Next Club Meeting: December 14, 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.

Monday, May 31, 2021

LOVE, DEATH & ROBOTS (SUITS)

Love, Death, and Robots (Ep #4: SUITS)
A small community of farmers pilot mech suits to defend their land from an invading swarm of insectoids which they call "DeeBees". When the defense field fails, DeeBees pour in faster than they can be repelled, so as the community heads for underground shelters. All arms are called in and one neighbor, Jake, sacrifices himself to kill a large portion of the swarm. A giant insectoid breaks through, but with a well aimed shot from a turret gun, one of the farmers' wives destroy it. Come dawn, the barriers are back to normal and the town has returned to a sense of safety. After the battle, the camera view moves back to show that the whole planet is populated by DeeBees, and the farmers are the invading force, having set up colonies across the planet.




Sunday, May 30, 2021

Venom: Let There Be Carnage - Official Trailer

Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Tom Hardy returns to the big screen in Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Directed by Andy Serkis, the Venom sequel also stars Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris and Woody Harrelson, in the role of the villain Carnage/Cletus Kasady. The screenplay is by Kelly Marcel from a story by Tom Hardy and Kelly Marcel. Sony's Venom: Let There Be Carnage opens only in theaters on September 24 in the US.

Saturday, May 29, 2021

Final Trailer for LOKI the TV Series

L O K I
After stealing the Tesseract during the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), an alternate version of Loki is brought to the mysterious Time Variance Authority (TVA), a bureaucratic organization that exists outside of time and space and monitors the timeline. They give Loki a choice: face being erased from existence due to being a "time variant", or help fix the timeline and stop a greater threat. Loki ends up trapped in his own crime thriller, traveling through time and altering human history.

Friday, May 28, 2021

Marvel Studios - Official MCU Phase 4 Trailer

 MARVEL  STUDIOS
Official MCU Phase 4 Trailer
Watch the featurette for a peek at the upcoming films in Phase 4 of the MCU including a look at Marvel's Black Widow, The Eternals, Black Panther Wakanda Forever, The Marvels, and more.

Thursday, May 27, 2021

Baelin's Route - An Epic NPC Man Adventure

Baelin's Route
"This low-budget film is surprising good! Beautiful music and majestic scenes. Baelin's Route hits all the right steps." 
- anim8trix
Baelin (Rowan Bettjeman), a simple background NPC in the video game 'Skycraft' has been walking the same route for as long as he can remember. However, his peaceful (and mindless) routine is violently shaken as a short-tempered Adventurer (Ben Van Lier) drags him off his path and into a dangerous quest to escort a mysterious NPC girl named Willow (Phoenix Cross) across the harsh world of Azerim.

Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Anime Viewing Schedule for May 29, 2021

 
 A N I M A T R I X   N E T W O R K
Saturday, May 29, 2021
Fountaindale Public Library
VIEWING SCHEDULE
          11:15 - 12:05   Jujutsu Kaisen 5-6
          12:05 - 12:55   Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation 5-6
          12:55 - 1:35     Club Meeting
          1:35 - 2:00       Kemono Jihen 4
          2:00 - 2:50       Attack on Titan: Final Season 5-6
"Nothing will stop me from seeing this movie!"
 

Fountaindale Public Library
300 W. Briarcliff Road
Bolingbrook, IL 60440
Meeting Room A, First Floor

From 11:15 AM to 5:00 PM


All anime presented are fan-subtitled unless otherwise noted.
 
Don't miss the exciting anime series: Kemono Jihen and Mushoku Tensei
* ANIME DESCRIPTIONS ARE BELOW *

Tuesday, May 25, 2021

Teaser Trailer for the ETERNALS

E  T  E  R  N  A  L  S
"Throughout the years we have never interfered, until now." Watch the brand new teaser trailer for Marvel Studios' “Eternals” and experience it in theaters this November.

Monday, May 24, 2021

Do You Miss Anime Central? We Do Too!

Remembering ANIME CENTRAL
Yeah, it's been a couple of year's since the Best Anime convention of the Midwest was last held. Let's remember the highlights of Anime Central 2019!

Sunday, May 23, 2021

Star Wars Millennium Falcon Cockpit 1/6 Scale

Hot Toys Millennium Falcon Cockpit Diorama
1/6 Scale Jazz Inc Unboxing and Review!
Where I ordered mine: JazzInc:
https://jazzincdioramas.com/product/1...
Sixth Scale Network: http://bit.ly/SixthScaleNetwork
For more videos stay tuned! Feel free to check out the social links below for hints at upcoming videos and more! 
DISCLAIMER: This is a 3rd Party Unlicensed figure. This is not a counterfeit item. This review represents my opinions on the product purchased with my own funds. This is a review, not a promotional video. 
 
 

Saturday, May 22, 2021

Next Club meeting is May 29, 2021

  A N I M A T R I X   N E T W O R K
"All aboard the Mugen Train!"
M O N T H L Y   M E E T I N G

Fountaindale Public Library
300 W. Briarcliff Road
Bolingbrook, IL  60440
Meeting Room A (1st Floor)
Saturday, May 29, 2021
11:15 AM - 5:00 PM
PLEASE READ
 
We will be in the large MEETING ROOM A on the
First Floor. At this time, masks will be required.
There can be only one person per desk (in order to
keep that 6 foot distance from each other).
The maximum number of people allowed
in the room is TEN, so please 
arrive early to claim your seat.

SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES:

In order to help protect patrons and staff, and in adherence with the state of Illinois’ Phase 4 meeting room guidelines, we ask that you please adhere to the following requirements when visiting the library:

  1. Wear a face covering or mask at all times.
  2. Maintain social distancing of at least six feet apart.
  3. Wash your hands and/or use hand sanitizer often.
  4. No food or drink inside the library (Please note, the water fountains are turned off, and Brooks Cafe is not open at this time.)
  5. Staff will wipe down furniture and equipment with disinfectant between groups.
  6. Reduced capacities and availability for meeting spaces. One person per table. There will be limited seating.
  7. If you feel sick or have a high temperature, please use common sense and stay at home. 
 
THANK YOU!

Hope to see everyone there!

 
A Viewing Schedule will be posted soon.
 
Hope to see you all there!

(Click below for maps)

Friday, May 21, 2021

Creator of Berserk, Kentaro Miura, died at age 54

KENTARO MIURA
(July 11, 1966 – May 6, 2021) 
Creator of the manga Berserk
Kentaro Miura (三浦 建太郎, Miura Kentarō) was a Japanese manga artist. He was best known for his acclaimed dark fantasy manga Berserk, which began serialization in 1989 and continued until his death. As of 2021, Berserk had more than 50 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time. In 2002, Miura received the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. 

Early life and education  
Miura was born in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, in 1966. In 1976, at the early age of 10, he made his first manga, entitled Miuranger, which was published for his classmates in a school publication; the series ended up spanning 40 volumes. In 1977, Miura created his second manga, Ken e no michi (剣への道, The Way to the Sword), in which he used India ink for the first time. When he was in middle school in 1979, Miura's drawing techniques improved greatly as he started using professional drawing techniques.

While in high school in 1982, Miura enrolled in an artistic curriculum, where he and his classmates started publishing their works in school booklets. His first doujinshi was published in a magazine, with the help of friends, in the same year. At age 18, Miura worked as an assistant to George Morikawa, of Hajime no Ippo fame. Morikawa quickly acknowledged Miura's high artistic level and dismissed him, saying there was nothing he could teach that Miura did not already know.

Career
In 1985, Miura applied for the entrance examination to the art college of Nihon University. He submitted his project Futanabi for examination and was granted admission. The project later earned him a nomination as Best New Author in Weekly Shōnen Magazine. Miura's first serialized work, Noa, was published in the magazine, but it was not successful. In 1988, while working for Buronson on a project titled Orō (王狼, lit. "King of Wolves"), Miura published a prototype of Berserk in Hakusensha's Gekkan ComiComi. This 48-page prototype placed second at the 7th ComiComi's Manga-School prize. The full serialization of Berserk, ultimately Miura's most famous and successful work, began in Hakusensha's Monthly Animal House in 1989. In 1990, a prequel to Ōrō entitled Ōrō Den (王狼伝, The Legend of the Wolf King) was published in the magazine. In 1992, Monthly Animal House was renamed Young Animal, where Berserk continued serialization. In the same year, Miura collaborated with Buronson on Japan, also published in Young Animal.

In 1997, Miura supervised the production of a 25-episode anime adaptation of Berserk produced by OLM, Inc., which aired in the same year on NTV. He also supervised the 1999 Dreamcast video game Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage. In 2002, Miura received second place in the annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize for the series. Starting in 2006, Berserk went on frequent and often extended hiatuses, alternating between monthly and irregular serialization. As of 2018, the series has been collected in 40 tankōbon volumes, and as of May 2021 it had more than 50 million copies in worldwide circulation, including digital versions. The series also spawned a host of merchandise, both official and fan-made, ranging from statues, action figures to key rings, video games, and a trading card game. Various art books and supplemental materials by Miura based on Berserk were also released.

In 2013, Miura released the short standalone manga Gigantomakhia, released into English-speaking territories as Giganto Maxia by the publisher Dark Horse in 2016. Duranki, a short manga produced by Miura's personal manga studio Studio Gaga, was serialized in Young Animal Zero in 2019. 

Death
On May 20, 2021, Hakusensha announced that Miura had died on May 6, 2021, due to an acute aortic dissection. A private ceremony was held by his family. Various manga artists offered condolences, including George Morikawa, Hiro Mashima, Rei Hiroe, Hebi-Zou, Ken Akamatsu, Chica Umino, Makoto Yukimura and Atsushi Ohkubo. Susumu Hirasawa, composer for the 1997 television anime adaptation of Berserk, and singer Yoshino Nanjō also offered condolences. Thousands of online players gathered together in Final Fantasy XIV to mourn Miura, with many playing as the Dark Knight class, which itself was heavily inspired by Berserk's protagonist.

Influences
Miura stated that the work that had the biggest impact on his own is the manga series Fist of the North Star (1983 debut). In particular, Miura was influenced by Nagai's manga Violence Jack (1973 debut). Other influences cited by Miura include the Japanese fantasy novel series Guin Saga (1979 debut), Paul Verhoeven films, the Hellraiser series (1987 debut), shōjo manga works, Disney films, and the works of Hieronymous Bosch, M. C. Escher, Gustave Doré and Pieter Bruegel.

Legacy
Established as one of the best-selling manga of all time, Miura's series Berserk impacted the manga medium and beyond, with journalist Jade King stating: "[It] is difficult to overstate the tremendous impact his work has had on the world of games, manga, film, anime, and even literature." The image of Guts and his massive sword is attributed to inspiring characters like Cloud Strife of Final Fantasy VII and Dante from the Devil May Cry series, with the overall aesthetic of Berserk inspiring the monsters and world of the Dark Souls series.

Thursday, May 20, 2021

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 4: Transformania - Trailer

HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 4
: Transformania

Drac's Pack is back, like you've never seen them before in the final chapter of the 'Hotel Transylvania' franchise. Drac's son-in-law, Johnny, feels that he has never really been accepted into the family because he is not a monster, so he tries to find a way to make him into a MONSTER... but things go horribly wrong when he accidentally transforms all of the Monsters into HUMANS, including Drac!

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

AWAKE - Official Trailer - Netflix

A  W  A  K  E
Chaos ensues after a global event wipes out all electronics and takes away humankind’s ability to sleep. But Jill (Gina Rodriguez), an ex-soldier with a troubled past, may hold the key to a cure in the form of her own daughter.
Coming June 9 on NETFLIX

Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Sweet Tooth - Teaser Trailer

S W E E T   T O O T H
Based on the beloved DC Comic, and Executive Produced by Susan Downey & Robert Downey Jr., Sweet Tooth is a post-apocalyptic fairytale about a hybrid deer-boy and a wandering loner who embark on an extraordinary adventure. All episodes of Sweet Tooth premiere on June 4, 2021, only on Netflix.

Monday, May 17, 2021

Rick and Morty in the Eternal Nightmare Machine

Rick and Morty in the Eternal Nightmare Machine
The simulation is corrupt - repair the core.
Animated by Paul Robertson 

Sunday, May 16, 2021

Real Mugen Train Actually Ran in Japan

THE MUGEN TRAIN FROM DEMON SLAYER MOVIE
The Demon Slayer movie was released in Japan last October and became the top grossing movie . JR Kyushu collaborated with the movie and ran a special steam locomotive called the Mugen Train, which appears in the movie, from Kumamoto Station to Hakata Station.

Saturday, May 15, 2021

The Tomorrow War - Official Teaser Trailer

THE TOMORROW WAR
In The Tomorrow War, the world is stunned when a group of time travelers arrive from the year 2051 to deliver an urgent message: Thirty years in the future mankind is losing a global war against a deadly alien species. The only hope for survival is for soldiers and civilians from the present to be transported to the future and join the fight. Among those recruited is high school teacher and family man Dan Forester (Chris Pratt). Determined to save the world for his young daughter, Dan teams up with a brilliant scientist (Yvonne Strahovski) and his estranged father (J.K. Simmons) in a desperate quest to rewrite the fate of the planet.
The Tomorrow War also stars Betty Gilpin, Sam Richardson, Edwin Hodge, Jasmine Mathews, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, and Keith Powers. Directed Chris McKay and written by Zach Dean premieres July 2, 2021, globally on Prime Video.

Friday, May 14, 2021

Love, Death, And Robots Powerful Scenes

 LOVE, DEATH + ROBOTS
The First Volume of this Netflix Anthology
Series Had Some Deep Moments
Love, Death, And Robots (Volume 1) was one of the biggest surprises to hit Netflix in 2019. It’s a pretty incredible animated anthology series from Tim Miller and David Fincher. The show was inspired by the film “Heavy Metal” but it gets much deeper than its source material.
Love, Death, And Robots (Volume 2) hits Netflix May 14, 2021
The show contains many incredible episodes. Stories like “Sonnie’s Edge”, “Zima Blue”, “Lucky 13”, “Beyond The Aquila Rift”, and “Helping Hand” are all beautiful works of art. They feature some truly poignant moments that will stick with you for a long time.
The show features 18 episodes that vary wildly in quality. Some moments from the series may be beautiful, but some are down right forgettable. For every haunting, and terrifying moment, there’s another that’s just juvenile and unnecessary. Which moments are the truly unbelievable ones? Well, we’ve got the ten best for you. Here are Love, Death And Robots Most Powerful Moments Ranked.

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Coming to Netflix this Fall -- "ARCANE"

ARCANE
From the creators of League of Legends comes a new animated series, Arcane. Set in the utopian region of Piltover and the oppressed underground of Zaun, the story follows the origins of two iconic League champions-and the power that will tear them apart. 
We still don’t know much about the show (you can get an all-too-brief taste in the teaser above), but it’s part of a big push from Riot to expand League beyond just the core strategy game. So far, that’s included comic books, a digital card game, a mobile spinoff, and even an ancient board game. An animated series also makes sense given Riot’s long history with short cinematics.
Arcane also fits into Netflix’s recent strategy of tapping into the worlds of video games for new shows and movies. Outside of the blockbuster success of The Witcher, there’s also a new season of Castlevania coming later this month, an upcoming Tomb Raider anime, and even League’s biggest rival, Dota 2, has its own show. 
Coming to Netflix Fall 2021.