests of honor are Mike Resnick (author), Rowena Morrill (artist), Story Musgrave (astronaut), Peggy Rae Sapienza (fan), and Jane Frank (agent), with John Scalzi as toastmaster.

Comics and Animation Museum in Hangzhou

The architectural firm MVRDV has posted a video of their design for the planned China Comic and Animation Museum (CCAM) in Hangzhou, China:

Hangzhou urban planning bureau has announced MVRDV winner of the international design competition for the China Comic and Animation Museum (CCAM) in Hangzhou, China. MVRDV won with a design referring to the speech balloon: a series of eight speech balloon shaped volumes create an internally complex museum experience of in total 32.000m2. Part of the project is also a series of parks on islands, a public plaza and a 13.000m2 expo centre. Construction start is envisioned for 2012, the total budget is 92 million Euro.

Comics and animations have long been considered a form of entertainment for the younger generations but develop more and more into a sophisticated art form. The initiative for a museum especially for this relatively recent art form creates a platform which will unite the worlds of art and entertainment. By using one of the cartoon's prime characteristics -- the speech balloon -- the building will instantly be recognized as place for cartoons, comics and animations. The neutral speech balloon becomes 3d.

The 32.000m2 are divided into eight volumes which are interconnected allowing for a circular visit of the entire program. Services such as the lobby, education, three theatres/cinemas with in total 1111 seats and a comic book library occupy each their own balloon. If two balloons touch in the interior a large opening allows access and views in-between the volumes. The balloon shape allows for supple exhibitions, the permanent collection is presented in a chronological spiral whereas the temporary exhibition hall offers total flexibility. Amsterdam based exhibition architects Kossman.deJong tested the spaces and designed exhibition configurations which appeal to different age groups and allow large crowds to visit the exhibition. One of the balloons is devoted to interactive experience in which visitors can actively experiment with all sorts of animation techniques like blue screen, stop motion, drawing, creating emotions etc. The core attraction of this space is a gigantic 3D zoetrope. The routing of the museum permits short or long visits, visits to the cinema, the temporary exhibition or the roof terrace restaurant. The façade of the museum is covered in a cartoon relief referring to a Chinese vase. The monochrome white concrete façade allows the speech balloons to function: texts can be projected onto the façade. The relief was designed in collaboration with Amsterdam based graphic designers JongeMeesters.

Most of the 13.7 ha site is occupied by a new park on a series of islands in White Horse Lake. Reed beds are used to improve the water quality. Boat rides offer an added attraction. A separate expo building of 25.000m2 will house large fairs and the annual China International Comic and Animation Festival (CICAF). In-between expo and CCAM a public plaza will be the centre of this festival which is the county's largest cartoon and animation event and has been held annually in Hangzhou since 2005.

Hangzhou is a metropolis with 6.4 million inhabitants 180 km southwest of Shanghai. The Museum will become a new focal point on the less populated southern side of Qiantang river. The CCAM will consolidate the city's leading position as China's capital of the animation industry. The first phase of the Comic and Animation Centre is close to completion, the series of hill-shaped buildings containing offices, a hotel and a conference centre. The new museum will be the icon of this larger development.

The museum will contain a multitude of interventions such as ground storage, natural ventilation and adiabatic cooling, all focused towards an excellent energy efficiency rating. The structural concept by Arup enhances the sustainable profile of the building: the aerodynamic design results in even wind pressure and lower need for air-conditioning. The box in box construction of the bubbles permits different conditions inside the building and improves the energy efficiency.

MVRDV won the competition of EMBT, Atelier Bow Wow, Tongji Institute of Architectural Design and Tsinghua Architectural Design. The MVRDV team consists further of Kossman.deJong exhibition architects, local architect Zhubo Architectural & Engineering Design, Arup engineers and JongeMeesters graphic design.

Young Justice

Episode 10: "Targets"

September 7: While in Taipei, Red Arrow prevents Cheshire from assassinating Lex Luthor (who is assisting in a peace effort between General Singh Manh Li of Northern Rhelasia and Prime Minister Tseng of Southern Rhelasia). When Red Arrow questions Cheshire on why the League of Shadows wants to assassinate Lex Luthor, Sportsmaster appears and springs Cheshire from prison. Aqualad ends up coming to Red Arrow's aid. Meanwhile, Superboy and Miss Martian adopt the names Connor Kent and Megan Morse when they begin their first day of school where they meet Wendy and Marvin, Mal Duncan, Karen Beecher, and their teacher Lucas Carr. When the League of Shadows gets away upon defeat, Red Arrow tells Aqualad that he heard Sportsmaster mentioning something about a mole on the Young Justice Team. Unbeknownst to the public, it turns out that Lex Luthor was in cahoots with Ra's al Ghul in order to further the goals of The Light.

Even Wendy and Marvin from the "Superfriends" make an appearance!

Motivational Poster - Blackmail

Anime Programming Schedule for Sept. 24, 2011

Say Good-bye to Summer!

NOTE: During the summer months, our meetings will be pushed back by one hour due to a class in the morning. Starting time is now 1:00 pm.

1:00 - 1:50   Dragon Crisis 3-4

[Source: Wikipedia] A normal high school boy Ryūji Kisaragi's peaceful life is turned into an adventure by the return of his second cousin, Eriko, a sexy young woman with a penchant for adventure and trouble. Ryūji and Eriko seize a relic box from a black market broker named FANG. In the box, they find a red dragon girl whom Ryūji names Rose because of her rose like pattern on her left hand. In order to protect Rose from the black organization, Ryūji decides to fight using his power as a relic handler. High school student Ryuji's older cousin Eriko returns from abroad to drag him to the scene of an underground transaction where he gets caught up in a shootout and car chase. While they thought they had stolen a miraculous Lost Precious from the criminal brokers, they ended up with a mysterious young girl. The young girl happily latches on to Ryuji even though they have never met. Who is this little girl? Thus begins the romantic story of the beautiful young Rose and Ryuji. Rose, Ryuji and Eriko are suddenly invited to the Japanese branch of the society by a researcher named Tokura. While Rose is indistinguishable from a young girl, the society performs a variety of examinations after hearing she is a dragon, and the results are...! Unconcerned by her situation, Rose is simply happy to be with Ryuji, and enjoys eating ice cream. However, a young man in black and an underground broker has come for Rose!

1:50 - 2:40  Fractale 7-8

[Source: Wikipedia] The story takes place on an island resembling a futuristic Ireland (certain scenes are directly taken from Galway city in the west of Ireland), in a world ruled by the "Fractale System" that ensures mankind's stability and prosperity. One day, Clain meets a fleeing girl called Phryne, who disappears during the night leaving a pendant. When he is able to activate the pendant (which turns into a "doppel" named Nessa), Clain sets out for a journey with the girl-shaped avatar Nessa to look for Phryne and discovers the secret behind the Fractale System. While searching for fresh water, Clain's and Nessa's mini-airship crashes and Nessa becomes "ill". Clain find himself in the care of Megan, a resident of Xanadu which she claims is perfect. Megan gives Clain a tour of the city and helps Clain locate Nessa, who is in the care of Colin. Colin states that Nessa's illness is the result of someone hacking her code. Clain later discovers that Colin and Megan are not as friendly as they appear. Meanwhile the airship crew stumbles upon a naturalist village, while searching for Clain and Nessa, but discover that the villagers are the true residents of Xanadu. While Clain escapes with Nessa, Megan appears and attacks Clain with a virus. Nessa becomes upset and releases an energy field that destroys the virtual city. However, one of Colin's guardians is not affected and shoots Clain as the airship's crew and the Temple's forces arrive. With Clain and Phryne in custody, the Temple airship arrives at an underground base and Barrot demands that he check Phryne's virginity. Meanwhile, Sunda enlists the aid of Dias for a rescue mission. Clain wakes up to find a girl who resembles Nessa and claims to be Phryne, who then takes him to a room that contains other clones like her. While Phryne is about have her exam, Nessa interrupts in a rage before storming off looking for Clain. Phryne follows Nessa and the two meets up with Clain. The three discover a room were the clones being destroyed. Seeing the clone that helped him earlier, Clain attempts to save her before the Temple forces arrive. Sunda and Dias begin their attack on the base and with the help of Nessa, break through the defenses. However, Dias charges in and destroys the base. But not before Clain and Phryne find shelter with help from the clone.

2:40 - 3:30    The World God Only Knows 11-12 (End)

[Source: Wikipedia] This episode, still upset over what happened at class, Jun goes to watch a pro wrestling match only to find Keima sitting at her seat thanks to Elsie making a copy of her ticket. As she is forced to sit with him to watch the match, Jun wonders why the class won't let her help them, which Keima then asks her why the girls basketball team disbanded when she was captain and correctly concludes that it was her idealism that forced the other members to quit and despite claiming she was trying to help the team for them, she was actually helping them for herself which Jun leaves the match in anger. Despite this, Keima concludes it's time to capture her heart. Later, Jun tells the class she has entered them for a marathon hoping to help them bond, but instead they refuse, feeling that she's trying too hard on them, which leaves Jun disappointed and tells the class how selfish they are before running away. As the class bad mouths Jun, Keima unexpectedly calls out on their behavior and disappearing before they confront him. As Jun arrives at the old girls basketball team locker room, Keima confronts her, telling her despite claiming to have changed in order to teach her idealism to others, she still hasn't changed at all. As she runs away into the school gym crying and wondering why people won't let them help her, Keima consoles and tells her to not give up and try harder as it will finally make them accept her idealism. Just then, the whole class arrive in the gym to apologize to Jun much to her joy. Unknown to Jun, Keima knew what was going to happen so he planned with Elsie to have the class to start hating him after Jun left and made them worry about her after she was gone. As Jun's time as a student teacher comes to an end, Keima sees her off and asks her to come back which she promises to become a better teacher and kisses him, finally expelling the spirit inside of her. Episode 12 (Final Chapter) While playing his recently bought dating sim games, Keima plays one called "One Leaf". At first, he assumes it's a terrible game due to it's horrible character design but quickly falls in love with it's heroine, Yotsuba Sugimoto, aka "Yokkyun", as she is his ideal game heroine. Keima enjoys the game so much, that he decides to play it at a slow pace, ignoring everyone throughout the whole day much to Elsie's chargin and Haqua's confusion. Later that night, Keima receives an email from the game studio that created "One Leaf", who asks Keima to help them create the perfect dating sim game under his direction. As Keima think of ideas for the game, his inner minds soon starts arguing over what is the ideal and perfect dating sim which leads to an intergalatic war. But the war finally stops when all of them remember about Yokkyun and what is important that makes the perfect dating sim game. Finally making a decision, Keima decides to tell the studio to just make a good game. As the season finale come to an end, including a preview of the new cast of heroines for Keima in the next season, Keima ends the episode saying he used to think games were the ideal world and real life was just a bad game. But after learning that a perfect world can be found in a bad game, then he can also find it in real life as well.

3:30 - 4:20   Deadman Wonderland 7-8

[Source: Wikipedia] After a strange quake occurs, during which Yo rushes to keep Minatsuki from harm, Ganta starts to remember things about Shiro, who is revealed to be the Wretched Egg. As Ganta recalls his childhood with Shiro, Yo can't bring himself to mention what he had seen her do. As Yo goes to recover the casts that were stolen from him, he learns from Tamaki that casts can't be used to reduce the sentences on G-Block inmates and is attacked by Genkaku, part of an Anti-Deadman force known as the Undertakers. Meanwhile, Ganta meets Nagi "Owl" Kengamine and Karako Koshio, members of a Deadman group known as Scar Chain wanting to destroy Deadman Wonderland, who invite him to join their gang. As Minatsuki goes through her penalty game, Nagi arranges it so that she only loses her hair. Just then, Genkaku appears and attacks Ganta and the others. Ganta is saved by the arrival of Shiro, who is back under control by the lullaby, to which Genkaku decides to retreat. Afterwards, Ganta is introduced to the other members of Scar Chain, who are plotting to expose Deadman Wonderland's secrets an inspection week, which Makina also plans to take advantage of to find out what secrets are being hidden from her. However, Ganta becomes a little distrustful when his claims of his Branches of Sin being stopped by Genkaku differ from what the security cameras show and takes his leave. Ganta later learns from Crow about how Genkaku killed Nagi's wife, later hearing from Nagi about how each member of Scar Chain has their own ideas of freedom. As Ganta promises to take Shiro on a ferris wheel when they escape someday, it is shown that one of Scar Chain's members, Binjou Rokudo, is a double agent for the Undertakers. Ganta decides to join Scar Chain, who begin their operation to leak information about the Deadmen to the outside world. As Nagi and Rokudo go to the security room, Ganta and the others are chased by an acid spewing robot, to which Karako opts to stay behind to save the others.

4:20 - 5:20    Club Meeting and Announcements

-  Wizard World Convention Coverage
-  Animation News from around the world
-  Cosplayers/Skits/Masquerade
-  New Anime Releases
-  Star Wars Blu-Ray Release
-  And other interesting stuff...

5:20 - 5:45    Kamisama no Memo-chou 2

[Source: Wikipedia] Narumi Fujishima is an ordinary high school boy who remains isolated from his fellow classmates. One afternoon fellow classmate Ayaka Shinozaki invites Narumi to join the gardening club and introduces him to a reclusive detective named Alice. Alice hires Narumi as an assistant and puts him to work solving the strange mysteries of Angel fix, an illegal drug. Little does he know it could put him and Ayaka in serious trouble. Alice is a mysterious girl who lives on the third floor over Hanamaru ramen shop. Her age is unknown, but looks like a 12 or 13 years-old girl. She is short, pale white and has long black hair. She calls herself Alice (a mixed reading of the kanji for Yūko) and a "NEET Detective". She is a hikikomori and a cracking genius. Her diet is based practically only on Dr Pepper and she suffers a severe insomnia. She always wears bear patterned pajamas and she is always surrounded by a pile of teddy bears. She is the brain of the NEET Detective Team and gathers information to solve the cases with her laptop without stepping out of her bedroom.
  

5:45 - 6:35    Gosick 10-11

[Source: Wikipedia] Gosick takes place in 1924 in a small, French-speaking fictional European country of Sauville. The story centers on Kazuya Kujo, the third son of a Japanese Imperial soldier, who is a transfer student to St. Marguerite Academy, where urban legends and horror stories are all the rage. There he meets Victorique, a mysterious yet beautiful and brilliant girl who never comes to class and spends her days reading the entire content of the library or solving mysteries that even detectives can't solve. The series mostly focuses on Kazuya and Victorique getting involved in different mystery cases and their struggle to solve them, at the same time forming important bonds with different people. Kujo encounters the same girl he met at the department store, and with the help of hers and a bright homeless boy, he manages to put the police back on the case. Kujo and Grevil then ask Victorique's opinion about the store, just to find that she already had made some research about it, and she comes with a plan to expose the culprits. Jaqueline, an old friend of Grevil's, pays a visit to the Academy to make a donation and has a sudden encounter with Victorique at the Library Tower. There, she tells the story of a mysterious incident from the past where she was falsely accused of murder, unaware about its connection with both Victorique and the reason why Grevil has started bearing his unusual hairstyle.


FEATURE PRESENTATION:

6:35 - 8:55    Space Battleship Yamato: Live Action [MOVIE]

[Source: Wikipedia] In 2199, after five years of attacks by an alien race known as Gamilas, the Earth Defense Force launches a counter-offensive near Mars. The fleet's weapons are no match for the Gamilas, who easily decimate the fleet. During the battle, EDF captain Mamoru Kodai volunteers to use his damaged ship, the destroyer Yukikaze, as a shield to cover Captain Jyuzo Okita's ship, allowing his escape. The ship is destroyed. On Earth, Mamoru's brother Susumu is scavenging on the irradiated surface when an object impacts near him, throwing off his helmet and knocking him unconscious. He awakens to finds an alien message capsule. He also notices that the radiation has been reduced to safe levels around him. He is rescued by Okita's returning ship and it is discovered that the capsule contains engineering schematics for a new warp drive and coordinates for the planet from which it came (Iskandar). After learning what happened at Mars, he accuses Okita of using his brother as a sacrificial lamb and tries to hit him, but crewmember Yuki Mori violently stops him. Okita believes the hope for humanity lies within Iskandar. A request for volunteers for the mission is sent out, and Kodai - a former EDF pilot - decides to re-enlist. Their last battleship, the Yamato, is enhanced with alien technology. Before the Yamato can launch the Gamilas attack with a gigantic missile. Captain Okita gives the order to fire the yet-untested Wave Motion Cannon, the ship's primary and experimental weapon, which successfully destroys the incoming missile. Kodai is reunited with his old fighter squad. Yuki, who joined the EDF years ago due to her admiration for Kodai, is bitter towards him. The Yamato crew performs their first warp test and encounters more Gamilas ships. Since the Wave Motion Cannon is powered by the same reactor as the warp drive, the crew has to wait until the engine recharges to warp again. The Yamato destroys their capital ships, but the battle damages Yuki's fighter. Kodai launches to rescue her and is later sent to the brig for disobeying orders. Later, Shima (his former squad-mate) tells Yuki that Kodai left the service because he accidentally caused the death of his family and also Shima's wife during a mission. After another warp, the Yamato crew finds a Gamilas fighter adrift and recovers it to study, but the alien pilot is alive and possesses Commando Team Leader Hajime Saitō, in order to communicate. The alien calls himself Dessler and explains that Gamilas is a race with a hive mind. Kodai stuns the possessed Saito, but the alien is destroyed. Later, an ill Captain Okita makes Kodai acting-captain. The crew discovers that the captured Gamilas fighter contains a homing beacon, giving away their position. The Yamato fires its Wave Motion Cannon to destroy a Gamilas ship, but it buys time for a stealth Gamilas spacecraft to latch onto the ship's third bridge located on the bottom of the hull. Kodai reluctantly orders Yuki, in her fighter, to blast the third bridge support away moments before it detonates, saving the Yamato. Later on Kodai apologizes to Yuki for ordering her to doom their crew-mates, and the two have an intimate moment as the ship warps again. The Yamato arrives at Iskandar, but is met by a large Gamilas fleet that sends a spacecraft to obstruct the nozzle of the Wave Motion Cannon. With their main weapon disabled, Kodai makes the dangerous choice to randomly warp and end up at the opposite side of Iskandar but are surprised to see that it is lifeless. It is discovered that Gamilas and Iskandar are the same planet. The crew begins to think that it is a trap, but Kodai urges them to press on. He leads an attack down to the planet surface in the midst of heavy Gamilas opposition. As much of the assault force is killed, the remaining pilots stay behind to cover for Kodai, Sanada, Saito and Mori as they head off to the coordinates. At the coordinates, an alien possesses Yuki's body and explains that Gamilas and Iskandar are two aspects of the same race. The alien explains that their planet is dying and saw Earth as the most suitable replacement by killing humanity in the process. However, Iskandar did not share this view, and has been imprisoned. Iskandar implants in Yuki the ability to clean the radiation from Earth, and as she and Kodai return to Yamato, Saito and Sanada sacrifice themselves by destroying the Gamilas power source. Afterwards, the Yamato returns to Earth and Okita dies. The crew rejoices at their return but a surviving Gamilas ship ambushes them and severely damages the warship. Dessler appears and says they no longer wish to invade Earth, but since the majority of the Gamilas are killed, he intends to destroy the planet with his vessel to avenge his race. Kodai has the surviving crew abandon ship before he helms Yamato on a kamikaze attack with the Gamilas ship and fires the blocked Wave Motion Cannon. The ending shows Yuki and a child, which is implied to be Kodai's son, on the Earth's surface now restored to its natural state.

Star Wars: Clone Wars - Season 4

"Battle Lines" Trailer!

Star Wars on Blu-Ray available TODAY!!!

Own Every Moment!

The 169 No's of Star Wars

SWITCH. A short film by Tyson Hesse

Out of Sight

The magical world of the Mind's Eye...

This is a graduation production made by three students from the National Taiwan University of Arts. The main character is a blind little girl who confronts a robbery and strays from the road she is familiar with. After passing through a hole in a wall, she enters an unknown world and unfolds a magical adventure depending on senses other than vision and her imagination. With soft and cute colors as the main key, the filmmakers used simple designs to depict the little girl's imaginary world.

Next Animatrix Club Meeting is Sept. 24, 2011

Building M, Room 105, from 1pm - 9pm

ANIMATRIX NETWORK

When: Saturday, September 24, 2011, from 1:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Where: College of DuPage, Building M, Room 105

(Located near the Intersection of S. Lambert Road and Fawell Blvd) Click for Regional Map and Local Map for Directions.

Please note that during the summer months there will be a class occupying the meeting room before ours, so our start time is pushed back to 1:00 pm and ending at 9:00 pm. 

Also, we will be in a different room than usual, Room 105 in Building M. The other rooms were unavailable for this date.

A Viewing Schedule will be posted soon.

Sneak Peek at "Clone Wars" Season 4 Premiere

Cartoon Network this Friday, Sept. 16, 2011, 8:00 PM (ET/PT)

Click on any of the screenshots below to view full-size:

The full press release follows, including comments by supervising director Dave Filoni.

Take the plunge with more action than ever,
as the fourth season of 

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS
launches with epic underwater battles
unlike anything you’ve seen before!

The heroic Jedi Knights and the clone army continue the fight to preserve order, and defeat the Separatist forces. As the battle escalates, the scope and scale of Star Wars: The Clone Wars continues to grow - with exotic adventures and enhanced animation strengthening ties to the Star Wars Saga. Fearsome foes from the past return to settle the score. Unexpected alliances are formed on both sides of the battle, as the action explodes and the course of the war takes an unforeseen turn!

Often described as a mini-Star Wars movie each week, the next chapter of Star Wars: The Clone Wars begins with a must-see two-part premiere, airing at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT Friday, September 16 on Cartoon Network.

In "Water War," the spectacular -- and previously unseen -- ocean planet of Mon Calamari teeters on the brink of civil war. Separatist troublemaker Riff Tamson is stirring up hostile undercurrents between the planet's two native species, the Mon Cala and the Quarren. The Republic sends Senator Padmé and her Jedi and clone protectors to negotiate peace, but it's too late. With the assassination of the Mon Cala king, and young Prince Lee-Char not ready to unite his people, war is inevitable. A fierce underwater battle breaks out as SCUBA clones and new weaponry go head-to-head in an epic fight against overwhelming Quarren and Separatist forces.

"For these episodes we’re really under water the entire time, which presented a lot of new challenges–not least of which was creating animation while keeping the characters buoyant," says supervising director Dave Filoni. "We wanted the cameras to feel like scuba cameras, and so the movements are slightly different than the ones you normally see in an episode. And the environment is populated with many small details such as a lot of coral and barnacles, which makes it feel as rich and dense as an ocean environment should be."

The premiere episodes showcase the feature film quality found throughout Season Four. "In one of the premiere battles, there are thousands of characters at war," Filoni says. "That gives you a sense of the scale we’re trying to deal with now when we say we’re doing a battle. In Episode III Revenge of the Sith we pan over the edge of the Jedi cruiser and reveal the massive space battle over Coruscant. That’s the kind of thing we’re aiming for in terms of combat in Season Four."

Directly following "Water War" is "Gungan Attack." Things look bleak for the Jedi, clones, and the Mon Cala, as they retreat to underwater caves following surprise Separatist attacks. Seeking to crush all hope of resistance, the evil Riff Tamson targets Prince Lee-Char. Jedi Master Yoda, unable to summon more Republic aid, turns to the powerful, amphibious Gungan army. But will they arrive in time and are they strong enough to break the Separatist siege?

"This season the fights reach a new level right from the get-go," Filoni says. "The things we experimented with in the past, which were maybe one or two acts of a battle, are now becoming a whole arc over three or four episodes. We’re executing these battles on a scale not seen before. And while the battles are the big buzz this year, there will also be some surprises along the way."