It's the choices, dummy

[Atario]

I think most people misinterpret the lessons the game is trying to teach. Asserted: the choices you make to get good/neutral/bad endings are what constitute the message.

• Emi
  Lesson: Consider the help and advice of others.
  Ignoring Mutou, Misha, and/or Meiko pushes you toward the bad ending; listening to them pushes you toward the good.
• Rin
  Lesson: Support is more important than understanding.
  Choices that emphasize or demand understanding her (on the part of yourself or others) over supporting her regardless push you toward the bad or neutral endings.
• Shizune
  Lesson: Don't cheat.
  Pretty obvious. "Comforting" Misha bad; refraining good.
• Lilly
  Lesson: Be open and honest.
  Hiding anything gives you the bad ending; being open and honest gives the good.
• Hanako
  Lesson: Be available (but don't overdo it).
  This may be my most controversial assessment (everyone seems to think it's all about "white knighting"). Choosing to "call it a day" after Lilly leaves — abandoning Hanako when she needs you most — is what gives the bad ending, whereas going out with her does not. Choosing to check up on her in her room gives the neutral ending, whereas choosing to give her space gives the good. There's also a minor lesson as well about accepting the advice of others as in Emi's route (giving Hanako space is couched as listening to Lilly's advice, whereas checking up on Hanako is couched as ignoring Lilly's advice).

Of course there are echoes of these lessons elsewhere in the routes, e.g. Lilly's own lack of forthrightness (about her family situation and the summons to Scotland and her feelings about all that stuff) go a long way toward instigating the conflict in her route, reinforcing the message of openness and honesty.

[wazuzu]

Funny conclusions you got there, especially about Shizune. She never gives half a fudge about Hisao cheating, but comforting Misha makes Misha stark raving mad.
Maybe the lesson is that you may need to refrain from forced feelings, and be open, honest and understanding.

[Atario]

Funny conclusions you got there

Ooo, con-TROV-ur-see!

Shizune. She never gives half a fudge about Hisao cheating

How could she? She never finds out.

[wazuzu]

How could she? She never finds out.

Do you give a fudge about things you don't know?

[Atario]

Do you give a fudge about things you don't know?

What's your point?

I'm saying cheating on her gives the bad end and refraining gives the good. Therefore that's the lesson.

[wazuzu]

Correlation does not equal causation.
It's not cheating that gives you bad ending, but Misha distancing herself from both Hisao and Shizune.

[Oddball]

The lesson Shizune's path teaches you is that at the end of the year, your girlfriend is going to go her own way anyway, so you might as well sleep with her best friend when you get the chance.

[Atario]

It's not cheating that gives you bad ending, but Misha distancing herself from both Hisao and Shizune.

But that distance is a result of guilty feelings over that betrayal.

[Steinherz]

The lesson Shizune's path teaches you is that at the end of the year, your girlfriend is going to go her own way anyway, so you might as well sleep with her best friend when you get the chance.

PFFFT


But yeah, Shizune's bad end has nothing to due with Hisao cheating on her with Misha. Shizune never finds out.

[Atario]

But yeah, Shizune's bad end has nothing to due with Hisao cheating on her with Misha. Shizune never finds out.

Why does she need to find out for it to have an effect?

[wazuzu]

It's not the result of guilty feelings after sleeping with Hisao, it's a result of overall tension in their relationship. And it does not relate with Shizune or cheating at all. Hisao could do Emi in the storage shed all day long, but if Misha loses her cool - that's the bad end. There's an influence that sex act had on her tension, but that was the top of the iceberg.

[Xanatos]

...Is this some sort of revelation? Yeah, the choices are important to the message of the route. Did people not know this?

And Shizune's route has next to nothing to do with the cheating. That's just there for the sake of a dialogue option.

[OtakuNinja]

Normally I wouldn't even read this thread, but I'm glad I did. it was really entertaining. x'D

[Atario]

Is this some sort of revelation? Yeah, the choices are important to the message of the route. Did people not know this?

You would think so, from the by-now standard received wisdom that Hanako's lesson is "don't be a white knight".

[Sea]

Normally I wouldn't even read this thread, but I'm glad I did. it was really entertaining. x'D

mmm, i need to find Stein's cache of laughing gifs for future use