I just finished all the paths in KS, so I want to give some thoughts about the game itself.
It's probably going to be tl;dr for most of you, but I thought: If the authors took so much time to make this game, they at least deserve to receive some in-depth personal experiences and feelings invoked by the game.
This was the first visual novel I ever played, and I came across the game completely by accident. I was listening to Voltaire's song "Cathouse Tragedy" on YouTube when I saw a top-comment "This is Katawa Shoujo's theme song". I was curious so I googled it and finally installed the game. Now, the song itself really has *nothing* to do with the game, and it's IMHO even very rude and in bad taste to connect the two, (because the song's about a brothel with strange sick girls who have various diseases and disabilities). However, it helped me to discover the hame and I found the basic story of the game interesting, and started reading.
Lacking any experience, I actually didn't know what a visual novel was, and I thought that the game is simply a story with nice pictures but I liked it. When I saw the first in-game choice, I realized I could choose my own story. However, I still managed to get manly picnic'd in the first run
After that I realized I could choose between 5 paths. I wanted to go for Hanako, but I ended up on Emi's path (I "went for it" on the track run). What a story. I really connected with Emi and it's probably the path that caused most of the *feels*. Was it because it was my first path in the game, I don't know. Emi's character is so well-written and it actually reminded me of a girl I knew. Perhaps that's why I connected with her so well. Whoever wrote Emi's path - thank you for this experience. The fact that Emi's so energetic and caring for Hisao makes you really get to love her, and when she said "So are you going to kiss me", it really struck me.
After that, I think the story got even better because it portrayed the new problems that emerged - relationship problems. Now it was not just about getting the girl, it was about keeping the girl and improving the newly created relationship. The game even portrayed how you can get tired of someone when you see them every single day, all the time. And when Emi started to neglect me, I really felt it. Her struggles were really well written and I could feel the tension in the relationship. The conversation with her mother was the peak. I initially got her good ending, which was believable and satisfying. But after that, I wanted to check what happens if I choose the "other" option. Then the bad ending struck me. It was awful. To this day it was the most heart-breaking ending in KS. It wasn't really tragic, such as Rin's neutral ending for instance, but the feel of not seeing this girl on the morning run anymore, not keeping up with the routine, not talking to such an extrovert person was just terrifying. And the final scene (the break-up) was just that, the final blow. Seeing Emi, who cared about Hisao so much and talked to him all the time, being so cold to him now... There was nothing to be done. Even Hisao knew it. This ending was even more believable than the good one, because it just shows how Emi's character is. Sure, Hisao said some dumb stuff when he confronted her in her home, but I somehow knew this was bound to happen. So I still feel this was the "real" Emi ending. After finished Emi's route, I couldn't sleep the whole night. I was even crying. Crying because of a video game, for a fictional character!
Tomorrow I read her good ending again to try to cheer myself up but the bad one was still stuck in my head.Next one was Hanako. This is definitely one of the stronger stories in the game as well, because although I liked Emi so much, I got to appreciate Hanako too. Hanako's slow change of character and her opening up to Hisao was the main reason for the *feels* in this route. The pool scene was probably the peak of her route (when she smiled and said "I'm here for you too"). That was probably the sweetest line in whole KS. Hanako, sweet, fragile and insecure as she is, was a totally different experience than Emi, for instance. In Emi's route, Hisao (and myself) felt like an introvert who constantly needed to be guided (by Emi) and shown the path. With Hanako, I needed to be the one to take the initiative. The cutest scene with Hanako (after the pool scene) has to be the one when she holds her birthday presents, truly happy. I shed a tear in that scene. Now would be a great time to mention the music, which IMO played a huge part in this game. The music is nothing short of brilliant, and without it KS wouldn't have such an emotional impact. Everything was right - the sad scenes music, the cheerful ones, even the silent scenes. Everything was put correctly and had a great impact on my experience.
While I thought Emi's sex scenes were fitting to her character (even the anal scene was fitting because you could feel the awkwardness just as the characters themselves), I thought that Hanako's sex scenes were just off. It surely wasn't believable and I thought it wasn't fitting to Hanako's character. I know it should represent that she was ready to see Hisao as an equal, as a boyfriend instead of a protector, but it felt almost like rape to me. I'd surely like it better without sex there. As for her endings, all of her endings were really well-done, especially the good ending, which was my favorite. Although I didn't really feel that the relationship with Hisao and Hanako was a strong one, and that it could snap any moment, the ending was a fitting end to the story. And the bad/neutral endings made a lot of sense too.
Third one was Rin. Ah... Rin. This route frustrated me so much, but still - gave me so many feels. Rin's crazy and closed nature was hard to swallow at first but it made me really appreciate those rare signs of affection - like when she hugs Hisao by surprise, or when she starts crying all of a sudden. Or when she starts talking like mad, filling the whole screen with text (definitely one of the funniest but also most touching scenes in the game). The scene when Hisao puts her to sleep and she opens one eye was one of the cutest moments in the game. Of course, the "I don't know what is wrong with me" scene was the one that hit me the most. Again, more manly tears were shed. Or maybe they weren't so manly after all. However, I really could understand Hisao when he started to yell at Rin because that was exactly what I'd do. In the final acts Rin put me to so much torture that I was so mad at this point (especially when she said "Wait 15 more minutes", when I went berserk). Great, just great writing. The author made Rin someone you love, but also someone you love to hate.
Her neutral ending was probably the most tragic ending of the game, and I consider it her real, most believable ending. This ending showed Rin as she was. Although her good ending was really cheerful and optimistic, I can't look at Rin this way - in my opinion, she is definitely not a person who can ever have a healthy relationship. No matter what. That's why I couldn't really *feel* her good ending, because I don't think anyone could put up with a person like this. Yes, it's possible to be happy with her for a short period of time, but that's it. It's not something that could last, at least in my opinion. And the sex scenes with Rin were probably the most awkward scenes in the whole game. I couldn't help but feel that Hisao was using her. At some times I even thought of him as a sex maniac, given how strange and passive Rin is. Maybe I felt over-protective, I don't know.
Next was Shizune. Now this might sound weird, but Shizune is probably my favorite girl out of them all, but I feel her path was the worst, because of poor writing. Shizune had a great amount of screen time in Act 1, and had a great set up. Her character, her confidence, her disability, her history, her best friend... everything about this girl was appealing. It felt great "breaking her ice" (although Hisao never got really close to her as he did with other girls) and making her a girlfriend. It was so satisfying to watch this girl go with her life as no other. She was the ultimate bad-ass of the game, yet so fragile when it comes to simple things such as her relationship with her best and only friend, Misha. However, Shizune's story quickly went downhill. First, her father had great potential as a bad-ass masculine father who cares only about himself, but his lines were not believable at all. He seemed to just say random things and it didn't feel fitting to the story at all. It was like a forced comic relief. Also, I thought Hisao was strangely rude to Shizune's brother. But the worst part was definitely the end. Good ending was not actually good at all, because you realize that not only that you aren't in a real relationship with Shizune (she doesn't even respond to Hisao's "I love you"), but everything will be over soon, as school finished. Yes, Hisao says "We will definitely meet again", but that's not very certain after all. The only feeling of closure is the fact that Hisao decided what to do with his life. As for his relationship with Shizune, I tend to think of it just as something that took place in school, and something that will end after they graduate.
And her bad ending was just wrong - I felt as if it was rushed in a way. Hisao cheats her with her best friend and that's never addressed later? That wasn't right. But it somehow led to her bad ending where she distanced from everyone, not even knowing about the horrible sin her boyfriend and best friend committed. Why did she do that then? The ending would actually be believable if she elaborated her thinking with some more detail, and without Hisao acting like a total jerk and leaving the scene "with a strange smile". Her last picture (with the bear Hisao won for her on the festival) was so depressing and could've been the most emotional bad ending in the game, if it wasn't so rushed. Its a pity, because I really think Shizune's character had by far the most potential of them all, and that's why I was so disappointed in the end. Oh, and adding some more choices wouldn't hurt, because the only real decision you made in Shizune's path is whether to comfort Misha or not. So much potential...
However, as a character, I still adore Shizune.And in the end... Lily. I can't say I had much of the feels by now. I don't know why - maybe it's because I was drained out with all the other girls' paths or because you don't really need to protect Lily for the most of the game (because she is mostly a mother figure to pretty much everyone she befriends in KS). I liked this route mostly because it probably shows what it's like to be with a "perfect" girlfriend. Before the final act, that is. I'm still not really sure how Hisao's decision of whether to talk about the letter or not makes him go chase Lilly on the airport. I can't see the connection between those two events. I got Lily's neutral ending first because I thought talking about the letter would make her jelaous. Then I talked about the letter and I thought she would change her mind about leaving when she realizes how it's like to lose a person.
But she still left, and Hisao went running for her like a loser begging for her love. It's really not how I think relationships should be. Maybe I'm just being bitter, because I did a similar thing with my ex-girlfriend a year ago. I went all the way from one country to another to chase her and regain her love. And I did. Yet, she never really changed and we broke up, which left me with even bigger wounds. Yes, Hisao and Lily got together in the end, but I can't avoid thinking that she stayed with him out of pity. After all, he had like 3 minor or major heart attacks and it's not certain whether he'll live long with such a dangerous, yet motherly-disguised and insecure girl like Lily. After so many beautiful moments, she decided to leave Hisao, leave Hanako, leave everything she built just to become a teacher in a foreign country, where she doesn't even have good relationships with her family. If she could achieve all that in Japan (if I remember correctly, I she had the same work opportunity in Japan, without having to travel), then why abandon everything? Also, I can't see that being Hisao's fault (although he kept apologizing for "not being there for her" when she needed him), because - although he was a jerk in some of the routes, he (IMO) didn't do many real mistakes with Lily. So, again - her neutral ending was the most believable one for me.
I guess I really went on with this topic, but I felt I had to share my feelings about this game with you, the fans. If you'd like to discuss some of these thoughts, I'd be glad to do so. In the end, thanks to the creators of Katawa Shoujo for letting me experience all this, I am really grateful for that. Also, thanks for introducing me to the VN genre, as I'll surely be checking for more of these games. If you have some recommendations, I'd greatly appreciate them.
