Next Club Meeting:October 17, 2026,at the Fountaindale Public Library in Bolingbrook from 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
The Animatrix Network is an anime & manga fan club located in the Southwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. We usually meet on the third Saturday of each month (except when holidays or conventions coincide). The meetings are free and open to the public. Join us for a day filled with anime.
This site provides news, reviews, commentaries, and previews of the world of anime and everything it inspires in today's pop culture, such as live-action films, comics, music, art, and other weird things to enjoy and contemplate.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”- Jeremiah 29:11
Why do we create? That question is such a tender and intimate one and its very rare that an author will open up that soft part of himself in order to tell a story. However, that is exactly what we get in the 2024 film, Look Back. The story is so beautiful not just in a vacuum, but also when held up to the life of its brilliant creator, Tatsuki Fujimoto.
The overly confident Fujino and the shut-in Kyomoto couldn’t be more different, but a love of drawing manga brings these two small-town girls together. And when they are apart because of their love for creations, a tragedy occurs.... A heart-wrenching story about the struggles of being an artist, growing up and moving forward. Based on the popular manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto, the creator of Chainsaw Man.
MAPPA is producing the remake.
Konosuke Uda (One Piece: Dead End, Galaxy Express 999: Eternal Fantasy)
is directing the series, while Kimiko Ueno (Delicious in Dungeon,
Eternal Boys) is handling the series composition. Kaoru Wada (Inuyasha,
Ace Attorney) is composing the music, and Hiromi Taniguchi (FLCL
Alternative, Saga of Tanya the Evil) is doing the character design.
Most of the cast from the '80s and '90s series will be reprising their roles.
The cast includes: Kappei Yamaguchi as Ranma Saotome (male) Megumi Hayashibara as Ranma (female) Noriko Hidaka as Akane Tendo Minami Takayama as Nabiki Tendo Kikuko Inoue as Kasumi Tendo Koichi Yamadera as Ryoga Hibiki Rei Sakuma as Shampoo Akio Otsuka is replacing Ryunosuke Ohbayashi as Soun Tendo. Meanwhile, Cho will take over as Genma Saotome, replacing Kenichi Ogata. Ogata is still part of the cast, although he will now serve as the series’ narrator.
The Ranma 1/2 remake is coming out on Netflix on October 5, 2024. The anime will premiere in Japan on October 6 at 12:55 a.m. JST and Netflix will stream the episodes after.
The official synopsis from MAPPA reads:
“Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo of Tendo Dojo are betrothed to each other by their parents. But Ranma faces a unique problem… Ever since he fell into the cursed springs of Jusenkyo while training in China, his body has acquired the peculiar trait of transforming into a girl when doused with cold water and reverting to a boy with hot water. Get ready for the slapstick, action-packed rom com featuring Ranma, Akane, and a vibrant cast of unique characters!”
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town is a 1970 stop motion Christmas television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions in New York, New York. The film is narrated by Fred Astaire and stars the voices of Mickey Rooney, Keenan Wynn, Robie Lester, Joan Gardner and Paul Frees, as well as an assistant song performance by the Westminster Children's Choir. The film tells the story of how Santa Claus and several Claus-related Christmas traditions came to be. It is based on the hit Christmas song, "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town", which was written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie for Leo Feist, Inc. and introduced on radio by Eddie Cantor in 1934; and the story of Saint Nicholas. The special was created using Japanese stop motion animation called "Animagic", in which all the characters are made out of wood and plastic and animated via stop-motion photography. The special was originally telecast December 13, 1970, by ABC, which continues to air the special every year, along with its sister network Freeform, as of 2022 (commemorating the special's 50th anniversary), although, at times, both networks have edited the special to make room for commercials.
After a newsreel prologue stating that children around the world are preparing for the arrival of Santa Claus, a postman named Special Delivery "S.D." Kluger is introduced when his snowmobile/mail truck breaks down. After that, he tells the story of Santa in response to several letters sent from children. The story begins with a baby named Claus arriving on the doorstep of Burgermeister Meisterburger, the ill-tempered mayor of the gloomy Sombertown. Meisterburger orders his minion, Grimsley, to take Claus to an orphanage, but on the way there, a gust of wind blows the baby away. A group of animals takes Claus to the Kringles, a family of elves. The Kringles rename him Kris and raise him as their own, teaching him the practice of making toys.
When Kris is old enough, he travels to Sombertown, accompanied by a lost penguin he names Topper. Meanwhile, Meisterburger trips on a toy duck, so he enacts a law prohibiting toys. Kris arrives in town and bestows toys on the children, even giving one to Miss Jessica, their schoolteacher. Meisterburger arrives and orders Kris arrested, but Kris flees into the woods with Topper. Kris and Topper are captured by the wicked Winter Warlock, but the Warlock befriends Kris after he is given a toy train. To prevent further toy deliveries, Meisterburger orders all doors and windows locked, but Kris enters by the chimneys and places toys in the children's stockings. Meisterburger sets a trap for Kris, while his soldiers capture Winter and the Kringles.
Jessica visits the prison and converses with Winter, who has no magic left, except for some corn that enables reindeer to fly. With the reindeer's help, Kris and his friends escape. Soon after, Kris grows a beard as a disguise and returns to his "Claus" name. He marries Jessica and travels to the North Pole to build a toy workshop. With the death of Meisterburger, the toy ban is nullified, and Kris is deemed a saintly figure, becoming Santa Claus. Due to the enormous demand for toys, Santa limits his trips to one night a year; that being Christmas Eve, the holiest night of the year, and the perfect time for giving. After finishing the story, S.D. Kluger remembers that he has to deliver the letters to Santa. He leaves in his now-mended truck with Topper, Winter and a parade of children, singing "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town".
The main features of this simulated CBS Rankin Bass Christmas special include Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, The Little Drummer Boy, Santa Clause is Coming to Town and Frosty the Snowman. A few bonus classic Christmas cartoons are also included near the end, And all commercial breaks are packed full of nostalgic Christmas commercials from mostly the 70's and 80's. The special is not set in a specific time frame so the commercial dates will jump around a bit. Some of the commercials have even been edited slightly to remove the mention of the date. The first and last clip match each other so you can right click and select loop to repeat like a broadcast day. This is good for holiday chores or background entertainment for Christmas company.
JULES BASS (September 16, 1935 – October 25, 2022)
Producer, Director, and Composer of
Iconic Holiday TV Specials, Dies at 87
Jules Bass, who helped make Rudolph the most famous reindeer of all and bring Frosty to life during a prolific animation career that shaped the holiday TV viewing traditions of generations of youngsters, died Oct. 25 at a senior living facility in Rye, N.Y. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight A family member, Jennifer Ruff, confirmed the death but did not cite a cause. Mr. Bass was half of the production duo Rankin/Bass, an animation juggernaut he formed with a partner, Arthur Rankin Jr., in 1960. Over the next several decades, collaborating with animators and puppet-makers in Japan, Rankin/Bass produced a raft of movies that became staples of American childhood. Few people have come of age since the 1960s without watching and re-watching the stop-motion puppetry of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” which first aired on NBC in 1964, or the traditionally animated “Frosty the Snowman,” which debuted in 1969. The story of Rudolph’s luminescent nose, his rejection by the more ordinary members of his herd and his heroic service to Santa one foggy Christmas Eve was based on a popular song written by Johnny Marks and recorded by Gene Autry in 1949. (Marks, Rankin’s neighbor, had borrowed the idea for the song from a children’s book by Robert L. The Rankin/Bass television version featured Burl Ives singing the title song and other Marks numbers that entered the modern Christmas canon, among them “Silver and Gold” and “A Holly Jolly Christmas.” Writer Romeo Muller expanded upon the story of Rudolph to introduce Hermey, the elf who yearns to be a dentist, and the Island of Misfit Toys. The result, rendered in the halting stop-motion animation style that Rankin/Bass called Animagic, was an instant phenomenon — a classic in the category of the later TV movies “A Charlie Brown Christmas” (1965) and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (1966). Such was the nostalgia their production evoked that when original Rudolph and Santa puppets were placed for auction in 2020, the wood, felt and wire relics were expected to fetch between $150,000 and $250,000, according to the New York Times. Rankin/Bass found a niche adapting Christmas songs to the screen and applied the formula again with success in “Frosty the Snowman.” In their TV version, Jackie Vernon voices Frosty with Jimmy Durante singing an indelible version of the title song by Walter “Jack” Rollins and Steve Nelson. Working with composer Maury Laws, Mr. Bass helped write the music for Rankin/Bass productions including 1970′s “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town,” with narration by Fred Astaire and Mickey Rooney as the voice of Kris Kringle, and 1974′s “The Year Without a Santa Claus,” in which Rooney reprised his role as Santa.
“The Year Without a Santa Claus” gave viewers the Heat Miser and the Snow Miser, with their memorable musical motif. “Maury usually wrote the music and Jules would write the lyrics, which would typically move the plot along, but this wasn’t always the case,” Rick Goldschmidt, a scholar of the productions of Rankin/Bass, wrote on his blog. He cited the example of the song “One Star in the Night,” from the 1968 TV movie “The Little Drummer Boy,” for which Mr. Bass wrote the music. According to Goldschmidt, Rankin was the chief executive and primary director of Rankin/Bass productions, often working with animators in Japan while Mr. Bass oversaw voice actors and musicians in New York. The Rankin/Bass output was not limited to Christmas specials. The team also produced the feature-length stop-motion film “Mad Monster Party” (1967), the TV series “The Smokey Bear Show” (1969) and the Easter special “Here Comes Peter Cottontail” (1971), featuring the voices of Danny Kaye and Vincent Price. They received a Peabody Award for their animated TV movie “The Hobbit” (1977), based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy novel, and critical acclaim for the full-length animated movie “The Last Unicorn” (1982), with voice work by Jeff Bridges, Mia Farrow, Angela Lansbury and Alan Arkin. Writing in the Times, movie critic Janet Maslin described “The Last Unicorn” as “an unusual children’s film in many respects, the chief one being that it is unusually good.” “Children, except perhaps for very small ones, ought to be intrigued by it; adults won’t be bored,” she observed. “And no one of any age will be immune to the sentiment of the film’s final moments, which really are unexpectedly touching and memorable.” Later Rankin/Bass collaborations included the 1980s TV series “ThunderCats” and the 1987 TV movie “The Wind in the Willows.”
Loved this cartoon as a kid. These figures are absolutely perfect. Except the packaging. These figures are gorgeous. Well done and it’s long over due for this incredible cartoon to get its moment of glory. Pre-orders available. Best thing we’ve seen from Hasbro in a long time. Great surprise!
"May the 4th" is a day for all lovers of Jedi, the Resistance, the Skywalkers, the Hutts, Boba Fett, Baby Yoda, Gamorrean guards, Maz Kanata, General Grievous, Rancor Keeper and Jekk Porkins (RIP) to unite and celebrate all there is in the galaxy far, far away. (Why May 4, you ask? Why, it's right there in the date, a play on "May the Force be with you.")
This Star Wars Day, fans will likely be in a nostalgic mood – and diving back into the prequels – prepping for the May 27 premiere of Disney+'s "Obi-Wan Kenobi" series, starring Ewan McGregor as the title Jedi master and a returning Hayden Christensen as Anakin "Darth Vader" Skywalker
Go back to a time when pop music and anime went hand-in-hand to become childhood staples in the memories of many fans. There's a special charm in those 1980's anime that you can't find in the newer ones. Nothing beats this Blast from the Past! Enjoy!
Voltron: Defender of the Universe was an animated series that aired in syndication in the US from September 10, 1984, to November 18, 1985.
The original intention was that it would be 3 seasons made up of 3 different imported Japanese cartoons. The 3 series were Future Robot Daltanious (未来ロボ ダルタニアス, Mirai Robo Darutaniasu), Armored Fleet Dairugger XV (機甲艦隊ダイラガーXVフィフティーン, Kikō Kantai Dairagā Fifutīn, "XV" read "Fifteen") and Lightspeed Electroid Albegas (光速電神アルベガス, Kōsoku Denjin Arubegasu).
But a funny thing involving a different Japanese show called Beast King GoLion (百獣王ゴライオン, Hyaku Jūō Goraion) happened along the way.
Voltron: Defender of the Universe was the top-rated syndicated children's show for two years during its original run, and it spawned three follow-up series, several comic books, and a line of toys.
And for all the smart guys on the comments: we're aware Voltron Force exists. This video tells the story of the original series and Voltron Force has no significant relevance to it. As stated in the disclaimer, it may get its own video some day.
The upcoming fourth season of the American science fiction horror drama television series Stranger Things, titled Stranger Things 4, is scheduled to be released worldwide exclusively via Netflix’s streaming service in mid-2022.
AnimeCon, held in San Jose, California in 1991, was the fourth anime convention created in the United States, the first convention to have major backing from the anime industry, the first anime-specific convention within the state of California (which spawned many similar conventions thereafter), and the first anime-specific convention in the US to break 1,000 attendees. It also formed the genesis of Anime Expo (currently the largest anime-specific convention in North America). Guests included Jerry Beck, Colleen Doran, Geoff Everets, Carl Macek, Ken Macklin, Johji Manabe, Leiji Matsumoto, Luke Menichelli, Haruhiko Mikimoto, Robert Napton, John O'Donnell, Toshio Okada, Katsuhiro Otomo, David Riddick, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, Toren Smith, Kenichi Sonoda, Rick Sternbach, Jeff Thompson, Adam Warren, Robert Woodhead, Trish Ledoux and Toshifumi Yoshida.
AnimeCon '91 was my FIRST real anime convention in the United States, and one of the BEST conventions I have ever been to. Being the first of its kind meant attendance numbers were really low, about 1000 fans showed up. But that meant having more personal time and interaction with the Japanese guests. Imagine walking the halls of the San Jose Red Lion Inn and seeing a Japanese artist sitting alone at a table in the middle of a hallway drawing free sketches for anyone who stopped by. I met with one artist who was drawing random characters on regular 8-1/2" x 11" sheets of paper. He was using a fine tipped Sharpie, and he would sketch anything you wanted. At that time, I really didn't know who each of the Japanese guests were. They had no name tags or signs identifying them. They just drew. The artist asked me in Japanese what I wanted him to draw. I didn't want to be impolite because I didn't recognize him, so I just asked for anything. He gave me a sketch of King the Lion from Nadia and the Secret of Blue Water, which at that time was my favorite anime. It wasn't until later that I found out that his name was Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, the character designer for Nadia. That was awesome! I wish I knew who he was before. I would have asked for a sketch of Nadia herself. I went beck to the table some time later, but he wasn't there anymore. Someone else was there. I didn't know who he was either. He gave me a sketch of a chibi-version of Space Battleship Yamato. I found it amusing and he chuckled. I discovered later his name was Hideaki Anno, the creator of Evangelion and Nadia. Best anime convention experience ever!
Enjoy the Songs of the Most Beloved Christmas Shows Ever!
Santa Claus
wakes up with a cold sometime before Christmas. His doctor, who thinks
nobody cares about him anymore, advises him to make some changes to his
routine, so Santa decides to take a holiday instead of delivering gifts.
Mrs. Claus
unsuccessfully tries to convince him otherwise, so she enlists two
elves named Jingle and Jangle to find proof that people still believe in
Santa. Jingle and Jangle set out with Santa's youngest reindeer
Vixen, but are shot down by crossfire between the conflicting Miser
Brothers: Snow Miser, who controls the world's cold weather, and Heat
Miser, who controls its warm weather.
Jingle, Jangle, and Vixen come upon Southtown, a small town in
the southern United States. They ask a group of children, including a
boy named Iggy, if they believe in Santa, but they are skeptical. To
make matters worse, Vixen is ticketed by a policeman and later sent to
the local dog pound
after Jingle and Jangle disguise her as an "instant Rover". The
policeman refers them to the town's mayor, who laughs at their story but
agrees to free Vixen if they can prove they are elves by making it snow
in Southtown on Christmas.
Jingle and Jangle call Mrs. Claus to pick them up. As she leaves,
Santa discovers Vixen is missing and travels to Southtown himself to
retrieve her while disguised as a civilian named "Claus". While there,
he meets Iggy and his family. Iggy asks him if he believes in Santa, and
he replies that he believes "like I believe in love". Iggy's father
reveals that Santa personally visited him one Christmas, and he still
believes. When "Claus" leaves to retrieve Vixen, Iggy realizes his true
identity and resolves to help Jingle and Jangle.
Iggy joins Mrs. Claus when she arrives to pick up Jingle and
Jangle, and together they visit the Miser Brothers. They ask Snow Miser
to send snow to Southtown for a day; he is agreeable but says he cannot
as it is part of Heat Miser's territory. They then ask Heat Miser, who
says he will only comply if Snow Miser gives him the North Pole for a day in exchange. The brothers begin bickering again; Mrs. Claus goes to see their mother, Mother Nature, who convinces her sons to compromise.
As Christmas approaches, the world's children send their own
presents to Santa, setting off international headlines. However, one
girl misses Santa and writes him that she will have a "Blue Christmas".
Touched by the outpouring of generosity and appreciation, Santa decides
to make his journey after all. On Christmas Eve, he makes a public stop
in Southtown during a snowfall. The next day, the children, including
Iggy, are delighted to receive their presents.
As the special ends, Mrs. Claus narrates that somehow, "yearly, newly, faithfully and truly", Santa always comes. Santa is shown getting out of bed to prepare himself, his reindeer, and his gift-loaded sleigh, remarking he could never imagine "a year without a Santa Claus".
The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers is an animated Space Western television series created by Robert Mandell and Gaylord Entertainment Company. It was broadcast in syndication between 1986 and 1989. The series combines sci-fi stories with traditional wild west themes. It is one of the first anime-style shows produced mainly in the United States, although the actual animation was done by the Japanese animation studio Tokyo Movie Shinsha. At the time it aired, The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers was considered a revolutionary children's show.
[Source: animesuperhero] The Hollywood Reporter reports that MAD Magazine will no longer publish new content after 67 years of satirizing anything from entertainment to politics. According to DC Comics, the magazine will no longer be on newsstands after issue 9 appears in August. Issue 10 will be the last issue to feature new content, with future issues reprinting previous content and getting sold in comic book shops and mailed to subscribers.
MAD Magazine was originally published in 1952 by William M. Gaines for EC Comics, best known for publishing edgy comics like Tales From The Crypt and The Vault of Horror. It later became a magazine in 1955. The magazine launched the careers numerous cartoonists, including Dick DeBartolo, Don Martin, and Sergio Aragones. The magazine also gained renown for regular features like “Spy Vs. Spy,” and the classic fold-ins. It also inspired the late-night show MAD TV and the animated MAD cartoon series.
In 1955, their most iconic character Alfred E. Neuman was featured on the cover, ultimately appearing in more than 500 covers.
