Anime Showcase: Made by 2026 ACen Guests, Tue, Apr 28, 2026, 7:00 PM | Meetup Not sure which events to attend at Anime Central 2026? Let us convince you to see some wonderful guests… with examples! We’re running some well-made shows made by creatives

Not sure what to do at ACen this year?

There’s a lot of great guests and our next Anime Showcase will feature their work!

📅 Tuesday, April 28 7pm
www.meetup.com/animechicago...

Tax forms can be harder to explain than some anime plots.

Anime Sampler: Spring 2026, Sat, Apr 18, 2026, 12:00 PM | Meetup Join us for our Meetup members-only watch-party! We curate the new season’s best first episodes, introduce the title and studio, and discuss live how we like it. You leave

Which anime is going to be your spring fling?

Find out at our upcoming Anime Sampler!

📅 Saturday April 18 Noon
www.meetup.com/animechicago...

At least the Jackson Park cherry blossoms are actually coming out, unlike the next Madoka movie.

Anime Discussion: Frieren Beyond Journey's End Season 2, Thu, Apr 16, 2026, 7:00 PM | Meetup **★★★ [SETUP DISCORD](https://animechicago.com/discord) & [WATCH](https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/GG5H5XQX4/frieren-beyond-journeys-end) BEFORE EVENT ★★★** • Anime Circ

You know you want to talk about Frieren Season 2. We do too!

It’s our next Anime Discussion!

📆 Thursday, April 16 7pm
www.meetup.com/animechicago...

The April Fools we all deserve.

Ita Bag Workshop – The Joy (and Pain) of Blinging Out!, Sat, Mar 21, 2026, 3:00 PM | Meetup 3:00pm Doors / 3:10pm Presentation & Activity / 4:30pm Wrap **Join us at Movement on Montrose for our first ever Ita Bag Workshop!** *Meetup+ not required.* Design and bu

Those pin bags don’t make themselves!

Learn the craft of the Ita Bag with us!

📍Movement on Montrose
📅 This Saturday 3pm
www.eventbrite.com/e/1984517557...

AC Members: www.meetup.com/animechicago...

Yeah close enough!

Got that creative itch and need some time to scratch it? Join our weekly Art Lounge!
Chill with some friendly creatives every Wednesday night at 7!

NERV has also announced that it has tentative plans to move its headquarters to Hammond, Indiana.

Ita Bag Workshop – The Joy (and Pain) of Blinging Out!, Sat, Mar 21, 2026, 3:00 PM | Meetup 3:00pm Doors / 3:10pm Presentation & Activity / 4:30pm Wrap **Join us at Movement on Montrose for our first ever Ita Bag Workshop!** Design and build an “Ita Bag” with us

Design and build your own Ita Bag with our workshop!

Space is limited, and each participant will receive a small project to work on. RSVP now for this hands-on activity!

📍Movement on Montrose
📅 Saturday, March 21 3pm
www.meetup.com/animechicago...

Anime Discussion: My Hero Academia (Final Season), Thu, Mar 19, 2026, 7:00 PM | Meetup **★★★ [SETUP DISCORD](https://animechicago.com/discord) & [WATCH](https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/G6NQ5DWZ6/my-hero-academia?srsltid=AfmBOorvezAW0uAm9KYrUySoDCZ5jdSeotPo

Eager to talk about the final season of My Hero Academia?

So are we! It’s the topic of our next Anime Discussion.

📅 Thursday, March 19 7pm
www.meetup.com/animechicago...

Oh? You're approaching me? 🌸 👀

Anime Showcase: Metropolis (2001), Tue, Feb 24, 2026, 7:00 PM | Meetup *Metropolis* is a 2001 big budget Anime film loosely based off a manga from "God of Manga" Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy), directed by Rintaro (Galaxy Express 999) and written by

New Anime Showcase alert!

Join us next week for 2001’s Metropolis!

📅 Tuesday, February 24 7pm
www.meetup.com/animechicago...

Someday, we’ll get a glamor shot of a paczki in an anime.

Melanated and Animated – Blacks and Asians in Anime and Manga, Thu, Feb 12, 2026, 6:30 PM | Meetup 6:30 Doors / 6:45 Talk, Panel, Q&A / 8:15pm Social Join us at Restoried Bookshop for **Melanated and Animated** — a panel discussion on exploring the ways in which Black a

Melanated and Animated is tonight!

Don’t miss out on our panel about Black and Asian cultural dialogue through manga, anime, and fiction.

📍Restoried Bookshop
📅 Tonigh 6:30pm
www.meetup.com/animechicago...

With Valentine’s Day coming up, we asked what is anime’s greatest love story?

Is it Goku and fighting? Join the convo on our Discord!

discord.com/channels/574...

Anime Discussion: Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26, Thu, Feb 19, 2026, 7:00 PM | Meetup **★★★ [SETUP DISCORD](https://animechicago.com/discord) & [WATCH](https://www.primevideo.com/detail/Tatsuki-Fujimoto-17-26/0RD4PL7UJ9UOSGAMJOA8VB9INJ) BEFORE EVENT ★★★** •

Love *Chainsaw Man*?

Let’s discuss the lovingly animated adaptations of the creator’s wild one-shots!

📅 Thursday, February 19 7pm
www.meetup.com/animechicago...

Melanated and Animated – Blacks and Asians in Anime and Manga, Thu, Feb 12, 2026, 6:30 PM | Meetup 6:30 Doors / 6:45 Talk, Panel, Q&A / 8:15pm Social Join us at Restoried Bookshop for **Melanated and Animated** — a panel discussion on exploring the ways in which Black a

Join us for Melanated and Animated: A Black and Asian cultural dialogue through manga, anime, and fiction.

We’ll tackle the characters, collaborations, cross-cultural connections that underpin the stories & communities we love.

📍Restoried Bookshop
📅 Thu Feb 12 6:30pm
www.meetup.com/animechicago...

Brr! Stay warm out there! Chicago’s temperatures are dropping harder than One Punch Man S3’s score.

Manga Discussion: Osamu Tezuka's Tomorrow the Birds, Sun, Feb 8, 2026, 2:00 PM | Meetup *This is only 1 volume* *Tomorrow the Birds* also known as *Birdman Anthology* or 「鳥人大系」is a science fiction gekiga series from "God of Manga" Osamu Tezuka 「手塚修虫」which com

Soar on over to Goblin Market on February 8th to squawk about Osamu Tezuka’s Tomorrow the Birds for our next Manga Discussion!

📍 Goblin Market
📅 Sunday February 8th 2pm
🔗 www.meetup.com/animechicago...

Frieren’s palm with CTA tokens, Fern’s palm holding out a Ventura card.

Frieren, the CTA hasn’t accepted tokens for over a quarter century.

Anime Discussion: Sanda, Thu, Jan 15, 2026, 7:00 PM | Meetup **★★★ [SETUP DISCORD](https://animechicago.com/discord) & [WATCH](https://www.primevideo.com/detail/SANDA/0OTYB5HOFEGL63J0E2NDCL4UCM) BEFORE EVENT ★★★** • Anime Circle is

You don’t have to wait almost a full year for Christmas!
For our next Anime Discussion, we’re talking about Sanda!

📆 This Thursday, January 15 7pm
<https://www.meetup.com/animechicago/events/312529531/>

What was the best anime you watched in 2025? Join the conversation on Discord!
discord.com/channels/574...

Anime Sampler: Winter 2026, Sat, Jan 17, 2026, 12:00 PM | Meetup Join us for our Meetup members-only watch-party! We curate the new season’s best first episodes, introduce the title and studio, and discuss live how we like it. You leave

New anime keep dropping like snow. ❄
Come separate the fluff from the slush with our Winter 2026 Anime Sampler!

📆 Saturday, January 17 Noon
www.meetup.com/animechicago...

Local Businesses for Merch, Goods, Snacks, and More! – AnimeChicago

Looking to do some last-minute holiday shopping, here’s some suggestions!

animechicago.com/articles/loc...

Anime Discussion: The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity, Thu, Dec 18, 2025, 7:00 PM | Meetup **★★★ [SETUP DISCORD](https://animechicago.com/discord) & [WATCH](https://www.netflix.com/title/82024665) BEFORE EVENT ★★★** • Anime Circle is a book club for anime, so wa

A few more days to enjoy The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity before we talk all about it for our last Anime Discussion of the year!

📅 This Thursday 7pm
www.meetup.com/animechicago...

Chicago once tried to clear snowy roads by giving Tachikomas shovels, but they got into a snowball fight instead.

📷 flic.kr/p/oYHDkp

Holiday Party and Gift Exchange @ K&K Wrigley!, Wed, Dec 17, 2025, 6:00 PM | Meetup 6pm Doors / 7pm Gift Exchange / 8:40pm Last Call Our Holiday Party moved to a larger venue—thanks to Konbini & Kanpai Wrigleyville for supporting AnimeChicago! * 21+ only

Get that present ready! 🎁

We’re a little over a week away from our Holiday Party and Gift Exchange!

📍 Konbini & Kanpai Wrigleyville
📆 Wednesday, December 17 6pm
www.meetup.com/animechicago...

Manga Discussion: Kowloon Generic Romance (1st 4 Volumes), Sun, Dec 14, 2025, 2:00 PM | Meetup *Note: We'll be just reading the 1st 4 volumes of this work in English.* *Kowloon Generic Romance 「*九龍ジェネリックロマンス」is an ongoign seinen slice of life / science fiction / mys

Our December Manga Discussion covers the sci-fi mystery of Kowloon Generic Romance!

📍 Goblin Market
📆 Sunday, December 14 2pm
www.meetup.com/animechicago...