Katawa Shoujo Forums

I'm extremely late in discovering this game, at least it feels like it. Its not my place in anyway, but I just can't help feeling... Proud. This game is so amazing. I'm proud of people... a feeling I honestly find hard to find ever. This is an example of what can be done, what people can create, its just so amazing. Your creative talent is beyond my comprehension, Thank you so much for sharing it!

I haven't cried since... a long time ago. For the past few years, I didn't think I could cry any more. I thought I was desensitized. I thought I'd outgrown it. After this game, though, I can barely hold it together. Hopefully some of you can relate, but really, I just needed to write all this down.

This game needs a warning label. I was not ready for it, I was not prepared for it, and I don't think anything could have prepared me for it.
From the beginning, I had an almost eerie connection to the protagonist: I too play soccer, but not seriously. I too am a star student who loves and excels in science. I played katawa shoujo naturally, taking the choices that felt right (like introducing myself, because I'm not shy in real life). This natural play style led me to Emi's arc, and I cried multiple times during and after the game. The description of her determination was so natural; Irun for the same reasons. And although I figured out that her dad had died in the crash at basically the first hint, I didn't hold it against Hisao that he didn't: the visual novel is condensed and only shows relevant portions of his life, and he can hardly take every sentence as though it was a hint. The anal sex scene seemed so much more realistic than anything I was expecting since itdidn't romanticize the act. And when Emi wouldn't open up and kicked Hisao out of her house, I cried. Then, after a week of pretending, when she said they weren't right for each other, I held my breath. Where had I gone wrong?Hisao's ensuing save, that touching sentence that finally gets through to her, was beautiful. And at thegravestone, I cried again.
The happy ending pushed me over the edge: I can't stop thinking about this game. Sometimes, I'll feel the need to just stop and hug a pillow. I played Katawa Shoujo in a single, 5 hour stretch, and it was more of an emotional roller coaster than any movie I've ever watched. From the opinions here, it seems I didn't even get the most touching path, but I can't go back. As silly as it seems, even to me, I can't feel unfaithful to Emi, and I certainly can't stand another heartrending five hour story. I wouldn't be able to handle it again. In fact, I can't even imagine being attracted to any of the other characters, perhaps because this story came naturally.

So thank you, 4LS. This was life-changing. No game or movie has ever touched me this much.

But seriously consider putting a warning label on the box.

Thanks for sharing your stories guys. Rest assured you're not the only ones who had these feelings. It really is rather heartwarming. I've been an angry, cynical bastard for the longest time, but KS has made me realize that there are still good people in the world.

I really do urge you to try the other paths Neio. Take some time away and come back to it if you have to.

pandaphil wrote:Thanks for sharing your stories guys. Rest assured you're not the only ones who had these feelings. It really is rather heartwarming. I've been an angry, cynical bastard for the longest time, but KS has made me realize that there are still good people in the world.

I really do urge you to try the other paths Neio. Take some time away for awhile and come back to it.

As soon as I had written it down I felt a lot better. I'm doing Rin's path now. It's very weird to see Emi in it as a minor character (especially when she goes off to get the persian blue paint without Hisao), but it seems Rin's path goes more in-depth. The forum subtext really applies here ("don't panic, it's just a game"). It's liberating to play this a second time (well I actually did the same exact Emi path twice ) and get different perspectives.

[It's very interesting that I can't really relate to this path at all. I've never been interested in art, yet it's still a great story.]
Edit: nope, still eerily recognizable. Hisao doesn't understand art either.

It's strange to have Rin's path focus so much on Emi... she's "graceful" and "beautiful," yet it's Rin's path...

Yeah, I'm finishing up Rin's story too. She really is a tough one to connect with until the end. And it really is hard seeing Emi doing her "Stay cheerful at all costs" act now that you know whats really going on.

pandaphil wrote:Yeah, I'm finishing up Rin's story too. She really is a tough one to connect with until the end. It really is hard seeing Emi doing her "Stay cheerful at all costs" act now that you know whats really going on.

Definitely. She goes running in the rain, and Hisao wonders about it for a bit, and then it's dropped.
The other thing is how depressed Hisao seems on this path.

(Starting with To The Moon, will get to Katawa Shoujo in the 2nd half of this topic)

I have moderate to severe brain damage (the doctors just can't quite agree) due to an incident where I had prolonged repetitive oxygen deprivation that severely impacts my memory and reaction times. It has made VN and similarly paced games great for me. Since most of my brain damage is routed in memory loss "To The Moon" had a profound impact on me. To The Moon Spoilers are blacked out. In that game John's life is made significantly worse by what he can't remember. My wife and I met when we were 5 years old during a crafts segment of a Church activity called vacation bible school. Basically community daycare that is supposed to draw people into the church. We made an ark together because I had the glue she needed and nobody else would share. My wife has problems similar to the ones River has. When we met again in junior high, I asked her out not knowing she was the same girl. About half a month into the relationship when I was in her room she took the ark out of her closet and showed it to me. The similarities to this experience and what River was doing throughout the game resonated hugely with me when I was playing it. I was terrified that I might someday forget something like that. Our marriage hadn't been great lately and To The Moon made me want to be a better husband. While I believe To The Moon changed my life...

Katawa Shoujo.

This game is on an entirely different level. Many VNs focus on these ideal relationships, situations, and emotional states. There is an obvious disconnect within them that keeps them from feeling real. Clear dark lines between the VN and reality. This game blurs the lines. It very much displays realistic situations, thoughts, and reactions from all involved. Seeing these realistic relationships play out has shown me Hisao making mistakes eerily close to the ones I am often making. It has revealed to me things about my wife that I didn't see before. To The Moon changed my attitude about my marriage, but Katawa Shoujo is changing me to actually be the better husband this other game had me wanting to be. It is a slow process but I already feel our relationship improving.

Thank you for making this amazing VN. The world is better because of it.

I am writing this post to express my gratitude to all those involved in creating Katawa Shoujo, in particular those behind the Hanako Ikezawa Route. This is difficult for me to talk about, so I apologize if parts seem rushed over and left vague.

When I was 8, my parents too died in a house fire which left me severely burned. I spent the next year in the hospital recovering from the burns that now scarred approximately 50% of my body, from the right side of my face all the way down to my feet. Being the child of two only-child parents whom all their parents had already passed away for various reasons, I became a ward of the state. Even before the incident, I was never really socially accepted due to having Asperger's Syndrome, but afterwords I was either ignored completely or bullied severely, both mentally and physically. The orphanage I was in realized this and, wanting my best interests, sent me to a private school similar to the one you present, though it is not as impressive as Yamaku. While this helped, I still felt exactly as Hanako did for the same reasons. My therapist reccomended I try using electronic socialization because that way nobody knows who I am and therefore won't judge me due to my condition. It was through this I learned about Katawa Shoujo, and decided to play just out of curiosity's sake. Then I found Hanako's Route, and it was a godsend. It not only portrayed exactly how I was through Hanako, but also gave me the exact words I needed to hear through Hisao.

This has helped me greatly in accepting what happened and while I'm nowhere near fixed, my therapist has said I've shown more progress in the few months since playing Katawa Shoujo than the few years beforehand. And for that, I wish to offer my heartfelt thanks for everyone at Four Leaf Studios.

Thank you!


Started to play out of curiosity. Was prepared for various amounts of wierdness, but not for honest and observant drama. How very sneaky of you!
Which scenes resonated and why made me ponder.

Really had to post here before i realise i got worked up so much about a highschool romance

prometheus wrote:Thank you!


Started to play out of curiosity. Was prepared for various amounts of wierdness, but not for honest and observant drama. How very sneaky of you!
Which scenes resonated and why made me ponder.

Really had to post here before i realise i got worked up so much about a highschool romance

The romance is actually secondary. Hisao needed help after his mishap and so did the ladies. They found each other, and the player has to help them sort out their issues.

YZQ wrote:
The romance is actually secondary. Hisao needed help after his mishap and so did the ladies. They found each other, and the player has to help them sort out their issues.

That's so true. Personal growth for you, and the other person is the real point of the story. Earning the love of a beautiful woman is just icing on the cake.

Katawa Shoujo came to me out of a sudden as i was searching for an english VN
And my first impression after playing the game for the first few hours was awesome
Now that i've done all the good endings for all 5 girls (i won't do 100% because watching any of them sad or crying hurts)
I've never before spend that much time or efforts in 1 VN game
The art is beautiful, the story is touching (tear-jerking a lot), the music is incredible
What i wanted to say is thank you four leaf studios for making this VN (and made it free too)
Those hours i put into the game was so worth it.

We gained another in our ranks!
Most everybody here feels or felt the same way playing through Katawa Shoujo. Praise 4LS for days. Glad to have you on these forums!
It really only adds to the experience.

Actually, for all the bad ends, Hisao just have to swallow his pride, say sorry, and try to start anew. I'm pretty sure Hanako at least will give him another chance.

ReCodes wrote:i won't do 100% because watching any of them sad or crying hurts

Wuss. Did you at least do Kenji's?

And we have a thread for thanks...

@YZQ: She won't. The scene suggests as much, plus their stories don't continue anyway.