It’s the first week of major exams, so it’s time once again for the obligatory movie night.  Unfortunately, Jack never got the memo that the movies shown should actually be good and/or entertaining.  Instead, we have whatever he dredged from the bottom of a couple abandoned forum threads.  On the plus side, this showing also begins this semester’s repeater anime (you might recognize it from our website banner): Black Rock Shooter.  Settle in, this review is as painful as it is long.

So there I am, sitting in the front row at Anime Club, expecting the same obnoxious drivel that I’ve had to endure for the past…ever.  The lights dim, the projector runs, and indeed, it’s the same obnoxious drivel, or so it seems…

Suddenly, a freak accident occurs, and I am left with a horrifying realization: the best anime in the past 3 years are all as equally lame as the other crap out there, except for one key difference.  These “superior” anime have a twist that turns conventions on their head.  In fact, every one of the shows in front of me has a plot twist that threatens to make them actually bearable.  Am I to bear witness to what may become the greatest night in the history of CSMAC?  Doubtful, but you may be surprised by reading this week’s review.

The world feels rather unique in the dead of winter.  Everything is quiet, colors are muted, and the cold forces everything to grind to a halt.  However, when the sun emerges, bright white light reflects off of every surface, and colors become vivid and reveal everything’s true nature.  The same can be said for much of the anime in Winter 2012, which is either forcibly muted or blindingly noticeable.  Bring some snowshoes and some sunglasses, preferably too dark to see the anime through.

Submitted for your approval: A reviewer of anime is lost in the desolate netherscape of Winter 2012.  Amidst the droning plots and uninspired voice acting, he spots an anomaly.  It is revealed to be a discrepancy in space and time where shows are interesting, budgets are obscured, and humor is relatively intelligent.  He also finds a weird mirror and some sort of ghostly story of impostors.  Dare you venture further, there’s a sign post up ahead (watch out or you’ll hit it).  Your next stop: the Twilight Review.

The Fall 2011 season was the oasis in the desert of awful anime which comprised Summer 2011.  Then, like all good things, the season drew to a close.  That’s when the dark times began, an era with easily some of the worst shows in recent memory.  These series seem specifically designed to mock the intelligence of the modern anime viewer, and it makes your heart grow cold.  Down your warming beverage of choice, because a shit storm is fast approaching.

We’re finally talking about the last anime of Fall 2012.  Like most final gasps, some utterances are rambling nonsense, while others are filled with wisdom.  Yet still other final words are cryptic clues, offering hints of secrets and discovery, something to solve.  Join me now as I pull back the curtain on this week’s mysterious mysteries!

For the first showing of his term, CSMAC President Jack put his best foot forward, displaying some of the best anime from Fall 2011.  Unfortunately, he forgot that his second step was going to be used to jump over a treacherous chasm, so his efforts were all for naught.  Hang on for dear life as I explore just what lies at the bottom of the abyss.

It’s a new semester at CSM, which means new courses, new instructors, and new problems.  On the flip side, it also means a new CSMAC president showing new anime in a new room.  Find out if Jack has put his best foot forward (as opposed to in his mouth) in this newest review…NEW!!!!

It’s a strange time of year.  The halcyon holidays have just passed, the Colorado weather is unseasonable beautiful, and the cares of the previous year seem to be but a fleeting bad dream.  Alas, the quest for knowledge and a higher pay grade beckon us back to scenic Golden for the Spring 2012 semester, and I’ll bet you’re pretty bummed.  However, what greater way to feel comparatively better about your current situation than to relive the worst anime showings of Fall 2011?  Actually, the only other alternatives are a bit more life-threatening.  Join me now as I haunt your memories and kill some time before Jack makes us hate him more than we do Gene.  Curl up next to the fire, lest you have to throw yourself into it.  It’s going to be one very long review.

The year of 2011 has been nothing if not controversial in the world of anime.  The law banning “unsafe” sexual images in Tokyo, the massive tsunami that halted all production of anime for at least 2 weeks, and the extreme disparity between high and low-quality anime has affected the anime community in very profound ways.  Today, I’ll be reviewing what your friendly CSMAC Senior Staff considers the best anime of the Fall season.  Now, that might mean different things to different people, considering that the best anime of this spring was Madoka Magica, and the best animes from this summer were Usagi Drop and No. 6 (remember that disparity I told you about?).  That said, grab a snack (seriously, you’ll be sorry if you don’t) and the enjoy the “best” that Japan has to offer you for Fall.