Katawa Shoujo Forums

Things that always move me to tears, no matter how many times I read or watch them:

"The Man Who Lost the Sea" by Theodore Sturgeon.

"Can These Bones Live?" by Ted Reynolds.

The ending of Episode 10 of R.O.D the TV. And Episode 9, when Alice dies. Hell, that was enough to move Drake to tears!

Episode 19 of Chobits, when Ueda tells Hideki about his first wife.

The scene in Koi Kaze just before Koushiro moves out.

The scene near the end of Howl's Moving Castle when Howl and Calcifer first meet.

The scene at the end of Legend of Black Heaven when it looks like all is lost.

The butterfly scene in Patch Adams.

The liftoff scene in SpaceCamp. Mostly because of the music, I think.

Chapter "Sister II", Part 9, of El Goonish Shive; the 9/27 and 10/3 strips most of all.

The scene in Kashimashi (the manga) where Hazumu is falling, and suddenly someone's hand grabs hers...in midair...not to stop her fall...just to be with her...and they continue to fall, together. Tying their fates together.

And many, many places in Strangers in Paradise.

EDIT: Remembered another one: the scene in the Mahoromatic manga, at the end of the first tankoubon, where we find out how Suguru's father died, and why she wanted to spend her last days working for him.

Ugh, the word "feels" makes me cringe every time that I see it because I think it's a really stupid term. Just say what you feel. Nobody here is going to judge you for it.

But I have been thinking about this thread a lot before actually posting in it. Over the past few days, I've been thinking a lot about idealized forms of art, and what can be considered a perfect ___. It's so hard to find things that I would consider perfect, and they are often short, because it is easier to craft something perfect when it is short and contains only a single theme.

Usually stuff that just makes me "feel" don't impact me a lot; stuff that makes me think and feel at the same time stays with me forever.

Here are some things that have impacted me and the way I think in one way or another, in no particular order.

Print:
"Hills like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway
"Ode on a Grecian Urn" by John Keats
"Good Readers and Good Writers" by Vladimir Nabokov
The Real Life of Sebastian Knight by Vladimir Nabokov
Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
Everything's Eventual by Stephen King
1984 by George Orwell
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
The Inferno by Dante Alighieri

Words & Pictures:
Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo
Narcissu by stage-nana
Blankets by Craig Thompson
x/1999 by CLAMP (I recognize that this is of lower quality than most of the stuff on my list, but it influenced a significant part of my adolescence)
Air Pressure

Television:
LOST (Season 1, Episode 4: Walkabout, in particular)
Twin Peaks
X-Files (mythology only)
FLCL
Ghost in the Shell
Moral Orel

Visual Art:
Zdzislaw Beksinski
(I don't know that much about art, whoops.)

Film:
Koyaanisqatsi
Hotaru no Haka (Grave of the Fireflies)
Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont
Brokeback Mountain
The Last Unicorn
Inland Empire (basically any Lynch film, really, but this one's my favorite)
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu
Harold and Maude
Dr. Strangelove (or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb)
2001: A Space Odyssey
Wristcutters: A Love Story
Akira Kurosawa's Dreams
Pan's Labyrinth
Let the Right One In

Music:
This Will Destroy You
The Flashbulb
Giacomo Puccini
Amadeus Mozart
Alban Werg
Arnold Schoenberg
Phillip Glass
John Adams (contemporary classical)

Live Performance:
Sweeney Todd (especially the revival! Best money spent in my life going to see that.)
West Side Story
Einstein on the Beach
Madama Butterfly
Wozzeck
Tosca
Il Pagliacci
The Marriage of Figaro
The Magic Flute
any and all Shakespeare
All My Sons
The Gray Zone

Games:
Knights of the Old Republic
Knights of the Old Republic II
Dragon Age: Origins

Internet:
Rice Boy
DyE's Fantasy music video (not for the faint of heart!)
Today I Die


...That list is at once shorter and longer than I thought it would be.

quellsnarg wrote:Ugh, the word "feels" makes me cringe every time that I see it because I think it's a really stupid term. Just say what you feel. Nobody here is going to judge you for it.

For me it's just a quick way of saying that I felt several emotions.
If it were just one well then that's nice and quick.
I agree though that it would be best to tell us what exactly you felt. It will help us understand what you went through/experienced and will allow us all to connect. (if that is what you wish of course.)

quellsnarg wrote: Hotaru no Haka (Grave of the Fireflies)

I regret watching the movie. A friend and I watched in the wee early morning, we were excited, happy and full of energy, we wanted to see another anime movie! The move drained all of that out of us. When it was over we could only really just look at each other and ask the pointless questions of "that was the end? really?".
Fuck that. Unlike other stories that I have watched/read that were tragedies, this one left no sunshine anywhere, just death.
The feeling of that shit was fucking depressing was gone in the morning but I regretted not spending that time on something more fun and full of life. Hey a spark of life would have been better.
There was a good deal of silence with maybe a couple of hours or so not being able to go to sleep.
There were no tears, manly or otherwise. My feeling were a bit mixed, also I don't cry when feeling depressed.
I mean seriously, I have read a little manga called Doubt. That manga kept making think that is so fucked up! and I was fine some 30 minutes later.

I am not the kind of person that needs that kind of reality check/wake up call.
Knowing that things can end abruptly and horribly is just something that goes without saying or needing much attention, you just know.

-rant end.

quellsnarg wrote: Pan's Labyrinth

This is another movie that left me going what the fuck just happened?
I did not know what to make of the ending.Was I supposed to think it was all in her head or all real so it turned out alright even with that fucked up death?
It was depressing enough for me to not hold out much hope for the latter.

quellsnarg wrote: Music

There are a lot of songs which can invoke deep, strong emotions. Mozart & Beethoven are among my favorites.
Ludwig Van Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata is so simple yet so beautiful and for me I just flow through several emotions as I listen to it.

quellsnarg wrote: Games:
Knights of the Old Republic
Knights of the Old Republic II

I loved the first one, it was fun and had a great story. My path choice being the light side path.
The second one had too much left incomplete for me to enjoy it as much but I remember there being parts that I did enjoy.




Hmm that took a bit longer to type out than I would have liked.(My post was erased for some reason once. Guess it reset my session with the server.)
My favorite other media feels list to come after I get me some sleep. ZzzzZzZZZzzzZzZzz

~Fate~ Ending of Fate/stay night

TheKingOfFacade wrote:The actuality of what is happening in the game "NIER" after playing through all 4 endings along with the OST.

Also this. A thousand times this. I think I never played a roleplaying game with such an intricate, well-crafted and especially sad story. I think I was crying from the end of Ending A to the very end.

The Soundtrack is terrific, Piano Collection is going to be released on 21st March by the way.

I've got another one to add to the music list:

Sleeping At Last. Everything this guy does is absolutely beautiful.

Come on, no love for Forrest Gump?

Jacius Ceed wrote:

quellsnarg wrote: Hotaru no Haka (Grave of the Fireflies)

I regret watching the movie. A friend and I watched in the wee early morning, we were excited, happy and full of energy, we wanted to see another anime movie! The move drained all of that out of us. When it was over we could only really just look at each other and ask the pointless questions of "that was the end? really?".
Fuck that. Unlike other stories that I have watched/read that were tragedies, this one left no sunshine anywhere, just death.
The feeling of that shit was fucking depressing was gone in the morning but I regretted not spending that time on something more fun and full of life. Hey a spark of life would have been better.
There was a good deal of silence with maybe a couple of hours or so not being able to go to sleep.
There were no tears, manly or otherwise. My feeling were a bit mixed, also I don't cry when feeling depressed.
I mean seriously, I have read a little manga called Doubt. That manga kept making think that is so fucked up! and I was fine some 30 minutes later.

I am not the kind of person that needs that kind of reality check/wake up call.
Knowing that things can end abruptly and horribly is just something that goes without saying or needing much attention, you just know.

-rant end.

Well... for me it was more than just a movie about horrible stuff happening. To me, it read as a movie that warned against excessive pride in oneself. Of course it was very blatantly an anti-war movie, but it seemed more than that. Seita had loads of opportunities to get help from other people, including his own family, but he refused it because he was too proud. As much as I related to him the first time I watched it, upon rewatchings I realized he was kind of a douche for not allowing others to help himself and his sister when they were obviously in a really shitty situation. I'm someone who doesn't like asking for help either, so watching that movie made me realize that it can be a problem, especially in sink or swim situations.

Jacius Ceed wrote:

quellsnarg wrote: Pan's Labyrinth

This is another movie that left me going what the fuck just happened?
I did not know what to make of the ending.Was I supposed to think it was all in her head or all real so it turned out alright even with that fucked up death?
It was depressing enough for me to not hold out much hope for the latter.

The whole point of the movie was to be ambiguous, and that's part of the reason why I liked it and it made me think. I think the last image of the movie, with the flower blooming on the tree, hints that what happened was real to an extent, but it's really up to the viewer to decide for themselves.

Jacius Ceed wrote:

quellsnarg wrote: Games:
Knights of the Old Republic
Knights of the Old Republic II

I loved the first one, it was fun and had a great story. My path choice being the light side path.
The second one had too much left incomplete for me to enjoy it as much but I remember there being parts that I did enjoy.

What I thought was so great about the second game was the whole influence system and the themes of nihilism throughout. I don't know if you can tell from my list, but I really like media that embeds a strong philosophy throughout.

Also, add to my list Grendel, Un Chien Andalou by Salvador Dali, and Pablo Neruda's poetry.

quellsnarg wrote: Well... for me it was more than just a movie about horrible stuff happening. To me, it read as a movie that warned against excessive pride in oneself. Of course it was very blatantly an anti-war movie, but it seemed more than that. Seita had loads of opportunities to get help from other people, including his own family, but he refused it because he was too proud. As much as I related to him the first time I watched it, upon rewatchings I realized he was kind of a douche for not allowing others to help himself and his sister when they were obviously in a really shitty situation. I'm someone who doesn't like asking for help either, so watching that movie made me realize that it can be a problem, especially in sink or swim situations.

It has been over 6 years since I watched the movie and since it did not leave a good impression I did not remember much about what happened in the movie.
On the first point, I get the feeling that I thought something similar.
On the second, I can be like that too, not so much out of pride but out of an I need to do this myself to prove to myself that I can.
I do ask for help when I need it though, although sometimes not quite directly.

quellsnarg wrote: The whole point of the movie was to be ambiguous, and that's part of the reason why I liked it and it made me think. I think the last image of the movie, with the flower blooming on the tree, hints that what happened was real to an extent, but it's really up to the viewer to decide for themselves.

Yeah, I just couldn't make up my mind on that.

quellsnarg wrote: What I thought was so great about the second game was the whole influence system and the themes of nihilism throughout.

I also enjoyed the influence system, I'm glad other games have adopted similar systems as well.
With a guy like Darth Nihilus in the game it seemed like they thought people would miss those themes. Or they just really wanted to have it be clear that is what it was.

quellsnarg wrote: I don't know if you can tell from my list, but I really like media that embeds a strong philosophy throughout.

Vaguely, yes. Although I have not experienced most of the works you listed.

Oh and have you ever watched Bridge To Terabithia?
Even with the girl dying like that I really liked it. The pain that the main character went through, knowing that he could have prevented her from going that day, but didn't for a selfish little reason. Although in another day either one of them would have fallen and possibly still died from the fall and trauma to the head. No drowning though, maybe. There is only a handful of things that could have gone through his head as he is a kid and portraying him as anything more would have been a stretch. There are more possibilities than can bring about feelings of guilt and loss all prolonged by someone with an strong imagination and time on their hands to wallow in misery.
It's great that he came out the other end as a good older brother who will take care of his little sister rather than being an ass like he was before.

There's a lot from when I was a kid that still gets me today, mainly "Fox and the Hound" in that scene where Todd gets taken away, I can't fight the tears when that shit goes down lol, and "Pokemon: The First Movie" of course. The thing that's had the biggest emotional impact on me is definitely Clannad though, I mean damn, I put it on thinking it was just some mediocre high school anime, ended up being the best anime I'd ever seen.

Everyone keeps talking about Clannad... I guess I should watch it, huh?

Pink Floyd songs always give me the feels. Especially Dogs, which Katawa got me addicted to when I listened to it while playing.

yipyapper wrote:Pink Floyd songs always give me the feels. Especially Dogs, which Katawa got me addicted to when I listened to it while playing.

Waters' era Floyd, yes. Post-Water's: Fugetaboutit!

And believe it or not, The Final Cut is my favorite album. That album gives serious feels.

Jacius Ceed wrote:and have you ever watched Bridge To Terabithia?
Even with the girl dying like that I really liked it. The pain that the main character went through, knowing that he could have prevented her from going that day, but didn't for a selfish little reason. Although in another day either one of them would have fallen and possibly still died from the fall and trauma to the head. No drowning though, maybe. There is only a handful of things that could have gone through his head as he is a kid and portraying him as anything more would have been a stretch. There are more possibilities than can bring about feelings of guilt and loss all prolonged by someone with an strong imagination and time on their hands to wallow in misery.
It's great that he came out the other end as a good older brother who will take care of his little sister rather than being an ass like he was before.

I read the book before I watched the movie... gosh... I must have read the book 12 years ago, for the first time. I read it towards the end of my elementary school days. I did watch the movie... I think it came out when I was in high school? Not sure.

I liked the book better, but I read the book about ten times and I only saw the movie once. I think people don't give kids enough credit for having mature thoughts and ideas, including some things in the movie. Maybe it's because I read The Waste Land by T.S. Elliot when I was eight and enjoying similar ideas at the time (even if I couldn't fully appreciate them due to inexperience), but I remember having some extremely philosophical thoughts back then and even before that, pondering what exactly experience and time meant and how death and existence related to that. Sure kids have inexperience but that isn't always a bad thing; they can look at the world through an innocent viewpoint instead of seeing everything in a jaded way, which colors opinion. Again, it's possible that I only thought these things due to my upbringing and I don't claim to speak for everybody, but I have talked to a few other friends about what we thought about as children and I know I wasn't the only one.

But I digress; I think the great thing about the book is that the kid had an adult view about his friend's death, and although he was a bit jaded in the beginning of the story, he changed towards the end and saw that he shouldn't let her death make him miserable the rest of his life, because that wouldn't be what she wanted. I forget in the movie, but in the book I remember him saying how selfish he thought the adults were being in making her death about their grief and not actually her death, like they cared more about being sad than in celebrating her life and missing her. I mean, seriously, wow, what a great insight into how people mourn and how people usually try to make things about them in one way or another... and even after thinking that thought, he is able to live a healthy life, or so it's implied.

I don't know if that made any sense, it's been probably six or seven years since I've read or watched it, haha.

Also, this is one of the reasons that I like The Giver so much; Lois Lowry doesn't treat her child protagonist like a child, and society doesn't either (although that can be debated as a good or a bad thing).

A Humbled Fan wrote:Everyone keeps talking about Clannad... I guess I should watch it, huh?

You MUST watch it. Did KS hit you hard? Clannad's gonna rob you out of your life for a few days at least. Pretty sure you won't be able to act, think or walk for a while after you finish it.

Seriously, watch it. For me it's the greatest piece of art of all time. I'm not alone on that thought.

fcd15 wrote:

A Humbled Fan wrote:Everyone keeps talking about Clannad... I guess I should watch it, huh?

You MUST watch it. Did KS hit you hard? Clannad's gonna rob you out of your life for a few days at least. Pretty sure you won't be able to act, think or walk for a while after you finish it.

Seriously, watch it. For me it's the greatest piece of art of all time. I'm not alone on that thought.

Just noticed it's on Netflix Instant! I will definitely give it a try!

Everything I've heard about it has been good, so I am definitely looking forward to starting.