The Landfill of the Heapers' Hangout (contains Fossilmaiden's Punnery)
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'intersex' does not imply that a form of sexual reproduction where both testes and ovaries are present in both participants is the norm, as 'hermaphrodite' does when referring to non-human animals in a biological context
Boss #1: Takao
Boss #2: Haruna & Kirishima
Boss #3: Maya
Boss #4: I-400 & I-402
Boss #5: Kongou
Arpeggio is one example.
Neon Genesis Evangelion is another.
Madoka Magica is not an example.
In the case of Evangelion, you can feel the intensity rising, especially in the latter half of the show. It almost doesn't matter where the Angels come from, or what Gendo is up to. You don't need to think about these things in order to feel that intensity.
In Madoka Magica, you can't, and it's just more like going through a log of the events. There is a lot to think about, but it is not motivated by feeling and emotion.
That is a failing of Madoka Magica.
That is why it is a better story than Madoka Magica.
The music isn't necessarily all of it, though, since FF:TSW had a mostly ambient soundtrack. That said, to be fair, it also did contribute to a sense of grandeur.
Madoka Magica, on the other hand, had about as much grandeur as a stiffly-written academic treatise on the themes of Shakespeare's plays. It is intellectually interesting, but fails to be emotionally engaging for much of it, excepting some particularly noteworthy revelations that are moving and emotionally engaging in and of themselves.
suck it, Urobuchi fans
The only reason I can come up with, after thinking about it a few times, is that the setting details aren't that fleshed out, and the movie begins in medias res.
In fact, there are many, many examples of narratives that don't provide all the details and leave various details unexplained, and are better for it. They thrive off of the mystery of those unexplained elements.
There is definitely an emotional satisfaction derived from a story challenging the audience's sense of "control" of their understanding of the world as presented to them.
For example, a Catholic priest recently explained to me that part of a proper relationship with God is appreciating the wonder the wondrous mysteries that God is associated with -- that we will never understand God fully but that sense of wonder is a part of the faith.
In some cases, that greater force is a mysterious enemy. In some cases, that greater force is a close ally. In a few cases, that greater force turns out to be oneself.
If you had the force to right wrongs, to fight back, to even the playing field, to investigate wrongdoing, to correct injustices, ...what would you do?
However, those details that it does tell us are not disconnected -- they have what is much like a poetic meaning.
For example, you don't need to be told exactly why Éclair was in prison at some point in time to understand why she was imprisoned and to make sense of what she says.
Mega Man ZX may have had a lot of "fodder" in the middle part of the game, but it is the fodder that made the beginning and end so very meaningful. Again, meaningful narrative progression.
Similarly, almost every boss is a challenge for Yunica, and progressively more and more so. The last two bosses before the final boss are probably the most dramatic and climactic examples. It's not even necessarily to completely sort out the story -- all that is really needed is to really feel first-hand the intense suffering of her struggling against these antagonistic forces.
In fact, it may be said that that having a struggle just makes victory that much more satisfying.
(It literally has a track called "Wonder of the Wonder", lol.)
Ys Origin does too.
So does CvSotN, despite CvSotN lacking as good of a narrative experience progression (in part thanks to the relatively freeform -- and possibly unfinished -- second half).
MMZX on the other hand doesn't have a sense of wonder as much as it has some other emotions.
It doesn't generate emotions like this. It generates amusement, I guess.
But it generates no realizations. It generates no desires, no feelings of vengeance or anger, no feelings of sympathy or comfort, no feelings of triumph or bliss, no feelings of loss or defeat.
Well okay it's occasionally used to generate feelings of comfort. I guess. Kinda. But that's about it.
Thus a lot of time some amount of "fodder" is needed, so to speak. The term's implication that said "fodder" is unimportant and inconsequential is actually an incorrect implication -- it is precisely this "fodder" that allows one to familiarize oneself with the premises of the setting and the personalities and lives of the characters. In order for emotional dynamics to occur, change has to happen, or be suggested and denied. In order for change to be measurable, an initial state must first be determined.
There is no rule stating that fodder must only be so much or so long. As long as that fodder contributes to a good narrative experience, it has served its purpose.
Remember that we as humans don't understand the value of something until we have lost it (or contemplate losing it).
You have your own views on media but it is not necessarily superior. Nor is mine.
In light of this, it is really not much of surprise that I find religious-like spiritual inspiration from my favorite stories.
Well, they're stories, that -- when taken seriously -- can touch people's hearts.
Same thing.
I admit, a lot of these themes / emotional stuff I usually gloss over. Especially in games where I focus far more on gameplay.
Which is why I'll maintain GBA FFV as the superior version. What's wrong with having an RPG be goofy? I'd rather something not be afraid to have fun with itself than take itself seriously to a fault. It's simply my preference. That builds a personal relationship with me.
I've hypothesized that it's because I tend to appreciate stories more for how they relate to me and the world around me rather than for the distance I can put between me and others who are unlike me.
Beyond that, I don't really know why. Maybe it's because I didn't watch that many "craaaazy" kids' cartoons as a child, and/or I learned music / played games / watched TV / etc. with more direct/straightforward and often dramatic narratives. Or somehow I learned to enjoy frankness and directness more than sarcasm or exaggeration. Or for whatever reason I'm more of an idealist than the internet is on average.