For maximum feels.
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Katawa Shoujo |OT| (VN, Free, Waifus, etc)
- Thread starter Dresden
- Start date
For maximum feels.
Huh, didn't expect that. Same issue newer BioWare games have, paraphrased option not yielding the kind of result i expected. Argh. Except in this case it wasn't exactly paraphrased but it included stuff i didn't associate with the option.
Rin's route is difficult enough to follow as it is.
(By the way, i can't recall how long it has been since i last played this. Looking at my saves, it looks like i played this in January but... i can't recall the month at all)
Rin's route is difficult enough to follow as it is.
(By the way, i can't recall how long it has been since i last played this. Looking at my saves, it looks like i played this in January but... i can't recall the month at all)
spyhunterzero
Member
Truth.
So many times I wanted to just drop my laptop and just stop but kept going til the end.
Should have gone for a walk earlier, could have seen that cyan-green horizon really.
Anyway, i don't get art. I don't get artistically minded person, fictional or not, i can't understand what such person might see or feel, what makes them do art.
Utterly irrelevant thing for me really, some media are purely functional for me, they convey facts or fiction (in the latter case, it could be argued that a story etc. could be seen as art in itself but... eh, that's like moving the goalposts, i think).
So a story that has art and stuff related to it as themes... i can't figure it out. It doesn't talk to me.
I wonder if children can be artists or understand art. I know i liked to draw as a kid, and apparently i had some creativity when it came to school works but when going through them a year or two ago, i couldn't remember them, nor feel anything about them. And whenever i'm shown something i've done before, i just shrug.
I have sometimes thought at times that i'd prefer to be more... artistic person, but i don't really see how that works (i'm very logically minded. Hell, if something ain't logical, it ain't cool).
Whatever. I can't say i like Rin's route as i don't understand it in any way. Don't see the logic in it.
Anyway, i don't get art. I don't get artistically minded person, fictional or not, i can't understand what such person might see or feel, what makes them do art.
Utterly irrelevant thing for me really, some media are purely functional for me, they convey facts or fiction (in the latter case, it could be argued that a story etc. could be seen as art in itself but... eh, that's like moving the goalposts, i think).
So a story that has art and stuff related to it as themes... i can't figure it out. It doesn't talk to me.
I wonder if children can be artists or understand art. I know i liked to draw as a kid, and apparently i had some creativity when it came to school works but when going through them a year or two ago, i couldn't remember them, nor feel anything about them. And whenever i'm shown something i've done before, i just shrug.
I have sometimes thought at times that i'd prefer to be more... artistic person, but i don't really see how that works (i'm very logically minded. Hell, if something ain't logical, it ain't cool).
Whatever. I can't say i like Rin's route as i don't understand it in any way. Don't see the logic in it.
as far as I recall, Rin's route is about the gulf between understanding, interpretation and expression, so your reaction is probably about in line with what is appropriate
I can't express artistic stuff, i won't bother interpreting (what's the fucking point?) them and i most definitively don't understand them.
Really? I found it pretty easy to see what the choices in her route were getting. I had to stop and think about them, but I "aced" her route without even realizing it (but I was definitely worrying about it, which is credit to the writing). I found a lot of the choices in Rin's route at a glance seem like they're not much different, but if you read between the lines and think about the theme of the route and how she might react, it all made sense. I don't know what that says about me, but I found hers the easiest to get through...
Rin route best route.
Rin's route is not "about" art, really. Art isn't the theme; despite getting a fair bit of discussion from people like MC and the art teacher, art is just one of the vehicles for the main theme. Like Jintor said it's about what is lost between your thoughts and your expression of your thoughts, about communication. The writing is very effective at expressing this theme, I felt. Rin sees a deficiency in spoken communication and tries to bridge this gap by painting. MC is not able to understand what specific things Rin is trying to convey by pieces of her art, because she doesn't (or can't) explain them in words and, naturally, he's not a mind-reader. This frustrates him (and many readers, it seems! lol) a lot, because he wants to understand Rin, and it frustrates Rin because he can't "get" her paintings and wants to try to use words. Ultimately, MC begins to realize that he doesn't have to--that he can't--understand everything about her and starts to see the value of sharing time with someone even without sharing words with someone, and Rin realizes that she can trust words more than she has.
Man, the cig-sharing scene is probably the most powerful moment in that whole story, to me. That moment when they share a wordless understanding, when they can be happy with just sharing time together. Such a good route.
When i said "hard to follow", i meant as a story, considering its themes are utterly incomprehensible to me. I picked an option that didn't apparently mean what i thought it meant. Not that it mattered (fished out a route chart once i got the bad ending).
EDIT actually, even if the art isn't theme in the route, then perhaps communication? Don't get it either. Communication is more or less on-off thing for me, i really don't like hint dropping or "subtlety".
EDIT actually, even if the art isn't theme in the route, then perhaps communication? Don't get it either. Communication is more or less on-off thing for me, i really don't like hint dropping or "subtlety".
dem nailbiting moments before clicking...
spyhunterzero
Member
I'd say for me it was that and the fact that actually felt anger and desperation at times because of the stuff she did that made it feel like hell.
I definitely remember some frustration and initial confusion at some parts of her route. Part of what made it such a good and memorable experience!
spyhunterzero
Member
Ay
She and Hanako's route share the number one spot for me. Rin for those reasons and Hanako because I liked her and felt she was best girl
About Rin's path
I don't think there's a single choice where it's apparent which one is the "good one"
. All I did was pick the one I would have wanted to pick for myself if I was in there.
There's no way to not "ace" it with choices because the only choice that decides the ending is the last one, haha. Everything else is a huge maze of choices and paths and flags and it's crazy and deliberately confusing, but it's not meant to be "figured out" precisely because it's not necessary for getting the good ending. It's a bit meta.
I don't think there's a single choice where it's apparent which one is the "good one"
because both of them are logically and technically good
Azure Phoenix
Member
Fairly timely that this topic seems have been revived recently. With the recent introduction to VNs topic posted a week ago I decided to finally sit down and give Katawa Shoujo a tiny chance, mostly so that I could finally write it off once and for all.
It's a game I've seen multiple recommendations for over time, yet I had basically written it off despite already having played the likes of Analogue: A Hate Story, 999, Phoenix Wright and such. Being perfectly honest at a casual glance the image the game projects is that of nothing more than a pervy dating sim pandering to a disabled fetish - something which the translated title of the game along with adult content warnings do nothing to help.
It seems I was totally and utterly wrong.
From the start I've been bowled over by the quality of the writing and the rollercoaster of emotions it has caused. The way the game handles difficult subjects regarding disability and the impact it can have on lives is something I simply was not expecting, nor was I prepared to get so invested in the characters to the point where I've found myself randomly thinking about the game while not playing it. The matters the game touches on have also hit close to home at times which has in some ways changed a few of my thoughts.
As of now I've finished Hanako and Lilly's routes with Shizune's next in the pipeline and probably Emi after that, although I can't shake the feeling that I really need to replay both Hanako and Lilly's routes again with a fresh perspective. I'm undecided if I should bother with Rin though, so my question to other GAFfers is simply: Does Rin's route hold up to the others in terms of impact and is it worth going through even though I find her just about as confusing and annoying as Kenji?
It's a game I've seen multiple recommendations for over time, yet I had basically written it off despite already having played the likes of Analogue: A Hate Story, 999, Phoenix Wright and such. Being perfectly honest at a casual glance the image the game projects is that of nothing more than a pervy dating sim pandering to a disabled fetish - something which the translated title of the game along with adult content warnings do nothing to help.
It seems I was totally and utterly wrong.
From the start I've been bowled over by the quality of the writing and the rollercoaster of emotions it has caused. The way the game handles difficult subjects regarding disability and the impact it can have on lives is something I simply was not expecting, nor was I prepared to get so invested in the characters to the point where I've found myself randomly thinking about the game while not playing it. The matters the game touches on have also hit close to home at times which has in some ways changed a few of my thoughts.
As of now I've finished Hanako and Lilly's routes with Shizune's next in the pipeline and probably Emi after that, although I can't shake the feeling that I really need to replay both Hanako and Lilly's routes again with a fresh perspective. I'm undecided if I should bother with Rin though, so my question to other GAFfers is simply: Does Rin's route hold up to the others in terms of impact and is it worth going through even though I find her just about as confusing and annoying as Kenji?
You most definitely should read Rin's route. You've come too far to quit now! There's a lot more to Rin in Rin's route than in other routes (true of all the characters, except maybe Kenji, haha), so if you find her spacy stares and odd sense of humor when you interact with her (sometimes alongside other characters) aren't grabbing your attention, maybe try focusing on some of the other themes of the route instead of focusing on how Rin can be such a frustrating girl.
In terms of impact, I found Rin's route unmatched among all the routes, but that's just me. If nothing else, I think it would be hard to argue that another route has anywhere near the feeling of payoff that her story does. Personally it was my favorite route by a wide margin (though in all honestly, dealing with a girl like Rin in real life would be too frustrating for me--but this is fiction, and effective fiction at that, and that frustration made for a memorable experience).
In the same way you found your preconceptions of the game as a whole to be wrong, you may find the same thing is true of Rin's route.
ComputerMKII
Banned
Rin's route is the very definition of annoying. I think it's not worth it.
spyhunterzero
Member
I say do it. I never felt so much emotion during it all compared to the other routes. I saved it til the end myself as many recommended it.
BizzyBum
Member
My first route was Emi (which seems to be the most common) and that shit gave me straight anxiety through the roof. I felt I was thrown back in high school dealing with a complicated relationship. It was the first time I actually developed some feelings for a fictional character, and I even ended up crying at the good end (though this was mainly due to something that was said that pertained to my personal life and made me reflect on it).
It actually took me awhile to give the game another go. I wanted to do the other routes, but I legit felt like I was "cheating" on Emi. When I started over and first bumped into her in the hallway at the beginning of the game and she didn't know who I was, I felt like I was in some bad dream. It was awful.
It actually took me awhile to give the game another go. I wanted to do the other routes, but I legit felt like I was "cheating" on Emi. When I started over and first bumped into her in the hallway at the beginning of the game and she didn't know who I was, I felt like I was in some bad dream. It was awful.
Azure Phoenix
Member
Well, I've now finished up the remaining 3 main routes and felt like I should properly assess how I felt about the game.
Emi's route was fairly good, although not without problems. Much like Shizune's route I feel it repeated the same activities and conversations too often and I really didn't like the heavy amount of adult scenes which felt far more out of place than in other routes. That said everything from the twist onwards was fantastic, I just wish that portion of the route were longer and there was less filler.
Shizune's route was, to be honest, pure crap. It was horribly repetitive and never really went anywhere, the main structure boiling down to "and then I woke up early, and then I went to council, and then I had some food, and then I went to bed". It's such a damn shame that the development with Misha towards the end gets diffused with a whimper, the impact it could have delivered if handled correctly would have made the route shine. Then to cap it all off the ending makes absolutely no sense, she's your girlfriend and all you get is
.
Rin's route I'm still reeling from, it's hard to work out my thoughts on it. I never felt frustrated by her as I had expected, but I feel like I missed a lot of the impact from some of the major plot points. Thankfully I can't say that about the ending, that was handled flawlessly and was possibly the best thing for me to end Katawa Shoujo on.
For me Hanako and Lilly's routes are still my favourites, they were both thought provoking, well structured and ended perfectly. The impact they had still weigh on my mind. I would love to go and finish up all the other endings now to get 100% but I don't honestly think I could take the pain of seeing the bad endings to Hanako's route.
Final thoughts? Katawa Shoujo completely defied all of my expectations, caused a rollercoaster of emotions, altered my perspective on certain matters and although I currently find it hard to quantify exactly how much I enjoyed the game the one thing I can say for certain is that it's going to stay in my thoughts for a long time.
Emi's route was fairly good, although not without problems. Much like Shizune's route I feel it repeated the same activities and conversations too often and I really didn't like the heavy amount of adult scenes which felt far more out of place than in other routes. That said everything from the twist onwards was fantastic, I just wish that portion of the route were longer and there was less filler.
Shizune's route was, to be honest, pure crap. It was horribly repetitive and never really went anywhere, the main structure boiling down to "and then I woke up early, and then I went to council, and then I had some food, and then I went to bed". It's such a damn shame that the development with Misha towards the end gets diffused with a whimper, the impact it could have delivered if handled correctly would have made the route shine. Then to cap it all off the ending makes absolutely no sense, she's your girlfriend and all you get is
"lol bye, lets meet up again sometime sooner than a 10 year reunion"
Rin's route I'm still reeling from, it's hard to work out my thoughts on it. I never felt frustrated by her as I had expected, but I feel like I missed a lot of the impact from some of the major plot points. Thankfully I can't say that about the ending, that was handled flawlessly and was possibly the best thing for me to end Katawa Shoujo on.
For me Hanako and Lilly's routes are still my favourites, they were both thought provoking, well structured and ended perfectly. The impact they had still weigh on my mind. I would love to go and finish up all the other endings now to get 100% but I don't honestly think I could take the pain of seeing the bad endings to Hanako's route.
Final thoughts? Katawa Shoujo completely defied all of my expectations, caused a rollercoaster of emotions, altered my perspective on certain matters and although I currently find it hard to quantify exactly how much I enjoyed the game the one thing I can say for certain is that it's going to stay in my thoughts for a long time.
FelixOrion
Poet Centuriate
I kinda wish I didn't do the bad ends.
FelixOrion
Poet Centuriate
I liked doing them, personally, but I'm a sucker for bittersweet stuff.
Bad ending power rankings:
Kenji's Route >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Rin's Neutral >> Shizune's Bad/
Misha's Route
Azure Phoenix
Member
I took your advice, finished all the endings up and got the 100% completion image. God damn, Rin's neutral ending is absolutely heartbreaking, I was simply not expecting that. Unlike all the other neutral/bad endings I feel that one deserves to stand side-by-side with the good ending simply as a alternate ending because it fits just as well with Rin's character. Hanako's bad ending just about killed me though, it was painful enough having to purposefully select horrible choices and then seeing Hisao being such a patronising asshole to her dug the knife in even further and twisted.
Going through the routes again gave me some time to collect my thoughts on the game a bit better and I think I can say that Katawa Shoujo deserves to rank among my favourite games. I'm very glad I gave it the chance.
FelixOrion
Poet Centuriate
I agree with your assessment of Rin's neutral. Rin's not even close to my favorite and was the most frustrating to me, but her neutral is most gut-wrenching nonetheless.
Scar Mortico
Banned
On a completely unexpected event, Katawa Shoujo made it into the front page of Reddit.
With this image:
LMAO!
Aww man I remember this VN. So freaking good. Best free thing I have ever got.
...it was also the only VN I have ever read besides that Zero Escape: 999 VN. But still, the best!
...any VNs like KS coming out? The only one I heard that is coming out is an Angel Beats VN which is great because I loved AB.
Other than that though...I just know KS. ;(
FelixOrion
Poet Centuriate
LMAO!
Aww man I remember this VN. So freaking good. Best free thing I have ever got.
...it was also the only VN I have ever read besides that Zero Escape: 999 VN. But still, the best!
...any VNs like KS coming out? The only one I heard that is coming out is an Angel Beats VN which is great because I loved AB.
Other than that though...I just know KS. ;(
Here are two threads for you:
OELVNs (Original English Language Visual Novels) - No Translation Required
English Translated Japanese Visual Novel/ADV Thread
spyhunterzero
Member
On a completely unexpected event, Katawa Shoujo made it into the front page of Reddit.
With this image:
Bwahahahahaha
FelixOrion
Poet Centuriate
On a completely unexpected event, Katawa Shoujo made it into the front page of Reddit.
With this image:
FelixOrion
Poet Centuriate
Dynamite Ringo Matsuri
Member
On a completely unexpected event, Katawa Shoujo made it into the front page of Reddit.
With this image:
Hahaha it was a good idea to drop back in here
Wolf Dawgz
Member
Been trying to get in ahape lately by runming. Lost 10 pounds so far. Maybe I'll try the Emi route for motivation.
FelixOrion
Poet Centuriate
spyhunterzero
Member
Wasn't there a stretching thing to these as well? I could've sworn there was with Emi suddenly getting legs or something
FelixOrion
Poet Centuriate
spyhunterzero
Member
Now it's complete