As the somewhat polar opposite to what’s on the surface, here I’m looking at depth and what captivated me from start to finish. You don’t need amazing visuals to tell a good story, so it’s about the original material (if any) and the screenwriter’s adaptation of it here. Good cliffhangers that keep you on the edge of your seat week after week suggest the series is doing something right, whereas filler-esque showings don’t.
When it comes to a gripping story, three series immediately came to mind — Anohana, Madoka Magica, and Steins;Gate. After skimming some episodes of each, I had to go with Madoka Magica for its deconstruction of the magical girl genre and heavily character-driven progression where the heroines plummeted more and more into despair. It happened late in the series, but the story shares similarities with Steins;Gate’s hellish time traveling too — all in a mere 12 episodes. I loved how Urobuchi Gen’s dark tale cast a constant shadow of doubt on where things were headed and then completely twisted my understanding of everything that’s happened so far. It didn’t shy away from character deaths either. For those reasons, it edges ahead of Steins;Gate. Okada Mari’s touching story isn’t too far behind.
Plot Twist
I’m looking for a sudden unexpected turn of events in the story that caught me off guard and delivered sheer shock value. It’s that “WTF” moment that has people talking about it for the next few days, regardless of whether or not anyone found it agreeable. Below are the plot twists I have in mind.
This plot twist is largely the reason why Madoka Magica’s story was so good. After everyone was left wondering if Madoka would ever become a magical girl, we finally got our answer in the most unexpected way — she’s already been one numerous times and met her tragic end every time. What’s worse, Homura’s been reliving the same hell over and over again to try and save her best friend from such an ill-gotten fate. That revelation reshaped my very understanding of their “first” encounter and everything that’s happened since. It was so series-defining that I had to take a step back and looking at the bigger picture just to take in all the implications. Once it sunk in, I was dying to know if Madoka would make a wish and if it would pave a way to a brighter future.
