What arc should i try next?

[Dawnstorm]

Hanako - Rin - Lilly - Shizune - Emi

For the first one, I just did things according to my interest. Hanako was the natural fit. Then I really wanted to do the Rin route. For the rest, I just went with a random decision (except for Emi, who at the time was the only choice left ).

Pretty happy with the order. I should not have done Shizune right after Lilly; they're my two least favourite routes - Lilly because it's too much of an idyll, and Shizune's just seemed too long at that point. I probably would have enjoyed her route more, if I'd done it earlier. (I doubt it'd have become a favourite either way, though.)

Emi's route was a good finisher.

[jmeks23]

emi--->lilly--->manly picnic (on purpose)---> Hanako---->Shizune----> Rin

Quite liked the order I did them in, went in blind and then went for the girl I wanted most

That's pretty crazy because that is EXACTLY the way I did it, including the manly picnic on purpose after Lilly

[Arcfault]

Emi -> Hanako -> Lilly -> Rin -> Shizune

Like most of the people posting, I went blind and got Emi. I always wished that Hisao could continue exercising while seeing one of the other girls. I understand why he can't from a storyline perspective however.

Emi's really got to me and reminded me of a girl I dated in high-school. The only difference between them was the girl I dated had both her legs and wasn't on the track team. Otherwise she was very "colorful" with her vocabulary, aggressive when it came to romance and was only 4' 2" to me being 5' 10".

I really liked Hanako, but her timidity (which I'm sure would open up in time), would feel too awkward with me. Still she is the complete package like Lilly, I just have far more in common with Lilly.

My favorite has been Lilly's though without a doubt. I can't count how many times I've reread her story.

[Total Destruction]

I think it was something like Manly Picnic, Shizune, Hanako, Emi, Rin, Lilly.

Making decisions based upon what I would actually do in Hisao's shoes is not the right way to play this game. It will either kill you or horribly disappoint everything you have sex with, hahah.

Getting Lilly's good end last messed me up, because having a heart attack and almost dying got me the 100% complete "Thanks for playing!" image in the gallery, lawl.

[Logan812]

Hanako > Lilly > Shizune > Rin > Emi > Manly Picnic

Got Hanako's route first (and good ending) by making choices that I would choose over the ones given, not necessarily what I would've done in real life though.

[ziamatt]

Emi->Hanako->Shizune
And I got half way into Lily's route before having to wipe my computer due to a virus. So I'm starting from scratch.

[RecoiL]

I finished Emi's arc a few days ago, with all endings and conversations. It inspired me to pull out of the muddy apathy I've been stuck in and take on life head on once again... It did however manage to keep me up late at night and kept my mind on it when I had other things to worry about. So right now I've layed of the KS at least untill my school finals are over, it's just too distracting. (Sound familliar?)

More to the point, my life is pretty emotionally boring, so in a few weeks when I get back to KS once again, and I want to get the most out of the experiance. I want to go through the rest of the game in the way that compliments the feelings and thoughts the most. I want to be absolutely heartbroken, sympathetic, in love, happy, sad, confused, you name it...

I won't ask you which arcs are better, since I see you can't come to a consensus. What I am asking is in what order, and with what time intervals should I do this, and why...

I was thinking of something like leaving a couple of days for thought between different endings of any given arc (going from bad to good), and a week or two between arcs to clear my head... I would like to finish with that distinct feeling of happyness I got when I got Emi's good ending. If I play my cards right maybe it will even be better. Don't know which stories and endings evoke different feelings, don't know which are written better, don't know the lenght of them... I'm guessing the appearance of old romances in following stories could also factor, or the way feelings from different endings mix...

So here you have it guys, help me out? Maybe this won't be an easy question, but maybe someday I can return the favour...

PS, Ain't gonna view spoiler text, so if anything including spoilers needs to be communicated between you, please black it out.

EDIT: I finished the novel at 100% a long time ago, and I took my time, taking a few days between arcs. Emi>Rin>Hanako>Shizune>Lilly was my way. Keep posting if you have anything interesting to post, I'm also still reading the replies out of curiosity.
RecoiL out.

[gRaViJa]

Personally, i think Emi -> Hanako -> Rin -> Lilly -> Shizune is good. That way the paths that intertwine are spread out a bit and you end with Shizune, which is a bit less emotional imo (but not less good). I think a week between each path is good.

PS: Emi ftw.

[RecoiL]

Thanks, but wouldn't you prefer to have Shizune somewhere in the beginning, and end with something more emotional ?

[gRaViJa]

Nah, when everything is over you'll probably feel void, if you end with a very emotional path, that feeling get's worse (having the feels is one thing, but you should not exaggerate lol)

[ShadeHaven]

Emi->Hanako->Shizune
And I got half way into Lily's route before having to wipe my computer due to a virus. So I'm starting from scratch.

[acewing905]

Best way is to NOT read any order recommendations or any walkthroughs and choose the options you want and go through it on your own.

[RecoiL]

Yeah that crossed my mind too, and here I am - not reading walkthoughs, dismissing any and all spoilers, just trying to figure out how to have the best time... though when I come to think of it, when the time comes I'll probably just go throught it at my own pace and with my own volution as a guide.
Still I think it'd be nice to have some vague idea of what to avoid doing at least, if nothing else...

[WorldlyWiseman]

Personally, i think Emi -> Hanako -> Rin -> Lilly -> Shizune is good. That way the paths that intertwine are spread out a bit and you end with Shizune, which is a bit less emotional imo (but not less good). I think a week between each path is good.

I heartily endorse this playthrough order, even if I might swap Rin and Lilly for personal reasons. Emi and Hanako aren't terribly complicated and serve to ease you into KS's emotional expectations ('these are people here, you are not an hero'), and those themes come to a head with Rin and Lilly (the futility of complete understanding in Rin's case, and the issue of dependency in Lilly's). Shizune carries less baggage while still referring to the previous themes and makes for a good conclusion to the experience.

For an epilogue, go play Katawa Crash in the Fan Creation forum.

[Evenstar]

Yeah that crossed my mind too, and here I am - not reading walkthoughs, dismissing any and all spoilers, just trying to figure out how to have the best time... though when I come to think of it, when the time comes I'll probably just go throught it at my own pace and with my own volution as a guide.
Still I think it'd be nice to have some vague idea of what to avoid doing at least, if nothing else...

I've done exactly the same thing, avoiding walkthroughs, forum comments, flow charts, etc. I just followed my heart as the paths presented themselves to me. During Act 1, it's pretty easy to see the path that leads to one of the five lasses. BTW, if you reject them all, you get the 'Kenji' ending with no Act 2 possible.

Once you get into Act 2, it's a matter of being open and honest with your choice of partners, supporting them as needed and backing off at times. I've also found that taking advice from the various adults is also a good idea, especially Yuuko & Tomou (the Art Teacher is a negative example).

Act 3 has enough some really hard choices with a few that can keep you from having an Act 4! Telling the truth, taking time to keep her company, and supporting her choices are the best path for good endings.

This is what I did and i managed to get all five good endings. It was an emotional roller-coaster (especially with Rin) but it's well worth doing. The writers did a great job of capturing the nuances of romance along with a story that rings very true. In the end, I wasn't playing a game as much as reading a novel, hoping that I would make the right choices to keep my girl happy. The good endings are very satisfying and the bad endings will break your heart.