Out of everyone I know, I seem to be the only one who actively considers the Solstices.  The Summer and Winter Solstices, which occur between 20th and 22nd of June and December, respectively, mark the official start of those seasons (regardless of what your vacation calendar would have you believe).  Thanks to the elliptical orbit of the earth, they are also the days on which the Earth receives the most and least sunlight.  They are literally the high and low points of the year.

As such, the Winter Solstice marks a time for reflection: reflection of one’s goals and on one’s actions (like those times you played Kantai Collection during meetings, when you secretly enjoyed watching Ore Twintail ni Narimasu, that one Toonami-related Sporkle quiz you failed, CONFESS!!!).  But it’s also a time for celebration, and today, we recall the Top 5 Most Memorable Anime of 2014.  Why only the Top 5?  Because the annals of time (as well as your ADD-riddled mind) will only remember the shows and experiences that most deeply touched you in any given year, and on this given year, there are exactly 5 shows that made the cut.

No, we’re not going to marathon Pretty Cure: All Stars, the Eureka 7 movie, and M.D. Geist (although if you were going to kill yourself, I can think of no more effective way).  Instead, we’re celebrating having survived the Mayan Apocalypse with the 5 greatest anime of 2012.  Why only 5?  Because writing a Top 10 for 2012 would only distinguish the decent anime from the rest of the dirt.  This list forces us to think about which anime will still rattle in our brains after 2012, when a new wave of anime and video games further degrades our ADD-riddled minds.  So, for now, set aside your thoughts of impending doom, and settle in for a defense of this year’s most memorable series.

There’s a reason video gamers never use Easy Mode.  It’s because it’s boring.  There’s so much more hardship and complexity left to be explored, and it would be otherwise wasted if only the easy paths were taken.  The same can be said about life in general.  Too often do the conveniences of the modern world lull people into tacitly following the course of least resistance, and too often is that course laden with mediocrity.  Today, I’ll explore some anime that celebrate those who break from the norm and forge their own path in pursuit of adventure.

Welcome once again (you poor, doomed masses) to yet another exciting year of study at the Colorado School of Mines.  Major construction to the final building on campus is nearly complete, which means increased parking (Coming Soon: severely reduced parking).  Furthermore, your friendly CSM Anime Club (CSMAC) has returned to the luxurious HH202 lecture/theater hall.  Even your humble president “Boku wa” Jack Kelly has returned with 1 “successful” semester of leadership under his non-existent belt.  While much about this coming semester is known, there is far more which is not.  Will you survive Mines’ latest onslaught against your sanity?  Will there be any decent anime from Spring and Summer 2012?  Will Jack learn to group shows by an actual theme?  Find the answer to these questions and so many others in this week’s review.

We’ve arrived at the final stretch for Spring semester.  Of course, CSM is never one to give a moment’s rest amongst the various reports, projects and final papers, so many courses are offered their last major exams before Finals.  CSMAC feels your pain, so get ready for an evening of pizza, soda, and mediocre anime.  Unless, of course, you weren’t there, in which case you get to be treated to only reviews of mediocre anime, and that’s just as good.  On to the review!

Every once upon an Age, a story comes along that is timeless.  Its content, lessons, and characters transcend time and location to reach the hearts and minds of generations of people.  But then there is the ever-present possibility of degradation, when the message telegraphed so long ago becomes little more than a cosmic game of Telephone, and the joy once experienced in previous incarnations is forever lost to those in the far future.  These are the Never-Ending Anime.

Yeah, it’s that most dreaded time of year once again.  You know the kind.  It’s the type of showing that actually makes you slightly ashamed of being an anime fan.  Yet while this evening is usually devoted to the garbage water that exists beneath the bottom of the barrel, this year’s Blacklist Night is by far the tamest in at least 5 years.  Then again, we’ve already shown Aquarion Evol, Symphogear, and Kill Me Baby, so it’s mathematically impossible to do worse (way to program by theme, Jack!).  That said, the evening is instead filled with fan service, enough that the club no longer provides tissues (a lot of people had allergies this spring).  Read on to find out why so many of our members died during the drinking game.

For whatever reason, it seems like young teenage girls can rarely live a normal life.  Whether it’s due to invaders from another dimension, invaders from space, or even other angsty teens, girls can’t just be girls.  As such, the only way they are permitted to earn that simple freedom is to fight using some giant robot or another (or fight to the death in a parallel universe).  Either way, there is usually a malevolent mechanized force at work, and only those with strictly X chromosomes can stop it.  Read on for more mechanical mayhem.

You know, in this day and age of epic stories and trashy harems, sometimes it’s easy to forget about the regular people.  These are the average Joe’s that have no special stories, but they are still entertaining enough to deserve our respect.  This review is for you, the everyman, and your daily life.

With so much injustice in the world of anime, the time has come to act.  Strike at the heart of lame shows and stand for truth, justice, peace and love, friendship, piracy, and underage women.  Grab your collectible action figures, decoder rings, and plastic utility belts.  All together now!  Tenshin TIIIIGHTS!  Tenshin GLŌŌŌŌVES!  Tenshin MA-AHH-AHCCHchhchchc…….