Next Club Meeting: April 20, 2024, 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.

Sunday, August 31, 2014

The Creators of Korra: Book 3 Finale & Game

The Legend of Korra creators Bryan Konietzko and Mike DiMartino talk about the big Book 3 finale, Book 4 and the Korra game.

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Avengers & X-Men: Axis

Avengers and X-Men: AXIS
Need a little help separating the Apocalypse Twins from Kang?  Confused over just how Red Skull obtained Professor X's telepathic brain?   You're not alone!  Check out the informative and enlightening video below courtesy of Marvel Entertainment, which hopes to fill you in on the myriad storylines leading up to its massive Axis teamup event series starting in October.  Readers can follow along with the incredible action until this fall's fateful launch in Marvel's Uncanny Avengers, Magneto, Captain America and Loki: Agent of Asgard titles.

Study up and see how Red Skull brings on World War Hate when the blistering battle begins.
Before Avengers and X-Men: AXIS kicks off this October, follow the events leading up to this epic story! Relive the first battle between the Uncanny Avengers and the Red Skull! Also featuring the Apocalypse Twins, Kang and many more!

Avengers and X-Men: Axis #1 strikes comic shop shelves on Oct. 8, 2014.

Friday, August 29, 2014

Looney Tunes - "Super Rabbit"

"S U P E R  R A B B I T"
Get ready for the showdown of the century! A super, never before seen episode of The Looney Tunes Show is headed your way Sunday (8/31/14) at 6:30/5:30c on Cartoon Network!

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Wizard World 2014

Take a tour of Wizard World Chicago Comic Con in the DONALD E. STEPHENS CONVENTION CENTER.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

THUNDER AND THE HOUSE OF MAGIC

THUNDER AND THE HOUSE OF MAGIC Trailer debuts from Shout! Factory


Highly Anticipated New Animated Feature  

THUNDER AND THE HOUSE OF MAGIC
Arriving in Select Theaters in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Boston, Houston,
Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, San Francisco and Washington, DC., beginning September 5, 2014


Already a great box-office success in much of the world, THUNDER AND THE HOUSE OF MAGIC is directed by Ben Stassen (Fly Me to the Moon, Sammy’s Adventures: Escape from Paradise) and Jeremie Degruson (A Turtles Tale: Sammy’s Adventure), with original music by Ramin Djawadi (Pacific Rim, Game of Thrones). The film also features the music by Selena Gomez.

THUNDER AND THE HOUSE OF MAGIC is a whimsical animated family adventure, bringing to life a unique story with a great sense of humor, positive values and universal appeal. Brimming with spectacular animation and endearing characters, this internationally acclaimed motion picture delivers a fun and highly entertaining movie experience for the entire family. The film tells the story of Thunder, an abandoned young cat who stumbles into a magical old mansion operated by a dazzling array of automatons and gizmos. Owned by a retired magician, the house is occupied by an assortment of his wacky assistants who don’t all welcome the new houseguest. But when the magician lands in the hospital and his scheming nephew puts the mansion up for sale, our young hero and his new friends join forces to save their magical home.

THUNDER AND THE HOUSE OF MAGIC is written by James Flynn, Domonic Paris and Ben Stassen, based on an original story idea from Ben Stassen. The film is produced by Caroline Van Iseghem and Ben Stassen, executive produced by Olivier Courson and Eric Dillens, and features original music by Ramin Djawadi. The 85-minute film is produced by nWave Pictures in association with Studiocanal and Anton Capital Entertainment. The voice cast includes Murray Blue, Doug Stone, George Babbit, Danielle Gray and Grant George.

Visit www.thunderandthehouseofmagic.com for more information about the movie.

THUNDER AND THE HOUSE OF MAGIC arrives in select cities September 5, 2014

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham

LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has released the latest trailer for LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham. The latest adventure promises to bring the brick-sized Caped Crusader into outer space to save the Earth from the evil villain Brainiac.
 
OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: Brainiac wants to add the Earth to his planetary collection! Join Batman and over 150 of your favorite super heroes and villains from the DC Comics Universe in a galactic adventure to stop this menacing villain.

Monday, August 25, 2014

OUTCAST

O U T C A S T
Nicolas Cage, Hayden Christensen, and Yifei Liu star in the tale of a mysterious warrior teams up with the daughter and son of a deposed Chinese Emperor to defeat their cruel Uncle, who seeks their deaths.

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Peanuts-Guardians of the Galaxy mashup

Peanuts of the Galaxy
Artist Matthew J. Fletcher has created a perfect pairing of the classic Peanuts gang and Guardians of the Galaxy's mighty misfits.  The cosmic tumblers have aligned to deliver this divine union we never realized we wanted so badly, with Lucy as Gamora, Charlie Brown as Star-Lord, Linus as Drax the Destroyer, Snoopy as Rocket Raccoon and Woodstock as a dancing Groot.

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Bungie's Destiny promises an epic sci-fi experience

- - - D E S T I N Y - - -
[Source: Syfy] Bungie is poised to present its latest FPS, Destiny, a bold, solar-system-spanning sci-fi multiplayer game created by an ambitious cast of hundreds and costing nearly $500 million to develop, produce and market. Published by Activision, the game's future evolution is purported to have a 10-year lifespan and become a divine Halo-like experience for laser-blasting gamers worldwide. This stunning trailer combines some electrifying cinematic scenes and actual gameplay with a hyped-up Halo-meets-mythic-Mass-Effect tone, matching the expansive storytelling of a traditional RPG with the trigger-happy toys of a first-rate FPS. Mount up and catapult into your first interstellar quest.

Here's the official synopsis:

From the creators of Halo and the publisher of Call of Duty comes Destiny. With an unprecedented variety of FPS gameplay, Destiny promises to deliver an incredible story set within a newly-imagined, always-connected universe filled with action and adventure. Everything changed with the arrival of the Traveler. It sparked a Golden Age when our civilization spanned the solar system...but it didn't last. Something hit us, knocked us down. The survivors built a city beneath the Traveler, and have begun to explore our old worlds, only to find them filled with deadly foes. In Destiny, you are a Guardian of the last safe city on Earth, able to wield incredible power. Defend the City. Defeat our enemies. Reclaim all that we have lost.

Destiny launches on September 9th, 2014 for Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360 and PS3 consoles.

Friday, August 22, 2014

Zeb fights off The Empire in style

Brand-new Star Wars: Rebels short
Lucasfilm and Disney have released another great short from the upcoming Star Wars: Rebels TV series that focuses on the character of Zeb.

The short sees Zeb (voiced by Steve Blum) fighting off a bunch of stormtroopers with a lot of style, all the while dropping some extremely funny one-liners despite being considered the "muscle" of the Rebels’ Ghost crew. This is a character we think we'll definitely love to watch. On a bit of a side note, and as some of you guys may already know, Zeb’s design was actually lifted directly from concept artist Ralph McQuarrie’s original sketches for what Chewbacca might look like in Star Wars: Episode IV.

Titled “Entanglement,” this short is not the first one that’s been released by Lucasfilm and Disney. Just last week, we brought you another Rebels short starring Rebel punk Sabine (voiced by Tiya Sircar), and the week before, we saw TIE fighters attack a Rebel ship. You can also watch the first seven minutes of the pilot episode right here.

Check out the new short:

Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion is set to premiere Friday, Oct. 3, on Disney Channels all around the world ahead of the series premiere of Star Wars: Rebels Monday, Oct. 13, on Disney XD.

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Hotarubi no Mori e

Hotarubi no Mori e
The original Hotarubi no Mori e shōjo manga and subsequent film tell the story of a six-year-old girl named Hotaru Takegawa, who gets lost in a forest inhabited by a yamagami, or mountain spirit, as well as yōkai (strange apparitions from Japanese folklore). She is found by a mask-wearing, human-like entity named Gin, who informs Hotaru that he will disappear forever if he is touched by a human. Gin then leads Hotaru out of the forest. Hotaru returns to visit Gin in the forest over the next few days and they become friends despite the limitations on their interactions. Although at summer's end she must leave Gin to return to the city and her studies, Hotaru promises to return to visit him every summer holiday. As the years go by, Gin hardly ages while Hotaru physically matures and grows closer to his apparent age. Upon reaching adolescence Hotaru begins to struggle with their budding romance and their uncertain future together, while Gin wishes he could touch and hold the young woman that Hotaru has become. When Hotaru reaches high school, Gin takes her on a date to a festival in the forest hosted by the spirits. The night ends in tragedy when Gin mistakenly touches a young boy who sneaked into the spirit festival, though before he disappears, he and Hotaru embrace and confess their love for one another. The story ends with Hotaru accepting her pain and moving on with her life. The 2011 anime film adaptation of the story follows all of the events from the manga, adding only a few additional scenes.

Hotarubi no Mori e Tokubetsuhen, published in 2011, expands on the original story with a short episode told from Gin's perspective. When Hotaru is a teenager, she shares some pudding with Gin before she leaves at the end of the summer. After Hotaru leaves, the yōkai attempt to cheer Gin up by bringing him a couple persimmons, one of the most prized treats on the mountain. Impressed with the taste, Gin thinks of sharing one of these persimmons with Hotaru next year. After discussing ways to preserve the persimmon with the yōkai and a spirit named Matsumino, Gin sets off to find ice on the highest mountain peak, but is disappointed to find none during the summer. When Gin returns scratched up from his fruitless search for ice, Matsumino feels sorry for him and offers to deliver the persimmon to Hotaru for him. However, not knowing where she lives, Matsumino gets lost and grows hungry. After he returns from his unsuccessful attempt to find Hotaru, Matsumino apologizes to Gin for eating the persimmon and Gin forgives him. The story concludes with Gin seeing Hotaru the following summer and wondering if he will be able to tell her about his feelings for her.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

THE TALE OF THE PRINCESS KAGUYA

THE TALE OF THE PRINCESS KAGUYA
An old man makes a living by selling bamboo. One day, he finds a princess in a bamboo. The princess is only the size of a finger. Her name is Kaguya. When Kaguya grows up, 5 men from prestigious families propose to her. Kaguya asks the men to find memorable marriage gifts for her, but the 5 men are unable to find what Kaguya wants. Then, the Emperor of Japan proposes to her.

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Kaze o Mita Shonen

The Boy Who Saw the Wind
An animated film based on the novel by C.W. Nicol. Directed by Kazuki Omori

The young boy Amon has the mysterious power of the ancient "wind people." His father, a brilliant military scientist of the Golden Snake Empire, does not want to use his son's powers for weapons of mass destruction. He burns his papers and lab and tries to escape from the country with his family, but is killed in the attempt. Amon is taken prisoner by the Golden Snake Empire's despotic ruler, Branik, who intends for Amon's powers to produce a new super-weapon. Amon escapes to Heart Island when an eagle explains to him how to see the wind and fly. On Heart Island, Amon learns a bit about the history of the wind people from a bear. He then flies off and settles in a small fishing village. There, he befriends a young girl his own age, Maria. When Branik and the Golden Snake Empire launch an attack on the village, Maria's family are killed and Maria flees with Amon. Eventually Amon and Maria are recaptured, Maria thrown in prison and Amon forced to work on weapons. Amon joins a small revolution against Branik.

Monday, August 18, 2014

Yobi, the Five Tailed Fox

Yobi, the Five Tailed Fox
A 2007 animated Korean film by Lee Sung-gang, the director of My Beautiful Girl, Mari. The film loosely draws upon the Korean folk tales of the kumiho.

"A long time ago, foxes with nine tails called the Goomiho lived in the deepest parts of the mountains. These animals had the ability to transfigure into other animals or human beings, and some of them actually became humans by taking the human's soul. People became scared of these animals, and began hunting them down. The foxed returned back to the far realms of the mountains, never to be seen again. On day, aliens crash-land on Earth and find a little Goomiho abandoned in the mountains..." 

Teacher Kang takes his students to a school that sits at the base of a hill where Yeoubi [Yobi] lives, a five-tailed fox who can turn into any form. Kang and his students are there to train at a special centre for honing their mental abilities. While the students test their courage at night, Yeoubi encounters the dream-catcher Hwang Geum-yee. Yeoubi develops an interest in Geum-yee, and decides to join the students to stay closer to him. Living like a human being is fun, until she comes across the fox hunter. Rescued by a mysterious shadow, Yeoubi now faces the inevitable — by taking Geum-yee's spirit that will make her a real human being.

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Moon Animate Make-Up!

FAN-MADE SAILOR MOON
Moon Animate Make-Up is a crowd-sourced group animation project to re-animate an episode of Sailor Moon shot-by-shot in each artist's personal style. From October 2013 to July 2014, over two hundred and fifty animators contributed at least one shot each to assemble a full length parody episode of Sailor Moon.

Friday, August 15, 2014

Anime Viewing Schedule for August 16, 2014

Saturday, August 16, 2014
Wood Dale Public Library

Rocket Raccoon says...
Blast off to the club meeting!
Appleseed Alpha the Movie @ 3:05 pm
Main Meeting Room, 10:15 am to 5:00 pm
(Click on links to view Video Previews)

10:15 - 11:05    Knights of Sidonia 3-4 [Video]
11:05 - 11:55    Nagi no Asukara 12-13 [Video]
11:55 - 12:45    Captain Earth 9-10 [Video]
12:45 - 1:10      Nisekoi 10 [Video]
1:10 - 1:50        Club Meeting / Announcements [Video]
1:50 - 3:05        Wizard Barristers 10-12 (end)
[Video]
3:05 - 4:35        Appleseed Alpha (movie) [Video]

 

ANIME DESCRIPTIONS ARE BELOW -- Watch the awesome ending of Wizard Barristers and the new CGI movie Appleseed Alpha!

10:15 - 11:05   Knights of Sidonia 3-4
Plot Summary: [Source: Wikipedia] The story is set in a distant future, a thousand years after humans flee from Earth, after it was destroyed by shapeshifting gigantic alien monsters called Gauna, aboard massive spaceships created from the remains of the planet. One of said ships is Sidonia, which has developed its own human culture closely based on that of Japan where human cloning, asexual reproduction, human engineering such as human photosynthesis are commonplace. With a population of over 500,000 people, Sidonia is arguably the last human settlement remaining as the fates of the other ships are unknown. Little is known about the true nature of the Gauna or their reasons to attack mankind. Each Gauna has its core protected by a huge mass of an almost impregnable material known as the "placenta", most commonly called "Ena," and once the placenta is shed away and the core is wounded beyond repair, the Gauna's body disintegrates. Sidonia is defended by large mechanized weapons called Gardes whose weaponry and mobility is powered by "Heiges particles", armed with a high output cannon for long range assaults and a special spear known as "Kabizashi" for close combat, which is made of an elusive material that can easily destroy a Gauna's core. Later the Guardians are also equipped with firearms whose ammo have the same material of the Kabizashi after a means to artificially mass-produce it is discovered. Most people in the surviving human population are screened and drafted as Guardian pilots at a young age, if they are shown to be capable of piloting them.

11:05 - 11:55     Nagi no Asukara - "A Lull in the Sea" (Episodes 12-13)
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 12 "I Want to be Kind": As preparations are made for both the Ofunehiki and Akari's wedding, Tsumugu accompanies Manaka and Chisaki to the city to choose her wedding dress when Tsumugu has a brief encounter with his mother and he seems displeased upon seeing her. Meanwhile, Akari has a short meeting with her father and expresses her will to have with Itaru and Miuna the same happiness he provided to his children after his wife passed away. Back to Shioshishio, Hikari and his friends learn that those younger than them are already entering into hibernation and despite their efforts to delay the process, it is a question of time for the same to happen to them as well. Once reliving some of their memories from their old school, Kaname asks Hikari about his feelings for Manaka in front of the girls, and he finally confesses to her. A surprised Manaka runs away and Hikari chases after her, but Chisaki stops him for a while, and after confessing her feelings for him as well, she asks him to go after her. While running away from the village, Manaka ends up trapped again into Tsumugu's fishing net and she meets him.
Episode 13 "Unreachable Fingertips": After a brief talk with Tsumugu, Manaka returns home and meets Hikari. In the occasion, Hikari reaffirms his feelings for her and she claims that have something important to tell him after the Ofunehiki. On the day of the ceremony, the rest of Shioshihsio is about to hibernate when Hikari and his friends help in the fishermen take Akari to the sea god as planned when Uroko lights the way for them. Suddenly, the boats are surrounded by whirlpools and both Akari and Tsumugu fall at the sea and are pulled down. While Chisaki and Kaname dive to rescue Tsumugu, Manaka rescues Akari and decides to offer herself instead. Hikari rescues his sister but fails to save Manaka as well. Meanwhile the boat carrying Kaname, Chisaki and Tsumugu makes a fast maneuver to avoid a pillar falling onto them, but Kaname falls in the occasion and his fate is uncertain, while a strange barrier covers the entire Shioshishio.

11:55 - 12:45    Captain Earth (Episodes 9-10)
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 - 1:10     Nisekoi (Episodes 10)
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.

 1:10 - 1:50     Club Meeting / Announcements
Highlights of San Diego Comic-Con 2014
  • Convention Coverage
  • Animation News from around the world
  • Cosplayers/Skits/Masquerade
  • Anime Music Videos
  • And other weird, interesting stuff...

1:50 - 3:05    Wizard Barristers 10-12 (end)
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 - 4:35    Appleseed Alpha [Feature Presentation]
Plot Summary: [Source: Wikipedia] Appleseed Alpha depicts the early days of Deunan Knute and Briareos in the 22nd century, as they embark on a journey throughout dystopic ruins of New York in search of the city of Olympus. They are hired by Two Horns, the warlord of the ruined city, to eliminate bipedal combat machines. During the fight, they encounter Iris (voiced by Brina Palencia) and Olson, both on a mission. Deunan and Briareos befriend them and decide to join their mission. Iris is tasked with preventing the malevolent cyborg Talos from capturing a secret weapon humans were building. Talos uses Iris to activate the gigantic war machine.