Katawa Shoujo Forums

1. Hanako's; in particular the bad ending. I found myself relating very strongly to Hisao's personality in this arc, in that he desperately wanted to break those boundaries between himself and Hanako, so that he could better protect her from things that could hurt her. As I understand it, this desire is known as inverse narcissism, or "co-dependance", where one focuses their attention on the problems of others in order to forget their own. In obtaining the bad end, and learning that Hanako hated Lilly and Hisao for doing just that (wanting to protect her) because it reaffirmed to her that she was "broken". Thus I realised that to obtain her good end, I had to treat her as an equal rather than someone to protect. Instead of feeling like she needed to be fixed, it dissolves the thought that there is something wrong with her. This is particularly evident in Lilly's route.

2. I completed Emi's good ending first. I got to this point by answering things as I thought I would under the same circumstances. Of course, I've since learned that a great many people also get Emi's path simply by virtue of the choice to continue exercising, thinking it was going to keep Hisao alive, like I did.

3. Hanako = Lilly > Rin = Emi >>>>>>>> Shizune

4. Hanako: Equality, Lilly: Honesty, Rin: Selflessness, Shizune: Faithfulness, Emi: Trust

5. I'm a very fast reader, so about 3-4 hours per girl. Lilly had the longest route.

6. Hanako: "The fire happened when I was eight years old. It was night, and we were sleeping when it started." Hanako's voice trembles, the shaking of her blouse giving away the fact that her hands are doing the same. Hanako: "I... curled up into a ball... when the fire swept over me. My mother... tried to shield me. Th-that's the only reason... I lived..." Hanako's eyes begin to moisten, her voice cracking under the combined pressure of exposing herself to me like this, and reliving those painful memories from so long ago. I want to say something, anything, to make her feel better. I can't, though. I feel completely useless when faced with a situation like this. She's forcing herself to come so close, yet it's at times like this that I feel most distant to her. Hanako: "I'm sorry... for making you see this." There's no point denying the obvious. I think what I should say now, and what Hanako wants me to say, is the truth. What I genuinely, honestly, believe. Hisao: "It doesn't matter. You're a wonderful person, Hanako. Your body doesn't change that."

7. Misha: "It's complicated, Hicchan... It's because of something that happened a long time ago. I thought I could just forget about it, but~... it's really hard. So~, that and graduation coming up made me want to spend more time with Shicchan~! But Shicchan is always busy now... So~! We've been fighting. But, I'm tired of it now. Because~... I like Shicchan." Hisao: "So do I." Misha: "Wahaha~. No, no~. I know you like her, Hicchan. I mean that I like Shicchan in the same way. I want her to be my girlfriend." Misha closes her eyes, like a condemned criminal confessing the last of their sins in front of the executioner. It only makes it hard to give a response, and I know I have to give one. Hisao: "I see. I never knew."

8. I think that to compare the relationships in Katawa Shoujo to those in real life is terribly naive and misguided. I find it hard to believe that the circumstances of the relationships in KS could ever be replicated to any high degree; however, in saying that, if one takes the lessons learned in each arc (as summarised by the single words above) then one should be more than equipped to make at least a reasonably good decision regarding relationships. I am not in a relationship, nor have I been, but as I said the lessons learned in each arc should to at least some degree allow me to make a relatively informed decision should I be required to do so.

1. Which girl's thread affected you the most emotionally? Why did it do this?
Rin. Because I identify with her. I am familiar to the feeling of being lost and just going along with what is expected from me. As well as finding hard to properly translated thoughts on words.

2. Which girl's thread did you successfully complete first (good ending)? How did you reach the good end of this thread? Did you use a guide, or did you answer the questions according to your own thoughts, as I did?
Shizune. I used a guide to reach her path, though.

3. In what order would you rate the quality of the girls' threads?
Hard to say. It is not the order I liked the girls, right? But the order I thought their stories were better? I think it would go something like:

Rin>Hanako>Emi>Shizune>Lily

If it is the order of my favorite girls it would be more like that:

Rin>Shizune>Hanako>Emi>Lily

4. If there was a single word which describes the key a player must remember to complete each girl's thread, what would that word be for each girl?

Emi: Support
Hanako: Respect
Lily: Trust
Rin: Understanding
Shizune: Friendship

5. How much time did it take you to complete each girl's thread? (Play time, not total IRL time)
Hard to say. I don't remember what it was for each girl, but it ranged from 5 to 10 hours. I would sometimes leave the game open in a window and go talk about it (the game, I mean) in forums, so it is hardly precise.

6. Give an example of a particularly effective piece of writing from your favorite girl's thread.
The "Dandelions" scene (Rin's route, Act2). IT was more or less when I fully noticed she was more then just an eccentric girl, with her own fears and insecurities.

7. Give an example of a particularly effective piece of writing from your least favorite girl's thread.
I don't really remember, sorry.

8. Do you feel that, after playing Katawa Shoujo, that you are better equipped emotionally for a real-life relationship? Why or why not? If you are currently in a relationship, do you feel that playing KS will allow you to strengthen it? Why or why not?
I do not trust fiction, even well done fiction, to teach me about relationships. That said, the story did made me to reflect about a few things about myself. So, in a way, I am better equipped emotionally for a real-life relationship (I would say I am better equipped for life in general, though). I am not in a relationship currently.

Interesting. Professor, I don't suppose you'd mind posting your credentials? If this is going to be an academic paper, you'll have your real name associated with it soon enough, so that shouldn't be a problem, right? I'd also like to be able to look up the completed paper, especially if it's published in a journal at some point.

The questions are interesting enough.

1. Which girl's thread affected you the most emotionally? Why did it do this?
Strictly emotionally, this was Lilly's path. Particularly the scene where Lilly and Akira are walking away from Hisao in the airport. It was a strong reminder that sometimes it doesn't matter what you do, a relationship may not work out. Something about him having to watch the two of them slowly walk out of his life was heartbreaking, especially after he had found his resolve to talk to her one last time. Then the placement of the music box in the last scene was awesome.
Honestly, I can't tell if these scenes got to me because they really hit home for some reason (I'm in a semi-long-distance relationship right now), or because I'm just a sucker for sappy romance stories (which is true).

2. Which girl's thread did you successfully complete first (good ending)? How did you reach the good end of this thread? Did you use a guide, or did you answer the questions according to your own thoughts, as I did?
I completed Hanako's route first, but I got all five good endings on the first try without a guide. Unless you count Kenji because I screwed up in Act 1 once. I'm hesitant to say I make my visual novel "choices" based on my own thoughts, since I'm consciously trying to complete the game and get that good ending. However, in a sense, I'm trying to understand each girl and go with the dialogue choice that seems appropriate for the situation. The only path where I was sure I had screwed up was Rin, especially when Hisao flipped out at her in his dorm room. It's moments like that where the character forcibly diverges from what I would do that keep me from feeling like I'm using my own thoughts in the game.

3. In what order would you rate the quality of the girls' threads?
Starting with best, Hanako - Lilly - Rin - Emi - Shizune

4. If there was a single word which describes the key a player must remember to complete each girl's thread, what would that word be for each girl?
In the same order as above, it would be Patience - Gentleman - Understanding - Attaboy - Adultery (apologies on those last two, but the choices seemed so obvious that I can only see missing them as intentional)

5. How much time did it take you to complete each girl's thread? (Play time, not total IRL time)
I'd wager between 6-8 hours, getting much shorter as I can skip most of Act 1 after the first run.

6. Give an example of a particularly effective piece of writing from your favorite girl's thread.
Hanako's panic attack in the classroom. I was into the story already, but this scene grabbed me by the shoulders and PULLED me in. First, it was absolutely realistic. Second, it made many of the characters shine in a way that was cool, praiseworthy, and unexaggerated. Third, it made me actually concerned for the well-being of a video game character.

7. Give an example of a particularly effective piece of writing from your least favorite girl's thread.
Shizune's act 1 ending is still my favorite scene from the entire story. It was at a stage where the sign language was still a source of "mystery" in the story, and despite the communication barrier, the two of them share a moment on the roof in perfect understanding. Shizune spreading her arms and telling him to "Just shut up! This is beautiful, don't miss it!" was spectacular.

8. Do you feel that, after playing Katawa Shoujo, that you are better equipped emotionally for a real-life relationship? Why or why not? If you are currently in a relationship, do you feel that playing KS will allow you to strengthen it? Why or why not?
Yes. There are many general themes in the game that are worthy of being used as relationship advice (patience, understanding, playfulness and enjoying life, destruction of the "white knight" syndrome, etc), the one I really caught was "planning for the future." So many games out there, and even stories in general, are stuck on the romanticism of living in the moment, and "to hell with tomorrow" styles of thinking. I really believe we need to spend times thinking this way in our lives. However, blindly turning an eye to the future is dangerous and destructive, especially if you expect a long-term relationship.
While all this is present in all the paths, Lilly's really hit home because it showed what happens when the unexpected problems of life arise. If Hisao hadn't found the guts to decide he was in it for the long haul, he would have given up and that would be over. For a while, he seemed to accept that they would be torn apart just like that. As I posted in this thread, it kind of made me re-realize my own life ran some of those dangers right now.

1. Either Lilly's or Hanako's, but leaning a little more toward Lilly's. Emi's an honorable mention too, as they are all highly relatable to me. Lilly's line, However, is fairly akin to the current relationship I am in, for it is basically founded on understanding each other, or something to that effect.

2. Hanako's was the one I got the good ending for first. Before that, though, I got the middle ending because I was curious as to how Hisao thought Lilly would be wrong, but then went back and got the good ending. First run through was what I would have done in various situations mixed with what I knew about Hisao's character.

3. This question really is wrenching my arm because I don't even know myself, but if I must, In order from best to not as good: Lilly, Hanako, Emi, Rin, Shizune.

4.
Lilly: Openness
Hanako: Consideration
Rin: Supportive
Emi: Indirect
Shizune: Anticipate

5. Not sure, but I'd say on average about 5 hours each, maybe more. I tend to re-read lines.

6. For Lilly, the scene where she put's in perspective that her disability doesn't stop her from enjoying things.

7. I think there was a talk where Hisao mentioned that Shizune doesn't have to be the way she is all the time, but over all, not much really stuck anyway. This, I feel, is why not many people considered her line their favorite. It wasn't bad writing, just not nearly as strong.

8. I will admit that playing through this game has heightened my ability to interpenetrate emotions, and has made me more conscious of my significant other's feelings. It may have something to do with seeing the consequences of your choices mixed with being able to see Hisao's thoughts. Yes, I would say this has fortified the skills needed to carry out a relationship. Say for instance my Other is not happy with me, I take more time to consider her emotions and feelings.



I was glad to aid in your data gathering, for I expect people to feel the same when I conduct surveys.

1. Which girl's thread affected you the most emotionally? Why did it do this?

Rin. It affected me a lot because she is like me. I often have difficulty to make others understand me. I have Asperger Syndrome (which is, if you don't know, a light form of Autism), and that cause me to have trouble understanding my own emotions, my own feeling, just like Rin. It's even more difficult to try to explain what I feel to others... Her pain was my pain.


2. Which girl's thread did you successfully complete first (good ending)? How did you reach the good end of this thread? Did you use a guide, or did you answer the questions according to your own thoughts, as I did?

I completed Rin's path first. I answered by myself, according to my feelings, and I got the neutral ending first. But since I was saving at each choices, I was able to go back and get the good ending.


3. In what order would you rate the quality of the girls' threads?

Rin, Lily, Emi, Shizune, Hanako.


4. If there was a single word which describes the key a player must remember to complete each girl's thread, what would that word be for each girl?

Rin : Feeling.
Lily : Honesty.
Emi : Listen (not to Emi, but to the other caracthers).
Shizune : Well... Don't be a jerk?
Hanako : Patience.


5. How much time did it take you to complete each girl's thread? (Play time, not total IRL time)

I haven't really paid attention to the time. I'd say, 6 hours for one ending per girl, 2 more hour for each other ending, which make 32 hours. Make that 35 for 100% completion.


6. Give an example of a particularly effective piece of writing from your favorite girl's thread.

Scene : Raison d'être.

Rin - "What happened just now? Can you tell me?"
Hisao - "What? What do you mean?"
Rin - "I cried."
She says that hesitantly, as if not believing it herself.
Hisao - "Yes..."
...
She keeps staring at me, as if pleading guidance so that she wouldn't have to feel so lost.
...
Rin - "Why?"
Hisao - "You were sad. Is that what you want me to say? But isn't that obvious?"
Rin - "I don't know. It feels weird to cry."
Hisao - "What? I don't believe it. I mean, everyone does that. It's nor-"
I bite my tongue before I finish my argument about normality. Norms do not apply to the person I'm talking to.
"It always felt so wrong, different from what is in me. Like I couldn't really tell what I felt. So I started that maybe I don't know what I'm feeling. Maybe it's me who is so wrong- I thought those kinds of things. I thought... that painting was enough because it felt that I did at least that right. That all that is inside me could become a picture if I tried really hard. And it could. But it doesn't feel like it's enough any more. Because if nobody else can see that, I will still be alone. Was it wrong to try? Everyone got really angry at me for that."

Let me say that again : It always felt so wrong, different from what is in me. Like I couldn't really tell what I felt. So I started that maybe I don't know what I'm feeling. Maybe it's me who is so wrong.

That is exactly me.


7. Give an example of a particularly effective piece of writing from your least favorite girl's thread.

Scene : His Past

Hanako's gaze is fixed on my scarring, As expected, and once I nod to say it's okay, she steps forward and tentatively places her hand on the vertical line running down my chest.
The scarring on her hand, a pattern of damaged skin across its surface, contrasts with the single uniform line that makes up mine. Her hand isn't trembling at all, unlike what I predicted.
Hanako - "This is..."
Hisao - "The scar from the surgery that followed my heart attack. The surgeon had to cut open my chest to operate on my heart."
Hanako - "I never knew..."
Hanako's words are calmer and softer than usual. The soft feeling of her fingers moving from my scar to my breast makes me hesitate a little before continuing on.
Hisao - "You're the first person to see this since I left the hospital."
Hanako - "But... Why are you showing this to me?"
Hisao - "I wanted to prove to myself that I could do this ; that I could accept my past and move on. I wanted to show that to you, as well."
She nods. From her reaction, she seems to know how difficult this is for me. More than anything, this scar represents a visible reminder of my condition. A reminder that I'm not "normal" any more. That's something that, until now, I had tried my hardest to ignore.


8. Do you feel that, after playing Katawa Shoujo, that you are better equipped emotionally for a real-life relationship? Why or why not? If you are currently in a relationship, do you feel that playing KS will allow you to strengthen it? Why or why not?

I don't know what to say. I am in a relation right now, but we are dating only for the charnel pleasure, for sex, and both me and my partner knows this, just like the two relations I had before. So, since I don't really want to go deeper into this relationship, I don't think Katawa Shoujo can be of any help. Nevertheless, when I shall meet my soul sister, I am pretty sure some of the experiences I had with Katawa Shoujo will come to mind.

1. Which girl's thread affected you the most emotionally? Why did it do this?

Hanako's path affected me the most, and for practically the same reasons Fretless mentioned. I also found her personality and characteristics the most compatible with my own.

2. Which girl's thread did you successfully complete first (good ending)? How did you reach the good end of this thread? Did you use a guide, or did you answer the questions according to your own thoughts, as I did?

The first path I completed was Emi's path. I answered the questions according to the way I thought would be right in the given situation.


3. In what order would you rate the quality of the girls' threads?
Hanako > Lilly > Rin > Emi > Shizune


4. If there was a single word which describes the key a player must remember to complete each girl's thread, what would that word be for each girl?

Shizune: Dedication
Lilly: Honesty
Hanako: Equality
Emi: Perseverance
Rin: Understanding

Well...other than "Commitment" my answers would be the same!

5. How much time did it take you to complete each girl's thread? (Play time, not total IRL time)

Because I flew through Act 1 (well almost) after Emi's path, I had close to 7 1/2 hours with her. After Emi's path it was about 5 1/2 since I didn't read everything going back through act 1 unless I noticed it was different.

6. Give an example of a particularly effective piece of writing from your favorite girl's thread.

I'm playing through Hanako's story again, but her last few lines about her first gift to Hisao is what made me SHED MANLY TEARS ;_;

7. Give an example of a particularly effective piece of writing from your least favorite girl's thread.

In Shizune's story, I thought it was effective that Hisao tried to teach Hideaki sign language as it would help communication with his sister outside writing on a pad.

8. Do you feel that, after playing Katawa Shoujo, that you are better equipped emotionally for a real-life relationship? Why or why not? If you are currently in a relationship, do you feel that playing KS will allow you to strengthen it? Why or why not?

This is a difficult question! Throughout most of the game I certainly learned where my own thinking may be flawed, especially on Hanako's story The idea that she did not want to be protected, as it seemed to give her a pretty low self image to name that example. There were times where I had the same emotional response that I've had in almost-relationships before now, and I have yet to come across a movie or book that can relate such an experience. If anything this game teaches, it's to look beyond what you see. Just because they were disabled characters in some way or other did not mean they were to be pitied or looked down upon. I felt that was a core message in the game. There was also nothing that made the girls less human.

This visual novel taught me (I'm surprised to be "learning" through something like this) what I may want to look out for in a given relationship. The overall themes, or those one words to describe what you need to keep in mind during the path, are all very necessary in a normal relationship. There needs to be understanding between one another, you need to be open and honest, treat one another as equals, have dedication (or loyalty) to one another, and even some perseverance when something comes between each other. If this is what the developers were hoping for people to get out of the game, then I suppose I can say it may very well come in handy in a relationship.


EDIT: One final note. Though there are sex scenes in the game, that was never the drive for playing. The drive was seeing the ways the stories unfold.

Hey there Prof. I'll be happy to help ya out with this little project. Doing my reply without looking at anyone else's posts as I wouldn't want them to influence my own opinion before posting

1. Which girl's thread affected you the most emotionally? Why did it do this?

I'd probably have to say Hanako, she was the first path I got to see completed (My girlfriend played through it and I watched, going as far as to ask her to wait till I got home to continue it ^_^;; ) I felt her journey was a very interesting one and the message it came across with was a lovely change of pace from what I think a lot of people were expecting.


2. Which girl's thread did you successfully complete first (good ending)?

Me personally? shizune. First girl's story I experienced was Hanako however.

How did you reach the good end of this thread?
Well, with Shizune it's pretty obvious, I mean gee Hisao, might not be a good idea to boink your girlfriend's best friend.

Did you use a guide, or did you answer the questions according to your own thoughts, as I did?

I used a guide after I got done with Emi's route, mostly I used it to keep myself from royally screwing the pooch however. I fully intended to see all the bad endings of course, but I wanted to see everything in the order I wanted to see it.


3. In what order would you rate the quality of the girls' threads?

That's a tough one, on a pure Writing/storytelling perspective?
Rin>Hanako>Lilly>Emi>Shizune

On a more personal path I liked the best sort of scale...
Hanako>Lilly>Emi>Rin>Shizune (Sorry Shizune)

4. If there was a single word which describes the key a player must remember to complete each girl's thread, what would that word be for each girl?

Hanako= Equality
Lilly= Devotion
Emi= Patience
Rin= Unrestrained
Shizune= Dedication

Kenji= Picnic

5. How much time did it take you to complete each girl's thread? (Play time, not total IRL time)

I'd guess around 3-5 hours apiece, though I didn't really keep track too well.

6. Give an example of a particularly effective piece of writing from your favorite girl's thread.

I felt the lone sex Scene in Hanako's route was quite effective, the observant reader could catch onto the signs that she wasn't completely comfortable with going into this, but she was willing to do so for what she thought would cause Hisao to stick around. This scene is pretty jarring when you notice between the text and the picture on screen that there is a very awkward feeling in the air. It also serves to set up everything in the climax of the story perfectly, making the final scene of the path far stronger and more memorable than it would have been without this painful scene before it.

7. Give an example of a particularly effective piece of writing from your least favorite girl's thread.

I'd say for Shizune I'd go with just in general how expressive she could be, even without words. I found her to be quite interesting even before Hisao learned how to sign, she seemed to be able to get her point across pretty well and I felt the writing was clever in how she tended to manage that without words.

8. Do you feel that, after playing Katawa Shoujo, that you are better equipped emotionally for a real-life relationship? Why or why not?

I would say I would, the fact of the matter is that all experiences, even ones in a fantasy story, have the ability to teach us something, with a well written and characterized story like Katawa Shoujo, it serves all the better as something to take some lessions from, every route seems to have at least a small moral, not to mention the big neon sign moral of "Disabled people are just that, people." Each path left me feeling like I'd grown, even just a little.

If you are currently in a relationship, do you feel that playing KS will allow you to strengthen it? Why or why not?

Yes and no, My relationship is quite strong as it is, not sure if this game can make it stronger on it's own volition or with just the personal lessons it taught me. However as a bonding experience for myself and my lovely lady, something to discuss and theorize on, it can serve to strengthen it in the same way any other great story in any other medium could.



Hope all these little answers help you out a bit. You're free to use my username if you want, or Anon, doesn't matter to me really.

Prof. Coyote wrote:1. Which girl's thread affected you the most emotionally? Why did it do this?

2. Which girl's thread did you successfully complete first (good ending)? How did you reach the good end of this thread? Did you use a guide, or did you answer the questions according to your own thoughts, as I did?

3. In what order would you rate the quality of the girls' threads?

4. If there was a single word which describes the key a player must remember to complete each girl's thread, what would that word be for each girl?

5. How much time did it take you to complete each girl's thread? (Play time, not total IRL time)

6. Give an example of a particularly effective piece of writing from your favorite girl's thread.

7. Give an example of a particularly effective piece of writing from your least favorite girl's thread.

8. Do you feel that, after playing Katawa Shoujo, that you are better equipped emotionally for a real-life relationship? Why or why not? If you are currently in a relationship, do you feel that playing KS will allow you to strengthen it? Why or why not?

Thanks in advance for your participation, should you choose to answer.

For those who might want to know, my order of preference: Hanako-Lilly-Emi-Rin-Shizune.

1. Hanako, easily. I have a friend with minor physical deformities and he doesn't demonstrate any concerns about it; but when he meets new people I can always see their faces twist with either shock, confusion, disgust or some combination thereof before throwing on a face of forced normalcy. Because of that, I knew Hanako was going to have some SERIOUS social and mental issues the moment I heard of her disability and it really connected with me on a personal level. (Not that the others didn't.)

2. Shizune, but only because I finished her path first when I played the demo/act 1 release. Her path was unquestionably the easiest to get the "good" ending and it wasn't hard to figure out what choices to make to reach it, a guide was totally unnecessary.

3. Well I took a break from the game after finishing Shizune's and Rin's path so I consider those two to be the worst two paths because my memories about them more or less faded away when I came back to play the other three paths, so take this with a grain of salt. That said, in order from best to worst : Hanako > Lilly > Emi > Shizune > Rin

4. Hanako : Friends
Lilly : Confidence
Emi : Company
Shizune : Attention
Rin : Self-confidence

5. Uhh... Around 3 hours each if you discount act 1? After playing through act 1 the first time, I pretty much skipped all the text except for the character specific school festival sequence. I caught on to the fact that the game is overly verbose and learned to skim/skip through those parts. (Kenji, you can be funny but I would uninstall this game if I had to read your entire rant every time I played)

6. Well thats a tough one. Its not from any specific girl's path but I thought Hisao's monologue after getting the letter from his girlfriend (the one from the prologue) was pretty humanizing.

7. In Rin's path, being awkwardly told about her period was a nice touch.

8. Not really. My mother is a registered nurse and I visit my grandparents as often as I can, so meeting with people disabilities isn't all that uncommon for me. I'm not in a relationship (I suck )

1. Which girl's thread affected you the most emotionally? Why did it do this?
Hanako's.
I often see people in my day-to-day that are down on their luck or that look unconfident, and in more extreme cases I see some that seem downright ashamed of themselves. I at one point was seriously involved with someone who had extreme psychological issues similar in some way to Hanako's. Hanako's story made me truly understand how damaging it could be to coddle someone, how much it could hold a person back and stop them from growing and healing.

2. Which girl's thread did you successfully complete first (good ending)? How did you reach the good end of this thread? Did you use a guide, or did you answer the questions according to your own thoughts, as I did?
Lilly's.
I made Hisao's choices as though I were him, and it led me to Lilly's good end. I played without a guide, AKA: "playing blind". (Hardy har har)


3. In what order would you rate the quality of the girls' threads?
Lilly=Hanako>Rin>Emi>Shizune

4. If there was a single word which describes the key a player must remember to complete each girl's thread, what would that word be for each girl?
Lilly: Honesty. Hanako: Growth. Rin: Understanding. Emi: Initiative. Shizune: Integrity.


5. How much time did it take you to complete each girl's thread? (Play time, not total IRL time)
I'm not certain, probably 4 to 5 hours per girl.


6. Give an example of a particularly effective piece of writing from your favorite girl's thread.
Hisao: "Her face afterward is the very last I'd ever wanted to see from her. It's a face I'd detested when I first saw my parents in the hospital all those months ago.
Pity. Lilly... pities me.
I just close my eyes and turn away, powerless. I feel like throwing up."
Hisao and Katawa Shoujo in general made me understand that people don't want pity. Pity makes people feel like they're less than people, it doesn't help them or make them feel any better about whatever you're pitying them over.


7. Give an example of a particularly effective piece of writing from your least favorite girl's thread.
Shizune: ...everything I do feels like I have to beat someone else. Everyone else, even. If that is how it is, then what are my relationships with people? They almost feel the same.
Throughout life, the over-achieving types often seemed discontent or distant. Perhaps feelings like the ones Shizune shows in her bad end are why?

8. Do you feel that, after playing Katawa Shoujo, that you are better equipped emotionally for a real-life relationship? Why or why not? If you are currently in a relationship, do you feel that playing KS will allow you to strengthen it? Why or why not?
I absolutely feel that I am better emotionally equipped for real-life relationships. KS has given me an understanding of certain behaviors and their consequences that I didn't have before, I feel like I can relate to a much wider variety of people now specifically because of this game.
I am currently in a romantic relationship, but don't feel that my playing KS has strengthened it because the relationship was already healthy and with a person who I relate to very well.

1. Hanako affected me the most emotionally. A lot of her story really hit home for me. In some ways, I feel unworthy to compare myself to Hanako because my problems are much more minor than her's, but I have had lots of problems in the past with anxiety. I have panicked on tests and had minor issues with social anxiety when I was younger. My test anxiety is significant enough that I often have to take tests in a different room then students. So there's a lot to connect with for Hanako. The scene where she basically shuts down while working with Hisao, Misha, and Shizune was particularly emotional for me. Seeing how Hanako didn't want to be treated like a fragile human was also relatable too; no one wants to be treated in a "special" way because of anxiety issues. Of course, Hanako had a much harder life than I do. Her parents died at a young age and she was probably subject to much more harassment than I was. But that just makes me want to see here happy even more; because I sympathized with her, and wanted her to be able to enjoy the life. Anxiety is a very delicate topic, and Katawa Shoujo handled it with the utmost taste and elegance.

2. I successfully finished Rin's story first. I just answered questions according to my own thoughts, but I got Kenji's bad ending at the end of Act 1, and Rin's bad and neutral ending before I got her good ending.

3. Rin>Hanako>Lilly>Shizune>Emi. However, I'd rank the girls themselves Hanako>Rin>Lilly>Emi>Shizune.

4.Rin: Specifics (since the choices on her path seemed somewhat arbitrary, it just felt like you kind of had to guess)
Hanako: Lilly (since the big decision you have to make to get the good ending is asking Lilly for help)
Lilly: Understanding (since a lot of the choices seemed to be based around making sure you understand one another)
Shizune: Loyalty (since the big decision involves staying loyal to her over Misha)
Emi: Running (self-explanatory)

5. Rin: 6 hours, however this was the only one I didn't skip parts of Act 1 for
Hanako: 3 and a half hours
Lilly: 5 hours
Shizune: 7 and a half hours
Emi: 3 hours

6. Rin's path: "What's the word for when, inside your heart, absolutely everything is alright?"
Hanako's path: "There's no point in denying the obvious. I think what I should say now, and what Hanako wants me to say, is the truth. What I genuinely, honestly believe.
'It doesn't matter. You're a wonderful person, Hanako. Your body doesn't change that.'"

7. Emi's path: "Anal."
Shizune:'s path "Misha, stop doing that! Wait, I'm Misha....."

8. I suppose that I am better equipped for a relationship after playing Katawa Shoujo. One of the many things I love about this visual novel is that the pacing in each story mirrors the way a real relationship is; Hisao slowly learns about his girl of choice, and each relationship is like a roller coaster of emotions. While I suppose the game is not entirely like a real life relationship, as someone who has never actually been in a romantic relationship I feel like I understand the feelings and emotions that occur in a relationship better now.

@Prof. Coyote: Mind if we link this topic to other forums that might be interested? Just to potentially get you more input for this.

1. Which girl's thread affected you the most emotionally? Why did it do this?

Hanako's, definitely. The way her own problems with shyness around others and social isolation was presented really hit home with me, as someone who had undergone through an almost similar phase in my life. At the same time, the other lesson in that route about the dangers of the "White Knight Syndrome" was the one that cemented that route for me, due to how true the actions and feelings behind someone out only to "protect" someone is described. Both aspects simply resonated with how I've been acting these past few years, and Hanako's route made me reflect on them alot.

2. Which girl's thread did you successfully complete first (good ending)? How did you reach the good end of this thread? Did you use a guide, or did you answer the questions according to your own thoughts, as I did?

I completed Shizune's good ending on the first try, using only my natural choices, same with my succeeding threads Hanako and Lilly. For Emi and Rin, I used a guide.

3. In what order would you rate the quality of the girls' threads?

From the top:
1. Hanako
2. Lilly
3. Rin
4. Emi
5. Shizune

4. If there was a single word which describes the key a player must remember to complete each girl's thread, what would that word be for each girl?

Hanako: Understanding
Lilly: Honesty
Emi: Determination
Rin: Empathy
Shizune: Loyalty

5. How much time did it take you to complete each girl's thread? (Play time, not total IRL time)

I can give no accurate answers for this, but most playthroughs have been around 4-5 hours.

6. Give an example of a particularly effective piece of writing from your favorite girl's thread.

The entire park scene with Hanako and Hisao at the end, as they come to terms with what they had both done, and how their perceptions of each other and themselves had been keeping them apart all this time that had culminated in the intercourse days before.Everything there just hit deeply.

7. Give an example of a particularly effective piece of writing from your least favorite girl's thread.

Shizune's explanation of her personality, of segregation of time rather than being holistic, and living her life in the moment.

8. Do you feel that, after playing Katawa Shoujo, that you are better equipped emotionally for a real-life relationship? Why or why not? If you are currently in a relationship, do you feel that playing KS will allow you to strengthen it? Why or why not?

While I would not think that Katawa Shoujo would really help me for real-life relationships, I can take the lessons about white-knighting to heart. It made me understand the circumstances that led to my ex-girlfriend breaking up with me all those years ago, and I can better prepare myself to not make the same mistakes if I ever find myself in a relationship next time.

1. Which girl's thread affected you the most emotionally? Why did it do this?
Hanako, I can relate to her background. How she was bullied, betrayed, how she didn't want a white knight, but someone to standby her. How she put her life on hold, how she dislikes and distrusts people in general. How she felt broken, how everyone looked at her differently. I understood her to the point that Lilly and Hisao's parental actions actually annoyed the hell out of me, in my mind I was screening "WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO HER!!"

2. Which girl's thread did you successfully complete first (good ending)? How did you reach the good end of this thread? Did you use a guide, or did you answer the questions according to your own thoughts, as I did?
Hanako, the decisions in act one were mostly emulated by what I would do, after i got into Hanako's route I did what seemed right to obtain her route instead of what I would do. Cause I liked Hanako, just didn't like Hisao.

3. In what order would you rate the quality of the girls' threads?
Hanako, Rin, Emi, Lily, Shizune.
Hanako because I could relate, Rin because the pressure and emotion felt very real, Emi because she was so similar to Hanako yet so very different, Lily's path felt very cliche but emotional, Shizune evoked no emotion for me.

4. If there was a single word which describes the key a player must remember to complete each girl's thread, what would that word be for each girl?
Hanako - Together
Rin - Individuality
Emi - Tactfulness
Lily - Honesty
Shizune - Faithfulness

5. How much time did it take you to complete each girl's thread? (Play time, not total IRL time)
3-4 hours maybe?

6. Give an example of a particularly effective piece of writing from your favorite girl's thread.
This is hard... There are two scenes that were particularly effective for me cause I could relate to it. The good end and bad end of Hanako.
Good End:
"Friendship... was something I thought I'd given up on. I stopped believing in others... after what happened after the accident... Before the accident happened, I got on well with people and other children. I didn't have many friends... but I didn't mind, because I treasured the ones I had. Afterwards though... I was called names by the others, and teased a lot. It hurt... really deeply. The teachers tried to help, but they couldn't do much, and even many of them recoiled just at the sight of me. Among those calling me names and teasing me... were the ones that I thought were my closest friends. From then on, I believed that it didn't matter if nobody else acknowledged me. All my existence ever did was make people troubled, after all. It was... easier... if I just didn't exist."
Bad End:
"I know I need help! I know I'm broken! I don't need you to tell me that!"
"It's written on your face, it's written on Lily's face, it's written on everybody's faces!"
"I see a therapist every week, Lilly dotes on me as if I were her child, and now... even you!"
"Nothing's changed, nothing at all! i hate Lilly, and I... I hate you more than anyone...!"
On a slight tangent, I think some of the music was just as effective as the writing.

7. Give an example of a particularly effective piece of writing from your least favorite girl's thread.
The reason where I am today is most likely due to similar reasons described below, I wanted to see someone's passion for something and I wanted them to do it themselves instead of me smothering them over it. I wanted to drag people out of their apathetic shells. The first quote is from Shizune before Hisao was sent to chase Misha and the second was during the Sneaking Mission.

There's a fine line between helping someone and smothering them. But I just want Misha to pull herself together and stop acting so weird. I know she can do it. Even if she wants to try, people don't change overnight. If they could, the world would be a much easier place.

I want to force my will on people.
At first, I was just bored. I wanted to see someone's passion for something. Then I could try and beat them. I wanted to test their ability or their convictions. But it was impossible, no one has any passion for anything in this school. They just want to keep to themselves. I can't believe it. It's too boring that way. I though that there was no way these drab people could be for real. It goes beyond not wanting to make waves. They had to have some interests. They had to be hiding something. I wanted to expose it, and revel it, and drag it out. One of the most successful ways to get people to open up to you, and cheer them up, is to open with a story about yourself. And then you ease them into telling you about themselves. It's like give and take, but with an element of manipulation, which makes it interesting.


8. Do you feel that, after playing Katawa Shoujo, that you are better equipped emotionally for a real-life relationship? Why or why not? If you are currently in a relationship, do you feel that playing KS will allow you to strengthen it? Why or why not?
Possibly, I learned from it like we learn from all things but I don't think I see the world differently or anything, life goes on, it might have change my perception on things ever so slightly that I did not really notice. Something like passive influence maybe?

1. Which girl's thread affected you the most emotionally? Why did it do this?
Rin. The struggle for her is just tragic. I haven't even finished it yet, but it's still the most emotional one.

2. Which girl's thread did you successfully complete first (good ending)? How did you reach the good end of this thread? Did you use a guide, or did you answer the questions according to your own thoughts, as I did?
First off I did Lilly and got the neutral ending. My first good ending was Shizune. Both of these were without a guide. Though I'd like to point out that Shizunes path is actually fairly hard to fail.

3. In what order would you rate the quality of the girls' threads?
Lilly > Rin > Hanako > Emi > Shizune

4. If there was a single word which describes the key a player must remember to complete each girl's thread, what would that word be for each girl?
Shizune: Faithful.
Lilly: Honest.
Emi: Concerned.
Hanako: Understanding.
Rin: Unforceful. (That's a word, I googled it.)

5. How much time did it take you to complete each girl's thread? (Play time, not total IRL time)
Much of the time I would skip through the begining part.
Lilly, 5 hours.
Shizune was also 5 hours.
Hanako, was 3 hours, but I spam clicked up to the part where you split from Lilly's. So maybe 4.5 hours?
Emi, 3 hours. But I skipped until you start running, so 3.5 hours?
Rin, I haven't finished. Up to 3.5 hours though, skipped to where you first meet her.

6. Give an example of a particularly effective piece of writing from your favorite girl's thread.
The scene where Lilly feels Hisao's face for the first time was amazing.

7. Give an example of a particularly effective piece of writing from your least favorite girl's thread.
The scene where Hisao reveals to Shizune that he learnt sign language.

8. Do you feel that, after playing Katawa Shoujo, that you are better equipped emotionally for a real-life relationship? Why or why not? If you are currently in a relationship, do you feel that playing KS will allow you to strengthen it? Why or why not?
Yes. I believe that it expanded my mind (I was fairly open minded to begin with), to not only mental issues but also physical.

1. Which girl's thread affected you the most emotionally? Why did it do this?

Probably Rin, the reason for that is that it really made me think about life, death and the brief time we have to live our lives. It also made me realize that understanding other human beings is not always possible, however this should not prevent us from coexisting together.

2. Which girl's thread did you successfully complete first (good ending)? How did you reach the good end of this thread? Did you use a guide, or did you answer the questions according to your own thoughts, as I did?

The first path I got on for better or for worse was Rin. When making my choices I decided to give them a lot of thought and choose what I would do in that kind of situation. It made the experience much richer in the end.

3. In what order would you rate the quality of the girls' threads?

From Best to worst

1. Rin
2. Lilly
3. Shizune
4. Hanako
5. Emi

4. If there was a single word which describes the key a player must remember to complete each girl's thread, what would that word be for each girl?

Rin- Patience
Lilly- Support
Shizune- Loyalty
Hanako- Understanding
Emi- Respect

5. How much time did it take you to complete each girl's thread? (Play time, not total IRL time)

It's kinda hard to say but I guess:

Rin: 5 hours
Lilly: 4.5 hours
Shizune: 5.5 hours
Hanako: 4.5 hours
Emi: 4 hours

6. Give an example of a particularly effective piece of writing from your favorite girl's thread.

The talk about whenever all human beings live in their own worlds and that by surrounding ourselves with friends we just fool ourselves that we are not alone in Rin's neutral ending.

7. Give an example of a particularly effective piece of writing from your least favorite girl's thread.

Emi's and Hisao's argument about accepting someone's help and if it's true that complete reliance on oneself is the peak of a human beings ability.

8. Do you feel that, after playing Katawa Shoujo, that you are better equipped emotionally for a real-life relationship? Why or why not? If you are currently in a relationship, do you feel that playing KS will allow you to strengthen it? Why or why not?

It's hard to say. Ultimately this is just fiction and not a guide to life, however it did inspire me do better in my life. I've been doing morning runs for two weeks now. Perhaps it made me more understanding of other people and will help me to find a common interest when meeting new people.

While being on the internet for quite some time, I cannot resist a suspicion of a great trolling in progress, I guess I can spill my guts a bit.
If it's true, I hope you will link the results of your work. That's the least we can expect for revealing the shallow depths of our thoughts in this matter.

1. Which girl's thread affected you the most emotionally? Why did it do this?

While I generally liked Rin's and Hanako's paths the most, the emotional hit came at the end of Lily's path. While Lily herself wasn't a character I could relate to in some special way, the narrative and plot itself was brilliant. Even though the overall idea of false, bitter ending followed by a better one isn't particularly new, it was superbly written and directed. It might be also partially due to playing Lilly's path last.

2. Which girl's thread did you successfully complete first (good ending)? How did you reach the good end of this thread? Did you use a guide, or did you answer the questions according to your own thoughts, as I did?

I was following the developement of the game, and since 1st chapter/demo I decided to follow Rin's path first, being intrigued the most by what was in the first chapter and what was happening on the forum/shimmie/blog back then.
So I started, saved after landing on Emi path, co continue it later, then got onto the Rin's plot, got the bad ending because of trying to understand too hard, and pursued the whole thing again, this time to the good ending.
I didn't use flowchart, until reaching all good and bad endings, and used it only to find those elusive scenes for 100% completion.

3. In what order would you rate the quality of the girls' threads?

It's really hard to grade it. I guess I can only state my personal preferences of heroines, which is:
Rin and Hanako first, with Rin slightly more appealing, then the rest of them, which I liked also, though not as much. Shizune is probably the character I can relate to the least.

4. If there was a single word which describes the key a player must remember to complete each girl's thread, what would that word be for each girl?

Few words would be easier. But I'll try.

Rin -> supportiveness
Hanako -> normality
Emi -> future
Shizune -> fidelity
Lily -> truth

5. How much time did it take you to complete each girl's thread? (Play time, not total IRL time)

I have no idea.

6. Give an example of a particularly effective piece of writing from your favorite girl's thread.

Rin's stream of conciousness bursts , when suddenly she blurts all the words, trying to express her inner thomotions (thoughts and emotions, sorry for the word hacking, Doc).

7. Give an example of a particularly effective piece of writing from your least favorite girl's thread.

In Shizune's thread I liked the writing of the part, when Hisao learned Sing Language, and Shizune-Misha relation started to crack. Maybe not the words itself, but the way it was conducted, until emotional resolution.

8. Do you feel that, after playing Katawa Shoujo, that you are better equipped emotionally for a real-life relationship? Why or why not? If you are currently in a relationship, do you feel that playing KS will allow you to strengthen it? Why or why not?

I guess I'm fully grown by now, and don't expect a sudden change in my view of the world, or my emotional life. And I think, with a certain amount of cynicism that the soulchanging effect on most people will wear off in time (I hope, when I read 'bout those hard "mywaifu" cases). At the same time I think KS is a great experience to have and include it gladly to my cultural background. In this way it is better than most movies I've seen last year.

Hanging on the forum influenced my view of disabilities, and problem of disabled people. Not a revolution really, but cleared some parts for me.

I am in a relationship, and didn't think it would be affected, though I can sense a trace amounts of ingame thinking seeping into my everyday train of thought. I guess it's the normal "What would X do?" after being subjected to especially influencial culture piece. Not planning to hit on an armless girl in the future.