Changing Perceptions [Spoilers]

[CindehQ]

So how has your perception of the characters changed as you continued through a certain path?

When I first played KS (Act 1 only), I didn't like Shizune very much. Her personality was just so completely different from mine that her insistence on dragging Hisao everywhere just came off as pushy and meddling. For the record, I was a junior in high school at the time and a rather distant, easy-going person (read:slacker). After getting 100% completion with KS in 2009, I refused to replay any paths because that would've just made me even more impatient for the full release.

Now having completed her path, she feels like an entirely different character. What came off as overly-intrusive three years ago, now is passion and playfulness. There were still times when I found her pushy and a bit inconsiderate, as was the intention, but atleast now I can see she's a good-hearted person who simply expresses it differently then I would, rather then the manipulative harpy I thought she was. It's also nice to see she's much more childish then her class rep appearance suggests and seeing her become more openly playful throughout the story.

Of course, I realize a lot of it's probably because I've changed over the years and it's interesting to see how age and maturity can change perception so much. Being a college student, I realize having a classmate who makes an effort to reach out to you is not to be taken for granted.

Anyways, newfound respect aside, Shizune's path is the only ones I've completed so far and it turned out to be a lot more ordinary then I expected. Somehow I expected someone as stubborn as Shizune to stir up drama and intense emotions, but surprisingly it was Misha that got the biggest rise out of me. Even the bad end was simply "oh well this is a gloomy note to end on". Honestly, I like Shizune, but her path felt more like a really strong friendship with some sex scenes added in then a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, but it could just be that I have an overly romantic perception of what constitutes a relationship. Still, the big conflict of the path was between Shizune and Misha, with you trying your best to mend things. It just gives off a three amigos feel, not that that's bad (quite enjoyable actually). I just found it ironic, since Shizune's Act 1 ending seemed the most romantic to me.

[Rubytyr]

I actually felt it was a love not needing to be shown - something they both already knew; and with trust they were both close enough to not have to try and be romantic; it may come across is a less intense relationship, but I beleive they simply had a strong enough bond to move away from the "honeymoon" phase of their relationship, and settle into the more relaxed, long-term stretch.Like at at the very end of the good ending - Hisao tells her he loves her (not through sign, but there are some mouthed phrases that nobody can miss), and she didnt react - that can be taken many ways, but I like to take it as "I know" (Shizune)

not really explaining my thoughts well - but its my rough perception


I realized she had a kind (if not passionate) heart the moment you see her spread her arms out, reminding Hisao of the role he played into making the celebration succeed - and the joy it brought to countless people.

[yuastnav]

I only have played the path for Lilly so she is the only character that I can currently comment about.

I guess I was rather surprised by how Lilly turned out in acts two through four as compared to the first one. In the first one she seemed like a calm and rather formal figure and after that she became rather odd. In my opinion she was rather sex-crazed (they confessed to each other and almost in the next scene they were already doing it - but maybe that is normal and I am the odd one (I actually am)), I also couldn't really put a finger on her strong affection for wine. It is kind of an odd discrepancy to how she behaved at the beginning of the game.
Also, what's up with the painted fingernails in the restaurant scene? I mean, she cannot see that anyway so why bother?
Oh and another slip-up is her elbow on the table, in the same scene (restaurant). As far as I know that is not proper etiquette, considering what kind of a background she has. On the other hand it may indicate how comfortable she is around Hisao.

[Geroaergaroe]

I only have played the path for Lilli so she is the only character that I can currently comment about.

I guess I was rather surprised by how Lilly turned out in acts two through four as compared to the first one. In the first one she seemed like a calm and rather formal figure and after that she became rather odd. In my opinion she was rather sex-crazed (they confessed to each other and almost in the next scene they were already doing it - but maybe that is normal and I am the odd one (I actually am)), I also couldn't really put a finger on her strong affection for wine. It is kind of an odd discrepancy to how she behaved at the beginning of the game.
Also, what's up with the painted fingernails in the restaurant scene? I mean, she cannot see that anyway so why bother?
Oh and another slip-up is her elbow on the table, in the same scene (restaurant). As far as I know that is not proper etiquette, considering what kind of a background she has. On the other hand it may indicate how comfortable she is around Hisao.

Wine is classy; and she is classy. That's pretty much do the point. Plus, don't forget that her taste is stronger because she is blind, therefore i suppose it's quite tastefull for her.
For the fingernails, pretty much the same. She's classy, and probably like to feel pretty (She's a woman after all).
For the elbow, maybe it's about her lack of sight, to situate the table properly.

For sex; it's kind of hard to figure exactly why. I think there's both a link to the fact she was aware of her going to scotland; and her urge to confess to Hisao (And this too is linked to her past unconfessed love to her teacher.). She just intented to be true, and she said it herself : ""I merely have a healthy adolescent sex drive.".

But of course, that's just my humble opinion.

[ScrotieMcBoogerballs]

I always thought Rin was a cynical smartass, I didn't think she'd take things so literally and be so naive.
I never expected her to be so troubled, I thought of her as care free and focused.

[Guest Poster]

Since this thread is marked as spoilers, I'm not gonna use black boxes here.

Kenji's Act 1 impression was that of a ticking timebomb, the guy in Yamaku most likely to snap and go Columbine at some point. In the full game, he's still kinda nutty, but also more likable and more like a typical friendly but eccentric next-door-neighbour.

Shizune already showed her playful side in Act 1, but still came off as a bit of a bully. (relentlessly stalking Hisao and either shouting down or staring down each of the other girls) In later chapters, probably with the stress of the festival behind her, Shizune started becoming more likable, assisting Hisao getting Hanako out of the classroom, talking to him if he's brooding over something and consistently being referred to as one of the classmates he considers a friend in all routes. As a class rep, she also became a more reasonable authority figure. She's still a bit intimidating, but kind when you get to know her.

Lilly didn't really change all that much in my perception...she already showed a subtle playful side to herself near the end of Act 1 and proceeded to slowly drop the lady act, though never quite losing the classy aura. It was interesting seeing how much she was not a morning person (despite lecturing Hisao on the benefits of being up and about early in Act1) as well as her complete lack of embarassment in admitting how much she likes alcohol and sex.

Most people who played Emi's route were probably surprised how much unlike the generic genki loli Emi turned out to be. Emi turned out to be a lot less childish than she appeared at first. While Hisao draws a conclusion of "quick to anger, quick to forgive" when she objects to a playful jab about her height, it's a contrast to see that there are things that Emi's bloody serious about and willing to grow cold and distant over....much more than her cheerful first impression would have you believe. I personally wasn't too surprised at seeing her take the initiative in the relationship, seeing that I already knew she was the oldest of the girls. Another pleasant surprise was how quick-witted she turned out to be. Emi first appeared to be the type to pout and make puppy-dog eyes when picked on, but it turns out she's quite able and willing to launch verbal jabs back at Hisao or the Nurse when she thinks they deserve it.

People on these boards undoubtedly expected Rin to have the comic relief route, with her owning a large share of highly quotable comedy material in Act 1. A lot of people undoubtedly expected Rin to drop a "let's fuck" out of the blue and turning Hisao on with an epic footjob before killing both the mood and his boner with a random and outragous non-sequitor. Turns out that quirky mind of hers wasn't quite so funny after all since she can't turn it off and it's not until she breaks down that you realize just how crippling her previously amusing spaciness really is and how lonely and unhappy it makes her. Talk about a mood whiplash.

What was surprising about Hanako was how crushingly aware she was of her own Woobie status. It's somewhat tragic how Hanako is secretly undervaluing her seemingly perfect friendship with Lilly who she feels is mothering her out of pity. (while mothering is actually Lilly's way of showing affection towards her friends and sister) If you ever posted a message on this board about how badly you just wanted to take Hanako home like an orphaned kitten and then reached her bad end where she shouted how much she hated being pitied, that sound you're hearing is a little piece of you shriveling up and dying right there on the spot. On a more positive note, Hanako's "everyday girl" playfulness in the pool bar showed a side of her that's very likable. Unlike Shizune, who treats games like life-and-death situations, Hanako plays merely for the fun of hanging out with people she cares about and doesn't mind winning or losing, as long as the other takes her seriously as an opponent. Out of all five girls, Hanako's the girl most likely to come over to your house and spend the evening playing video games with you without feeling the need to make idle conversation or go out in public or to places with lots of people around. Without wanting to generalize, I'm pretty sure a lot of people who hang out on message boards or play visual novels would appreciate that kind of thing in a girl.

Special mention goes to Mutou for going from out-of-touch teacher to cool semi-mentor.

[yuastnav]

I only have played the path for Lilli so she is the only character that I can currently comment about.

I guess I was rather surprised by how Lilly turned out in acts two through four as compared to the first one. In the first one she seemed like a calm and rather formal figure and after that she became rather odd. In my opinion she was rather sex-crazed (they confessed to each other and almost in the next scene they were already doing it - but maybe that is normal and I am the odd one (I actually am)), I also couldn't really put a finger on her strong affection for wine. It is kind of an odd discrepancy to how she behaved at the beginning of the game.
Also, what's up with the painted fingernails in the restaurant scene? I mean, she cannot see that anyway so why bother?
Oh and another slip-up is her elbow on the table, in the same scene (restaurant). As far as I know that is not proper etiquette, considering what kind of a background she has. On the other hand it may indicate how comfortable she is around Hisao.

Wine is classy; and she is classy. That's pretty much do the point. Plus, don't forget that her taste is stronger because she is blind, therefore i suppose it's quite tastefull for her.
For the fingernails, pretty much the same. She's classy, and probably like to feel pretty (She's a woman after all).
For the elbow, maybe it's about her lack of sight, to situate the table properly.

For sex; it's kind of hard to figure exactly why. I think there's both a link to the fact she was aware of her going to scotland; and her urge to confess to Hisao (And this too is linked to her past unconfessed love to her teacher.). She just intented to be true, and she said it herself : ""I merely have a healthy adolescent sex drive.".

But of course, that's just my humble opinion.

Yeah, the reason why I find this so confusing is probably because my opinion differs very much from that.
Wine is probably classy but what is not so classy is downing it like they did during the birthday party. She is rather young, after all, and I thought her behaviour was going to be more mature but it did not turn out this way, at least this is how I perceive it.
The thing about the fingernails - never understood why women do it. In my opinion it is rather stupid, just like make-up. Artificially altering the body for no apparent reason but I guess that shows how out of touch with the world I am since my opinion is probably in the minority on this one. *sigh*
And the elbow - I really think the artist just slipped up, you gotta give me at least that one! :p

I guess their hormones were raging or something.
(:

[Geroaergaroe]

Yeah, the reason why I find this so confusing is probably because my opinion differs very much from that.
Wine is probably classy but what is not so classy is downing it like they did during the birthday party. She is rather young, after all, and I thought her behaviour was going to be more mature but it did not turn out this way, at least this is how I perceive it.
The thing about the fingernails - never understood why women do it. In my opinion it is rather stupid, just like make-up. Artificially altering the body for no apparent reason but I guess that shows how out of touch with the world I am since my opinion is probably in the minority on this one. *sigh*
And the elbow - I really think the artist just slipped up, you gotta give me at least that one! :p

I guess their hormones were raging or something.
(:

Well, she said herself that it was maybe too much wine. But never hurt trying. Hell, one of the best moment of a man's life is the first time you get really drunk. Give you both fun and a lesson.
For make-up, I would say it's pretty much like alcohol. A bit is quite fine; too much just ruin it.
And yeah, you got that one for the elbow; but she's too cute in her dress to mind the error :>
Considering hormones, since Hisao's pills are viagra, it's fair game.

[NoOne3]

Well, from what I thought about characters, only my view about Lily didn't change much. She's pretty just like expected. But still a great character, and have the best directed ending. Beats 90% of romantic movies I've seen in my life (although that's not very much).

As for the other girls, the most shock I had was while following Rin's and Hanako's paths.

I expected Rin to be some alternate philosophic hippie chick. But instead of flower painted VW van, I got a hazy loft in the moonlight, full of strange pictures, all-night stroll through the city and overall feeling of incomprehension. It was much deeper, and somewhat disturbing. Really great work with this path.

Hanako's path I view in some part as an elaborate joke by the writer. An otaku trap. Played through dozens of VN, and watched hundreds of anime episodes, a stereotypical anime fan is tempted to just hug her till she drops, so he get's what he deserves .

Emi really changed, on the last stages of development (say, from first demo, till the full release). And I mean mainly visually, but most of the former impression was based on her look, so it had deeper consequences. Devs played it safe, and quietly get rid of a token loli in the cast, but I don't really blame them. She's a nicely done heroine, with a defined character (and a kink, which in an eroge game is also not to be sneered at) .

As for Shizune, I agree she ended more likeable in the full game, and my main suspicion is that Misha is to blame.
She wasn't especially annoying by herself, but a Shizune-Misha combination, which you relate with at the beginning sometimes was. Not great surprise, about her kinsey scale result, but I was silently hoping for something more explosive.

To sum it up, I never thought about those characters, by their disabilities as defining factor, but after playing the whole game I can name them like as the motherly one, the surprising one, the angsty artist, the experimenting one, and the one with a CRAZY FATHER - WAHAHAHAHA!!!

Ok. I stop now.
Edit: Also while I struggled with every word, some anonymous guest stormed in and said the same thing I wanted, but better... I go sulking now.