Katawa Shoujo Forums

I know this might be a bit early, but for those of you who completed all the routes, which route, in your mind, outshone all others? Which one made a lasting impression?

Was it an emotional roller coaster? Or did you see it coming?

Discuss.

Hanako's route. It is the only route I ever did, actually finished her route twice. I don't have the heart to abandon her for another girl lol.

I loved both Hanako and Lilly's route equally, but Hanako was just the one that made me way too emotional and Lilly's route was just a little bit lesser for me. Both of their end-game scenes were tearjerking as fuck, yes, Lilly has got to have the most heartwarming ending, but I don't know... I just love Hanako way too much I guess. (See my avatar? You should fall in love with that.)

I'm going to have to avoid voting until I read all the routes, but this is a really difficult question. I really like the route's I've done so far to an almost equal degree, but I found myself relating to Hanako's Hisao much better than any other Hisao so far and that would be why I'd put Hanako on top. However, I still have to get through a couple more routes!

Overall, I think Emi's was the best route. I don't think it was the one with the best writing, per se, but the interactions between Emi and Hisao seemed the most genuine to me.

I think if you asked me "which is the best written character overall" and "what is the best written path" and "who's your favorite" I'd have different answers... but as for favorite route? Gotta be Emi.

I've personally only done the Lily route, but it was enough to make me redo her route twice, going for the good and bad ending. Unsure whether there's another route for Lily, think i'm going to play it again. I dont have the heart to abandon her at the moment. <3 Lily.

Hanako's route just...blew me away. Maybe I'm just shortsighted, but the whole White-Knight fiasco and Hanako's shyness had me doubtful at first. I thought that her birthday and her reluctance to discuss her birthday/the fire was because of her trauma from the past. Then I slowly began to "get it" - she was despairing at not being able to be treated as a person - an equal. She was conflicted because the two people she valued above all else - Hisao and Lilly - were doing the very thing that she hoped that people wouldn't do. When it clicked at the end, everything made sense, and the emotional value just blew me away. I realized that my choices to White-Knight her weren't only harmful to her but to Hisao as well. And that duo-character development was fantastic - to me, anyway.

It'll definitely keep me thinking, especially when I meet someone with a disability. Lilly's is a close second - it was great as well. But I could really relate to Hanako's path, and it was the only one that I had to take a break from playing the game to really digest everything.

Rin's. It is by far the darkest, and completely defied all expectations I had for Rin and her path, in a very good way. The struggles that Rin and Hisao go through were eerily similar to my own real life insecurities and problems. I still haven't really discovered my true self, much like Rin, and I sometimes even question my reason for existence. What am I meant to do in the world? What is expected of me? How can I weigh my fate with others' expectations? Can I satisfy both? Is there a middle-ground I'll have to take?

I have many unanswered questions about myself, and Rin's path only helped me further realize that. I enjoy entertaining others, from the experiences I've had with acting and music during school, but is that the right path for me in life? I'm quite intelligent; many of my teachers have said I have a nearly limitless potential if I put my mind to something. Should I put that towards a career that requires high-intelligence, but equally high stress, like a doctor, especially since I'm currently working towards becoming a certified medical assistant? And further still are my original dreams as a child; of becoming a paleontologist. I have no idea if that even appeals to me anymore, but I have to consider it when I sit down and evaluate what exactly it is I'm meant to do in this world.


However, there is a striking difference between myself and Rin, despite so much being similar... She fears change. I embrace it. Perhaps I'm not meant to have a set path in life, and am instead meant to drift from place to place, constantly changing what it is I do and feel. I still don't know.

Considering I turn 20 later this year, I should really get started on figuring this out. But the bottom line is, I still just don't know what I'm meant to do.

Making me choose between Hanako and Lilly? Oh you monster.

I have to say Hanako. The ending was strong, yet not to the point of me curling into a fetal position with worry scenes prior.

Hanako is the cutest, no one can beat her.

Hanako's hands down. I just felt a connection to her the whole way through and even though the ending was as satisfying as it could be I must say I was happy and filled with happy tears at the end as I was able to see them kiss through the bakery stand. I am however feeling a bit depressed that Hanako seems much happier in Lily's route than her own. It's like telling me "In the end I was more a burden than a help"

Difficult question...
Rin's route is the best written one hands down. Aura is an amazing writer, but it's too dark for me too really like. (I'm still looking forward to the challenge of making a translation worthy of the original. It's going to be very hard.)
Shizune's path is a bit short on plot and romance, and I probably wouldn't date a girl like Shizune if she were the last woman on earth, but I enjoyed reading it nevertheless.
Hanako's route was the one that touched me most emotionally - especially "Falling" and "Adulthood" - but my favourite route is Emi's.

Why?

I guess it's because it is the most "realistic" of all the routes. Every bit of dialogue or inner monologue just felt right.
While the route has it's emotional moments and even made me cry at times, it's still basically lighthearted and fun to read.
It felt easy to connect with every character, even those who had only a couple of lines in the route.
Yes, it had a few weaknesses like the unresolved Yuuko/Kenji subplot and Hisao generally acting dense, but those didn't detract from my personal enjoyment of the path.

So my ranking of the routes:
Emi > Hanako > Shizune > Lilly > Rin

I'll support Shizune's route.

Hanako all the way~! She was the first one I picked ever since KS started and I played it through and through.

I just can't do another route anymore because of her.

NubChaos wrote:Rin's. It is by far the darkest, and completely defied all expectations I had for Rin and her path, in a very good way. The struggles that Rin and Hisao go through were eerily similar to my own real life insecurities and problems. I still haven't really discovered my true self, much like Rin, and I sometimes even question my reason for existence. What am I meant to do in the world? What is expected of me? How can I weigh my fate with others' expectations? Can I satisfy both? Is there a middle-ground I'll have to take?

I have many unanswered questions about myself, and Rin's path only helped me further realize that. I enjoy entertaining others, from the experiences I've had with acting and music during school, but is that the right path for me in life? I'm quite intelligent; many of my teachers have said I have a nearly limitless potential if I put my mind to something. Should I put that towards a career that requires high-intelligence, but equally high stress, like a doctor, especially since I'm currently working towards becoming a certified medical assistant? And further still are my original dreams as a child; of becoming a paleontologist. I have no idea if that even appeals to me anymore, but I have to consider it when I sit down and evaluate what exactly it is I'm meant to do in this world.


However, there is a striking difference between myself and Rin, despite so much being similar... She fears change. I embrace it. Perhaps I'm not meant to have a set path in life, and am instead meant to drift from place to place, constantly changing what it is I do and feel. I still don't know.

Considering I turn 20 later this year, I should really get started on figuring this out. But the bottom line is, I still just don't know what I'm meant to do.

Man, every time you describe Rin's route, it's so tempting to try and start it... But I have neither time, energy nor emotional strength needed to do something so soon, and exams are going to fall right over my head!

Still, I hope nobody overtakes Lilly in my books. That might've meant perfection exists, and that would totally shatter my perception of life