Katawa Shoujo - Most intriguing storyline?

[werty10089]

Here's the thing: I used to have an adversity to anything that could be described as either 'anime' or 'manga', and honestly, I still kind of do. This being said, I noticed Katawa Shoujo sprawling down the news feed one day and thought to myself "Wow, that's extremely eccentric and creepy, if not slightly perverted." ...That was why I downloaded it. And boy, was I ever wrong. This game (although it plays more like a book) is one of the most emotionally stimulating and spiritually gripping experiences I've put up with in quite a few years. Recommendation would be an understatement! Everyone should at least absorb a bit of it's enterprising storyline. How anything strewn together by 4channers manages to captivate genuine empathy and trust from it's audience is mesmerizing, if not slightly musing.

No, this isn't a question of "Which physically handicapped Japanese school girl is the hottest?" The internet isn't ready for that, and hopefully, it never will be. What I inquire you to decide however, is the plot given to you based on your choices throughout the game:

<font color=red>"Which storyline invoked the most interest from you, and why?"

If I had my pick, It would be Rin's. She's self-destructive and careless, yet humorous and kind. She is highly artistic and creative, despite lacking functional arms. While she doesn't care about many things, what she does care for is ironically tragic and often causes her great conflict. 'Do things you can't, just because you can' was her motto. Because of all this I'm willing to admit that I cried because of a dating simulator. Manly tears christening my cheeks for the first time, of course.

EDIT: -Escapist ate my poll. crummy.

 

[zombieshark6666]

I'm playing the game tonight. I guess I won't have time to finish but comments will follow. Yay Linux support!

 

[Twilight.falls]

It was the first visual novel that I'd ever encountered.
I was skeptical about the premise, and that it came from 4 Chan. Decided to try it out, since it was free.

...

...

Damn. When I finished the first route, Hanako's, I felt very different. I was in tears by the end of it, when I got the good ending. I later went on to finish all the other routes.

I don't wish to sound cliche, but I seriously felt things I don't think I've felt before, or at least that I've never felt so strongly.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the people of 4 Leaf Studios had made such a respectful and tasteful story. They even did it for free, so they clearly did it in the name of art.

Although I think Shizune's route was the weakest, that isn't to say it wasn't engaging. Also, the music is simply brilliant. Definitely evokes the right kinds of moods, especially the track titled "Moment of Decision", which I think may be one of the greatest pieces of music I've damn near ever heard.

The game may have changed me. I know that it's only a game in the absolute loosest sense of the word, but my point stands.

You're right, OP. I think this is very well the down-right most emotionally invested I've EVER been with a work, and I'm and exceptionally well-read person.

Katawa Shoujo brought me to tears, and I would recommend it without hesitation.

 

[Lucyfer86]

It was the first visual novel that I'd ever encountered.
I was skeptical about the premise, and that it came from 4 Chan. Decided to try it out, since it was free.

...

...

Damn. When I finished the first route, Hanako's, I felt very different. I was in tears by the end of it, when I got the good ending. I later went on to finish all the other routes.

I don't wish to sound cliche, but I seriously felt things I don't think I've felt before, or at least that I've never felt so strongly.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the people of 4 Leaf Studios had made such a respectful and tasteful story. They even did it for free, so they clearly did it in the name of art.

Although I think Shizune's route was the weakest, that isn't to say it wasn't engaging. Also, the music is simply brilliant. Definitely evokes the right kinds of moods, especially the track titled "Moment of Decision", which I think may be one of the greatest pieces of music I've damn near ever heard.

The game may have changed me. I know that it's only a game in the absolute loosest sense of the word, but my point stands.

You're right, OP. I think this is very well the down-right most emotionally invested I've EVER been with a work, and I'm and exceptionally well-read person.

Katawa Shoujo brought me to tears, and I would recommend it without hesitation.

I second that. Went for Hanako myself too, couldn't keep my eyes dry damnit. Never thought some anime visual novel could do that for me.

And is lame as it sound, i really wish i could be with someone like Hanako, since she reminds me of myself at some level..

Overall totally out-of-this-world experience, recommend everyone to try out. It may have very well somewhat change my life and how i view things.

 

[AyreonMaiden]

I've done Emi's storyline only, good ending and all. I think I've just now "gotten over" her (yeah, the game is THAT good, that I needed some time to let go of a 2d girl before I go woo another one) so I'm gonna do a second arc soon, after I'm acclimated with the workload of my classes.

Which to go for, though? I'm immediately drawn to Shizune because she looks cute and along with Misha was my first friend, but I keep hearing Hanako's and Rin's is fantastic...

 

[Reveras]

I was moved by how Hanako's route ended (good one) and I found Lilly's to be the most romantic. That being said, I got quite a kick from Emi's route, it woke me up and I started jogging the next day.

 

[Mistermixmaster]

I dunno, I'd say either Hanako or Lilly had the most interesting storyline. The other storylines weren't quite as good to me personally. The Visual Novel is proper great, and had me hooked for quite a lot of time. I've finished all the storylines, but I couldn't get invested in Rin's for some reason. Her character was great in the beginning, but I guess I'm not one for the artistic types. (I was more looking forward to the other remaining stories when I was in the beginning of Act 2 with Rin)...

Or maybe it's because I'm a bit of a romantic, which would make it obvious why I prefer Hanako and Lilly's storylines.

 

[chadachada123]

I've only played Emi's so far, but I have to say, that was one of the most intense stories I've ever read. I know what it feels like to date a girl like that (as far as the emotional stuff goes), and I really felt like I connected with the character and situation. I damn-near shed a tear during the 4th/5th acts.

I'm looking forward to all of the others, for sure.

 

[Aethren]

Working through Emi's route currently. As my first visual novel, it's rather interesting.

 

[Azureraider]

I've played through them all, and I must say it was Rin's story that affected me the most strongly. It was damn painful, watching her put herself through all that, and desperately struggling to understand why.

 

[JemothSkarii]

I'm putting another vote in for Rin's, because of how...detached she is and how that adds so much complexity into it, and it rips your heart out when you see someone inside her crying out.. I found Emi's cute, and I was also affected by Shizune's...I love Katawa Shoujo, it was worth the wait...that long, LONG wait.

 

[Andronicus]

I have to say Emi's story. I don't know if this sounds pretentious at all, but I really see a lot of myself in her, despite still having my own legs. I hide a lot of my own shortcomings and uncertainty under a veil of cheerfulness, and often refuse to let other people near enough to see them. That, and I have a very strong relationship with fitness, that has come under fire recently, making me feel very weak and worthless. I only just finished all of the stories, and I don't think my eyes were completely dry throughout any one of them. Now I'm going to go through them again and try to find all the scenes that I missed in each story.

 

[Gingernerd]

Hanako. I truly felt alive and experienced the emotions as if they were my own, including love! I also felt a profound weight to many of the choices, so i'm slightly terrified to go back and check the bad ending routes!

I found it to be emotionally exhausting. I will make sure to thoroughly enjoy every other path, though i'm slightly thankful that not every path will be as heartwrenching to the very last moment as Hanako's.

This was an excellent first visual novel for me and i will treasure it.

 

[Master Kuja]

Gonna throw another one in for Rin, there's a certain charm to her mannerisms, her jabs at Hisao, the intricacies of her personality, her detachment to other people, her inability to properly express herself through anything other than art.
She's an interesting character and one I can appreciate, seeing someone of her personality struggle with the conflicts of her life and end up broken and defeated by it hit pretty close to home.

Her entire story arc was quite a heartache for me really, having a friend who is exactly the same, unable to express her feelings properly with words, detached and divided from the people closest to her, she went through the same path of self destruction in order to further develop what she truly held passion for, it was reliving watching that friend spiral out of control, with me ultimately being unable to do or say anything that could truly help...

Yeah, definitely Rin, definitely Rin...

 

[Truth Cake]

I'd be hard pressed to say my favorite out of all of them, since I loved them all, but if I had to, I'd shed a single, sad tear and say Shizune... no Rin!.. No, Lilly!

... I can't do this, I liked them all for different reasons, but they're all REALLY good...

 

[Marcus Kehoe]

As a veteran to these games Its been a while since I played one and I decided to just let my decisions make my me my path and that path led to Emi, which surprised me at first cause I was in all honesty going after Hanako. But after about 3/4 of the way through Emi was kinda what I want in a girl and while not the same I could have been her.

I liked her path because it felt like their was progression, it felt like I was actually dating her when we said we were dating, unlike others. And unlkie some of the others I felt Emi'n story was the most realistic, Usally I feel like I can predict what gonna happen because I've seen enough Anime to expect the unexpected, but her reactions seemed like that of a real person and that of my character where the same as mine. Though I can't say my favorite I definitively have to say tie as of right now with my soon to follow girls.

A big reason that Emi path gives me something special is that I could have been her. Due to birth genetics I have flat feet a a rather severe curvature in my back, which led to me at a rather young age almost being forced to give up sports, but I decided that even with the pain of stress fractures and I the risk that next year I would try again in sports, but a wrench was thrown in that path again, or rather a Canadian woman driver. At 16 A woman ran a stop sign and T-boned my car, inches away from completely cruising me and missing a phone pole that likely would have killed me and my dad. Luckily it didn't but the crash gave away any hope of me in-sports and I still haven't truly psychically recovered from the crash and neither has my dad even after all these years.

Unlike Emi I can never really do sports again, I can still do things but even though im 18 I got the body of an 35 year old and I have to think about what I do know-a-days. I don't know why I led to Emi but I'm glad I did, it made me feel good about myself, and dammit if she wasn't the funnest path.

 

[Marcus Kehoe]

5 post, FML

 

[Marcus Kehoe]

6 post, im really soory about this

 

[Marcus Kehoe]

Triple post, really glithchy