Katawa Shoujo Forums

Distinct from the "Favorite girl" thread because this isn't meant to gauge popularity or fawn over Hanako etc., but to really discuss what makes the girls likable or not - and hopefully let the devs know how to make the girls more likable to a wider range of tastes without making them all tend toward the same personality.


We'll start with the shallow stuff. In terms of looks, my list goes Lilly > Shizune > Misha > Hanako > Emi > Rin.

Lilly is on top for obvious reasons. Long, blond, wavy hair; blue (albeit cloudy) eyes; a cute black ribbon; and a tall, slender, well-endowed figure - when I first heard about KS she was really the only girl to catch my eye. However the cane as well as the idea that she may never look directly at "me" while talking to "me" are sort of turn-offs, though those points aren't really so superficial.

I don't think I have a "thing" for glasses and short hair; quite the opposite in fact - but it seems like the more time I spent looking at Shizune, the more physically attractive she got, even discounting the very sexy figure (which may very well be better than Lilly's). If her hair were a little longer - just enough to put up into a slightly messy Haruhi-style ponytail - she would be by far the most attractive girl in the game. In that case, if she were to let her hair tumble down, take off her glasses, and put on a cute face, it would be like saying "Ravage me" in the most effective way a deaf girl possibly could.

Misha seems like she could have healthy curves. Hard to tell, really, but I'm pretty sure that's the case. Anyway, she does have nice hair, eh?

Hanako's burns make her overall looks a big "do not know if want." If her right eyesocket and right boob are both melted, maimed, and leathery (as I'm sure they would be IRL), then that could - no, will be a big boner kill. I'd prefer that she not end up looking like Two-Face or Dr. Blight (from Captain Planet) under that emo hair. But considering that this is an animay vidya gaem where the sex scenes will undoubtedly serve as an important plot element, I'm sure the devs won't make her burns too realistic. ....Other than those concerns, she's cute.

Emi is cute, especially when she does her :] smile, but ffs she has the figure of a 12-year-old. Give her at least 4 years and 6 inches, as well as a more mature hairstyle, and it'll be a lot less creepy to be physically attracted to her. ...There's also those legs, and I dunno if I could get over the fact that she's an amputee. Maybe.

Finally, I don't find myself attracted to Rin. I already said I don't particularly like short hair, or even "fwippy" hair, but her hair is just a mess (and not in a good way I think). Also, she wears a boys' uniform, and ah, she has no arms. Not really into foot sex, thanks.


For personality, it's Shizune > Emi > Rin > Hanako > Misha > Lilly. I guess that list seems all over the place when you really consider it, but frankly all I know is that I like Shizune the most and Lilly the least, and the middle was just thrown together arbitrarily.

I was drawn to Shizune's personality almost immediately, even before she got to show her "dere" side and make it obvious that she really, really likes "me" (Hisao). I know people are constantly complaining that she's a manipulative bitch, but I think that's because they failed to see that she's not really just trying to get the new fish to do dirty work for the student council (at least, not for the entire route...). Rather, she's just trying to get a guy that she likes to spend time with her, and I guess that the incredibly aggressive tactics she uses to meet that end appeal to me - the scene where she passes those notes to Hisao came off as unbearably cute to me. I dunno, maybe I'm weird and like the idea of being dragged into a relationship - but she's definitely not a stereotypical or one-dimensional tsundere. Even her deafness appeals to me, as I'm deaf in one ear myself and at the very least I know what it's like to have a bag of chips thrown at my head to get my attention. Also, the idea of learning sign language to be able to communicate in the way she prefers is like wanting to learn a foreign language to be able to move to another country to live with an exotic foreign lover. Oh, and :3

Emi is cool, and I was surprised to find that she wasn't just some bubbly 12-year-old. I've already mentioned the :] face, but she's cute when she gets frustrated too.

Rin is just... weird. If she were a dude she'd be my best friend over Kenji any day. Still, it was cute when she fell asleep on top of Hisao.

Hanako I'm not entirely sure about. The idea of getting a shy, socially isolated girl like her to "open up" is appealing I guess, but at the same time maybe not 'cause it has the potential to just invite a world of drama. But I enjoyed her company at the end of the route, so we'll see.

I'm not sure about Misha either. I have no idea whether to interpret her loudness and constant "Wahahahaha!~" as annoying, funny, cute, quirky, or what. I'm sure if this game were voiced over then it'd be incredibly difficult to get the VA to not make her unbearably annoying; even so, I'm having trouble developing any sort of strong opinion regarding what is apparently supposed to be very annoying personality traits. At least, she doesn't seem entirely clueless, and I felt bad for her (as well as Shizune) when Hisao kicked them out of his room.

Finally, Lilly... is just boring. Calm, dainty, kind, sophisticated, and just plain boring. I made a point in /a/ that she doesn't seem to have the kind of "spark" that the other girls have - not in this demo, anyway. An anon explained that Lilly is supposed to appeal to the kind of person who takes life slowly and doesn't feel the need to be constantly doing something or whatever - basically the kind of person who doesn't mind going for long walks on the beach and having a quiet cup of tea as a "date." She's definitely not snobby, but I do wonder if she would be more interesting (if not somehow more likable) if she were. For me, after these first impressions, the only reason to go on her route in the finished game would be for her looks - which is absolutely not the case for any of the other four girls. As I said in /a/, the devs had better capitalize on her rivalry with Shizune to flesh out her interesting side, or else her route is going to be so mind-numbingly boring that it'll feel like punishment for going for the "hot" girl.


An internet for your thoughts.

Ooh, an internet. Always useful. Let's see...



As with (currently) about 38% of the players (who visited the forum and voted), I like Hanako the most. A good part of this is probably male protective instincts, but it's also true that I like fire, books, girls who read a lot of books, and in general a quieter and more reserved nature. Shyness is cute, and to me it's quite a bit more appealing than a girl who throws herself at you. XD Hanako x Lilly x Hisao threesome would be good, too... but I doubt we'll get that outside of the fan-material. XD

Rin was the most surprising character for me; I don't like her even half as much as Hanako in a "man, I wish she was real and my girlfriend" sort of way, but I do like her in a "man, I wish she was real just so I could actually talk with her" way; she's just plain odd, and I like that. Probably because she's fairly easy for me to understand, rather than being round-about as some other people would.

Shizune is kind of fun, since rather than just being a class-president, she's highly competative. I can see that being a lot of fun in her route, as Hisao falls prey to her merciless tactics before finally beating her and getting his proper reward for it. "I-I'm only doing this because you lost..." Misha says as Shizune climbs onto Hisao's bed... something like that. ^^

Emi... hmm... well, she's cheerful, upbeat, and cute, though I'd have to say I like her the least of the heroines. Which doesn't mean I dislike her, mind you; I like all of the girls quite a bit, Emi just the least among that. I feel like if you go on her route, you're going to die anyway from her pushing you too hard for exercise. Also, I think the thought of a footjob from her is hilarious; I really hope that's in the game.

Lilly doesn't seem like a perfect lady to me; what I got was the sense that she's very pretty, but her personality is a little more unstable. XD I kind of get the thought that there's a fairly dark bit in her mind somewhere that she needs to get over, and I'd like to know what that is. I've actually met a few blind people in real life, and more to the point, I've helped them get where they were going, so I do lean towards her a fair bit as well.


In real life, I have a mental disability (Hah! It's called that, but it's surprisingly useful except for some social situations), and so for me, I am attracted to this game and its heroines simply because they're imperfect. They're cute, but it's pretty much impossible to get around the fact that there is something wrong with them, and it's not one of those weird H-games where everyone's insane. So general thumbs-up to all of them. Absolute order for me is, mmm... Hanako > Lilly > Rin > Shizune > Emi. Misha doesn't really figure in.

Hanako has easily proven to be my favourite, which is strange because normally I don't go for the shy girls at all. Yet, there's something about Hanako that makes my heart well up everytime she smiles, and other points - like her talking about her tile game - were simply heart breaking. But I also like her because there are times when I do just like to sit quietly and read, and while I don't play it a lot I have played chess. I just feel like I'd enjoy being around her, and I want to chase away all her loneliness too. It's things like this that draw me to her more than the other girls.

I rather like Emi because of her spunky and happy-go-lucky attitude. She has an energy that is almost infectious, something that inadvertantly made me get her route on my first playthrough despite the fact that I was aiming to get the Hanako route. (Nothing like a heart attack to forge a connection, eh?) Besides that, I reckon there is something more to her beneath the exterior cheerfulness, and I want to take a look at that. Her teasing and flirting are a nice difference from Hanako.

Lilly was a great character, mainly because she was something of a surprise. I was expecting her to be a very stuck up kind of girl, but she suprised me by actually being very sociable and friendly, and not just because of her "well-bred" nature in a strict all girls school, but also because that just seems to be who she is. Other bits like her mockingly puffing out her cheeks to Hisao when he asks if she wants to see more of the festival in the final scene of her route surprised me as well, it shows something more to her, something that gives her extra layers and interest and make her seem more real than the usual "well-bred" girls I've encountered in other stories.

Rin... well, is Rin, for a start. She is someone that would be interesting to hang out with (Rin is a bro) but I can't really see it going beyond that, personally. Even so, she is a really interesting character and I look forward to seeing more of her. As someone who does a bit of drawing for a hobby in my spare time, I certainly wouldn't mind hanging out with her at the art club.

Shizune is a little difficult for me. Having done her route second to last, at first I really didn't like her; but after doing her route and seeing a little more of her, she was actually quite interesting. The problem is her combative/competitive nature, it really put me off at first and made her seem manipulative and unfriendly. I can see why some people like her, but I can also see why many (including myself) were put off by her. Even so, she is a good character in her own right.

Hanako's burns make her overall looks a big "do not know if want." If her right eyesocket and right boob are both melted, maimed, and leathery (as I'm sure they would be IRL), then that could - no, will be a big boner kill. I'd prefer that she not end up looking like Two-Face or Dr. Blight (from Captain Planet) under that emo hair. But considering that this is an animay vidya gaem where the sex scenes will undoubtedly serve as an important plot element, I'm sure the devs won't make her burns too realistic. ....Other than those concerns, she's cute.

After reading this I had the worrying realisation that I'd find her more attractive the worse her burns were, and as such should probably seek the guidance of a therapist.

Rin to me has the best personality out of any of the girls.

mallory wrote:

Hanako's burns make her overall looks a big "do not know if want." If her right eyesocket and right boob are both melted, maimed, and leathery (as I'm sure they would be IRL), then that could - no, will be a big boner kill. I'd prefer that she not end up looking like Two-Face or Dr. Blight (from Captain Planet) under that emo hair. But considering that this is an animay vidya gaem where the sex scenes will undoubtedly serve as an important plot element, I'm sure the devs won't make her burns too realistic. ....Other than those concerns, she's cute.

After reading this I had the worrying realisation that I'd find her more attractive the worse her burns were, and as such should probably seek the guidance of a therapist.

Didn't you ever see any of the episodes where the other half of Dr. Blight's face is revealed? At the very least I'm sure you know what Two-Face looks like. If you find that shit appealing, then I agree, you do need a therapist.

ArtfulChaos wrote:Rin to me has the best personality out of any of the girls.

This isn't the favorites thread.

What about the other girls? What do you like and dislike about each of them? What's so great about Rin in particular? What could the devs do right to make you like the other girls more, and in what ways could they royally fuck up to make you hate a girl?


Edit to elaborate on that last point:

I really like Shizune, obviously. Partly because she's not just a stereotypical tsundere, as I've said. Do not turn her into a bitch just because it's expected or it's what you think we expect. She should not turn out to be a very angry menstrual cunt.

Okay going by a similar set up. :P

Appearance:

Lilly > Hanako > Misha > Emi > Shizune > Rin

Whilst Hanako is sort of similar in hair style and what have you, I have to bare in mind that burns in real life probably aren't quite an endearing as they are here. :P Still really it is very close between Hanako and Lilly. Then Misha since I love pink hair, Emi is adorable, Shizune is.. eh and Rin is a tomboy. :<

Personality:

I can't really grade them so easily because they're all so different, so here goes. :O

Lilly: I love how protective of her friend she is, people tend to forget this quality about her but it's something that's always been an important things to me. I didn't have a lot of friends at school and the ones I had I was fiercely loyal to and that continues to now. This quality didn't hit me into later into the game so whilst Hanako was my initial *click* favourite, Lilly began to build on me quite a lot. I like her serenity, she seems pretty wise as well, yet she obviously has integrity and it able to stand her ground to someone as bossy as Shizune. Props, the girl won't be bullied.

Hanako: I think because I can relate to her so much is why I like her. Had I not had the experiences I had I might not. Her shyness is endearing and her smile is one of the sweetest things you can see in the game and is worth it everytime.

Emi : Is pretty adorable and her determination is what makes her quite loveable. She does seem a bit simple as a character so I look forward to any character development her way.

Misha: Is a bit.. annoying in an endearing way, the fact that she spends so much time with Shizune is pretty admirable, though. I look forward to getting to know about her some more too.

Shizune: BLAH, but this is because I am sensitive to bully-ish people. I expect most see her as being strong, which she is, but her sarcastic quips are a bit too cutting and if I were Hanako I would be crying in the toilets by now. ;__; She's obviously a great leader and such, but she reminds me of too many girls I didn't like at school.

Rin: Heh, she's funny, and if her odd little rambles didn't go on for so long I'd probably like her more. :P She obviously has her head in the clouds.

Rednal wrote: Hanako x Lilly x Hisao threesome would be good, too... but I doubt we'll get that outside of the fan-material. XD

Hurr hurr, yes please. Also:

Rednal wrote: In real life, I have a mental disability (Hah! It's called that, but it's surprisingly useful except for some social situations), and so for me, I am attracted to this game and its heroines simply because they're imperfect.

I do too actually, I didn't mention it before. I have clinical depression. :<

Didn't you ever see any of the episodes where the other half of Dr. Blight's face is revealed? At the very least I'm sure you know what Two-Face looks like. If you find that shit appealing, then I agree, you do need a therapist.

Well no, but Harvey Dent wasn't a sexy young thing to begin with... :v



I suppose I ought to contribute, I'll be brief~

Lilly is beautiful and has a lovely personality, sure, but then I realise I'll never met a girl like that in reality, which then depresses me... -_-

I also enjoy Hanako, but then I realise I couldn't be with somebody with such low self esteem without having the feeling they were just settling for me because they thought I was the best that they could do... -_-

I could never be with Shizune or Misha, I like to take it easy... -_-

Rin has an interesting personality but I feel like I'd rather have her as a friend, I'm not sure why... -_-

And finally, Emi is a generic loli character I have abolutely no interest in... -_-

mallory wrote:After reading this I had the worrying realisation that I'd find her more attractive the worse her burns were, and as such should probably seek the guidance of a therapist.

Welcome to the Internet.

FFS. I'm way too tired to write up and explain every girl, but I will give you my horridly biased Shizune and Misha spiel.

Shizune: In my opinion, the most (physically) attractive character, followed by Lilly. Admittedly, I do have a thing for glasses, so that's a plus. The slim and ample figure is perhaps most noticeable. I'm not a fan of short hair in general, but it just looks so spot on with Shizune. As for her personality, I was drawn in much in the same way Caesius was. Shizune first comes off as cold, calculating, and manipulative. However, the more you spend time with her, the more you realize that they're all her defenses to hide her true 'dere' personality. There are times in the demo where she becomes flustered and embarassed, which is absolutely adorable. Her competitive spirit is also highly attractive to me, in the way where she seems like the kind of girl one could have a deep, meaningful, relationship, and still have fun. And, as per the deaf-mute issue, I think it's absolutely HNNNNNGGG worthy. Don't know why, but it's so cute.

Misha: DAT ASS. Curves, curves, drill-hair, curves. Misha is cute and playful. The brief insights into her (seemingly) carefree and naive personality are a great foil to Shizune's seriousness. Though, there are moments in the demo where it shows that Misha isn't a complete ditz. I don't really understand why so many people dislike her, because I think she adds a great amount of personality to Shizune's silence.

Please excuse any and all typos, logical fallacies, and poor use of memes. I'm tired.

mallory wrote: Well no, but Harvey Dent wasn't a sexy young thing to begin with... :v

Woah there, watch your fucking mouth when you talk about Aaron Eckhart.

Hmm, looks. I'd have to say... Emi > Hanako > Rin > Shizune > Lilly.

I know Lilly is well-endowed and has a nice figure, but the blondes never really suited me in that way per se. >< I find Emi to be extremely cute anyway, and twintails always get me, lol. I think Hanako is beautiful, even with the scars. And she's just so cute with the shyness, even though I'm not usually into overly shy girls. After that's Rin, I didn't really like her looks at first, but I've come to think she's kinda cute, in her own way. xD Shizune comes next. I don't really like her looks, to be honest -- glasses and short hair, ehh. But her nice figure and not-too-tallness makes up for it. Lilly's last because I don't like blonde hair, the cloudy eyes are a bit of a put off, and she's too tall. Just for my tastes anyway.

Now, personalty -- Emi > Rin > Hanako > Lilly > Shizune.

Emi is just adorable and I love how she's so caring, sweet, etc. In a close tie to her is Rin however. I didn't like her that much at first but she really grew on me. I just adore her eccentricities and the way she talks. The fireworks scene between Hisao and Rin is just too cute, too. After them is Hanako -- like I said before, I didn't think I'd like her, shy girls are kinda eh, with me, in general. But she grew on me too. xD After her is Lilly, and though she's calm and nice to be around and kind and all that, I feel she's a little bland. Finally, Shizune, who I really don't like. She's too much of a bully. :/

Attractiveness:

Shizune > Lilly > Misha > Rin > Emi > Hanako (adorable in her own way, but that face, don't know if want)

Personality:

Shizune, she in my mind would be the girl I would most want to hang out with, be with and just love forever I think. She's got the type A personality that I adore with just a hint of girlish delight that I find enchanting. I find her challenging in a good way, someone that would challenge me to be my best.

Lilly, she comes off as a bit aloof, is she rich or something? She's like a victorian throw back, which I do find interesting but I don't know if I could ever relate to her emotionally or otherwise.

Misha, very bubbly and fun, which could be fun, for awhile. I'm sure her yelling in your face and being ON 24 hours a day would get tiresome after weeks or months of it. I don't know if she ever is "off" so to speak, I would love to see her in a more light moment, just hanging out and talking about her feelings or problems to find out if she's more then "MAHAHAHAHAHAHA".

Rin, I like her, I really do, but I just can't help but think I would always think of her as just "one of the boys". There's something there, deep behind her stone face and crass remarks I'm sure, maybe if you could get past that out shell you'd find a girl who wants to be a girl, or maybe you'd just find a crazy person, who knows.

Emi, you know, thus far in Act 1 I really can't get a feel on her. What I see is kind of a prototypical bubbly loli, care free and jolly for no reason other then being care free and jolly. She does seem to care about you which is nice, but that could be just cuz she feel sorry for you, who knows.

Hanako, shy girls are cute in stories but not really in real life, as I said I like type A personalities and Hanako is the exact opposite of that. Hanging out with her might be able to change some of that, but I'd always be afraid that if I said anything wrong she'd leap off a roof or something. Just kissing her might make her bawwww, who knows.

I've talked about the girls before, but never tried ranking them, so why not give it a try?

Looks: Hanako > Lilly > Shizune > Emi > Misha > Rin

Hanako is just adorable, especially when she smiles, and I have a thing for long-haired girls, which also applies to Lilly. Besides having nice hair, Lilly is just plain pretty to look at. Shizune is also pretty cute sometimes, especially when she's smiling or doing her :3 face. Emi is pretty cute, but I don't think she's particularly alluring. Misha, well, she's kind of cute, but drills aren't my thing (Except in Gurren Lagann ). Finally, I like Rin and all, but she's just not much of a looker, to be blunt. On the bright side though, she does have the same hair color as Hisui and Kohaku from Tsukihime, and the maids are some of my favorite characters in a VN.

Personality: Shizune > Rin > Lilly > Hanako > Emi > Misha

I didn't like Shizune at first, but later on, her competitive mindset and endearing inner dere-dere nature began to grow on me, and I think she has one of the best personalities overall in the game, though she could tone down the criticism a bit (especially to Hanako, who she picked on just because she associated with Lilly). On a bit of a different note, I'm hoping Hisao gets to learn sign language in her route, so Misha wouldn't need to be there 100% of the time. I kind of feel her constant presence would end up impeding their relationship if left unchecked.

Rin is simply a ton of fun to hang out with, and her unpredictable nature is something I find rather fun as well. Though I kind of hope there's something a bit more concrete to her hidden under her random, somewhat crass exterior, because it almost feels like her surface persona is an act at some times, and if so, I want to get to know the real Rin too. On a slightly different note, I was truly impressed with Rin's can-do attitude towards her life as a painter. For someone with no hands, it's quite inspiring to see the lengths she goes to to follow her desires. Kind of reminds me of Kamina in some ways, such as in her determination, and that's awesome. Finally, I also think she can be kind of cute in spite of her tomboy-ish appearance, especially in that scene where she falls asleep on Hisao's shoulder (I dawww'd).

As for Lilly, she has a nice, generally pleasant and dependable personality. I'm quite impressed with the way she takes her blindness in stride, though that's true for most of the characters in this game. Hanako is cute and shy, but I hope there's more to her underneath the shyness, something that could be used for character development further on down the line perhaps.

Emi is bubbly and cheerful, but she seems fairly cliche'd as the energetic girlish character type to me, to be honest. I hope they expand on her more in the final version. Finally, I have a bit of trouble seeing Misha as more than a ditzy interpreter for Shizune who likes to go Wahahahaha~ a bit too often, honestly, there could be more to her than that which I'm not seeing, but she doesn't seem terribly developed compared to most of the others.

Guess that about wraps it up, though I must admit I still like Rin and Hanako better than Shizune personally, though I think Shizune has a more interesting personality from an objective point of view. That said, I think Rin and Shizune could both have enormous potential as characters in the full version of the game, depending on how the devs handle their routes. And I kind of think Emi and Misha need a bit of work as characters if they want to be able to stand on the same terms as the rest of the cast in my eyes.

Physical Appearance: Shizune > Lillly > Misha > Emi > Rin > Hanako

Personality: Rin > Lilly / Hanako > Shizune / Misha > Emi

Rin is far and away my favorite girl so far, if nothing more than to hang out. She's blunt and a little scatterbrained, which I find terribly endearing. Her "I'm not disabled because it doesn't define me" attitude is the greatest among the others, in my opinion. Being an artist myself, I naturally gravitated towards her, and Aura did a fantastic job of representing her. Plus, her ending is very ronery-inducing and I loved that. If I ever wanted a friend to just hang out, I hope she'd be like Rin

Lilly and Hanako are fantastic characters, but I find them so intertwined that I have a hard time separating them in my mind, much like Shizune and Misha. I guess, alone, I don't find them all that interesting; Lilly is prim and proper and seems to have a hard time relating to others, and the huge shyness barrier Hanako puts up is nearly impenetrable unless Lilly is around. Both of them become much more intriguing once they're together, since Lilly starts becoming rather motherly and Hanako can hide safely behind Lilly and concentrate more on coming out of her shell.

Shizune and Misha... oh, what to say about them? I don't really like them at all alone, but, like Lilly and Hanako, I can't separate them in my mind. Shizune starts off bitchy and Misha seems only a bubbly mouthpiece, but as I progressed their story I saw that, in all truth, Shizune only wants someone to compete with. I just can't get a good read on Misha, though.

I mean no offense, but Emi is really flat and boring. Generally ecstatic, a little clingy, extremely concerned about her charge, etc. To me she seems rather stock. I can see a ton of potential for her, though, given some more development.