*MILD SPOILERS AHEAD*
I might as well make it simple and start with the characters and their paths.
Shizune - She was OK as a character overall, because she seemed fairly normal and learning to connect with her felt like an accomplishment. However, this does not even make her close to the other characters of the story. She is mostly the same throughout, and makes several of the same statement that she is bossy and why. It seems repetitive, and her path is no amazing thing either. It is straightforward with little to no actual story that makes it interesting, with only 1 plot twist that frankly seemed too sudden and mechanical to be normal. I still recommend that you play her path, and take the side route with Misha, because it is still a nice time passer, but is not what makes Katawa Shoujo great.
Hanako - I have seen a lot of people (while I was lurking) pay a lot of attention to her. The thing that is so good about her character is her compassion for her friends, but she also develops over the course of her path, and on Lilly's as well. She becomes stronger, and that is admirable, especially given her problem that came from the fire. Her path, however, although it was great for her advancement, seemed kind of repetitive as she had moments where she kept improving, but that happened during the majority of the path. Her bad ending was sad, her neutral ending seemed pretty good, but her good ending was heart-warming. The reason she is only above Shizune and not the rest is because the rest are even better than her. That is amazing.
Emi - So much determination, and her humour, really made her feel as though she was real. The way she told Hisao what she wanted to say made it feel so authentic, which was only accentuated by her path. It was well thought out, and it was bittersweet at times, but then it reminded you that the bittersweet moments were actually amazing. Her character is dynamic, but that's what fits so well, and in contrast to her friend Rin. To be honest, I am actually not finished Emi, but I really want to write this thread.
Lilly - Her character and RIn's, although different in almost every way, were pretty close and almost tied for my favourite character. She always had a level-headed way in the game, and was very mature as well. Her friendship with Hanako, and her trust in friends, made me feel really good. I felt like I really wanted to date this girl. Not to mention she had a pretty high level sex drive, which never hurts
but honestly, her character is deep, especially when her conflict arises in her path.Speaking of her path, it was also amazing. The rivalry between her and Shizune could've been explored a little more, but overall the path made me feel as though a dating process with a truly interesting and intelligent girl was happening in real life. The plot twist introduced a nice flair to the path, and the endings are both great, although the good ending can make some people cry at the very end. Lilly was a worthwhile investment of time, and her's, Emi's and Rin's path will most likely keep going on my PC, as they are all so great.
And my favourite character and path is...
Kenji - 'nuff said.
Rin - Okay, maybe Kenji is kind of comic relief, but in all honesty, Rin came across as the best path, and as the best character. I have seen many people praise everything about Rin, and I wholeheartedly agree. She seems lost, but in her own way, in the start, but that was deemed more as oddity than anything else. However, as the story progressed, it may have been hard to keep up with, but she developped into what seemed good, until what was really going on became painfully obvious. The reason she is such an amazing character is that she dealt with so much, but her reactions to everything seemed so unique. I am not sure how to describe it, if you have played her path, you'll understand. Now the path, oh god, the path... was such a great story that I would place it as my favourite story that could be set in the real world. All of her struggles that aren't obvious to start with, and all of the work that she and Hisao put into everything seemed like it would result in something, but Rin kept being conflicted. This accentuated her character further, since she had no idea what they were working on and why they were. When she is finally free of her burden, the ending scene for the good ending came, and after all of the story and work for Rin, to hear her say:
"What is the word for when your heart knows that everything in the world is right?"
Wow. After her personality showed that she wouldn't say anything like that, when all seemed hopeless, all the work ended like that. Mind you, I haven't cried in happiness ever, and I haven't cried at all for many, many years.
That ended when I finished Rin's path. I was close to shedding manly tears out of sadness or happiness throughout the story, but after hearing that last line with the fading background, I shedded baby tears. I never had cried so hard. And it was all happiness. Who knew that this game would do that? I had heard good things about it. I am looking forward to redoing her path over and over again over the span of a long time. I want to keep experiencing Rin. I won't rush it, so I don't get sick of her.
Game - The overall look that some people seem to think on the game is that it is a cripple fetish. I was nervous when I found out that the game had H-Scenes, because I thought it would be tacky and pasted on for fetishists. However, this was far from true. The scenes were really in tune and realistic, along with tastefulness and natural...ness. I wouldn't have it any other way. The presentation was done well, paths were well written... And this whole thing is free.
This game was huge. I loved it so much, and even though some stories really make me feel as though I want to continue with them, I would probably not be happy with a sequel. This game is perfect as it is. Any sequels ruins it a little.
I am obviously leaving stuff out, just post your comments and I'll reflect on them if need be. It is kind of late, but I have no work tomorrow, so I don't need the rest. I value everyone's opinions.
*This isn't a thank you note, it's opinion, although I really appreciate that you devs made it. Kudos, you guys really worked hard. I have been following since 2010, so I was interested when the final version came out. Well done guys *CLAPCLAPCLAP*