Katawa Shoujo Forums

Hey, everybody. New here, so allow me to explain myself. I was told about Katawa Shoujo from a friend almost a week ago. Never horribly interested in visual novels before, I was iffy about the whole idea. I heard about the ruckus on 4chan about it, and at that point, my interest was piqued. Before KS, I was the most stone-hearted person I know.
I never realized something could give you such a horrible case of THE FEELS!

So, I've come to realize that I'm loving all the characters in their own ways! It's hard to choose a favorite, but I feel like I must.
If I had to choose, it would probably be Hanako. Emi following close in second. Those were my first two choices in the storyline, and I'm not regretting that.

Hanako first, probably because she, being as shy as she is, screams the word "CUTE!" for me. Like a lost puppy with nowhere to go. I wasn't as moved for her ending as I was for Emi's... Though, I still almost cried. (Being honest, here.)

Emi second, because, while she has her adept ability to LOOK like a lost puppy when she wants to, she doesn't strike me as that persona. If I had to compare her to something, it would probably be salmon. Swimming upstream is such hard work. At the end of the day, you completed your task, but are defeated and exhausted. you never see anybody PICKING UP the salmon and moving it upstream. No, this is a task only the salmon can achieve! I greatly respect that. An ability I wish I had.

Was I wrong for comparing Emi to a fish? I'm so sorry. Please forgive me! QQ
Anyways. Who are your favorite characters? And why?

Welcome to the boards, boss.

Every character in this game was pretty great, as they managed to capture various places, people, and events in my life in weird places, many expected, many very well not at all expected. Picking an absolute favorite is tough, because I like some an awful lot due to emotional impacts, but I also think others are amazing as genuinely cool, with-it kinda folks I wouldn't and haven't have minded popping in and out of my life every so often.

I'm gonna be an absolute hardass for a second and go with Hisao. He's dumb as he is lucky, winds up figuring out just how much so after getting the Yamaku treatment, and somehow winds up becoming a better man for it most of the time, hahah.

Total Destruction wrote:Welcome to the boards, boss.

I have to thank you for responding. I was beginning to think that I might have approached this topic wrong and accidentally set myself up as an outcast! I can agree with your statement wholeheartedly. Though, one person I forgot to take into account is Kenji. In the beginning, I simply adored Kenji for his antics.

Though...
After I got the Kenji ending 6-7 times in a row, I learned to hate his guts. It's still funny to me!

Lilly and Hanako. Go play Lilly's path and watch the entire summer house scene in Act 4 or any part where Lilly's hugging Hanako. You WILL FEEL EVERYTHING! And if you don't, well, you're just a feminist. It just seems very...Content.

(Note: I have not played Shizune or Rin's paths yet so the above is subject to change but...Dammit, I love them so much D:)


@DrShikura: Join the club. Now, I hold my breath waiting to see if Hisao heads to the roof or not...

Xanatos wrote:Lilly and Hanako. Go play Lilly's path and watch the entire summer house scene in Act 4 or any part where Lilly's hugging Hanako. You WILL FEEL EVERYTHING! And if you don't, well, you're just a feminist. It just seems very...Content.

(Note: I have not played Shizune or Rin's paths yet so the above is subject to change but...Dammit, I love them so much D:)


@DrShikura: Join the club. Now, I hold my breath waiting to see if Hisao heads to the roof or not...

I haven't coimpleted Lilly's arc yet, so forgive me if I don't read the spoilers for fear that it might ruin somehting important. Though, she's my next target choice for a path. then Shizune, then Rin. I never cared for Rin as much as the rest, but I have the feeling her path is going to make me cry at the end just because of that. We'll see!

Welcome to the wretched hive of scum and villainy that is a 4Chan spin-off site where you'll just happen to find probably the best visual novel money doesn't buy. I'm Pyramid Head and i'm a critical asshole.

That done? Good. My favorite character was Hanako because i could easily sympathize with her on several levels, especially her misanthropy, and kind of liked the hints you see towards what she might have been like were she never grilled to perfection. Plus scars or not i think she's probably the most physically appealing to me since i really don't like blonds. Though i do find it weird the shy characters i tend to like almost always have hair that is either a shade of purple or blue like Florina from Fire Emblem or the only marginally tolerable character from Naruto. I also feel like her arc was one of the better ones because it tears a hole in the whole white knight thing, reminding us that patronizing behavior only makes things worse and also making it clear Hanako is still a young woman even if it looks like she narrowly escaped a Scorpion fatality and she knows what is good for her and what will only hold her back, and it deserves special mention for having the least arousing sex scene despite also being by far the most graphic one outside of maybe Shizune's where you get a hint of bodily fluids, but who cares about Shizune?

My second favorite has to be Rin but hers isn't an arc i liked that much because i personally am very experienced in talking to poor speakers with possible underlying mental disorders and couldn't even remotely project onto Hisao because i didn't see where his confusion was coming from. Still though, Rin herself was fairly interesting.

DrShikura wrote:

Xanatos wrote:Lilly and Hanako. Go play Lilly's path and watch the entire summer house scene in Act 4 or any part where Lilly's hugging Hanako. You WILL FEEL EVERYTHING! And if you don't, well, you're just a feminist. It just seems very...Content.

(Note: I have not played Shizune or Rin's paths yet so the above is subject to change but...Dammit, I love them so much D:)


@DrShikura: Join the club. Now, I hold my breath waiting to see if Hisao heads to the roof or not...

I haven't coimpleted Lilly's arc yet, so forgive me if I don't read the spoilers for fear that it might ruin somehting important. Though, she's my next target choice for a path. then Shizune, then Rin. I never cared for Rin as much as the rest, but I have the feeling her path is going to make me cry at the end just because of that. We'll see!

It ruins quite a bit but only in a vague sense...Still, it's just so...hnnnng. I love those two. I want to hug them forever. D: (Also, Lilly's "adult content" is so far the only to avoid being awkward at some point...lemonlubeintheshed, in addition to managing to be both arousing and touching, though I'd attribute both to my sheer immersion in this arc.)

And I'm on my second run through Lilly's arc after the bad ending tore my heart to pieces. I swear, my luck is awful...First run was the manly picnic. Second run was Emi's bad ending. Third was deliberately a bad ending so I don't count it even though it was Hanako's and I wanted to die a little (read: a lot) afterward...But this...All of my depression.

And I plan on Shizune's next as well. Not sure why I'm saving Rin for last. I suppose it's because, all things considered, she's probably the one I'd befriend easiest.

i liked Rin's the most

mainly because she always has something interesting to say, and i can connect with her a bit cause im no good at talking to people myself. i also like her art style, i wish there was like a "Rin's sketchbook" art book from the KS devs. i would buy it.

also, i think out of all of the girls seeing her cry gave me the worst feeling ever. felt incredibly heartbroken when i saw that. some of the stuff Hisao does makes me go wtf, but i feel she had the best character development and that ending is all my feels.

yummines wrote:i liked Rin's the most

mainly because she always has something interesting to say, and i can connect with her a bit cause im no good at talking to people myself. i also like her art style, i wish there was like a "Rin's sketchbook" art book from the KS devs. i would buy it.

also, i think out of all of the girls seeing her cry gave me the worst feeling ever. felt incredibly heartbroken when i saw that. some of the stuff Hisao does makes me go wtf, but i feel she had the best character development and that ending is all my feels.

I agree with your opinion on Hisao. He seems.... Very clueless. Like, he doesn't catch onto things as easily as he should. If at all. It almost irritates me.

Hanako -- She is vulnerable, but full of potential. Watching her flee from Hasio in terror at the start, and then fall into his arms as his lover at the end was an incredible and wild ride. She is the delicate flower that transforms from bud to blossom.

Shizune -- She is smokin' hot, and lust incarnate. She is cute, plucky, witty, scrappy, and tenacious. She is the picture that's worth a thousand words, and the beauty that launches a thousand ships.

ravenlord wrote:a thousand words

All I can think is "With crazy Misha as her interpreter, that's even more accurate..."

ravenlord wrote:Hanako -- She is vulnerable, but full of potential. Watching her flee from Hasio in terror at the start, and then fall into his arms as his lover at the end was an incredible and wild ride. She is the delicate flower that transforms from bud to blossom.

Shizune -- She is smokin' hot, and lust incarnate. She is cute, plucky, witty, scrappy, and tenacious. She is the picture that's worth a thousand words, and the beauty that launches a thousand ships.

Ah yes, Shizune. Let's not also forget she's overly competitive to the point that it does hinder her work and about as thick as pig shit when it comes to her translator. Plus she may also be more than a little sexually deviant when she handcuffs Hisao making it impossible to communicate with her, meaning it could easily have been rape if Hisao wasn't also interested. This isn't like the Hanako scene where she consents under false pretenses, she could have easily said "No" but Shizune made it impossible for Hisao to say "Get off, i'm saving myself for the librarian."
Of course for that matter i've heard rumors on The Escapist that one of the writers left before finishing the Shizune arc, which does explain a lot of my gripes. I think her's is by far the weakest. Plus one thing i'm a little curious about is why it was never expressly revealed whether or not Shizune is capable of learning speech or lip-reading at some point or if whatever made her deaf also ruined her vocal cords since i've seen people born deaf learn to speak over time, and it just seems like Shizune is the type who would try to reduce her dependance on an interpreter. But whatever, if i didn't over-interpret things i wouldn't be who i am.

Pyramid Head wrote:Ah yes, Shizune . . . snip.

Reread the thread title and try again.

I think, before I start Lilly's arc, I'm going to go back through Emi's and Hanako's and witness the bad endings first. My only problem with this, is, them, being my favorite characters, if they cry, It'll hurt. A lot. ....FML

Hisao. He is the smartest, most reasonable and relatable character I've seen in a VN. He makes all the Choices you would. Always makes the right decisions and knows how to react and communicate with the various girls...

sarcasm