I came back to Katawa Shoujo yesterday and marathoned Emi's path.  It was kind of refreshing!  Of the four I've played so far, Emi's was the most [straightforward "ordinary boy-girl high school romance."  Hisao grappled with his feelings for just the right length of time, teenage awkwardness was present without being unbearable, and Emi's issues were serious and frustrating without being disqualifying.  Some of the writing was really beautiful, particularly as Hisao was trying to negotiate the line between "treating Emi as someone who needs his help" and "wanting to help Emi even though he knows she can help herself."  I liked how Iwanako's letter was used differently in Emi's arc than in the others, and I also loved interacting with Rin without having to sustain a relationship with her.  ]

I wasn't expecting to like Emi's path so much, but there's something to be said for setting the bar low and then clearing it with room to spare, which I think is what this one does.  The only path left for me is Lilly's, so it's time to boot it up again! 

I like Rin more in Emi's arc than in her own. Her best scene (the best scene?) is in there too.

"I need to use your window."

I'd guess that Yamaku accepts people with mental illness in the same way it accepts people without disabilities. It's designed for those with special physical circumstances, but it's also a very welcoming place. I don't remember for certain if this is stated in the game, but I'm under the impression that Hanako is there because she felt she'd be more comfortable rather than through any special benefits for her condition.

I'm not sure that Rin would have been able to move into the atelier if she was specifically at Yamaku for therapy, though.

And now I'm done with Lilly's story.  That was different!  And I think it was probably the best story to end on.  [This was the only arc where I felt like Hisao was at least as important to the plot as the girl he was dating.  The focus is usually so much on the women and their problems.  But Lilly's story was really Hisao's story.  It was about his coming to terms with his condition, building himself a future, and learning how to love a person more maturely.  Lilly is a foil for Hisao, not the other way around -- which is maybe fitting, given her personality!  The love story, such as it was, was a bit trite, but I ended up feeling really satisfied, like after playing through this game five times I finally know who the protagonist is.  It's a nice way to exit Katawa Shoujo.]

I think the Best Protagonist award goes to Lilly's plot, Best Character goes to Rin's, Best Use of Disability goes to Shizune's, Best Execution goes to Hanako's, and Most Believable goes to Emi's.  All in all it's a remarkably solid game.  I even loved the score, something I haven't talked about at all yet.  Somehow hearing the same compositions over and over never got old.  I tapped right along with Daylight every time, and got chills whenever I heard Shadow of the Truth.  I can't decide whether the biggest award of all, Best Arc, should go to Rin or Shizune.  Rin's arc is by far more ambitious; its writer is clearly very talented and really shot for the stars.  But Shizune's arc, the next most ambitious, did a better job clearing the bar it set for itself and delivering on the promise of the character.  If I had to say which one is a better crafted story, I would say Shizune's.  But if I had to say which one moved me more, I would say Rin's without hesitation.  So I'll leave it there.

satyreyes wrote:

And now I'm done with Lilly's story.  That was different!  And I think it was probably the best story to end on.

Lilly's was the last story I went through as well, and I agree. It bookends very nicely and has more of a complete ending. [It also had a gripping climax, it was great to root for Hisao and not know for sure how his last ditch effort would turn out.]

The weird thing for me is that Rin's arc is probably my least favourite, but Rin herself is far and away my favourite character.

I fell in with Emi's story pretty quickly, and so far I'm loving the game as a whole. To be honest, I'd been griping over which girl to pick, but then I realized as I filled in my choices, that I was already subconsciously "picking". I was not a smart story player, and didn't save when I had choices to make. Oops. But that's OK, it seems the game is pretty forgiving about that, and I do plan to play every girl's story eventually, because I like them all.

I actually disliked Rin the most at first, I found her brashness to be off putting. She is growing on me though, and I get to see lots of her in Emi's story. To be honest, I think that she would make the most sense to be with for sure, given her interests.

One thing I really like about this game is that you have grounds to be with each girl. Nothing feels forced about the relationships.

satyreyes wrote:

Syora wrote:

One thing I really like about this game is that you have grounds to be with each girl. Nothing feels forced about the relationships.

Mmm hmm!  You fall into each girl's story pretty naturally.  The right options to choose a given girl might not always be totally obvious, especially the first time around, but by the time the festival comes around you're never surprised by who you end up spending the day with.  And most of the relationships develop after that in pretty organic ways.

OH MY F*C-

... For the festival day, I'm hanging on the roof with Kenji. DUDE. I cocked up my second play through. I'm like track team captain.

I am just as depressed as Hisao about this turn of events.

15 minutes later

WOW. Did anyone else get the REALLY bad ending?

Sorry I'm laughing so hard right now. I was busy getting save states for every branch point and didn't really think about what I picked. It's SO funny.

Edit2: Can you not pursue Misha?

Last edited by Syora (07-24-2012 01:19:15 PM)

Is it just me, or is the method to reach Rin's route rather unintuitive?

I'd expected it to be somehow tied into Emi's route(which I got on my first playthrough), but I actually found it by accident. I was trying to get onto Lilly's at the time.

I like the aspects you all have brought with your playthroughs. I have a slightly different perspective, but just thought I'd reply.



When I first went through, just making choices with no real thought, I got Kenji route / bad end, which made me half-sad that I got the result, but happy to have it out of the way.

After that, I managed into Shizune's route, which was, I felt, pretty good. The artist and the writer really worked well with each other, describing things that were actually there COUGH LILLY COUGH . I think I enjoyed hers the most. Not so much her dad, her brother was okay, and Misha was tolerable.

Lilly followed, and I'm not certain that I totally appreciated her. Not being clear or honest with people for the sake of "dignity" is down-right retarded, in my opinion. She had wants, she had needs, but decided to reject her own life for the approval of her family. Granted, she stayed, but only because Hisao has an attack in the airport. I also wish the artist and writer worked better together, especially in the hospital scene. There were no wires! Why say there are things there that aren't!?

Hanako was alright. I appreciated her more than Lilly, though I caught myself shouting at Hisao for myself knowing and understanding things about her that he had yet to realize.

Emi's route was pretty good. No real gripes, though maybe a bit raunchy for my tastes. Pleasant, story was solid, from what I remember. I also remember the many fitness threads and images she spawned after this game's conception, which I thought was a good thing for the stay-at-home-computer-lovin' peeps out there.

Rin, unfortunately, I thought to be the weakest (though it was supposed to be the strongest, for the creator). I think a lot of things that could have been good died for the sake of comedy or angst. I didn't enjoy playing through the labyrinth that was this route, either, just to get dem schweet imaegs.

For me, ranks went: Shizune>Emi>Hanako>Lilly>Rin

Glad to know I wasn't the only person to play it

My favorite of all ended up being Shizune, even though she was the one I liked the least at the beginning. The first time around I got Emi, who was cute... I think my least favorite path was Rin's, I dunno, I felt a bit bored with it. I like Rin herself, some of her lines made me laugh out loud, but her story felt it was about to do something but didn't?