On the subject of Episodic V.S. Plot, I have to say I really don't have a preference for either and can enjoy each of them just the same, depending on how they're used.
I enjoy episodic shows to get to know a cast of characters and their daily lives. An example of this would be GaoGaiGar. For the first twenty or so episodes, it's the same formula. Daily life of talking robots, a monster attacks, Guy takes it down.
The plot in that story, advances in mere increments. Sometimes a new robot will be added to the cast, a secret about the villains will be revealed, slowly building up to a giant climax (and GaoGaiGar is EXCELLENT with its climaxes) before leading into the next episodic story, where the formula repeats until the end of the show.
While story-wise, the climaxes there may be rather simple and straightforward (evil guy gets powerful, Guy fights back), they're effective in which I was able to develop a connection with the cast after watching them for all those episodes. So much so that when shit got real, I felt really invested as I had grown to like all those characters.
For a show that has a plot that constantly going forward, it has to move at a consistent pace. Where Flip Flappers failed, it tried to be a mixture of both episodic and plot in a matter of 13 episodes, which just doesn't work.
Madoka Magica wouldn't be nearly as good a story as it was if it spent 4 episodes of its running time in "Witch of the Week" mode and rushed in everything about Sayaka, Kyouko, and Homura all at once in the last few episodes.
But back to the point, one style of storytelling in this case is not better over the other. It all depends on how it's used, and what choices the director and writer makes.
