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.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Friday, October 22, 2010

Diwali - Festival of Lights

Here's a cultural dance performed by Japanese children to a Tamil song. Keep an eye on the youngest girl (at the far right end of the first row). Even though this is a complicated dance, she is able to keep up with the rest of them. Enjoy! [Repost from May]

Crazy & Cool Costumes at Comic Con

 Day 22 of Our 31 Days of Halloween!!!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Thai Version of 'Beauty and the Beast' Rips Off the Disney Classic

[Source: Yahoo News] by Matt McDaniel
It's a tale as old as time, or so the song says. The classic fable of "Beauty and the Beast" has been told and retold countless times. But there's a difference between reinterpreting a fairy tale and the outright theft of intellectual property.

Slashfilm uncovered the trailer for an animated version of "Beauty and the Beast" that looks to be a shot-for-shot remake of the 1991 Disney version that was the first animated film ever nominated for Best Picture. The Thai version is done in cheap, blocky computer animation, not the sumptuous hand-drawn art of the Disney original. But it looks like every character, setting and situation has been lifted whole cloth from Disney's take. Here's the trailer for the Thai remake:



This version -- the title of which literally translates to "beautiful girl with curse devil" according to thai2english.com -- looks to follow the Disney version beat for beat, right down to the stained-glass windows that tell the backstory. There's a big-eyed brunette with a doddering father. She's pursued by a muscle-bound oaf, gets locked in the Beast's castle, and makes friends with the talking objects there. The Beast even has a rose floating in a glass case. And of course, Beauty and the Beast end up dancing together in a golden ballroom with the camera sweeping around them. 

There are some differences between this and the Disney version, most noticeably in the character designs. The Beast basically has the head of a lion -- it actually looks just like the adult Simba from "The Lion King" -- except with poofy hair and the horns of a water buffalo. The Gaston character has white stripes in his hair and a truly unfortunate beard. And their version of Lumiere is a single candlestick, rather than a candelabra. 


The trailer shows logos for GM Toons and Erawan Edutainment, but a cursory web search shows no results for either company. So the Disney Corporation might be out of luck if they're looking to sue for copyright violation. But the YouTube channel where this trailer was found shows off previews for several other animated movies, including a shameless copy of "Snow White." 

The Thai "Beauty and the Beast" trailer seems to indicate that the movie is available on DVD, but good luck tracking down a copy. You'll have an easier time finding -- not to mention a more enjoyable time watching -- the original Disney version. It was just released for the first time on Blu-ray in a new "Diamond Edition." Take a look at the trailer and clips from Disney's classic: 

Comic Con Costumes

 Day 21 of Our 31 Days of Halloween!!!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Crazy Transformer Costume at Comic-Con

 Day 20 of Our 31 Days of Halloween!!!

Star Trek Convention - Oct. 22-24, 2010, Chicago

 
CHICAGO, IL AREA
Fri., Sat. & Sun.
October 22-24, 2010
Westin O'Hare
6100 N. River Rd.
Rosemont, IL 60018

<-- Click here for more info
CHICAGO has always been one of the true hotspots for STAR TREK fandom and it is a particular delight to be returning to the city for a fantastic weekend of entertainment that won't be the same without YOU! Make your plans now to join the celebration honoring Gene Roddenberry's legacy! We're going all out to provide a non-stop three days of celebrity guests, on-stage events, contests, parties, autographing, photo ops, special performances, vendors, and tons of fellow fans. 

 

GUEST CELEBRITIES

leonard nimoy
LEONARD NIMOY

Mr. Spock. It is our great pleasure to welcome a true American treasure to Chicago as a headliner for the convention. As an actor, director, writer, producer, author, and photographer Leonard has been part of our popular culture for over 50 years. His thrilling return as Mr. Spock in the recent blockbuster STAR TREK movie was one for the record books and in person Leonard is a joy: warm, funny and inspirational. Leonard will appear on Friday of the convention.
christopher lloyd
CHRISTOPHER LLOYD
Super-popular iconic performer best known for a incredible series of roles including Dr. Emmett Brown in the BACK TO THE FUTURE films, Reverend Jim in the classic television series TAXI, Judge Doom in WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT, and of course Commander Kruge in STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK. We are thrilled to welcome one of our all-time favorite stars to CHICAGO for the very first time!
Appearing Sunday

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Craziest Costume at Comic Con

 Day 19 of Our 31 Days of Halloween!!!

See the First Five Minutes of Megamind

[Source: Wikipedia] Megamind (Will Ferrell) and his life-long archenemy Metro Man (Brad Pitt) are aliens that were sent away from their respective home planets in time of crisis (much like Superman's origin story), with Metro Man ending up in a loving home and Megamind landing in the local prison. Megamind, taking the role of super villain, tries to conquer Metro City in every imaginable way, each attempt a colossal failure thanks to Metro Man, who becomes the hero of Metro City. It seems that the pattern will never cease until Megamind seemingly defeats Metro Man during one of his many botched hostage plots involving news reporter Roxanne Ritchi (Tina Fey). Now freed from his rival's shadow, Megamind proceeds to take control of Metro City. Over time, Megamind comes to the realization that he no longer has any purpose in life without an enemy. To appease his depression, he turns Roxanne's lonely cameraman Hal (Jonah Hill) into Metro City's next big superhero, the fiery-headed Tighten. Unfortunately for Megamind, Tighten decides to utilize his new power against humanity as revenge for the lifetime of rejection he has endured. When Metro Man is discovered alive by Megamind and Roxanne, but uninterested in resuming his superhero duties, Megamind is forced to do the inevitable: become the hero of the crisis. Aided by his childhood sidekick Minion (David Cross), Megamind now sets out to stop Tighten's rampage of destruction, thus beginning a path to redemption.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Kakurenbo: Hide and Seek

[Source: Wikipedia] The film is based around "Otokoyo", a game of hide and seek played by children, wearing fox masks, near the ruins of an abandoned old city. The children who play this disappear, believed to be spirited away by demons. Kakurenbo follows Hikora, a boy who joins the game with hopes of finding his missing sister, Sorincha. The storyline is built on the idea that Tokyo is losing its natural aesthetic, which includes child's games such as hide and seek in order for industrial progress to ensue i.e. lighting the city of Tokyo costing innocence of childhood games.

Part One of Three
 

Part Two of Three
 

Part Three of Three

Girls of Comic Con 2010

 Day 18 of Our 31 Days of Halloween!!!

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Chicago International Hobby Exposition

26th Annual 
International Hobby Expo
October 23 - 24, 2010
(Saturday and Sunday)
at the
Donald E. Stephens Convention Center · Rosemont · Illinois · USA
 

Children Under 10 - FREE!

Adults $10
Seniors - Over 65 are just $8

For more information, go to
Attractions for all ages!
See over 500 booths!
Indoor Plane & Heli Flying Exhibition
Giant Radio Controlled Race Car Track
RC Monster Truck Competition
Nex RC 4x4 Rock Crawling Exhibitions
ROBOT Combat Events
Huge Operating Model Railroads
Slot Car Races
See Newest Products from Manufacturers
USA Toll Free - (877) TO-HOBBY or (877) 864-6229 | Outside USA - 973-283-4680 | Email - 1information@ihobbyexpo.com
© iHobbyExpo™ all rights reserved

Obligatory Hot Girls Of Comic Con

 Day 16 of Our 31 Days of Halloween!!!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Comics on Comic-Con 2010: The Spirit of Comic Con

 Day 14 of Our 31 Days of Halloween!!!

ANN CEO Speaks on Oreimo Episode Leak

CEO: security errors were exploited; site assumes full responsibility, offers refunds

[Source: ANN] Anime News Network (ANN) CEO Chris Macdonald issued an apology today in response to the recent leak of the second episode of the television anime Oreimo, ANN's first simulcast. Macdonald explained in the apology that the video was downloaded from a server contracted by ANN through an exploit that took advantage of failures in the security systems. 

Macdonald also announced that ANN will provide a full refund to everyone who purchased a premium streaming account, and expects that to be completed "within a few days." 

Responding to follow-up questions from ANN, Macdonald specified that "this was not, as many claim, a simple case of pointing a web browser to a URL," but rather an exploitation requiring "a fairly advanced knowledge and software tools, and spoofing a security protocol." A secondary security feature was supposed to have been in place to prevent such an occurrence, but Macdonald confirmed that it "was not functioning" as it should have been, and that the error has been fixed. 

Meanwhile, both of ANN's simulcasts — Oreimo and togainu no chi -Bloody Curs- — have been suspended indefinitely. Macdonald would not comment further on the possibility of their restoration. When asked whether ANN will have other simulcasts in the future, he confirmed that he expects to have simulcasts "in January, if not sooner." 

Macdonald also acknowledged that episode leaks may cause Japanese companies to become "less inclined to support simulcasts" and apologized for contributing to that. He also thanked the site's Japanese partners for their support. 

Asked whether the user or users who pirated the video were being pursued, Macdonald declined to comment.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Oreimo - New Anime

[Source: Wikipedia] Noticing Kirino has no one to share her hobbies with, Kyōsuke suggests that she make some otaku friends. She is invited to an otaku tea party at a maid café in Akihabara, but has trouble talking to any of the other members. However, she is later asked to join members Saori Bagina and Kuroneko, the latter of which gets into a heated debate with her about their favorite anime. After a day of shopping around Akihabara, they decide to keep sharing messages while Kyōsuke finishes the game Kirino asked him to complete. 

Costumes at Comic Con 2010

 Day 13 of Our 31 Days of Halloween!!!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Free Zombie Double Feature at College of DuPage

Shaun of the Dead
&
Zombieland
 Free Admission and Free Popcorn
Come in Costume!
When:  October 27, 2010, 6-10 pm
Where:  MAC 153 (College of DuPage Campus)
And see a special showing of our movie: "Living with the Undead"
Click Map to Enlarge

IDOLM@STER2 PV dance with "irony-ClariS"

Comics on Comic-Con 2010: Guess The Anime

 Day 12 of Our 31 Days of Halloween!!!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Controversial Simpsons Intro

[By Tara Ariano of Yahoo! TV Blog] It takes some effort for a TV series to inspire shock, amazement, and controversy in its 22nd season, but last night's episode of "The Simpsons" accomplished this seemingly impossible feat.

The episode, "MoneyBART," opens with an extended "couch gag" — the opening sequence in which the Simpson family takes its place on their sofa — created by British street artist Banksy. The artist's dark vision gives viewers a horrifying look at how he imagines the hit show and its lucrative merchandise are made: sweatshop conditions for its animators; unsafe conditions for producers of its apparel; boxes sealed with the tongue of a disembodied dolphin head; the center holes popped out of its DVDs with the horn of a shackled, emaciated unicorn. Really.

According to the Guardian, Banksy's involvement marks the first time "The Simpsons" has solicited the work of an artist unconnected to the show. And though "Simpsons" executive producer Al Jean's comment on the disturbing sequence was, "This is what you get when you outsource," he and his colleagues had to have known that Banksy couldn't help delivering something subversive. Banksy — who recently reached a wider audience with last summer's documentary "Exit Through the Gift Shop" — is known for making controversial statements with his work, which most frequently involves stenciling public buildings all over the world. (Indeed, the very medium in which he works is hotly debated, with some critics regarding it as vandalism.) Banksy even once infiltrated the Louvre to hang one of his paintings, which mimicked the "Mona Lisa" with a yellow smiley face in place of the original visage. (TheDailyWh.at blog also notes that this is not the first time Banksy has addressed "The Simpsons" in his work, recalling a mural he created in New Orleans in 2008.)

The opening also joins a long tradition of "Simpsons" producers mocking their corporate masters. There have been countless jokes over the years about the moral bankruptcy of Fox programming and the evil genius of Rupert Murdoch, founder of Fox parent company News Corp. However, this instance pushed the show's self-mockery to a new level: BBC News reports that, according to Banksy, "His storyboard led to delays, disputes over broadcast standards and a threatened walk out by the animation department."


Were the show's creators trying to draw attention to the unethical business practices an animated series must engage in to remain competitive? Are viewers meant to draw conclusions about our own complicity as we consumers indirectly fund companies that enslave people overseas? Or was the sequence merely a stunt calculated to bring attention — negative or not — on an aging, fading series?

Finally, if someone at Fox signed off on the gag, how "subversive" could it really be?


The rest of "MoneyBART" was nothing especially out of the ordinary — it involved Lisa managing Bart's Little League team with a rigid devotion to Sabremetrics — and bore no relation to its pessimistic credits sequence. You can see the full episode on Hulu, but the only part anyone will be talking about is below.

San Diego Comic-Con 2010 - Top 101 Costumes

 Day 11 of Our 31 Days of Halloween!!!

Sunday, October 10, 2010

The characters of Comic-Con

 Day 10 of Our 31 Days of Halloween!!!

Deadman Wonderland

[Source: Onemanga] Ganta Igarashi has been convicted of a crime that he hasn't committed, and sent to a new, privately owned and operated prison, where the inmates are the main attraction in a modern day twist to the gladiatorial coliseums of ancient times. Throw in a healthy dose of weird little girl, some new-found super powers, and a little conspiracy theory, and you have Deadman Wonderland.

Note: This anime has been delayed till April of 2011.  Too bad since the manga is awesome!

Comic-Con 2010 Show: Disney Tron Legacy

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Comic-Con bonus footage

 Day 9 of Our 31 Days of Halloween!!!

Sekirei ~Pure Engagement~OP HD (2nd season)


[Source: Wikipedia] In Tokyo in the year 2020, Minato Sahashi has failed the college entrance exam twice, is awkward around women, and he's unemployed. He could never stand up to his mother or little sister growing up, a trend that continues to this day. In reality, Minato is extremely intelligent, yet his inability to cope under pressure results in his constant failure and he has been branded an idiot and loser by many as a result. One day, Minato meets a girl named Musubi, who literally falls from the sky. Minato soon learns that she is one of the "Sekirei" and he is her "Ashikabi", a human with special genes that allows them to "wing" (form a contract with) a Sekirei. This binds the Sekirei to him and allows them to use their full power in the elimination battle with other Sekirei. Made up of cute girls, buxom women, and bishōnen, the Sekirei fight in a dangerous and sometimes deadly competition known as "The Game" or the "Sekirei Plan" organized by Hiroto Minaka, the chairman and founder of the mysterious and powerful MBI Corporation. Minato soon learns that being the partner of a beautiful girl is not all fun and games, especially when he discovers that an Ashikabi can have more than one Sekirei partner—and that's where the real trouble starts.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Comic Con '09: Behind the Mask

 Day 8 of Our 31 Days of Halloween!!!

Comic-Con 2009; Part 3 - Geeks Gone Wild

Anime Viewing Schedule for October 9, 2010

Noon - 12:50   Umineko no Naku Koro ni 21-22
[Source: Wikipedia] During her years at Saint Lucia Academy, Ange is distracted from her studies by Maria, Sakutaro, and the Sisters of Purgatory, and is humiliated by her classmates after failing a test. Ange lashes out against her magical friends for being helpless against the magical resistance of her classmates and denounces them as illusions, prompting Maria to expel her from Mariage Sorcière. Inside the world of her diary, Maria accidentally locks herself out of her house with Sakutaro while Rosa is away on vacation with her boyfriend instead of being at work as she told Maria. Upon returning and being confronted by child services, Rosa takes her anger out on Maria and destroys Sakutaro, who Beatrice is unable to resurrect as Rosa created his vessel and has denied his existence. Distraught, Maria demands to learn magic to kill her mother and avenge Sakutaro. In 1998, Ange finally comprehends what Maria tried to teach her about magic and apologizes to the Sisters of Purgatory and Sakutaro, who she is still able to summon, hoping to atone for what she did to Maria. Kinzo appears at the family conference and denounces his children as being unfit to succeed him as the head of the Ushiromiya family. Deciding that his grandchildren may be more suitable successors, Kinzo summons the Siesta Sisters to select the first six sacrifices for his ceremony to revive Beatrice (Natsuhi, Eva, Hideyoshi, Rudolf, Rosa, and Genji), while the survivors (Krauss, Kyrie, Shannon, Kanon, and Nanjo) are imprisoned in the dungeon of Kuwadorian by the demon Gaap. In the world of her diary, Maria has her revenge against Rosa for destroying Sakutaro by torturing her with Beatrice's assistance, and fully realizes her own potential as a witch. Gohda and Kumasawa, who had survived the slaughter and escaped capture, inform the cousins in the guesthouse about what happened when they receive a phone call from the hostages telling them to stay in the guesthouse until Kinzo makes preparations to test his grandchildren for the family headship.

12:50 - 1:15  Shiki 3
[Source: Wikipedia] Seishin works on a novel called "Shiki", which describes the undead. Natsuno goes to school and meets his best friend, Mutou Tohru, along with Ritsuko. He hitches a ride with them to Mizobe, where they later meet up with a fellow classmate, Masao Murasako, who intensely dislikes Natsuno. Masao has an estranged relationship with his family. Natsuno remembers how he did not want anything to do with the villagers since he moved here, until he met Tohru. Meanwhile, Toshio still cannot find a source to the anemia-afflicted victims. His childhood friend, Mikiyasu Yasumori, brings his wife Nao, who is worsening from anemia. Toshio questions Mikiyasu if his workers or clients have been behaving strangely, and Mikiyasu tells him that his family met the Kirishiki couple a few nights ago. Seishin meets Kirishiki Sunako, who claims to be a fan of his essays. She hints at knowing his attempted suicide in the past. Nao passes away the next day from her illness. Masao arrives at Tohru's house to announce her death and discovers Natsuno staying over. He almost gets into a fight with Natsuno before Tohru breaks them up. Tohru goes outside to get a soft drink and meets Tatsumi, who is the Kirishiki's steward. He ominously tells Tohru that he will be meeting him again very soon.

1:15 - 2:00    Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari 7
Kenshi Masaki is a 15 year old boy that unwillingly traveled from his homeland on Earth to the alternate world of Geminar. In Geminar, the countries usually wage wars against each other by using the Seikijin, humanoid weapons that were originally discovered within ancient ruins. After being deceived by a mysterious organization to participate in an attempt to assassinate Lashara Aasu XXVIII, the young princess of the Streya Empire, he ends up captured after he relucts to kill her when he had the chance. After Lashara and her servants figure about his situation, they decide to give him aid. Disguised as Lashara's servant, Kenshi moves with her to the Holy Land, a virtually impregnable fortress that serves as an academy to train Seikijin pilots selected from around the world. With his kindness, tenacity, and being gifted in a wide range of skills that vary from cooking and cleaning to advanced techniques of survival and combat, Kenshi eventually becomes a celebrity in the academy, becoming the object of affection of many female students and making some of the male students envious of him. However, the same organization who deceived Kenshi is secretly working behind the shadows inside the academy, and a widescale conflict which will engulf the entire world of Geminar is about to begin.
 
2:00 - 3:15    Angel Beats 11-13 (end)
[Source: Wikipedia] Hinata and Naoi argue about who should help Otonashi when a shadow monster suddenly attacks Naoi, but Otonashi and Hinata are able to destroy it in time. Yuri calls Kanade to a meeting to figure out if she is involved with the shadows, but the meeting is cut short when a group of shadows attack Noda, TK and Shiina. Yuri and the others jump in and everyone is safe, but Yuri notices during the battle that one of the NPCs transformed into a shadow. Fujimaki appears to relay that Takamatsu got devoured by one of the shadows as Ōyama helplessly looked on as Takamatsu was absorbed into the ground. Takamatsu later reappears, but is now an NPC whose soul has been eaten. Yuri calls an emergency meeting with all of the other SSS members, Yuri reveals she knew about Otonashi's plan of helping members pass on, and she tells everyone to think about passing on, lest they be eaten by the shadows. Yuri later reveals that Kanade is a human to Otonashi, Hinata and Naoi before going off by herself to discover the source of the shadows. Yuri deduces that someone must be turning NPCs into shadows and she heads to the computer room in the library, as it is the only viable place to do such an operation. She finds a man programming a computer who tells her someone keeps stealing computers and he was programming a new one. After the man leaves, Yuri searches for the method the thief used to take the computers and discovers a hidden passage that leads back into the Guild. As the girls of Girls Dead Monster and many other SSS members decide to pass on, Otonashi and the others continue to fight off the other shadows, which are increasing in number. Meanwhile, Yuri explores the Guild and comes up against many shadows. She gets ensnared by one and becomes an NPC, but she manages to fight it and returns thanks to Otonashi, Kanade, Hinata and Naoi, who have come to aid her. While they fend off the shadows, Yuri comes across a computer room where all the stolen computers are, and she meets a strange boy who talks about the programmer of the Angel Player software, which manipulates the world. The boy tempts her with the prospect of being God of the world herself, but Yuri declines for the sake of her friends and destroys all the computers. As she rests from destroying them all, she has a vision of being forgiven by her siblings before waking up in the infirmary where Otonashi, Kanade, Hinata and Naoi are waiting. Three days after the shadows incident, only Otonashi, Yuri, Kanade, Hinata and Naoi remain, the others having already passed on. Per Kanade's idea, they hold a graduation ceremony, where they thank each other for their support. After the ceremony ends, Naoi takes his leave. Yuri makes her peace with Kanade before she leaves, followed shortly by Hinata. With Otonashi and Kanade left, Otonashi suggests that they could stay together to help others who come into the afterlife world, revealing in the process that he is in love with her. Kanade is hesitant to respond, as her one regret was never saying thanks to Otonashi, whose heart kept her alive in the real world due to the donor card he left behind when he died. Kanade thanks him and disappears in his arms, as Otonashi cries over the disappearance of his newfound love. Otonashi passes on shortly after. In an epilogue, in the world of the living, a girl resembling Kanade is humming "My Song" when a boy resembling Otonashi happens to pass by and recognizes the melody. When the girl turns to walk away, the boy chases after her to tap on her shoulder. 

3:15 - 4:15    Club Meeting and Announcements
-  Anime News
-  Cosplayers

-  Convention Coverage

-  New Anime Releases

-  And other interesting stuff...
  
4:15 - 5:05    Highschool of the Dead 3-4
[Source: Wikipedia] The survivors are shocked to learn that the zombie pandemic has spread worldwide. After encountering another group of survivors, Takashi tests a theory on avoiding the zombies based on how they can only react to sound. However, when one of the survivors accidentally makes a sound, they have to fight through a horde on the way to the bus, losing some survivors in the process. When they spot another group of survivors approaching, Rei recognizes one of the teachers, Mr. Shido, and is hesitant about letting him on board. After breaking out of the school, Rei becomes defiant about Shido appointing himself as the leader and runs off the bus. As Takashi goes after her, a bus filled with zombies crashes and traps them in a tunnel, forcing them to meet up with the other survivors later. After defeating a biker zombie, Takashi and Rei find its motorbike and head towards the city. A recap of the past events are shown from Takashi's perspective. After the recap, Takashi and Rei continues moving through the city, until they encounter a police car. With the occupants dead, Rei searches the vehicle and gathers an Expandable baton, a revolver and some bullets. Later they start to run out of gas, and stop at a gas station. As Takashi goes to a cash register nearby to operate the gas pump, Rei is attacked by an insane survivor, who holds her hostage and sexually gropes her. Takashi quickly shoots him up-close and Rei breaks free and leaves the survivor to die in the hands of the incoming zombies. With their bike refueled, Takashi and Rei begin moving again. 

5:05 - 5:55    Occult Academy 2-3
[Source: Wikipedia] The story revolves around Maya, the daughter of the former Headmaster of a private Japanese academy dedicated to the study of the occult, and time traveling agent Fumiaki Uchida, a mysterious young man who travels back in time from 2012. In 1999, Maya returns to the Academy, both for her father's funeral and for her goal to destroy the Academy, as she hates everything occult. Occult Academy is apparently situated in Nagano, as the Matsushiro Underground Imperial Headquarters are shown to be nearby.[4] In episode 10 the acedemy was actually Maya's Christmas gift therefore giving her a reason of not destroying the school. Maya successfully assumes her father's place as the academy's headmistress. She later meets Fumiaki Uchida whom makes his appearance from the future. Having no luck in finding the Nostradamus Key, Bunmei meets Mikaze Nakagawa at the diner she works in. Meanwhile, people are mysteriously disappearing around the city.

5:10 - 6:00    Bakemonogatari 14-15 (end)
[Source: Wikipedia] After school Koyomi finds Nadeko and they talk about how Shinobu looked at her and Suruga with a different gaze than Koyomi and Oshino. Tsubasa appears and Nadeko leaves abruptly, Koyomi and Tsubasa talk about how Koyomi has become a bad influence to Hitagi in school. Tsubasa gets a headache and Koyomi flashbacks into what happened in Golden Week, Tsubasa turned into a white "cat-woman" and attacked people by absorbing their vitality. Oshino reveals the problem is because of a huge amount of stress built up over the years. Koyomi acts as bait to attract the cat and Shinobu bites her draining her energy until she turns back into Tsubasa. Hitagi and Koyomi are having lunch. She teases him and "asks" him to go on a date in a very roundabout fashion. He comes late but Hitagi doesn't seem to mind. While Hitagi's father drives them, Koyomi is teased, much to his discomfort and Hitagi's perverse amusement. She leaves him with her father and Koyomi is apprehensive initially. Her father tells him that he can't be there for her often and asks Koyomi to take care of her. Hitagi returns, blindfolding Koyomi and showing him an area where she has laid a blanket on the ground. They lay down and she tells him that the stars are all she has to give to him. She tells him that she loves him and Koyomi reciprocates. In the final exchange, she asks him to kiss her in the same manner she asked him out at the beginning of the episode.

6:45 - 7:10    Kuroshitsuji II (episode 2)
[Source: Wikipedia] Ciel Phantomhive makes remarks about the sound of water and the warmth of the sunlight, but feels uneasy about opening his eyes. After hearing Sebastian's voice, he opens them to find Elizabeth sitting across from him on a boat. Bard, Maylene, and Finny are nearby in a boat as well. They arrive at a newly built bridge, where Ciel makes an announcement concerning its opening. Ciel then runs into Elizabeth, who wishes to seek a rare white stag that lives in the forest. Ciel promptly refuses but eventually agrees once Elizabeth starts crying. In the meantime, Lau and Ranmao hold bets on whether or not they will find the stag. When a storm comes, Ciel wants to stop the search and promises to come back another day. He also says he can just hire people to find the stag for him, which upsets Elizabeth a great deal. She runs away, saying through her tears that Ciel doesn't understand her feelings. After a short while, Finny appears and informs Ciel that Elizabeth is in trouble. Ciel rushes over to find that Elizabeth is trapped on a boat in the fast river currents. Lau points out that the old dam is about to burst. Ciel orders Sebastian to stop the flood and vows to save Elizabeth by himself. Surprisingly, Sebastian breaks the dam upriver, causing a huge amount of water to rush in. The boat is flipped over but Ciel manages to grab hold of Elizabeth. Ciel wakes up in Sebastian's arms and Elizabeth hugs him, apologizing in tears. Ciel yells at Sebastian for not stopping the flood, which prompts Sebastian to say that he changed the shape of the river to prevent future floods. Elizabeth is still upset that they were unable to find the white stag, but Sebastian replies that the white stag is just over the hill. The group runs over to look and discover that the white stag is a hill figure. While Ciel and Elizabeth hold hands, Elizabeth explains that if they finds the white stag, their life will be filled with happiness.

7:10 - 8:00    Break Blade (Part 2)
[Source: Wikipedia] The series is centered around Rygart Arrow, an "un-sorcerer" born into a world of people who can use magic. These people can make quartz do many things, but Rygart is one of the few exceptions; he cannot use quartz, making many aspects of life difficult for him. Yet despite this, at Assam military school, he manages to become best friends with Hodr and Sigyn, the future King and Queen of the Krisna Kingdom and Zess, the younger brother of the Secretary of War of the Athens Commonwealth. Years later, Rygart is reunited with Hodr and Sigyn at the Capital city of Krisna where he learns the Athens Commonwealth has just declared war on Krisna. But it is at the capital that Rygart learns that his un-sorcerer ability allows him to pilot an ancient, effective, mecha that cannot be piloted by magic users. Rygart later learns that Zess is leading a mecha strike force to the capital which forces him to choose sides between his friends, Hodr or Zess.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Comic-Con 2009; Part 2 - Crazy costumes

 Day 7 of Our 31 Days of Halloween!!!

X-men Anime Opening


The 1st version of the alternate anime-style intros created for the Japanese broadcast of the early 90s X-Men cartoon.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Crazy Costumes At Comic-Con '09

 Day 6 of Our 31 Days of Halloween!!!

Best Anime Openings

We're making a list of the Best Anime Openings ever. And we start with Legend of Himiko Den

Monday, October 4, 2010

Comic Con 2009 Cosplayers Vol 3

 Day 4 of Our 31 Days of Halloween!!!

The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes

[Source: Wikipedia] As the world's most dangerous villains break out, six of Earth's mightiest heroes assemble a freedom fighting alliance called the Avengers. The Avengers line-up initially includes Ant-Man, Captain America, Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, and the Wasp. Black Panther and Hawkeye will join the main roster as the series progresses.  

Premieres October 20, 2010 on Disney XD. Expect to see 52 episodes for Season One.


The cast of the live-action Avengers movie appearing at San Diego Comic-Con 2010.
 

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Comic-Con 2009 Cosplayers Vol 2

 Day 3 of Our 31 Days of Halloween!!!

Halloween is coming!


Prepare yourselves for some frightening festivities as we shift to our Holiday Theme!

Gothicmade - Second Promotional Video


Mamoru Nagano (creator of Five Star Stories) is currently working on a new anime called Gothicmade, with studio Automatic Flowers. He will be working as the producer, director, chief writer, character and mechanical designer for the series.

Friday, October 1, 2010

31 Days of Halloween!!! 
We celebrate the Halloween Spirit each day throughout the month of October with  glorious pics and videos of Cosplayers in their awesome costumes. Enjoy!

 Day 1 of Our 31 Days of Halloween!!! 

Base Ball Bear - AMV for "You and I"


Japanese Rock Band Base Ball Bear's anime music video for their song "You and I"