Plots that escalated quickly

[gritch]

The first thing that come to mind when I think of escalating plots would be the anime Gurren Lagann.

Spoiler

Throughout the entire series the drill motif is heavily present. Everything (and I do mean everything) is better with a drill on it. Need to power up? Just grow a bigger drill! Even the plot revolves around this motif. The scale of the plot starts out small, just some dudes trying to get out of their small hometown. But slowly as each episode progresses the scale begins to grow. First it getting out of the town, then it's protecting your new friends, then it's freeing all of humanity from a tyrant, etc... With each passing episode the scale grows faster and faster until by the end you have giant mechs throwing entire galaxies at each other. One could even say the plot sort of "spirals" out of control.

 

[Vegosiux]

Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

Doesn't fool around and hits you in the face with the sewage pipe rupturing next to a fan as early as episode 2, when you still think you're just in exposition.

Oh, and it gets worse.

 

[MiskWisk]

so I just watched episode 14 and well...



So many feels to be had... So many...[/QUOTE]

See! It's amazing! There's a crushing disappointment in episode 15 and you will feel uncomfortable around Kirito's sister (not spoiling anything) later in the series but apart from that it's great![/quote]

I saw the OP mention it and thought, "huh, nice concept, but doesn't sound like something I'd like"
On Thursday I watched one episode.
On Friday I was already waiting for episode 24.

I have too much free time and it is a brilliant anime :)

 

[Innegativeion]

The first thing that come to mind when I think of escalating plots would be the anime Gurren Lagann.

Spoiler

Throughout the entire series the drill motif is heavily present. Everything (and I do mean everything) is better with a drill on it. Need to power up? Just grow a bigger drill! Even the plot revolves around this motif. The scale of the plot starts out small, just some dudes trying to get out of their small hometown. But slowly as each episode progresses the scale begins to grow. First it getting out of the town, then it's protecting your new friends, then it's freeing all of humanity from a tyrant, etc... With each passing episode the scale grows faster and faster until by the end you have giant mechs throwing entire galaxies at each other. One could even say the plot sort of "spirals" out of control.

Ninja'd

Yeah, the stakes for this show grow exponentially

Spoiler

-Escape your mundane existence

-Fight off attacking giant robots

-Defeat the local giant robot general

-Overthrow the giant robot tyrannical regime

-Defend the planet from giant space robots from the moon

-Free your girlfriend from planet-sized space robot-spirits of stagnancy

-Fight to destroy the universe's ultimate enemy, freeing existence from evolution suppression

 

[Silk_Sk]

Arsenic and Old Lace. Full stop. The first few minutes are rather flat but then, BOOM. Massive plot escalation straight up to the end. I highly recommend this morbid comedy.

 

[Icehearted]

I immediately thought of a movie from 1991 for some reason. Been ages since I saw it, almost nobody's ever heard of it, but I remember thinking things got tense fast (also 90s, so like, rad!). It's called Run, stars Patrick Dempsey. Good luck finding it anywhere.

 

[Dark Knifer]

It may not seem like it, but being dead for two years and then living in a prison paradise for another good part of a year, it was a bit jarring to finally see those damn Reapers show their faces.

I thought it would have been a bit more jarring to be the main character then die before the in game title screen. Or to go to a planet and suddenly synthetic robots are impailling people with giant teeth thingys, turning them into zombies and a giant spaceship flew by and the colonies about to explode.

I thought you'd be used to it :/

 

[Tiger Sora]

You wana know a game that escalates quickly. Mercenaries 2. You get dropped in, kill some shit, blow some stuff up. Get shot in the ass and seek revenge. Blow more stuff up and attack the Presidential Palace. All fairly quickly.

 

[unindexedsearchengine]

I'd say mass effect. It goes from shackedown-run to some ponce screwing a human colony all the way to giant robot cuttlefish apocalypse inside of one mission.

 

[Twilight_guy]

Every In medias res story... ever. Wait, I think that's cheating...

I can name lots of shows that star off with a bang, but most follow up with a slower first act after that first shock. Some poorly paced movies go to big to quick and i guess count, but I can't name one right away. Maybe the last Harry Potter movie. Its compensating for a horrifically slow first part and six other movies though.

 

[Shocksplicer]

Homeland. Not so much in Season 1, but definitely with Season 2.
The plot makes giant leaps from episode to episode, way more than you'd expect, so the whole thing is awesomely unpredictable.

 

[Dark Knifer]

It may not seem like it, but being dead for two years and then living in a prison paradise for another good part of a year, it was a bit jarring to finally see those damn Reapers show their faces.

I thought it would have been a bit more jarring to be the main character then die before the in game title screen. Or to go to a planet and suddenly synthetic robots are impailling people with giant teeth thingys, turning them into zombies and a giant spaceship flew by and the colonies about to explode.

I thought you'd be used to it :/

Well I can't really be jarred over the fact of me being killed after dying, and really, I've seen some shit in my day, I thought it would be just the usual pirate raid until Nihilus was killed.

You saw Nihilus die on eden prime? Didn't he die on the ravager above the skies of telos in KOTOR 2?