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Katawa Shoujo |OT| (VN, Free, Waifus, etc)

S

spyhunterzero

Member
Yeah, really awesome touch.
lol... It's a bit funny now that I think about it, but If it weren't for this thread, I would've never bother to check to see if I was accepted into GAF since I applied 2 years ago.
 
P

PKrockin

Member
First time I heard Emi's theme, I immediately thought of Shadowgate of all games. Now I can't unhear it.

Jintor said:
How far did you get in Emi's route? It's feel-lite until around halfway through Act 3. That said, you can generally tell if you actually like the game as a whole or the situation or whatever, so I don't really want to push.
Click to expand...

I actually beat it. :p Throughout the latter half I was like "yeah, this is not bad, kind of annoying, but it should be wrapping up pretty soon right?"

I gather Emi's path is one of the least liked, so maybe I'll run through Hanako's a shot at some point to see if I like it any better.
 
J

Jintor

Member
13276577809691.png
 
V

vall03

Member
While Im not replaying the whole game but reading just a few particular scenes, Katawa Shoujo is goldmine of quotes both funny and serious. Im still laughing at how Jigoro made fun of Hisaos sweater vest lol
 
S

SpacePirate Ridley

Member
Mmmm, I thought Jenga was banned forever.
Even in this thread he is saying shit he doesnt understand?
And dont try to reply me jenga, I cant read you :lol

KO Traveling Hobo said:
-Hisao's hospital room = Rin's atelier
-Iwanako would visit Hisao at the hospital just to sit in silence, Hisao visits Rin at the atelier just to sit in silence
-Doctor = art teacher. Remember in the beginning when Hisao thinks to himself "It's not an opportunity, don't call it an opportunity. Don't call it a goddamn opportunity"? That's probably how Rin feels about the art teacher gushing over the exhibit.
-One of Hisao's last moments with Iwanako involved her peeling an apple for him, just like Hisao peels oranges for Rin
-Iwanako expresses in her letter that if she could do it all over again, she'd try to support him, and that's exactly how he should approach Rin: as support. If I remember right, one of the choices near the conclusion that steer you toward the Good End is actually something like "I want to support Rin."

That's just off the top of my head.
Click to expand...


HOLY FUCK!
Mindblown!
 
R

redlemon

Member
KO Traveling Hobo said:
-Hisao's hospital room = Rin's atelier
-Iwanako would visit Hisao at the hospital just to sit in silence, Hisao visits Rin at the atelier just to sit in silence
-Doctor = art teacher. Remember in the beginning when Hisao thinks to himself "It's not an opportunity, don't call it an opportunity. Don't call it a goddamn opportunity"? That's probably how Rin feels about the art teacher gushing over the exhibit.
-One of Hisao's last moments with Iwanako involved her peeling an apple for him, just like Hisao peels oranges for Rin
-Iwanako expresses in her letter that if she could do it all over again, she'd try to support him, and that's exactly how he should approach Rin: as support. If I remember right, one of the choices near the conclusion that steer you toward the Good End is actually something like "I want to support Rin."

That's just off the top of my head.
Click to expand...

Oh god that makes so much sense. Thank you.
 
S

spyhunterzero

Member
vall03 said:
While Im not replaying the whole game but reading just a few particular scenes, Katawa Shoujo is goldmine of quotes both funny and serious. Im still laughing at how Jigoro made fun of Hisaos sweater vest lol
Click to expand...

Gotta love the Brave Hart quote and Star Trek comparisons.
 
XeroSauce

XeroSauce

Member
moonspeak said:
I just noticed he has other entries about Hanako on his blog too. One entry records the events of the fire incident and this that I just now read which got me really choked up.

That last line, damn.
Click to expand...

This guy also wrote a ending for a "Misha" path which I found very interesting.
 
P

Proven

Member
KO Traveling Hobo said:
I'm kind of surprised by the reactions to the
Hisao:Iwanako::Rin:Hisao
thing. I was expecting GAF to mock me for stating the obvious and not realizing the similarities sooner.

:lol
Click to expand...

It's one of those things that probably would have been noticed sooner if more people picked Rin sooner. I know that by my fourth playthrough, I was sick and tired of Iwanko's letter, especially since most of its emotional impact/plot use was used up in the first two paths I took. So I'd read it, but never dwell on it. Most people either went for their favorites early on and then hit Shizune after, or saved their favorites for last (like me with Rin).

I'm just too annoyed about missing something like that...

Anyway, even if you were late on that front, it would have been something posted ages ago and you would have then benefited those who were only joining the thread recently.
 
A

Attackthebase

Member
Started my fifth play-through, I made some distance into Act II for Rin's story. I'm not caring for it much, she doesn't have the worst story, not by any means, but I like her character the least between the five girls.

I'm sure the emotional punch will come soon enough, but for right now, not really feeling it. I'll, of course, finish her route, so I can complete the game. So close, yet so far.
 
S

spyhunterzero

Member
Attackthebase said:
Started my fifth play-through, I made some distance into Act II for Rin's story. I'm not caring for it much, she doesn't have the worst story, not by any means, but I like her character the least between the five girls.

I'm sure the emotional punch will come soon enough, but for right now, not really feeling it. I'll, of course, finish her route, so I can complete the game. So close, yet so far.
Click to expand...

Aww man, I don't like what I'm hearing. Rin is my last girl I need to complete. I liked her character thus far, so maybe I wont hate her route. After finishing Shizune's, it left a sour note on me, and I kinda don't want to do Rin's story. Maybe it'll suck me back in again when I start it on Monday, seeing as I'm off from work for 2 days. Hopefully plenty of time to finish her route ,seeing as many have said it's the longest of them all
 
J

Jintor

Member
Attackthebase said:
Started my fifth play-through, I made some distance into Act II for Rin's story. I'm not caring for it much, she doesn't have the worst story, not by any means, but I like her character the least between the five girls.

I'm sure the emotional punch will come soon enough, but for right now, not really feeling it. I'll, of course, finish her route, so I can complete the game. So close, yet so far.
Click to expand...

you suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck
 
P

Pureauthor

Member
spyhunterzero said:
Aww man, I don't like what I'm hearing. Rin is my last girl I need to complete. I liked her character thus far, so maybe I wont hate her route. After finishing Shizune's, it left a sour note on me, and I kinda don't want to do Rin's story. Maybe it'll suck me back in again when I start it on Monday, seeing as I'm off from work for 2 days. Hopefully plenty of time to finish her route ,seeing as many have said it's the longest of them all
Click to expand...

Rins' route is well written. It depends on whether or not you like the character.
 
D

Dynamite Ringo Matsuri

Member
Attackthebase said:
Started my fifth play-through, I made some distance into Act II for Rin's story. I'm not caring for it much, she doesn't have the worst story, not by any means, but I like her character the least between the five girls.

I'm sure the emotional punch will come soon enough, but for right now, not really feeling it. I'll, of course, finish her route, so I can complete the game. So close, yet so far.
Click to expand...

spyhunterzero said:
Aww man, I don't like what I'm hearing. Rin is my last girl I need to complete. I liked her character thus far, so maybe I wont hate her route. After finishing Shizune's, it left a sour note on me, and I kinda don't want to do Rin's story. Maybe it'll suck me back in again when I start it on Monday, seeing as I'm off from work for 2 days. Hopefully plenty of time to finish her route ,seeing as many have said it's the longest of them all
Click to expand...
ralph_wiggum_in_thought.jpg

Rin is nothing like Shizune. Prepare to be blindsided.

Pureauthor said:
Rins' route is well written. It depends on whether or not you like the character.
Click to expand...
Precisely
Jintor said:
you suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck
Click to expand...
Off topic but have you been to the tvtropes page for 999? They have tons of examples of "fridge brilliance" that blew my mind.
 
P

Pancakes

hot, steaming, as melted butter slips into the cracks, drizzled with sticky sweet syrup OH GOD
Pureauthor said:
Leigh Alexander posted her view on Katawa Shoujo over at RPS. Have a look and see what you think.

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/01/28/wot-i-think-katawa-shoujo/
Click to expand...

She makes some good points here and there. But to sum her opinion up.

It hardly even matters that the game gives you so few choices to branch the plot. Narratively it’s murderous. The story is bad. The sex is bad. Whether your reason for playing a disabled girl dating sim is you like dating sim stories, you like sex games, or you like disabled girls, you will not be salved. There is absolutely nothing pleasurable or compelling about Katawa Shoujo, save for the fact it exists.
Click to expand...

Just realized that there was a Sub-Reddit for KS.

http://www.reddit.com/r/katawashoujo/
 
D

Dynamite Ringo Matsuri

Member
I can respect her opinion. At least her final assessment is not borne from a knee jerk reaction and she's had extensive experience playing games from the genre. That and she finds Rin's route to be the most interesting. Even detractors of KS agree.
 
H

Hot Coldman

Banned
PataHikari said:
Yes how dare scenes meant to be uncomfortable and awkward be uncomfortable and awkward.
Click to expand...

That's not her complaint. Her complaint is it's sorta ludicrous at parts, and it's badly written- "too mechanical to be emotionally intimate", in her own words. Which... well, yeah, I agree.

I mostly agree with what she said, to be honest. It's not really well written. When I started up the other routes and found myself clicking through conversations, I realised I wasn't really getting anything out of it. (Hence why I stopped coming to this thread after I finished Lily's route, which I liked.) Good read, anyway. RPS should probably get Leigh on the case whenever these type of games show up, I don't normally care much for her writing but she seems to perform a lot better when writing about this genre.
 
J

Jintor

Member
Leigh Alexander said:
I just don’t see why anyone would be drawn to play an erotic novel about disabled girls if they wanted an agonizingly slow-paced, text heavy story about a guy adjusting to life at a private school and dating. I think Katawa Shoujo wanted so much to be moral, to be respectful of its subject matter, that it actually forgot who it’s for. I mean, I’ve been playing the thing for weeks, and I’ve played a million games like it, and I still can’t tell who it’s for.

...There is absolutely nothing pleasurable or compelling about Katawa Shoujo, save for the fact it exists.
Click to expand...

I know subjective or whatever, but the idea that it defies engrossment and that there is nothing pleasurable or compelling about KS is pretty contrary to the experiences being shared across the internet. If she had added 'to me' I wouldn't mind so much, but this is a very broad, definitive statement which is observably incorrect.

It feels like she's approached this as though it were a commercial product or a... item designed to produce a pre-packaged experience, designed to target a 12-24 demographic and market like crazy. As though instead of sitting back and enjoying the experience she always had a reviewer hat on, trying to work out the angle of the writers.

Or maybe it was as simple as her not having a significant emotional reaction to any of the routes. I agree that the moment-to-moment writing can vary wildly in quality and can get a little tedious (certainly I agree with her opinions on some of the h-scene writing), but for 'something that defies engrossment' and where there is 'nothing pleasurable or compelling about it' I sure as hell got involved.

/edit It is a "Wot I think" though, so whatever.
 
P

PataHikari

Banned
Jintor said:
It feels like she's approached this as though it were a commercial product or a... item designed to produce a pre-packaged experience, designed to target a 12-24 demographic and market like crazy. As though instead of sitting back and enjoying the experience she always had a reviewer hat on, trying to work out the angle of the writers.
Click to expand...

I think she went in expecting a "typical eroge" and instead got something that not only isn't really "typical" but also goes out of it's way to shut down a lot of what's expected of them.
 
K

KO Traveling Hobo

Member
Jintor said:
I know subjective or whatever, but the idea that it defies engrossment and that there is nothing pleasurable or compelling about KS is pretty contrary to the experiences being shared across the internet. If she had added 'to me' I wouldn't mind so much, but this is a very broad, definitive statement which is observably incorrect.

It feels like she's approached this as though it were a commercial product or a... item designed to produce a pre-packaged experience, designed to target a 12-24 demographic and market like crazy. As though instead of sitting back and enjoying the experience she always had a reviewer hat on, trying to work out the angle of the writers.

Or maybe it was as simple as her not having a significant emotional reaction to any of the routes. I agree that the moment-to-moment writing can vary wildly in quality and can get a little tedious (certainly I agree with her opinions on some of the h-scene writing), but for 'something that defies engrossment' and where there is 'nothing pleasurable or compelling about it' I sure as hell got involved.

/edit It is a "Wot I think" though, so whatever.
Click to expand...

Nail, head, etc.

Katawa Shoujo is a very good example of something being greater than the sum of its parts, imo.
 
P

ponpo

( ≖‿≖)
I've yet to (and probably won't) reading KS, but can someone else who has read / played a fair number of VNs / eroge tell me why this has become so popular? Is it because it's natively Western developed? There are stranger and (presumably) better written VNs that have been translated but have received pretty isolated pockets of popularity, so why KS?

Just bitter no littlewitch titles have become as popular.
 
N

Nyoro SF

Member
ponpo said:
I've yet to (and probably won't) reading KS, but can someone else who has read / played a fair number of VNs / eroge tell me why this has become so popular? Is it because it's natively Western developed? There are stranger and (presumably) better written VNs that have been translated but have received pretty isolated pockets of popularity, so why KS?

Just bitter no littlewitch titles have become as popular.
Click to expand...

Natively Western developed and the writing is such a turn from most of the shitty Japanese writing (stupid repeated cliches and kiddy antics) fans have put up with in the past decade that it's like a huge breath of fresh air.
 
B

Basileus777

Member
ponpo said:
I've yet to (and probably won't) reading KS, but can someone else who has read / played a fair number of VNs / eroge tell me why this has become so popular? Is it because it's natively Western developed? There are stranger and (presumably) better written VNs that have been translated but have received pretty isolated pockets of popularity, so why KS?
Click to expand...

It's probably the 4chan connection and the strange development history. I like KS, but the VN itself isn't really that unique, it uses a pretty standard eroge formula/structure.
 
P

ponpo

( ≖‿≖)
I see I see, thanks then. I'd read through it, but after years of reading VNs where I was just bored by the writing, I pretty much will only play things with some sort of minigame mechanic involved.
 
A

Axelstream

Member
ponpo said:
I've yet to (and probably won't) reading KS, but can someone else who has read / played a fair number of VNs / eroge tell me why this has become so popular? Is it because it's natively Western developed? There are stranger and (presumably) better written VNs that have been translated but have received pretty isolated pockets of popularity, so why KS?

Just bitter no littlewitch titles have become as popular.
Click to expand...

I think that the way KS deconstructs exploitation and victimization -- which are so common in so-called "romance" VNs -- definitely sets it apart from its brethren, coupled with the way it challenges many of the preconceived notions about its material. While the actual prose may not be stellar, the scenarios and characterization definitely left an impression on me.
 
K

KO Traveling Hobo

Member
ponpo said:
I've yet to (and probably won't) reading KS, but can someone else who has read / played a fair number of VNs / eroge tell me why this has become so popular? Is it because it's natively Western developed? There are stranger and (presumably) better written VNs that have been translated but have received pretty isolated pockets of popularity, so why KS?

Just bitter no littlewitch titles have become as popular.
Click to expand...

KS is a 100% free, cripple girl date sim with erotic elements developed by 4chan over the course of 5 years.

How can that not attract attention?
 
P

ponpo

( ≖‿≖)
KO Traveling Hobo said:
KS is a 100% free, cripple girl date sim with erotic elements developed by 4chan over the course of 5 years.

How can that not attract attention?
Click to expand...

Well I thought the 4chan thing would deter people if anything (though I do remember than initial character art image from like 3 years ago and being interested) and most other people aren't legitimately paying for any translated VNs, so the free thing isn't the biggest plus!

Regardless, hopefully this gets some more attention for the genre. Lots of interesting and fun ones to be found, eroge or not.
 
P

PataHikari

Banned
Axelstream said:
I think that the way KS deconstructs exploitation and victimization -- which are so common in so-called "romance" VNs -- definitely sets it apart from its brethren, coupled with the way it challenges many of the preconceived notions about its material.
Click to expand...

This is why Hanako and Rin have the best routes.
 
J

Jintor

Member
ponpo said:
Well I thought the 4chan thing would deter people if anything (though I do remember than initial character art image from like 3 years ago and being interested) and most other people aren't legitimately paying for any translated VNs, so the free thing isn't the biggest plus!
Click to expand...

Free + without hassle if you use torrents, which most people do
 
K

KO Traveling Hobo

Member
ponpo said:
Well I thought the 4chan thing would deter people if anything (though I do remember than initial character art image from like 3 years ago and being interested) and most other people aren't legitimately paying for any translated VNs, so the free thing isn't the biggest plus!

Regardless, hopefully this gets some more attention for the genre. Lots of interesting and fun ones to be found, eroge or not.
Click to expand...

You're not taking morbid curiosity into account. I don't think that most people went into KS expecting something legitimately good.

When I first downloaded it, I didn't know whether I was going to fap, laugh, cry, vomit, or what. The whole thing was just so bizarre that I felt like I would be missing out on internet history if I didn't at least check it out.
 
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