Being yourself, Hisao Hugtarzan

[AnonymousOfNorway]

When you play a visual novel you get to be that little angel/demon whispering in the protagonist's ear. There are many approaches to take, such as trying to guess what will lead toward the good ends, trying to cover all the story paths, trying to stay in character, or just do what you would have done in his/her situation.

I tend to do that last thing. Do what I would do, bad ends be damned. I suck at role-playing.

So far in Katawa Shoujo, I thought I was heading to bad ends at least twice, but instead I ended up with three emotionally satisfying good ends. So satisfying, in fact, that I'm not sure if I'll ever complete the two other paths. As Hisao anyway.

I wish this "perfect play" would demonstrate me to be an awesome person and fantastic lover, but probably it has more to do with me being on the same wavelength as the writers. I came here to the forums to see if how I fared was typical, and I've found out that even though I did get the good ends it was only just barely - I hadn't taken the "perfect" choices, only ones adequate for good ends. Even so I wouldn't have liked to have played it any other way than I did.

First, I tried to get close to Hanako. She's cute, I felt I could understand her, and I wanted to help her open up; and even if that had been impossible, I selfishly wanted to at least be one of the few people she would be close to. Me Tarzan, white hug-knight.

While I was aiming for Hanako, I unintentionally ended up in the Emi path, which I thought would be fun and sexy but emotionally flat fan service. Nope.. Being confessed to by her felt exhilarating. When she left the room at her house, I went after her even though it was almost certainly a trap. Because I couldn't stand not doing it. When I heard what she said and the days went without her, I thought for certain I was reading the bad end so I was almost skipping it. I would have stayed in that rut too. Thank goodness for Misha.

After that I went back for Hanako again. I was a little afraid I'd die due to neglecting my exercise, but I enjoyed this too. I only wish it was longer, since she was my first choice, ever since I saw Raita's sketch.

During the Hanako path however, I also found Lily to be so nice, so I went for her next. But I didn't want to neglect Hanako even now, so I was reluctant to go full force for Lily. Turned out to be the right way to Lily though. Unlike in the Emi path, where I was afraid I had been too forceful with her, this time I was almost shouting at the screen for Hisao to "move to Scotland, buy a kilt, study abroad!", "go after her!". So this time when it looked like a sad neutral end, I was more than half ready to just savor the memories, but unlike in the Emi path I now had some hope for more. When Hisao went after her, I was clapping my hands and giggling like a school girl, and I put on bagpipes music.

I can't say which of the first three paths are my "waifu" now or anything, but it was so satisfying that the last two feel superfluous to me now. Rin is a bro, and Shizune would also be fun to hang out with, but I've kind of friend-zoned them in my mind. I'd rather play those last two paths as Kenji.

I've seen many people say that KS was a life-changing experience. For me KS so far feels like rather than changing me it's affirming me - saying "don't change, you have arrived, you are already awesome" - and I feel that's a bit creepy actually. A bit creepy because my real life requires me to change, and it doesn't feel healthy to interpret this fictional experience in such a self-righteous way as "hey guys, I'm pretty awesome - according to these girls". Am I really so emotionally shallow?

"It's true though, right Kenji? This game is an accurate dating simulator. It was placed among men to accurately represent how to defeat the female conspiracy through love? I WANT TO BELIEVE! But in real life I suspect I'd end up with you instead."

Also potentially creepy is the fact that in this process I'm emotionally engaged and aroused by predominantly male anime nerds like myself, with the VN as the conduit; I guess that's a common denominator for much of erotic fiction, but in this case I guess I "clicked" with the writers more than usual. (Maybe because of how KS came to be, hanging around in the same Internet subcultures etc.) I once shared some erotic fiction I wrote online, but when people replied detailing how they were enjoying the story and touching themselves, it felt unexpectedly like I was on the receiving end of a cybering bukkake session. In the case of KS, I want the writers to feel like they're on the receiving end of a bro fist instead.

[karl hungus]

It's a bit strange, I've done the same 3 choices, in the same order. I've done the good and bad paths for them all though, since I'm a bit OCD. I was also trying to go after hanako the first time, but ended up with emi...Out of those first 3, hanako's effected me more, but lilly's was a close second. Emi always came across as shallow to me, so i never really got into it much.

I don't really think our choices say much about who we are as people. There's a big difference between what you would say/do in real life and click in a video game. Also, you shouldn't interpret this fictional story to accurately depicting human emotions. For example, would you have had sex with hanako in real life? I know I wouldn't, it just felt awkward in the game.

[urishima]

move to Scotland, buy a kilt

Kilt + Sweatervest?

[GaseousMask]

move to Scotland, buy a kilt

Kilt + Sweatervest?

http://i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/ori ... nts-12.jpg

Dear god, what have you done. Now we will have no chance at women at all! Seeing how they will all flock to Scotland to meet this manly bastard

[AnonymousOfNorway]

Yeah I can't have been the only one who thought we were in the Scottish highlands after the credits, with Akira and Lily. "Yes I moved to Scotland! Scotland the Brave! Bagpipes and salmon fishing! Oh wait, Lily stayed behind for me - ah I guess that works too."

It's a bit strange, I've done the same 3 choices, in the same order..

Brofist.jpg.

Out of those first 3, hanako's effected me more, but lilly's was a close second. Emi always came across as shallow to me, so i never really got into it much.

It did feel shallow at the beginning, but I guess I shared Hisao's feeling that "I want to be more than just your friend with benefits - I want to hold you in your sleep " Some get more out of the erotic scenes with characters they feel detached with, but I'm the opposite group, so that last scene was so good at accentuating that. I ended up liking Emi at least as much as Hanako - but again Hanako's story felt short, so I guess we'd have our fights and tough times ahead of us at the end of the game, and I'd end up loving her more still.

I don't really think our choices say much about who we are as people. There's a big difference between what you would say/do in real life and click in a video game.

Oh don't get me wrong, I wouldn't do or say the exact things as Hisao beside the choices we get to make. But at those decision points - yeah I actually think I would have made those choices.

Also, you shouldn't interpret this fictional story to accurately depicting human emotions.

I don't. I just felt like I wanted it to be that way, and I haven't felt that before. I've played visual novels before, but they've all been in a fantastic or magical setting. I guess I ended up taking it more seriously than I thought.

For example, would you have had sex with hanako in real life? I know I wouldn't, it just felt awkward in the game.

Ideally, I would have touched her scars, like she touched mine, and told her that she was beautiful, and that I would like to be her boyfriend, but that maybe we should take it more slowly. On the other hand, I didn't feel it was that awkward at the time, because I was a little bit afraid of the same thing Hanako was. I was worried that she'd end up rejecting me if I didn't sleep with her.

In the case of Lily, I'd marry her in church with the blessings of her family before going to third base in the missionary position, with the lights off, without birth control. Yes, I'm a sick fuck. In Emi's path, I'd probably not get together with her at all, since what Hisao did outside the decision points wasn't what I would do at all.

[toxicmaniac]

I do not think that how we act in katawa shoujo reflects how we are in real life. I will admire this visual novel for having a deeper morality system than most high budget games i see these days however its quite obvious that games and VN's are just not as far yet to really give you a huge freedom of being yourself.

I say that i can really relate to Hisao's behaviour in overthinking things and acting pessimistic. But he is still a character that thinks on his own despite sometimes giving him an interactive choice. There are times when i disagree on how Hisao acted even if i clicked that certain choice because i would've used a different approach in that certain choice. Also in VN's its quite easier to make a certain choice as your mind knows it doesn't have any risks if you do that unlike if you would decisions like that in real life.

Personally i would say that its not Hisao that represents the way we act. Its the girls that do, as the girls represents your own emotions and behaviour. Like Hanako represents isolation and distrust and Emi represents motivation. I actually learned alot about myself through Rin's route.

I'm not sure if this was the kind of response you were asking for but thats how i look at it.

[Althamus]

It's interesting, but I too wanted to go with Hanako or Shizune at the start, but halfway through Act 1, Emi grabbed me and I knew I had to play her through as my first runthrough (well, at the time I thought it was gonna be my only runthrough).

I wonder what it says for Emi that so many people apparently did the same thing?

[AnonymousOfNorway]

Well, you've got to stay healthy. In my case, it felt safe to push on a bit with the running since Nurse-kun had told me to exercise, and Emi was there in case something would happen. At that point I thought Emi was just going to keep me healthy so I didn't die of a heart attack as soon as I'd - hopefully - see Hanako naked. When I got Emi's FMV, I was like - "No, wait, Emi path. Oh she's adorable. OK then."

I'm not sure if this was the kind of response you were asking for but thats how i look at it.

Sure, I'll take it. I think we can recognize bits of ourselves in several of the characters, both the girls, Hisao, and the supporting cast.