Ask!

[LordDarknus]

What will happen when a certain dev goes over 900 (and 99) with his unrageness?

Will his eyes turn green? And his hair turn bright yellow and stand on ends while his body exudes sparking! electrical energy?
http://knowyourmeme.com/photos/485867-katawa-shoujo

Or will he just become a Buddha?


Serious question:
Does anyone in the development team have difficulty distancing himself/herself from their creation?

As in; do you experience difficulty trying to move on from your game/story about love and disabled people? Do you struggle on some level to do something else? For example: Have you ever felt like you can't ever achieve anything as "powerful" again without a controversial subject matter?

http://knowyourmeme.com/photos/256605-katawa-shoujo

[Aura]

There are two levels to this.

I haven't felt any difficulty mentally moving on from KS to work on something else or doing other stuff. It was very easy for me to mentally wrap KS up once it was released, and I've not felt a burning need for instance to go back to "fix stuff" or make anything else dealing with disabled highschoolers.

On the other hand I'm not functionally distanced from KS. I do all sorts of KS-related stuff every now and then, like replying to questions here on the forums, organizing stuff and whatnot. I even follow what KS community is up to in a limited fashion. I could've chosen not to any of that stuff, I even could've chosen to abandon the "Aura" pseudonym completely. But I didn't, part because I felt that at least one of us would need to remain in touch functionally, part because I find it interesting and fulfilling. It would be pretty weird to distance oneself in this way, as it would require to practically deny that you ever were involved with KS.

[TheHivemind]

Question to the devs:

Say, if —I said IF— there was some rich and/or crazy and/or stupid guys enough to FUND you to make a sequel of this Katawa Shoujo,
this means being fully paid and facilitated and all, what would you say?

a. NO (a reason will be favored/appreciated, however it's fine if you don't give it)

b. YES, only if you work with the other original Katawa Shoujo devs

c. YES, with other conditions (please be kind to write what the conditions are)

And please only answer between those three options.

Thanks.

I'm gonna just go with a. I have nothing else to say about the adventures of Emi and Hisao, or really any of the folk wandering around the school. KS was never meant to be a series, and while like anyone else I suspect if you backed a dump truck full of money to my doorstep I would sell out in a microsecond, it would have to be a lot of money and the rest of the staff would have to be on board.

If you want to just give me a shitload of money for no reason, or because you think I should write more, feel free. But it won't be KS 2, I'll tell you that.

Does anyone in the development team have difficulty distancing himself/herself from their creation?

As in; do you experience difficulty trying to move on from your game/story about love and disabled people? Do you struggle on some level to do something else? For example: Have you ever felt like you can't ever achieve anything as "powerful" again without a controversial subject matter?

http://knowyourmeme.com/photos/256605-katawa-shoujo

It has been remarkably easy to move on from KS in the "desire to make something else like it" sense--I've said there were some things I would do differently if I were to make it now, but I don't have a desire to actually go back and "fix" anything, nor do I carry any regrets that have somehow dogged my steps lo these however many years (two?) it has been since the game released. As for making something "powerful" again... I mean I didn't set out to make Emi's path powerful in the first place. It was a natural result of telling the story I wanted to tell. I'm sure if some other project of mine comes off as powerful it will be entirely accidental. Anyone who sets out thinking they're going to make something powerful or affecting is almost certainly doomed to fail.

Warren Ellis' description of social fiction's function (and what I think can be applied to all fiction's function) is to say "this is where I think I am today and this is what I think it looks like," and while social fiction takes that quite literally (Paul Mason's Rare Earth, for example), all narratives in some way are exploring that idea. So long as you stick to something like that, someone's always going to think it's powerful, even if it's a comedy noir set on the moon.

[Kon22]

A lot of people talk about a possible KS2, but the thing is, how would that even work? VNs usually don't have sequels (Well, some do). Like, new characters, same concept? I don't know, I don't think it would work. Most of KS themes are explored succesfully during the first game, a sequel would be innecessary, I think?

So, I think a better question is: would you guys do another visual novel? together? with another group entirely?

That is, naturally, having complete freedom in the setting, characters, story, etc. Or maybe you just think VNs aren't fun to do/too much work and they aren't worth it/not your thing?

A lot of questions, I know. Sorry about that. And thanks.

[Aura]

Lots of people have lots of opinions about the subject of a hypothetical sequel. I agree that there's no necessity to make one. The stories wrapped up satisfactorily. I don't want to make a sequel. That there couldn't be a sequel is a different matter. I don't think solving the problems of bridging between KS and its hypothetical sequel would be impossible at all. There's plenty of angles to approach it, and one or multiple would be sure to work out.

As for the second question: sure I would.

[TheHivemind]

A lot of people talk about a possible KS2, but the thing is, how would that even work? VNs usually don't have sequels (Well, some do). Like, new characters, same concept? I don't know, I don't think it would work. Most of KS themes are explored succesfully during the first game, a sequel would be innecessary, I think?

So, I think a better question is: would you guys do another visual novel? together? with another group entirely?

That is, naturally, having complete freedom in the setting, characters, story, etc. Or maybe you just think VNs aren't fun to do/too much work and they aren't worth it/not your thing?

A lot of questions, I know. Sorry about that. And thanks.

Any possible KS2 would, ideally keep nothing but the setting. I have no desire to make KS2, because I'm done with the setting and (like you) I think it would be unnecessary. Possible, sure, and maybe even possible to do well, but there would always be an element of treading over familiar ground.

I would certainly make another visual novel with these fine folk, assuming it was a project I had an interest in.

[Atario]

What are some things people constantly assert about the story that you know to be wrong? E.g., [character] does [action] because of [invented motivation]; [character]'s actions constitute [accusatory/laudatory term]; [character] is a [demonstrable person type], etc.

[Aura]

Something that comes to mind is people thinking Rin actually requires Emi's (or someone's) help to function. The amount of stuff double arm amputees actually are completely incapable of is unbelievably small. Or taken even further, some have taken Emi's quip about them being assigned as neighbours intentionally as a fact.

Dunno what else, I guess I'm not familiar enough with common stuff people say about KS.

[Suriko]

A lot of people talk about a possible KS2, but the thing is, how would that even work? VNs usually don't have sequels (Well, some do). Like, new characters, same concept? I don't know, I don't think it would work. Most of KS themes are explored succesfully during the first game, a sequel would be innecessary, I think?

I think the essence of KS could be pinned to its setting; a high school of mostly disabled students. Each of the Katawa Shoujo paths used that premise and took it in a different direction, presenting different messages about mortality, friendship, relationships, and society. While KS did a decent job on providing a resolution to Hisao's arc, there's little reason the basic idea couldn't be further extended through the eyes of different characters, or having Hiao be with different girls who have different story arcs. Whether it could work is a different question to whether we'd wish to do so, though. The latter is what we've made fairly clear, and that answer doesn't rely on the former.

So, I think a better question is: would you guys do another visual novel? together? with another group entirely?

That is, naturally, having complete freedom in the setting, characters, story, etc. Or maybe you just think VNs aren't fun to do/too much work and they aren't worth it/not your thing?

Been trying like hell to do one. TIme will tell on results.

[unseencamel]

Hi! This is my first time posting here, although I have been playing KS for almost a year (multiple play-throughs). First of all, thank you everybody for this great piece of art!

Rin's route is my favorite. And while I consider it a perfect story, one thing has always bothered me. Why did Hisao never tell Rin that he loves her back? This broke my heart a little. Whhhy Hisao? Futhermore, was Hisao made purposefully to be flawed in the sense that he can be ignorant and even a dick at times? If so, why? Of course I understand some of these actions for the bad endings, but many appear in the good endings as well.

[Aura]

Why did Hisao never tell Rin that he loves her back?

Up to your own interpretation. Don't post your interpretations in this thread though.

Futhermore, was Hisao made purposefully to be flawed in the sense that he can be ignorant and even a dick at times? If so, why? Of course I understand some of these actions for the bad endings, but many appear in the good endings as well.

Yes.

[HayStack44]

To the devs:
Have any of you watched the Katawa Seiyuu previews? Any thoughts? No worries if you don't feel it appropriate to express an opinion given the nature of the project or if it's a touchy subject

[Aura]

I watched like 15 seconds of one. Don't really have any thoughts so I asked climatic, who said "I could not accept a katawa shoujo that does not sound like my chinese cartoons"

[Tidus]

These questions, are more or less, specifically for Aura.

(Though, I do believe he clearly stated for non devs to not reply.)

1. Do you have any sort of real idea in your head of what happens (in regards to Rin and Hisao) post good ending? Not asking for you to reveal, as I know most is supposed to be left up to interpretation. I'm simply curious as to if you have continued it at all in your head.

2. Do you feel as if there is a particular girl that is "right" for Hisao, or at least, the most right out of the main girls?

3. Did your personal interest in cooking have any sort of influence on some of the other characters cooking, or simply a coincidence?

[Aura]

1. They go back to the school and have lunch?
2. Haven't really thought about it. It would stand to reason that this is the case though. Then again Hisao is subtly shifted to match (or in the case of Rin, un-match) each girl in the respective routes so it's also arguable that in each of the routes, that girl is the best one for Hisao. Which is pretty logical, after all he ended up with that girl.
3. No. My interest in cookery is on a bit different level than whatever any of the KS characters is portrayed with.