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.
Showing posts with label fighting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fighting. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 30, 2025

The Epic Battle Between Ninja and Samurai...

SHOGUN'S NINJA
Set in 17th-century Edo, an era of unprecedented peace under the rule of Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa, samurai govern the land. However, beneath this tranquility, a gripping tale of revenge and survival unfolds. 

Kagaribi and Okyo, descendants of the once-legendary FUMA ninja clan, are determined to restore their family’s lost honor. Struggling to survive, they take on various tasks for the townspeople, barely getting by, while clinging to the hope of reviving their clan’s former glory. Their peaceful lives are shattered when their friend, Oran, is kidnapped by the formidable YAGYU clan, the Shogun’s elite samurai force. At the same time, the Shogun, disillusioned with his own belief, plots to betray the very Shogunate he commands. 

Caught in the heart of a deadly conspiracy that threatens the Shogunate’s survival, Kagaribi and Okyo must take up arms to rescue the Shogun, standing firm as the Shogunate’s unyielding protectors against the advancing YAGYU clan. As they uncover long-buried secrets about the fall of the ‘Fuma’ clan, they are thrust into a battle that will determine not only their family’s fate but the future of the Shogunate itself. 

Now, the legendary FUMA NINJAS face off against the indomitable YAGYU SAMURAI in an epic clash of honor, duty, and destiny-one that will decide the fate of the Shogunate.

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Ultraman Takes on the World's Toughest Job...

Ultraman: Rising
With Tokyo under siege from rising monster attacks, baseball star Ken Sato reluctantly returns home to take on the mantle of Ultraman. But the titanic superhero meets his match when he is forced to adopt a 35-foot-tall, fire-breathing baby kaiju. Sato must rise above his ego to balance work and parenthood while protecting the baby from forces bent on exploiting her for their own dark plans. In partnership with Netflix, Tsuburaya Productions, and Industrial Light & Magic, Ultraman: Rising is written by Shannon Tindle and Marc Haimes, directed by Shannon Tindle, and co-directed by John Aoshima.

Friday, October 13, 2023

Magic and Art are One and the Same...

AZUKI ELEMENTALS
Azuki Elementals are a collection of characters within the four domains of the Garden: Earth, Fire, Lightning, and Water.
Who or What is Azuki? Find out here: https://www.azuki.com/

Wednesday, May 3, 2023

New Cyberpunk Game Coming Soon...

SHADOW OF CONSPIRACY
Get an early look at the prototype of Shadow of Conspiracy - Section 2, a cinematic third and first person action role-playing game developed by a small Indie team in Germany. 
In this deep, cinematic detective thriller, set in a dark, future version of Berlin in the year 2087, the players’ mind, body and soul will be put to the test as they deal with themes like guilt, love, friendship, sacrifice and betrayal. The narrative-driven cyberpunk game is being developed by Elysium Game Studio in Unreal Engine 5.

Tuesday, May 2, 2023

Fight alongside heroines with godlike powers...

Dislyte's Dusk & Dawn
Presenting the cinematic launch trailer for Dislyte's Dusk & Dawn update for a peek at the story of the new Espers: Athena and Nyx. In addition to the new Espers, Dislyte's Dusk & Dawn update brings an April Carnival event, a new dungeon, and more to the RPG.

As time goes by, Leora has been starting to doubt her conviction and the organization she once was proud to be a part of. Her meeting with Elaine, who grew up with her in the same orphanage, further strengthened her resolve to change. Will Leora pierce through the darkness and find the light within her heart?

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Keeping the Torch lit after all this time...

TORCHLIGHT: INFINITE
Set 200 years after Torchlight 2, Torchlight Infinite is an action-RPG that features four heroes and a couple dozen skill trees to customize your character's playstyle with. Pre-register on the official website (torchlight.xd.com) to be eligible to participate in the closed beta that's starting soon. The global launch of Torchlight: Infinite is May 9th, 5PM PDT!

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

These Kingsmen bet their very lives on the...

-- H I G H   C A R D --
After discovering that his orphanage was on the brink of closing due to financial stress, Finn, who was living freely on the streets, set out for a casino with the aim of making a fortune. However, nothing could have prepared Finn for the nightmare that was awaiting him. Once there, Finn encountered a car chase and bloody shootout caused by a man's "lucky" card.

Finn will eventually learn what the shootout was about. The world order can be controlled by a set of 52 X-Playing cards with the power to bestow different superhuman powers and abilities to the ones that possess them. With these cards, people can access the hidden power of the "buddy" that can be found within themselves.

There is a secret group of players called High Card, who have been directly ordered by the king of Fourland to collect the cards that have been scattered throughout the kingdom while moonlighting as employees of the luxury carmaker Pinochle. Scouted to become the group's fifth member, Finn soon joins the players on a dangerous mission to find these cards.

"All you need in life are manners, dignity, and the will to bet on your own life."

However, Who's Who, the rival car maker obsessed with defeating Pinochle, and the Klondikes, the infamous Mafia family, stand in the way of the gang. A frenzied battle amongst these card-obsessed players, fueled by justice, desire, and revenge, is about to begin!

Are you ready? It's Showdown!!

Tuesday, December 13, 2022

Finally, a Live-Action SAINT SEIYA!

KNIGHTS of the ZODIAC
When a goddess of war reincarnates in the body of a young girl, street orphan Seiya discovers that he is destined to protect her and save the world. But only if he can face his own past and become a Knight of the Zodiac.

Thursday, November 10, 2022

A Morgiana Music Video

MORGIANA
"Sometimes I just want to punch something!"
Descendant of the hunting tribe 'Fanalis', a red-haired girl who became emotionless and unfriendly due to her life as a slave, eventually opening herself to others after obtaining freedom. Although she looks like a normal girl, as a Fanalian she possesses a superhuman strength, speed and senses, able to carry several people at the same time, jump dozens of times her height and defeat opponents far larger than her with powerful kicks. Originally grateful to them for freeing her, Morgiana develops a deep friendship with Aladdin and Alibaba, desiring to protect them from harm with her massive strength, thus training combat with Sinbad's general and fellow Fanalian Masrur. Later she obtains the household item "Amol Selseira", a magical pair of bracers infused with Amon's power created from the same legcuffs she used during her times of slavery, which can extend its chains to increase her reach. She also appears to have a crush on Alibaba, usually getting angry when she feels neglected by him. When Aladdin and Alibaba decide to take separate ways to improve themselves, Morgiana departs to Dark Continent to meet the people of her homeland, but is disencouraged by Yunan when he informs her that she may not return. However. Thanks to his advice, she learns to control her vessel more effectively and later returns to her friends side to help them in Magnostadt. Once Alibaba is summoned to meet Kouen in Balbadd, she accompanies him there despite his will to go alone. After Aladdin disappears to the Dark Continent, Morgiana accompanies him as well, where she finally realizes her dream of meeting her fellow Fanalis, but retains her human form thanks to Aladdin's magic. After returning from the Dark Continent, Morgiana reunites with Alibaba. She unfortunately is a victim of the brain washing done by Sinbad, and upsets Alibaba after she says that she wants everything to become Rukh again. She later helps Alibaba at the end, and after the death of David, Morgiana accepts Alibaba’s marriage proposal. Morgiana is the lead heroine of Magi. She is also a minor character in Adventure of Sinbad, making a brief appearance at the end.
Watch the Anime Music Video
Anime: Magi
Song: The Phoenix by Fall Out Boy

Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Remember the Name... Fog Hill

Fog Hill of Five Elements
In ancient times, powerful Beasts rampaged the world. To combat them, a mysterious Taoist taught the five clans - the Clan of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth - the extraordinary ability of Yin-Yang's five elements. Together, they drove the Beasts into the Fog Hill of the Hidden, imprisoning them in a captive realm. Within the Fog Hill lives another mighty Beast - the Qilin. Its immense power often attract Beasts desiring greater strength so that they may, one day, break out of the captive realm. Qilin therefore willingly sealed itself away in the Shield of Mighty Gate. In an attempt to save his mother, Wenren Yixuan, the envoy of Fire, unleashed the Shield of Mighty Gate without permission. Seeing an opening, the little Qilin took the chance and snuck out. With its escape, the Beast Realm shall soon fall into bloody chaos...

Sunday, November 6, 2022

"Welcome back, Doctor."

ARKNIGHTS: Prelude to Dawn
In the land of Terra, natural disasters of unknown causes have been occurring irregularly in many areas. Therefore, the majority of the people, in order to escape those natural disasters, came to live in mobile cities developed over the years. The Originium left behind at the site of such Catastrophes, has led to the rapid progress of civilization due to their immense energy. But it also brought something else with it — an incurable disease called Oripathy. Because the bodies of those with Oripathy gradually crystalize and become a new source of infection at the time of death, in many countries, the Infected are subject to persecution under regimes of segregation and forced labor. Those who were oppressed by the governments are starting to rebel. Rhodes Island, a pharmaceutical company researching a cure for Oripathy, takes up their arms and starts a conquest trying to save all the people from the disease.

Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Beware of What Lurks in the Shadows...

The Eminence in Shadow
A boy in modern-day Japan desires to be a mastermind who exerts power from the shadows, but in the process of training, gets hit by a truck and dies. He reincarnates in a fantasy world under the name Cid Kagenou, where he maintains a perfectly mediocre appearance as to not stand out but instead pursue his dream of manipulating from the shadows. One day, he stumbles upon an elven girl infected by a mysterious disease and cures her. Cid makes up a story, explaining that this world is secretly run by the Cult of Diabolos, and his secret organization, Shadow Garden, are the only ones that can fight them. The elven girl, now named Alpha, joins this organization and begins recruiting new members. However, the stories Cid made up were actually true, but he believes it to be total delusion. Cid continues fighting the Cult of Diabolos under the alias Shadow, completely unaware that he is involved in a complicated power struggle.

Monday, September 26, 2022

A Battle Royale for fighting game fans...

NARAKA: BLADEPOINT
Naraka: Bladepoint is an action-adventure battle royale game developed by 24 Entertainment and published by NetEase Games Montreal. It is a battle royale game where up to 60 players fight each other to be the last one standing. Check out the awesome animated trailer for Naraka: Bladepoint's 1-year anniversary trailer featuring the brand-new map of Holorot.

Thursday, September 1, 2022

Finally, the Reviews are here for "Rings of Power"...

The Rings of Power HONEST reviews are here!
The Reviews for episodes 1 & 2 are now available. The media embargo for Amazon Prime's video has dropped and now the truth is out. Entertainment Weekly has hyped up LOTR: Rings of Power for months only to now call it a catastrophe! With more reviews coming from the general public in the next few days, and the full release soon on Amazon Prime video. Can Rings of Power ever succeed when these are the first opinions of its fans?

Thursday, July 28, 2022

Say the Magic Word!

SHAZAM 2: Fury of the Gods
Shazam takes on the villainous Hespera and Kalypso, daughters of the Greek titan Atlas.

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

"Protecting ancient tech from the modern world..."

S P R I G G A N
A great civilization once existed on this Earth. Possessing knowledge and scientific prowess far exceeding that of modern man, the relics of this ancient civilization remain hidden across this world even now. As high-speed communication networks cover the globe and the peering eyes of satellites are able to expose all secrets, the armies of great nations clash as they seek to uncover and research these artifacts, which possess an unfathomable “power.” A member of this ancient civilization carved a message into a plate: “Protect our relics from evil-doers.” Taking this message to heart, one organization aims to seal away this ancient civilization for good. The elite secret agents of this organization are known as… Spriggans.
The legendary comic book which took the 90s by storm has been vividly reimagined in 2D animation and 3D CG! Based on the manga “Spriggan” (published in Shogakukan’s “Shonen Sunday Comics”) written by Hiroshi Takashige and illustrated by Ryoji Minagawa.

Reborn after more than 30 years, experience an authentic adventure series packed with intense action scenes and a love of ancient civilizations! “Spriggan” finally begins streaming on June 18, 2022, only on Netflix!

Monday, March 28, 2022

RWBY's New Anime Movie...

RWBY: ICE QUEENDOM

RWBY: Ice Queendom presents RWBY in beautiful 2D anime visuals. RWBY imagines a world filled with horrific monsters bent on death and destruction, and humanity's only hope is dependent upon powerful Huntsmen and Huntresses. Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long are four such Huntresses in training whose journeys will take them far past the grounds of their school, Beacon Academy. Though each may be powerful on their own, these four girls must overcome dark forces and work as a team if they truly hope to become the next generation of Remnant's protectors.

Monday, November 22, 2021

Take on All Warner Bros. Toons!

MULTIVERSUS
Watch the MultiVersus announcement trailer for your first look at MultiVersus, a new free-to-play, platform fighter from Warner Bros. Games and Player First Games. The game features a huge cast of characters, including Batman, Superman, Shaggy, Bugs Bunny, and more. 

It'll have a team-based 2 vs. 2 format and will also include 1 vs. 1 fights and a 4-player free-for-all mode. It'll have full cross-play support with a dedicated server-based rollback netcode. In addition, MultiVersus promises an all-star cast of voice actors, including Kevin Conroy (Batman), George Newbern (Superman), Abby Trott (Wonder Woman), and more. 
Developed by Player First Games, MultiVersus is scheduled to release worldwide in 2022 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Pre-registration for its upcoming play tests is available now.

Sunday, June 20, 2021

Dynasty Warriors - Official Trailer

Dynasty Warriors
Based on Koei Tecmo's namesake game. The Yellow Turban Rebellion breaks out in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. With the help of his trusted right-hand men Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, militia leader Liu Pei successfully suppresses the revolt. The calculating warlord Dong Zhuo takes advantage of the situation and takes control of the court, stirring further unrest.
Only on NETFLIX July 1, 2021.
Watch the Trailer

Thursday, February 25, 2021

Black Myth: Wukong - Official 13 Minutes Gameplay

Black Myth: Wukong
[Source: Sportskeeda] Black Myth: Wukong is an upcoming single-player role-playing game that has been developed by Game Science. The game is based on a classic 16th-century Chinese novel called “Journey to the West.” Players control the character Sun Wukong, who is also known as the Monkey King and has the ability to transform into flying insects and a giant monster.

In the novel, Wukong learns Taoism, becomes immortal and masters combat as well as language. He also acquires the 72 methods of heavenly transformation that allow him to transform into many animals and objects at will.

At first, not much was revealed about Black Myth: Wukong, which is still a few years away from its release.

However, a 13-minute gameplay trailer was recently released. In the trailer, we get to see quite a few of Wukong’s powers that were mentioned in the book. He has a trademark black iron staff that can change length according to his will.

We also got to see a plethora of boss fights that players will have to engage in to complete Black Myth: Wukong.

Recently, IGN China was able to conduct a set of interviews with various game science developers. The interviews revealed a lot of new information.

Black Myth: Wukong was in development for two years and will have more than 15 hours of playtime. It is expected to be released somewhere in 2023.

There are more than a 100 enemy types in the game, and it is a darker, more complex version of the original novel. The area in the trailer is called Black Wind Mountain and apparently took more than 6 months to build! Furthermore, the gameplay trailer of Black Myth: Wukong featured three monkeys. Players will have to wait and see which one is Wukong. 

Players can use multiple transformations during each fight, and there are different approaches that can be applied to the game. Finally, Black Myth: Wukong is the first of the three games planned by Game Science that will all be based on different Chinese stories. The idea is to create a separate Black Myth Universe, not very much unlike the Marvel Universel.

Watch the Trailer