Post
by ProfAllister » Mon Nov 05, 2012 7:03 pm
Thinking on it, it looks like we have a general theme going:
Different girls appeal on different wavelengths. (Yes, bow down before my impressive gifts of perception!)
Some girls appeal primarily to the emotions, while others primarily appeal to the intellect.
Lilly's appeal is primarily an appeal to the emotions. There is intellectual depth to the story, yes, but you don't lose terribly much if you miss it.
Hanako's appeal is similarly directed to the emotions. Again, this isn't a thoughtless feels bombardment, but you don't need an applied character analysis to care about Hanako.
Emi falls somewhere in the center. There's a lot going on in that head of hers, but you don't really need to see the gears in her head turning to get a sense for what's going on.
Shizune appeals almost entirely to the intellect. There's emotional depth is there, but you have to pierce through the veil and really get into her head to see the emotional goings-on. Otherwise, you see Misha's emotional appeal, but really don't care for Shizune.
Rin has an even greater intellectual appeal than Shizune, but the emotional appeal is also very strong. It's easy to get something emotionally out of Rin's route, but it's also easy to recognize you're missing something if you can't (or don't) get inside her head.
In the end, all the girls probably have a similar compound appeal (i.e. emotional + intellectual). Grasping the emotional appeal of a character is easier, but there's no less merit to emotional appeal than to intellectual appeal. You certainly aren't stupid for preferring emotional appeal over intellectual appeal.
On the other hand, people tend to play up the value of intellectual appeal (when they don't outright dismiss is). Because you have to work harder to grasp the intellectual appeal, people tend to take a greater sense of ownership of the appeal, and play up its significance.
Ergo, Lilly fans hate Shizune fans because they see Shizune fans as arrogant elitists, while Shizune fans hate Lilly fans because they see Lilly fans as shallow idiots who can't see beyond the surface.
I thereby decree, with every ounce of authority granted unto me, that anyone who derides another individual's preference is a Manly Picnicker. Not a Kenji Route fan. A Manly Picnicker. You consider the best option to get drunk and fall off the roof to your (presumed) death.
All I know is that in some pictures her hair is pinkish, while in others it's brown. Not blonde. 
