[Games] Katawa Shoujo: Feels Edition

[† Emotional Outlet]

I was ready to fap, /v/, but I wasn't ready to feel.

 

Katawa Shoujo is a visual novel created by Four Leaf Studios. It was the studio's first and last game.

 

The Story: You begin the game as Hisao Nakai meeting up with a secret admirer. Things take a turn for the worse as the event literally gives him a heart attack and he is hospitalised for months for a congenital heart defect. The game moves into full swing with Hisao moving to a new school called Yamaku, a school for disabled children. From there, you lead Hisao through his first year at the new school, making new friends and, if you make the right choices, find a new love.

 

The game is eroge, but you have the option to turn off the adult content and enable what amounts to Relax-O-Vision, wherein pictures of food are displayed. I personally do not recommend turning off adult content if possible, to be explained momentarily.

 

The time commitment, as with most visual novels, depends largely on your reading speed. It took me the majority of an afternoon to do a single route, so this is definitely not a quick play.

 

There is no voice acting and there are six cinematic shorts, one for each path and one for the beginning of the game.

 

It is written in English, but there are several translations floating around.

 

As with my previous review, there will be no numbers or rankings, only my impressions and views.

 

Basics now aside, let us delve into some particulars. Assume there will be spoilers, though I try to avoid any major plot revelations.

 

---

 

Overall

 

Despite potential for a lot of offence, it is a rather tastefully done game. The sex scenes do have its place and help to expand on the characters and their relationships, even to the point of including some very uncomfortable and questionable scenes. Each character is given life and depth, even minor characters like Kenji and the nurse. The female leads are all different, sharing some traits across the board but otherwise maintain enough of a personality to keep the paths from feeling like doing the same thing repeatedly.

 

Though its roots lie in 4chan, it is not an incomprehensible mess of trolling and hentai. There are shoutouts and jokes, but even a cursory glance through dev notes make it clear they took the game seriously. It is set in Japan, but they did well to keep the game clear of any "anime-isms" and translate Japanese culture as best they could. There are some questionable areas where these translations are weak, but they did their best, even managing to make it sound like it was actually translated from Japanese (it was, as previously mentioned, originally written in English).

 

The point of the game, as such, isn't to simply hook up with disabled women. The sex scenes do not come up for hours (again, depending on your reading speed), and no more time is spent focussing on them than any other part of the story. As the story unfolds, you--along with protagonist lead Hisao--learn to recognise these young women as independent humans, people who have lives and problems long before Hisao ever came along.

 

The Story

 

There are a few questionable things that become evident upon playing the different paths. Events common to each path seem to take place at different times (the arrival of a letter, for one), but it doesn't detract from enjoyment of the game.

 

There are some weaknesses in the writing, particularly with Lilly and Emi's routes after several other playthroughs. It becomes difficult to connect with some of the characters because the pacing and tension is off in the storytelling (it can't ALL be Hisao's fault--someone had to write his thoughts, after all). It isn't the best written game, and there is perhaps more attention paid to the humorous bits than to the story overall (as it seems different people worked on the different paths, an understandable division of labour).

 

The Art

 

The art is pretty, and the CGs are quite lovely, but it isn't something that will knock off your socks. In certain spots the art especially seems rather loose, an aesthetic that may not be for everyone. Since it is an eroge, there is a certain amount of attention paid to how attractively the characters are depicted, but otherwise it is rather unremarkable. The characters are given a range of emotions to display, some more than others, but otherwise it is like any other visual novel. They stand statically before you.

 

The Music/Sound

 

There isn't much to say about this aspect. The music is not intrusive and rarely out of place, but it can easily get repetitive. This isn't a flaw unique to this game, and it is an understandable one for a free game.

 

Hisao

 

To put it kindly, I thought Hisao was kind of an idiot. To be less kind, he is kind of a jackass. You learn from the start that his hospitalisation had a significant effect on him, but the effects become startlingly clear as you progress through the various paths. Hisao has forgotten how to connect with other people and spends much of the game deep in his over-analytical thoughts, picking apart and questioning everything around him.

 

This characterisation doesn't come from nowhere--you learn that Hisao has a mind for science, something that comes up at least once in each of the paths. He has an easier time grasping his science and math classes, struggling almost comically with his English and Japanese classes. Consider as well that he had spent the last several months effectively a prisoner in a hospital, his only interaction with the nurses and doctors, with the occasional visit from friends and family until those petered out.

 

With that in mind, his nigh obnoxious analysis of each of the leads becomes understandable and relatable. Hisao has spent a lot of time locked in his own mind, his nose stuck in a book for most of his hospitalisation. He has become bitter and cynical, a state that becomes a point of his own analysis in Rin's route.

 

Overall, Hisao has depth. He speaks and responds rather realistically, very rarely breaking out of character. He is not a perfect protagonist and there are moments, especially in Rin's route, where I wanted to shake him violently, to make him realise how much of an idiot he is being.

 

The Paths

 

You have the choice of five female leads.

 

 

From left to right, you have Lilly, Hanako, Rin, Emi, Misha (who does not have a path in the game), and Shizune.

 

Lilly

 

Lilly is blind and, in my eyes, the most mature amongst the female leads. She is a very proper and diligent young woman, but as you get to know her, you start to see through her armour. As Hanako's closest friend in the school, she tends to be very motherly and caring, a trait that can quickly become aggravating.

 

She was the first one I pursued; I found her path to be perhaps the most boring. Not for lack of drama as there is plenty of it--Hisao's heart disease is a plot point in her path more so than any of the others, and between Hanako and Shizune playing rather large roles in her path, there is no shortage of angst. It just seemed to lack something special to really draw me into their relationship.

 

Lilly is, from the start, ostensibly a Mary Sue. She's graceful, beautiful, caring, and intelligent. Hisao puts her on a pedestal from the start, and it is through her path that her Mary Sue exterior is deconstructed.

 

While not my favourite path, she is not the worst.

 

Hanako

 

Her scars are one of the first things Hisao notices about her, followed by her shrinking violet persona. An almost stereotypical shy wallflower kind of girl, you learn on her path that appearances can be deceiving. Hisao and Hanako are rarely on the same page and misunderstand each other more than once--not nearly as much as Hisao misunderstands Rin (to be fair, he may not understand her at all), but it's getting there.

 

Hanako's bad ending is, to me anyway, one of the most uncomfortable and heartbreaking of the bad endings. Hisao, like Lilly and like others would, react to Hanako with a desire to protect her and keep her safe from harm. This overbearing attitude and these white knight tendencies become a major point of contention throughout her path.

 

Her sex scene is one of the most uncomfortable and awkward. Hanako does not come across as a fully willing participant and Hisao realises this, but continues regardless. She later explains her reasoning, but it does not stop being an uncomfortable scene in my eyes.

 

I pursued her second and while I like Hanako, I did not find myself particularly interested in their relationship. I did like her path more than I liked Lilly's, however.

 

Rin

 

This was the last path I did, and I'm glad it was, because it was the best of them. I relate to Rin on several levels, and actually found myself tearing up during her route. It is also on this route that I found myself extremely upset with Hisao.

 

Rin is an offbeat, armless artist who is quite possibly the most tragic and most hilarious character in the game. You run into her on occasion on the other paths, but it isn't until you get into her path that you have the chance to understand who she is. As previously mentioned, Hisao has a difficult time relating to her, and I suspect that many others will too. She isn't the most logical, instead relying on her own form of logic and reasoning. She is the most sincere of the female leads, but no less stubborn and no less guarded. She struggles with communicating with others and often finds herself instead deeply involved with her art, desperately trying to reach out to others through her painting.

 

Her path focuses primarily on Hisao's attempts to understand what he thinks is impossible to understand, and her own efforts to find some solace with her existence.

 

Her neutral end is, in my eyes, far worse than her bad end.

 

It is heavily hinted that she will end up killing herself in pursuit of an artistic career.

 

Emi

 

The second to last path I did. Emi has no legs, but that doesn't stop her from running like the wind, from being ostensibly the fastest person in the school. Despite her childlike appearance, she comes across as being more experienced--she is a year older, due to her own stay in a hospital while learning to walk.

 

She keeps Hisao at a distance, believing that in order to make it through life without heartache, she must maintain heavy emotional walls. Depending on what choices you make, the degeneration of their relationship can be extremely disconcerting as she quickly puts on a mask, even after emotional fights.

 

It is her openness with sex and physical aspects of their relationship and her reluctance--if not outright refusal--to become closer emotional that stands as the primary conflict between her and Hisao.

 

I did not much enjoy the path and personally found Emi rather annoying. I think it is meant to add to her rather lolita-ish charms.

 

Misha and Shizune

 

While Misha is not an option, you do interact with her quite a bit on Shizune's path. Shizune, the deaf-mute president of the student council, is megalomaniacal, driven, and highly competitive to the point of turning everything into a competition. It is these traits that make her extremely unlikeable in my eyes, but she is easily one of the most traditionally attractive characters of the options presented to you--especially if you have a thing for women with glasses. Her sex scenes are also crafted with just a bit more love--I believe she is actually the "canon" choice for Hisao.

 

Considering that as you progress along her path, you learn that Shizune too has forgotten how to relate to people--unhelped by the fact that she relies on Misha to translate everything for her--and she simply wants to make friends, she and Hisao share more than a couple of traits. He easily falls into her traps, whether she sets them on purpose or not, and goes a lot further for her than he does any of the other girls (he learns sign language so that he can get closer to her).

 

However, things start getting kind of awkward when Misha starts becoming a bigger part of the story. More under the cut.

 

Misha comes to you one day seeking "comfort". If you choose to do so, what follows is an extremely awkward and uncomfortable break of trust as Hisao is currently dating Shizune. Regardless of whether you do so or not, you find out that Misha had--and continues to have--unrequited feelings for Shizune. When Shizune comes to terms with the fact she is taking advantage of Misha, her confession becomes all the more saddening.

 

All that said, Shizune is my least favourite character and her path was rather aggravating for me. Her bad end also seemed to be an unending spiral of angst, but not in any form that I found endearing or empathetic.

 

Final Thoughts

 

It is a humorous and touching story, a game that can easily suck you into the drama of the characters. There are some shortcomings, such as the lack of variety and quality in the music and sound department, the occasional weakness in the writing, but these things are compensated for. It isn't the greatest visual novel out there, even amongst free ones, but there are signs of professionalism and care taken towards its creation.

 

Do give it a play--it is free, after all.

[lemmingllama]

Well then, it is a pity that I didnt see this when you originally posted it. I played the game soon after it was first released by Four Leaf Studios in full. THE FEELS!!!! Anyways, I do agree with most of your points.

 

If I had to rank the different characters as to how much I enjoyed each route, it would go Lily > Hanako > Rin > Emi > Misha > Kenji > Shizune. Although Rin had the best arc out of all of them, I found it hard to "fall in love with her" and her route almost felt more frustrating than enjoyable. Plus wanting to write your own bits since some of the decisions Hisao makes are terrible is always something that makes it lose points. Hanako only comes in front of Rin due to Hanako's bad end, which is the best in the game. I found that I related to Hanako and Lily much more than the others, which is why I probably enjoyed their routes more. Shizune's route was just bad... Only good part of it was Misha, but not being able to go after her was annoying.

 

Honestly, if they added routes for Miki and Akira then I would be super pleased. Miki was basically a better Emi, and Akira seemed to be much more than what she showed in game.

 

All in all, I loved the game. Its a pity that each story was authored by a different person with multiple co-authors and they will never get together for another work. Either way, remember to Do It For Her!

 

And now for your browsing please, have a flowchart that shows all the achievements you should try to get.

 

[Slerbatus]

I truly enjoyed playing this even thought it was very boring at first. It gets better when you choose one of the paths and get to know the characters deeper.

My opinion about the stories:

Lily: It was calm and nice reading but nothing really happened so....

Shizune: saying that this was horrible. Only good thing was the bad ending.

Hanako: very awkward and shy story but good ending and one of my favorites

Rin: Just hard to understand but really good story

Emi: personal favorite route and it was difficult but rewarding.Lemons

Kenji: Funny as hell but shocking

 

Really good music that i love to listen in my freetime.Art is beatiful to watch and characters face expressions add more feeling.Real backrounds has also its touch.

 

Overall really good game/novel that is worth of playing but it misses something. Not for the stories but maybe some ending animations. Also more routes would have been nice.

[† Emotional Outlet]

I didn't have a lot of trouble keeping up with Rin's cloudcuckoolander shenanigans, since I do relate to her quite a bit. Her sex scenes also got points for me since she's the only one Hisao performed oral on, which added a bit of depth after seeing all the others.

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one who didn't care for Shizune's arc, haha. I don't know if it's necessarily bad, but it's just. What made it difficult for me is that I don't like people with her personality--I hate hyper-competitive people and I hate people who are so compartmentalised in life they can't even relate to people on a normal level. Shizune has both of those in spades. I can appreciate what character growth she had and her recognising that maybe she wasn't approaching her personal relationships in the best manner, but I just couldn't stand her, in or out of her arc.

 

Emi didn't sit well with me because her dynamic with Hisao just seemed wrong. Angst aside, I wasn't really convinced that either of them wanted to be in the relationship at all. I liked Emi outside of her arc, so I think it just might be that Hisao brings out the worst in her, haha.

 

Kenji was hilarious for sure, I enjoyed his feminist conspiracy rants. I had one of my friends play through the VN and he felt pretty much the same about the whole thing too--perhaps even worse, because he wanted Hisao to die way more than I did, so Kenji was pretty much a godsend for him.

 

I did like Miki a lot, I wish she showed up more often and we got to interact with her for more than a few scenes. o3o