The Hanako Thread - Spoilers, obviously

[Guest Poster]

I've been thinking about the bad ending more and what was said in it, specifically why Lilly was included in her rant.

Did anyone else get the feeling that Hanako was resentful of Lilly being able to be her friend *because* she was blind, thereby getting a free pass without having to deal with Hanako's looks?

No, the reason why she brought Lilly up was because she felt Lilly was treating her the same way Hisao was...as a broken child who had to be looked after. This was partially set off by Hisao's comments earlier in that scene about how he and Lilly had been worrying about her.

First of all, I don't believe Hanako truly resents Lilly. When Hisao speaks to her in another scene where she's not suffering from depression, Hanako says she loves Lilly very much. Lilly's mothering nature secretly annoys Hanako sometimes (and not just Hanako), but most of the time she's happy to be with Lilly and spend time with her. Nevertheless, the feeling of inequity is probably the one hidden blight in their otherwise very close friendship.

Part of the issue here is Hanako's low self-esteem. In her good end, she admits she feels she's a useless person and finds it impossible to believe someone could be her friend for reasons other than pity, so it's no surprise she thinks Lilly feels this way too. This contrasts sharply with Lilly's words to Hanako when she's about to leave Yamaku in her own route where she states she befriended Hanako because she felt the latter was a kind and beautiful person, not because she felt pity for her. So Hanako's feelings towards the reason Lilly befriended her are false.

That's not to say they're not somewhat understandable. While Lilly's personality often comes across as perfect, her motherly nature is in a subtle way a glaring flaw. Mothering people seems to be Lilly's way of showing affection towards people, but in practice it tends to push them away. During the first time you meet Akira in the Shanghai, Lilly openly worries about how Akira's doing on her own and Akira is visibly annoyed by it. Likewise, in Lilly's route, Hisao eventually feels Lilly is looking after him in a way and he doesn't like it either. That doesn't prevent them from being close to Lilly, but it does make it harder for them to have a truly equal relationship with her. Lilly only seems to be partially aware of this.

So Hanako's frustration with Lilly stems forth from her own lack of self-confidence and Lilly's subtly flawed way of acting towards people she cares about.

[Ryto]

No I'm pretty sure in Emi's story, Hisao used one too.

I said almost the only. And Hanako's is the only route where Hisao is the one who had the condom. Emi had the one in her route. They didn't even use any the first few times.

[IraFunesta]

It is quite obvious: the first timethey had anal

[Ryto]

It is quite obvious: the first timethey had anal

If you're talking about Emi, that was the second time. She even said their first time wasn't so safe.

[nyttyn]

Honestly, I loved Hanako's route, and at the same time, hated it.

Hatred: Much of it stems from the fact that the H scene, while very nicely tied in afterwards, seems to come out of the effin' blue. It seems like the writer was stressed to throw in a H scene. While I like how it progressed their relationship -mainly making Hisao realize what Hanako wanted-, the transitioning just wasn't there.

Also, it's kinda ironic i'm complaining about a H scene in a route in which both of the main characters start with the letter H.

Love:EVERYTHING ELSE. Goddamn that pool scene was cute. I thought at first the route might go cliche on me, but then when it all came together....well, the writer for this route is very good at character writing. Also, the ending had my heart dang near in tangled strings. On a final note, the Cinema, especially with how -just like The Usual Suspects- it isn't the same after you complete the route, is utter genius, both on a narrative level, and on a production level.

So, in conclusion, I give Hanako's route both a 5 out of 5, and the reward of "Best Cinema."

[ziamatt]

Hanako's route is my favorite so far, though I've yet to do Lilly's or Rin's routes. It really leaves a lot of room for thinking about, and is the only route that I find myself thinking about constantly even after it's been completed. It will be hard for the two remaining routes to follow this one up. I really like Hanako as a character, and I appreciate how the route ends more than most it seems. I can't think of a more fitting ending. I love the final CG so much. It's probably the sweetest, most sincere moment I've seen in this game.

[nyttyn]

Hanako's route is my favorite so far, though I've yet to do Lilly's or Rin's routes. It really leaves a lot of room for thinking about, and is the only route that I find myself thinking about constantly even after it's been completed. It will be hard for the two remaining routes to follow this one up. I really like Hanako as a character, and I appreciate how the route ends more than most it seems. I can't think of a more fitting ending. I love the final CG so much. It's probably the sweetest, most sincere moment I've seen in this game.

Fair warning. Rin's route is going to cause your brain to implode with thinking.

Like a flock of butterflies.

[Ryto]

Hanako's route is my favorite so far, though I've yet to do Lilly's or Rin's routes. It really leaves a lot of room for thinking about, and is the only route that I find myself thinking about constantly even after it's been completed. It will be hard for the two remaining routes to follow this one up. I really like Hanako as a character, and I appreciate how the route ends more than most it seems. I can't think of a more fitting ending. I love the final CG so much. It's probably the sweetest, most sincere moment I've seen in this game.

Fair warning. Rin's route is going to cause your brain to implode with thinking.

Like a flock of butterflies.

Are you sure it's not a herd? XD

[Terrato]

Are you sure it's not a herd? XD

if its imploding then it's obviously a murder of butterflies

[CNB]

Actually a group of butterflies is called a "rabble."

[Tomate]

About the Bad Ending.

I was actually very satisfied at the sad ending, it was sad, but it was a great moment for Hanako, up to that point she was a Shrinking Violet always afraid of something, never being forceful or decisive, and then she snaps at Hisao, and screams and says something like "Do you think i'm a broken doll?"

it's one of the best scenes in the game

[Caesius]

So I really liked how Hanako's route was handled. Give Hisao a white knight complex like many of the players that would actively pursue Hanako, then show the kind of unhealthy relationship that develops from having that sort of attitude -- brilliant. In this and Emi's route Hisao is depicted as having very immature thoughts that are to be expected of a teenager, but the lessons he learns are really profound and it's clear that he matures a lot in these routes.

[ziamatt]

So I really liked how Hanako's route was handled. Give Hisao a white knight complex like many of the players that would actively pursue Hanako, then show the kind of unhealthy relationship that develops from having that sort of attitude -- brilliant. In this and Emi's route Hisao is depicted as having very immature thoughts that are to be expected of a teenager, but the lessons he learns are really profound and it's clear that he matures a lot in these routes.

I noticed some interesting parallels between Hanako's and Emi's routes. It's especially interesting because they're such different characters. They basically both come to the conclusion that we all need an equal to lean on. Hisao says during Emi's route that even knights need to rely on each other. That quote could summarize both routes pretty well. Both Emi and Hanako need someone. Not a white knight to treat them like toddlers, but an equal they can rely on for mutual support.

[Theeyebrowsofdoom]

WHEN SPOILERMARKING THINGS, PLEASE NOTE WHICH ROUTE YOUR SPOILER BELONGS TO GODDAMNIT.

Anyway, I love Hanako. I've been in love with her since the preview, and named my favorite jacket after her. Playing her route was a reward for me after the final exams and assignments and whatnot. I loved it loved it loved it, because she DESTROYED me. Also, I noticed a few similarities between Hanako and my girlfriend, maybe I have a "type" or something, heh. LVOE YUO HANKAO OKG OKGM



EDIT: I originally meant to say a lot more, such as:


I can't possibly read 30 pages of posts, even though I'd like to. Most of them say the same things anyway, or come pretty close. Not that that's bad, I'll say the same things again anyway. I WISH THERE'D BE SOME SORTA SEQUEL YOU GUISE. A Hanako Sequel. A Hanako Special. Also, is there a special nickname for Hanako lovers? "Hanakolics" or something maybe?

I was very much saddened by Hanako's purpose with the sex scene. Also, so far it's the only sex scene I've read that a condom is worn. Gosh I love Hanako so much.

[Mirage_GSM]

WHEN SPOILERMARKING THINGS, PLEASE NOTE WHICH ROUTE YOUR SPOILER BELONGS TO GODDAMNIT.

Well, this is the Hanako-Path thread, so anything relating to Hanako's path should not even need to be in Spoiler tags - that's already covered in the thread's title...