Katawa Shoujo Forums

random wrote:the feel at the end of Hanako's path OBLITERATES all the combined feels of the other routes

^^This.

IMNSHO I think Hanako's arc had the best payoff. During the first conversation Hisao has with her, she flees in terror. Still, he decides to try to nuture a relationship with this person whom nearly everyone else in the school had written off as a lost cause. And in a staggering path filled with episodes of "2 steps forward - 1 step back" he finally wins her trust, respect, and love. And in major part it is because he successfully deals with his own issues as well. The other arcs were nice, but Hanako's was epic in the truest sense of the word.

Bah, meant to hit Shizune but clicked Emi by mistake, Emi is a close second though.

I like my romance stories natural feeling and slice of life. While Emi's route came close it couldn't equal the slow, laid back pace of Shizune's route. I know a lot of people like the big dramatic scenes, but I tend to roll my eyes when they come up and have a hard time taking them seriously (I actually laughed at the end of Lily's story.) The issues that came up in Emi's and Shizune's felt like something that not only could happen but happened often (i've got first hand experience dealing with the former...) and because of that I was able to really get into them as opposed to just reading them. I give the edge to Shizune because between her and Emi it comes down to my personal preference, and sorry Emi but you've got no answer for the force of adorable nature that is Misha.

Shizune's story...well, obviously.


The thing that strikes me the most about a story is the character.If there is no character, there is no story--vice versa. Throughout Shizune's route I was smiling and grinning constantly as I tried to read through her persona while thinking 'I see what you did there, Shizune' each time she was alone with Hisao and the flirt+banter they have between one another. It's that natural flow, the slice of life, and that 'realism' that caught my attention. Lilly's story strike me as a soap opera (and not to mention the taxi ride) and the ending gave me a face palm and a chronic stomach pain for being...well, funny? Predictable? That's about it.

Hanako's arc's ending gave me all that fuzzy feeling inside and made me shed a tear or two--her character development and the flow was great, and it came close as third only to be topped with Rin.


Rin's arc made it second in my book. No explanation is needed in this one--well, not much anyway. You understand her character, the little hints and plot points given by Sae and Nomiya, then you get the bad ending, it pretty much tells you what will happen to the poor girl.

It's that subtleties and the affection that won Shizune's route in my book, but Rin's arc came in close second followed with Hanako, Emi, and lastly Lilly.

The following is my opinion, I'm not trying to start a 'mai waifu' war, just sharing what I think, on the internet. . .

I like the end of Hanako's path as to me it's just the start of their relationship proper. Whereas everything before that was them just going through the motions of what they thought they wanted eachother to be, it takes Hanako all her courage to tell all to Hisao, and they realise that they really didn't know eachother until that moment.

Rin's path is fascinating for me, as from a social and phsychological(sp?) perspective it puts a different lense on what exactly constitutes a relationship, and how strong feeling can effect us and effect how we treat others.

Lilly's path (again imo) is a more typical love story, and yes, the best ending. . dem feels . . I loved it, but I love all of the endings for different reasons.

Emi's path is a touching one, and has some sweet bits of self-discovery and a few life lessons that touched home with me.

Out of them all I like Shizune's the least as her personality clashes strongly with my worldview. BUT! Again, having spent time with Jigoro, you can come to understand why she is the way she is, not that this makes it alright, but it helps you to understand.

Okay I'm done. . . Back to writing <3

Lilly, Lilly, and moar Lilly. I know very well that it's a "cliched" plotline, but it has never been done this well. Perfect presentation. I was literally in tears after Lilly's happy ending. Usually, happy endings don't make me cry manly tears. But this one did.

Obviously Hanako <3

I'm not sure I can find the words to describe why though. I connected so deeply really and felt/feel so attached to her character, there were quite a few times where I thought "I know how you feel <3". And that end....that end...<3

Having found all five good endings, this is a very difficult question for me. All of them had great payoffs after a crazed roller-coaster worth of emotions. Now that I know the good fate for each, I found myself very sad that a 'harem' ending (typical of VN) is impossible. Hisao is just one guy and he can't solve all problems, neh?

In light of that, I now like Lilly's route best. Getting her to open up and see her true family is great and two other lasses are helped along the way (Shizune & Student Council, Hanako & Press Club). The final scenes are terrific!

Next up would be Emi because she's so much fun. Just respect her space, listen to the adult's advice and you'll end up with a strong relationship.

The other three have a different appeal as the good endings are just the start of a long term relationship. You'll be following Shizune as she blazes through the world, ready to make sure she calms down on occasion. Keeping Rin inspired and safe while she's doing her art will be a long project, well worth the reward. As for Hanako, you're two shy, scarred people who've found someone see beyond the surface and are both willing to explore the depths.

Heck, the only story line I didn't like in some way was the "Manly Picnic" one.

Megumeru wrote:Shizune's story...well, obviously.

The thing that strikes me the most about a story is the character.If there is no character, there is no story--vice versa. Throughout Shizune's route I was smiling and grinning constantly as I tried to read through her persona while thinking 'I see what you did there, Shizune' each time she was alone with Hisao and the flirt+banter they have between one another. It's that natural flow, the slice of life, and that 'realism' that caught my attention.

It's that subtleties and the affection that won Shizune's route in my book.

This, ten times over.

In my opinion Lilly's arc did a better job of being an out and out "romance" than any of the other routes. It may have been cliched, but it took those cliches into extremely heartrending territory, and it left me feeling more satisfied than any of the others.

I <3 Hanako! Hanako was my first and after reading other stories I still think it's the best.. manlytears.jpg

Shock, surprise, and awe; Hanako and Lilly's storyline are the highest rated.

Hanako's saga for me.

Lilly Route. I even turn on OASIS - Stop crying your heart out to understand her storyline anyway hanako's path is also best too

One thing we can agree is that despite how cliche, tedious, or frustrating some of the routes are...

...it's still a better love story than Twilight.

Megumeru wrote:One thing we can agree is that despite how cliche, tedious, or frustrating some of the routes are...

...it's still a better love story than Twilight.

Damn Agree bout this. Maybe Bella and Edward should play KS lololol

Lilly's was to little perfect for me ... too Hollywood love story like

Rin's was to complex for everyone ( except the ppl who felt like rin )

Hanako's just didn't connect with me ... but no fault of the story

And as much as i love Shizune's arc ( my favorite character in the game )

i think plot wise only i think Emi is the story that I can believe can be real , it wasn't over the top , emi wasn't play up to be so perfect ( like lilly ) or so broken ( like Hanako ) ... she was a normal person with normal problems ( except the whole having no legs ) ...

now emi is not my favorite character ... but i think the game gave her the best story that was the most honest ( in my opinion only )