Almost done playing the game, current thoughts

[Kaneusta]

I downloaded this game like 2 years ago because of a friend's recommendation and in all honesty but never got around to it because at that time the intro felt too long and boring. After getting extremely sick (Nothing bad like Hisao though), I thought it be fun to get back into this game because I can't go hang out with my friends and felt left out.

After getting into the game, I was loving it and before I knew it, I've completed 4 paths within the last 4 days. I've spent majority of my day playing this game and can't believe and hooked in I got. I've played Lilly, Emi, Hanako, and Shizune/Misha so far and going to do Rin when I get home the day after tomorrow.

Lilly is an amazing character who I fell in love with when I first met her, and her path itself was an amazing ride. I originally didn't intend to go into Lilly's path but siding with Lilly in her and Shizune argument got it for me I guess. Everything about her arc was amazing and I love how it's portrayed. It came to the point where (Act 4 Spoilers)in the last arc, when Lilly goes to return to Scotland and Hisao chases after her I cried when he fell and woke up in the hospital. So far, even though it's a little muddled because I've played three other paths already, Lilly is my favorite character and path to take.

Emi was the second character I decided to play because after the (Lilly's act spoilers)constant heart attacks in Lilly's path I decided to take Emi cause, Track and Field. Hers was more of a emotional rollercoster throughout the entire shindig. I got the good ending first thankfully and felt so bad at the last scene. But the bad ending stuck with me moreso than the good one because (Ending Spoilers)How "okay" she seemed when breaking up as if nothing happened. Though, out of them all Emi was my least favorite one so far.

Hanako was the third, and the reason was literally "Fuck, I want to see Lilly again" so I chose her. I increasingly became more and more interested with her, and really liked her good and neutral ending. By the end of it, I stopped comparing her and lilly to themselves in Lilly's arc. I'm okay with moe type of characters, but Hanako takes it to the extreme- which is why I was really glad for the ending. (Ending Spoilers)In both the good/bad ending, on how she spoke up and talked about her problem with feeling as if people only see her as broken, even in the current school.

Shizune/Misha I've come to realize was a big controversy character that I chose to play, but was hesitant at first. I actually been on these boards the first day after Lilly's arc because I wanted to read about everyone's favorite character. (And skipping over spoilers) I agree it was a little lack luster with choices and it's more like telling a story, but I enjoyed it just as much anyhow. It was a good story, especially with arc 3/4. People were complaining a lot about how this was the worst path, but I enjoyed it more than Hanako's and Emi's route. It wasn't the most romantic path and I did wish some things were a little different with the affection, but not much. (Act 3/4 spoilers) I much rather prefer helping Shizune and Misha with their friendship than seeing more h scenes with Shizune, but wished for a little more scenes with the couple flirting The ending was satisfying and very Shizune like.

So far by ratings in my opinions is this,
Lilly: 9.5/10
Emi: 7.5/10
Hanako: 8/10
Shizune/Misha: 8.5/10

I haven't tried Rin yet because just from impression in the first act/her appearances in all the other stories- I'm kind of put off by her, but I heard she has one of the best stories out there.

All in all, this was the first type of these kind of games I've played- but I'm glad it was this game because of how amazing/memorable it is.
It wasn't merely the main girls either, Kenji/Mutou/Yuuko/Akira were all amazing side characters that really helped the game. I realize this post is really long, but I really wanted to show my appreciation to the staff who made this amazing game.

My question for people reading this, is which was your most favorite/least favorite path to take?

[AaronIsCrunchy]

Welcome to the forums
In all honesty, Emi's was my favourite route, most likely because hers was my first and also thats she remind me in part of my fiance (then girlfriend), who was living about 150 miles away at the time. However, all of the routes are about as highly rated for me for different reasons; Lilly's as I like soppy romance sometimes, Rin's due to appreciating her complex nature, Hanako's because I think the back story and how that affected her was very well written, and Shizune because I think hers has the most layers to it - which lurking on these here forums helped me appreciate greatly.

Don't be put off by Rin, go for it! Just don't get the neutral ending. Don't do it.

[Kaneusta]

Welcome to the forums
In all honesty, Emi's was my favourite route, most likely because hers was my first and also thats she remind me in part of my fiance (then girlfriend), who was living about 150 miles away at the time. However, all of the routes are about as highly rated for me for different reasons; Lilly's as I like soppy romance sometimes, Rin's due to appreciating her complex nature, Hanako's because I think the back story and how that affected her was very well written, and Shizune because I think hers has the most layers to it - which lurking on these here forums helped me appreciate greatly.

Don't be put off by Rin, go for it! Just don't get the neutral ending. Don't do it.

Thank you!
I guess first impression are a big factors to people favorites and all I think I dislike Emi as much as I did was because how easy going the heart thing was with Hisao, I personally have heart problem as well and it was a little annoying seeing how he was fine and dandy out of nowhere by exercising. With being distracted with that, I didn't fully go into Emi's character until the end.

I'm actually about to start Rin's, but all of that curiosity sparking inside of me from you saying that is forcing me to check it out.

[Black Knight]

I liked Emi the best because she inspired Hisao to stop being a little bitch, work out and get ripped. Well, not really the last one--he has all the muscle tone of a halfway recovered concentration camp victim in every scene--but at least he's proactive about his own health and hopefully somewhere down the line he'll discover what a barbell is. Contrast this with his attitude in some of the other paths, where he either ignores his heart condition completely, ostrich style, or essentially resigns himself to an early death in a cataclysmically wimpy fashion. At best he'll desultorily walk to town at a brisk pace while telling himself that he's doing the best he can and needs to take it easy, but fuck that, nobody ever became awesome by taking it easy. What he manages to achieve in terms of physical fitness in Emi's path is proof enough that he babies himself way too much in the others.

I can also sympathize with Emi's ethos of strength and independence. Her desire to stand on her own, to be able to love but never need, is certainly something I can understand and admire. Don't remember the wording verbatim, but the line in one of her good endings about the two knights that support each other (as opposed to the stereotypical white knight supporting the damsel) was a thing of beauty.

As to your question about people's least favorite path...my least favorite was Rin's. Personally I get really ticked off by people who dither around and don't just say what they mean, and the fact that Rin is alexithymic or autistic or something that makes her not even know what she means half the time, much less be able to verbalize it, was a source of neverending, apoplexy-inducing frustration for me.

I haven't tried Rin yet because just from impression in the first act/her appearances in all the other stories- I'm kind of put off by her, but I heard she has one of the best stories out there.

Honestly, if you didn't like Rin based on the glimpses you see of her in the other routes, I can't see you enjoying her path all that much. It's just more of the same, dialed up to 11. Truly Rin at her Riniest.

[Notguest]

Honestly, if you didn't like Rin based on the glimpses you see of her in the other routes, I can't see you enjoying her path all that much. It's just more of the same, dialed up to 11. Truly Rin at her Riniest.

It's funny you should say that, because I thought that Rin's path really wasn't like her other appearances, and not in an appealing way. In Act 1 and other paths, Rin's oddity is mostly played for comedy, but in her own path it's much darker. It seems like a deconstruction of the Cloudcukoolander and the path is likely to make you just as frustrated as Hisao.

[SpunkySix]

(Ending Spoilers)How "okay" she seemed when breaking up as if nothing happened. Though, out of them all Emi was my least favorite one so far.

Emi: 7.5/10

Nothing wrong with personal taste, but:

1. You may want to reread that ending... Emi may havebrick walled, but she was far, far from 'okay' with what happened.

2. Your personal taste is objectively wrong

[Kaneusta]

Don't know how to reply to multiple people.
I haven't had time to start Rin route yet so I still don't know what to think about it but I am going to try it out.

And I understood that Emi was far from okay with it, but acting straight face was what I have trouble with. Emi was a great route but just liked it the least.

[Black Knight]

It's funny you should say that, because I thought that Rin's path really wasn't like her other appearances, and not in an appealing way. In Act 1 and other paths, Rin's oddity is mostly played for comedy, but in her own path it's much darker. It seems like a deconstruction of the Cloudcukoolander and the path is likely to make you just as frustrated as Hisao.

I see what you mean and I agree. I actually liked Rin from what I saw of her in the other paths; she came off as quirky and wise. When I sat down to play her route though, I realized she was just insane. She's arguably not even the same character, so stark is the difference.

A lot of thought obviously went into her path and it's great to analyze for twisty conversations about the meaning of meaning, but personally I just didn't click with her.

[SpunkySix]

I'd hesitate to call Rin insane, too. She's confused and she doesn't speak conventionally and she has a lot of problems, but the vast majority of the time there's she's at least grounded in reality and she usually has something interesting to say if you're patient enough to figure it out.

[CoffeeDrive]

I sensed someone insulting Rin.

[AaronIsCrunchy]

Insane is not the word I would use. At all. Out of all the girls, Rin may be the one I feel most sorry for (in a way) as she recognises that the way she words things and her thought processes are peculiar, but she can't seem to make those processes and words into something which can be easily understood. The fact she can't adequately project herself through spoken words would put her on a plane with Shizune, but whereas Shizune is animated to get the point across and has Misha to translate for her, Rin doesn't have that to fall back on - hence, everyone just thinks she's weird for the sake of being weird, which in many instances alienates her.

Kaneusta prolly shouldn't read this if he/she hasn't gone through Rin's route yet: and don't even get me fucking started on Nomiya.