Am I the only one who feels that Hanako's arc is overrated?

[Loonie]

Put it this way...I'm sure it could seem to many people, that Hanako's growth seems to come in rather forced 'leaps', primarily because she's always skittish and nervous throughout, no matter what. This is what makes it look like she just suddenly makes progress out of nowhere. But I can easily attest to the fact that the reason for this perception of people like Hanako stems from the fact that they build up mental 'walls' between themselves and others - even their closest friends like Lilly. The reason for this is of course because something happened to them before that they don't dare trust anyone again...so tearing down that wall is what her entire arc is about. Quite paradoxically, however, they also assign enormous self-blame onto themselves, thinking that every mistake they make is instantly recognized by everyone around them...even though they have this huge mental wall erected that makes it next to impossible to see what it is they genuinely think or do.

But this is what, of course, makes them so nervous all the time, and so they constantly make one step forward and one step back - making it feel like her arc doesn't go anywhere. Take for example that one moment in school when she finally takes a step around that wall...and the result is that she trips Hisao up and goes catatonic, because she thinks that the ENTIRE CLASSROOM just picked up on a tiny slip up she made...and that this is something actually worth getting this upset over.

But here's the kicker - each step she makes does leave an impact on her simply because she finally has the guts to even *try* and make them! Her attempts do, in fact, slowly build up her confidence, though again...no one else around her can see it because of her mental 'wall' that is still standing. So long as people let her know, that it's alright to fail with the first few attempts at being social (again, a reason why it seems like her arc goes nowhere, even though it in fact does), she'll keep trying until finally she gets it right. And it shows in small details, like Hisao not really thinking Hanako would be up for going into town...and being surprised when she actually thinks that'd be nice. Right up until either the bad or good ending of course. In the neutral ending...yeah, no progress was made, but in the other two she finally has enough and decides to tear down that wall of hers. In the bad ending...it's torn down in a way that doesn't really help her that much. In the good end it not only tumbles down, but brings down Hisao's 'wall' as well so...double win I guess.

It's funny that a lot of people think Hanako is better off in Lilly's arc than she is in her own, even with the good ending. That is simply not true. Yes, she improves in Lilly's arc quite admirably...but that mental 'wall' of hers has yet to come crashing down. Whereas in her own arc it does finally go down, thanks to Hisao (even if he himself was halfway stumbling about himself). Trust me on this...the sooner that wall comes down, the better for someone like Hanako. In Lilly's arc that is actually postponed to later, during her student years...and could interfere with her studies. There's a looooot of self-questioning one does after that wall comes tumbling down and having it go down during a study-intensive part of one's life? Baaaad thing indeed! In Hanako's arc, though, it's done there and then - before she finishes high-school. As someone who's gone through that himself, I assure you - it was *vastly* better to get it over with during such a time of my life, rather than having it postponed until my student years where it would have to come bite me in the ass.

[ByFutureShaun]

Uh oh. Opinions on the internet.

Well, I might as well say my piece.

Personally, I found Rin's route the most unenjoyable. I found Rin to be even frustrating simply because she didn't even feel like a human being. She is a sociopath. I feel like this is because the writing dropped after act 1.

In act 1, even though Rin was distant, she showed a sense of humour and a connection to the world around her. In this act, she actually had emotions. However, as her story furthered, I found that she seemed to act without reason or any logical connection to the world around her. I know that part of Rin's charm is meant to be her distant personality, but it felt more like her disability wasn't a lack of arms, it was a lack of frontal cortex.

I don't think I could personally pick a favourite route, though I can definitely pick a favourite aspect of each route.

Emi - Her character seemed the most realistic. Even though the foreshadowing felt like I was being punched in the face, I still enjoyed the route because Emi felt the most realistic.
Shizune - I didn't particularly like Shizune's character simply because of the writing. The style did not appeal to me However, I did love the plot behind her character.
Lilly - Lilly's would have been my favourite if the writers didn't stretch it so long. It was frustrating as towards the end, nothing seemed to be happening. I also didn't particularly enjoy the confession scene. It seemed sort of forced.
Hanako - I also enjoyed Hanako's, but I'm no fan boy. I didn't particularly get the feel I was supposed to, especially considering the super awkward sex scene. I felt bad. Hisao's a dick.
Rin - Possibly my least favourite route, but I still enjoyed the writing. I just didn't feel any connection to Rin.

[Nobody in Particular]

It's really difficult to deny that Hanako's route is overrated, but something being overrated doesn't necessarily make it bad. Personally I didn't like that route or Hanako as a character at all, but the KS community has proven that obviously there are plenty of people out there that liked it. Now I see no point in going into one of those pointless "MY WAIFU > YOU'RE WAIFU" debates since every character (except for Shizune) seems to have quite a large fanbase, it merely comes down to opinion in the end. Also OP if you have an opinion on something then someone else somewhere in the world will have the same one, so no you are not the only one.

tl;dr: Is Hanako's route overrated? Yes. Is Hanako's route bad? No.

[Akros]

Fuck Kanako I never liked that bitch, I'm gonna go play Hanako's route for a change, she is fucking great playing pool

[Snow_Storm]

Hanako's the Ken of Katawa Shoujo - Overrused, overrated, popular for no good reason and is scrub tier. And she's flamming like Ken too.

[random]

I've never seen anyone butcher Lilly's name so bad

[Enemy |]

You're on the internet, you are never the "the only one who x"

[128-Up]

OH MAN AN OPINION THREAD here we go

I personally think Hanako's thread (learn to spell, OP) is not overrated to me. It's simply, as stated before, the easiest to relate to.

Be honest, is it easier to relate to shyness or blindness?

Exactly.

[Tomate]

My two bits:

Hanako's route seems overrated, but this happens just because her fan boys wont shut up about it, That guest_poster said that people can relate to Hanako thanks to the bullying part. But come on.

Fact 1: Hanako life sucks, her parents are dead, she is not a superhero, she was bullied by everyone since she was very little, her sense of self worth is crap, she was shunned by her peers, only has one friends and this one friends is blind and can't see her scars. And her parents died trying to save her.

Fact 2: The fan boy was bullied on the second grade after he was caught with a donkey, two meters of rope and a bowl of jelly in the school washroom. One year later this peculiar accident was forgotten by all. No parents died.

Thus, they have too much in common.

Now, on a less offensive tone:
Hanako's route was OK, not great nor crappy, the beginning of the route was nice, the bad ending was fucking awesome and the good ending was kinda boring, but it keep me glued to my chair till the end, so its OK in my book.

IMO the only route more bland than Hanako's was Lilly's and yet it was pretty good until the last act or so, and the best route was, of course, Shizune's route, it has humour, the best secondary characters n the game, surprise bondage rape and Hisao becomes less of a weepy whelp.

[Nobody in Particular]

Be honest, is it easier to relate to shyness or blindness?

Exactly.

I found the only character I could really relate to was Rin, and yet I still have both of my arms. Your statement is flawed.

[Enemy |]

Be honest, is it easier to relate to shyness or blindness?

Exactly.

I found the only character I could really relate to was Rin, and yet I still have both of my arms. Your statement is flawed.

Rin's problem is more her a(u)(r)tistic side than being armless.

[Nobody in Particular]

Be honest, is it easier to relate to shyness or blindness?

Exactly.

I found the only character I could really relate to was Rin, and yet I still have both of my arms. Your statement is flawed.

Rin's problem is more her a(u)(r)tistic side than being armless.

I'm not autistic and whether Rin is or not is debateable. Also I don't "get" art and suck at it myself. My post is still valid.

EDIT: Also by that logic none of the main characters main problems are their disabilities.

[Oddball]

I've only been on this forum for a day or so, but all I can see are posts about Hanako, her arc, and how she is the most relatable and lovable character in the game.

You think there are too many topics about Hanako so you go to make anew topic about Hanako to complain about it.

...

Ever think that maybe, just maybe if you're upset about all the talk about Hanako maybe you should try starting topics about the other characters that you DO like instead?

[Snow_Storm]

Ever think that maybe, just maybe if you're upset about all the talk about Hanako maybe you should try starting topics about the other characters that you DO like instead?

HAY GUYZ, I REALLY HATE THIS CHARACTER AND I THINK SHE IS OVERRATED SO INSTEAD OF JUST SIMPLY IGNORING TOPICS ABOUT SAID CHARACTER AND LETTING PEOPLE DO THEIR THINGS, I'M GONNA MAKE A TOPIC ABOUT HER AND THUS GIVING HER MORE ATTENTION THAN SHE SHOULD GET IN MY OPINION!

[krosswerks]

Personally, I found Rin's route the most unenjoyable. I found Rin to be even frustrating simply because she didn't even feel like a human being. She is a sociopath. I feel like this is because the writing dropped after act 1.

Thank the Jesus, I thought I was the only one who wasn't head-over-heels with the Rin path >_>

IMO the only route more bland than Hanako's was Lilly's and yet it was pretty good until the last act or so, and the best route was, of course, Shizune's route, it has humour, the best secondary characters n the game, surprise bondage rape and Hisao becomes less of a weepy whelp.

Thank the Jesus, I thought I was the only one who does love Shizune path!

On topic though, I don't think it's fair to say Hanako's route is poorly written just because it doesn't resonate with you. I think each path is extremely successful at taking a common character type (classy lady, bossy pants, moeblob, space cadet, sporty girl), and telling a story that both acknowledges those common tropes and elaborates on them to make them a bit more applicable to a human being. I think it's a mistake to say that just because something adheres to tropes, that it's unoriginal, or unsuccessful, or lacking creativity. I think it just makes the narrative more stylized.

Kanako route is truly fucking horrible though.