Articles
Musings direct from our members
Anime Central 2025 – Across the Board
We’re a few days from Anime Central, Chicago’s biggest anime convention fondly known as ACen. So we asked AnimeChicago teammates what they were most excited to see and attend. Plan your weekend along with us so you don’t miss out on your favorite panels, events, and industry talks! Download Guidebook to draft your schedule. What’s…
2024 Annual Report: A Year of Connection
18 years later, and AnimeChicago not only keeps the lights on – we’re strengthening our social ties daily. Tough times call for resilient communities. Our focus is uniting Chicagoans through all things Japanese pop culture but we can aim higher than that. That’s why we stepped up against social isolation, connected people with kindness, and…
The Wind Rises
The Wind Rises review by Neil Clingerman Rating 10/10 (Masterpiece) “But he who knows the body, who knows life, also knows death. Except that’s not the whole thing — but merely a beginning, pedagogically speaking. You have to hold it up to the other half, to its opposite. Because our interest in death and illness…
Join our Meetup!
Facebook hasn’t been the most reliable communication channel. We still update it, but if you want the latest AnimeChicago has to offer, join our new Meetup Group! Receive every announcement RSVP for all of our events Chat with fellow members Help us plan future events And if you have feedback, let us know how we…
Announcing – Study Japanese with AnimeChicago
Interested in studying Japanese? AnimeChicago is currently organizing a study group for eight participants. We’ll kick off at Multilingual Chicago for a one-day intensive Bootcamp on Sunday, January 26th, 10am–5pm. This course supplies a curriculum packet covering basic grammar and language topics which we’ll use for on-going practice. Group members then study for five consecutive…
2013 Annual Report: Just the Beginning
It’s been 365 days since our 2012 annual report, and gee… way too much has happened since. AnimeChicago’s 7th anniversary was met with renewed enthusiasm by all of our members. Round Table discussions are going strong. A few board members have retired. New ones have joined the team. Quarterly board meetings have evolved into serious planning sessions and…
Website Upgrades
You may have noticed AnimeChicago.com slowly transforming week by week. After evaluating the needs of anime fans across Chicago, we’ve been chipping away at styling, functionality, and performance issues to bring you the best news experience for any device. The site is now fully responsive so check it out on your smartphone or tablet! These…
Demand Evangelion: 3.0!
ELEVEN ARTS recently announced a list of cities that will be screening the latest Eva film. Brace yourself… Chicago did not make the cut. How come? Because not enough fans have requested a screening. But there still might be time to make yourself heard! Demand an Eva 3.0 screening in Chicago now.
Origoh
AnimeChicago’s Interview series highlights local organization leaders, artists and personalities. We’re chatting Hiro Morita, CEO of Chicago-based company Origami Creative. Origami recently launched Origoh, an online community connecting Japanese creatives with art-collecting enthusiasts around the globe. AC: What is Origoh? What inspired you to start Origoh? Hiro: Origoh is a place on the web that gathers authentic…
Alleged pickpocket targets Chicago cosplay community
Word is some attendees at cosplay gatherings had some cash disappear on them recently. Local cosplay artist and photographer RamenCartel posted a notice about a potential pickpocket attending these events, using glomping tactics to swipe things. Cosplay meetups are relatively low-key and high-energy, so as always, be smart and keep an eye on your belongings.
Announcing – Our club officers!
Jamie here with a quick update on club business. Back in August, I proposed forming a team of Officers to push AnimeChicago to its furthest limits. Our board members supported this vision right away, and we’ve gained a lot of momentum these last two months thanks to the contributions of this team. So today I’d like to officially…
Update – Convention Organizers in Hot Water for Unauthorized Use of Domo-Kun Brand
Update at 8:40pm on July 27: The folks at AnimeCon.org (including Kopf) sent a notice to their email subscribers on the newly renamed convention, Con Alt Delete. No other changes to the convention itself have been announced. Update at 8:40pm on July 26: We just received word from Ryan Kopf. The convention is being renamed…
Meet Chicago Cosplay Photographers in this Awesome Interview Video
Videographer Hikikomorisama captured a summer cosplay outing at the Chicago Botanic Gardens and took the opportunity to highlight some of Chicago’s local photographers and videographers in action. Meet Viet, Soy Sauce, Keir, Kersten, Sen and Ruddy in this great interview video on YouTube!
AnimeChicago on Games.Anime.Stuff Podcast
Our friends at Games.Anime.Stuff. podcast invited AnimeChicago to chat about all types of animation and live-action goodness, from City Hunter to Rocko’s Modern Life. Listen to Episode 17: We Forgot to Name This Episode at the Games.Anime.Stuff. website and while you’re at it, check out their featured AnimeChicago Spotlight article to learn more!
Justin Yeh
AnimeChicago’s Interview series highlights local organization leaders, artists and personalities. We’re chatting with Justin Yeh, president of the Northwestern University Anime Club during the 2012–2013 school year. AC: When was Northwestern Anime Club founded and how has the membership grown?JY: It was founded in 2008, so about a year before I got enrolled to Northwestern. The…
AnimeChicago on Chicago Nerd Social Club Podcast!
Local organization Chicago Nerd Social Club invited AnimeChicago to share our knowledge and entice the anime-curious on their monthly podcast. Check out Episode 7: A Slice of Anime at ChicagoNerds.com for the full interview. Subscribe to the CNSC podcast via iTunes for more insight into the nerdier side of Chicago. A big thanks to Jeff Smith for the invitation and moderation!