Why is Katawa Shoujo so beautiful?

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TisBeMarc
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Why is Katawa Shoujo so beautiful?

Post by TisBeMarc »

I have my opinions on it. Just curious what others think, the music and writing are just amazing.
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Enemy |
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Re: Why is Katawa Shoujo so beautiful?

Post by Enemy | »

Because moe.
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Oddball
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Re: Why is Katawa Shoujo so beautiful?

Post by Oddball »

Enemy | wrote:Because moe.
That can't be it. Three Stooges has a lot more Moe and nobody ever accused them of being beautiful.
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Pseudogenesis
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Re: Why is Katawa Shoujo so beautiful?

Post by Pseudogenesis »

Oddball wrote:
Enemy | wrote:Because moe.
That can't be it. Three Stooges has a lot more Moe and nobody ever accused them of being beautiful.

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Your guess is as good as any. It started as a cripple fantasy game from 4Chan without solid direction, fell into the hands of a multinational team with no way to have complete organization and still managed to be incredible. It's an internet miracle akin to Tiny Tim discovering he is able to walk on Christmas day.
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The biggest dilemma in Katawa Shoujo:
'Should I recommend this to my friends or do I want them to continue to see me as mentally healthy?'

Mashup of the month: "Damn It Feels Good To Be a Cripple"
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Helbereth
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Re: Why is Katawa Shoujo so beautiful?

Post by Helbereth »

I think, because of the shady origin of the game, the creators wound up being especially careful to make it break that mold, ensuring that it didn't become a cliche based on the source. It became so well done because there was so much negativity surrounding its pathos, and they didn't want that stigma to stick. That's my theory, anyway.
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HarvestmanMan
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Re: Why is Katawa Shoujo so beautiful?

Post by HarvestmanMan »

Oddball wrote:
Enemy | wrote:Because moe.
That can't be it. Three Stooges has a lot more Moe and nobody ever accused them of being beautiful.
Don't go knocking other people's fetishes.

That said, Curly is a very sexy man.
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yummines
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Re: Why is Katawa Shoujo so beautiful?

Post by yummines »

depends

beautiful as in the girls are beautiful? if that's the case, welcome to the world of bishoujo visual novels. i hope you enjoy your stay

if you mean as in the game as a whole, well its cause they worked on it with the audience in mind, rather than money in mind.
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OtakuNinja
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Re: Why is Katawa Shoujo so beautiful?

Post by OtakuNinja »

I agree with the last post. :)

But I also think it was because of the music (and Lilly c: ). Sebastien Skaf is a very talented composer. :D
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Gordon_4
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Re: Why is Katawa Shoujo so beautiful?

Post by Gordon_4 »

If I had to guess, apart from all the artwork (including the erotic content) being gorgeous and well made, it just tells (if you're not a fuck up artist) a wonderful love story. Each character has their own ticks and quirks, some heavily influenced by their disability (Hanako) or from unrelated trauma (Eri) or don't seem tied into it at all (Rin) and some sit in between: each one is a whole person.

And wonderful moments spent with each other as the love story progresses, like running with Emi or learning sign language to talk with Shizune or my favorite: playing pool with Hanako.
James Cameron AND Shizune fanboy.
Mistoffelees
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Re: Why is Katawa Shoujo so beautiful?

Post by Mistoffelees »

I don't know who said this first, I will make no claims at being clever enough to dream this up- but I believe it was something along the lines of "whilst most characters seek our attention because they are different, the characters of KS seek it despite it". I think KS just hits certain archetypes and emotional keys similar media miss due to just a different approach. KS is far from universally appealing, however, and I think actually asking us on the KS forum why we enjoy it is almost the wrong approach to figuring out what's "special" about it. Perhaps you should ask people who love didn't enjoy it why they didn't. I think that would probably give you a much clearer answer.
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bragança
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Re: Why is Katawa Shoujo so beautiful?

Post by bragança »

KS is beautiful not just because the well written story, and amazing songs in the right place and in the right moment creating a gorgeous atmosphere to the player.
It's because we all connect with the game. Put our own experiences and tastes in the choices. At least I want to live the story.
I think it's because of this fact that KS is no ordinary game to us all.
Science is interesting. If you don't agree, you can fuck off.
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Tomate
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Re: Why is Katawa Shoujo so beautiful?

Post by Tomate »

KS is beautiful and slightly bittersweet, it has some memorable moments and a kickass soundtrack and loots of feels too, but one of the main reasons why i really like it is because the first time i played trough all the routes was during my vacation from work, so, when I'm think about Katawa Shoujo i also think about slacking off all day and doing nothing for a month.

I need more vacations...
Don't just eat that hamburger, eat the HELL out of it!
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Pseudogenesis
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Re: Why is Katawa Shoujo so beautiful?

Post by Pseudogenesis »

Gordon_4 wrote: Each character has their own ticks and quirks, some heavily influenced by their disability (Hanako) or from unrelated trauma (Eri) or don't seem tied into it at all (Rin) and some sit in between: each one is a whole person.

To be fair, Hanako didn't become withdrawn because she was embarrassed of her scars, she became withdrawn because she was terrified of someone asking about them (Late path Hanako spoilerz) and reminding her of the trauma she faced.
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The biggest dilemma in Katawa Shoujo:
'Should I recommend this to my friends or do I want them to continue to see me as mentally healthy?'

Mashup of the month: "Damn It Feels Good To Be a Cripple"
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Zykes
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Re: Why is Katawa Shoujo so beautiful?

Post by Zykes »

It kind of gets you to really think about a lot of things.

How we view ourselves when it comes to change and adapting.

How we views others that are quite different than what we would consider normal.

It kind of gives a message, despite what happens to us, we can move forward, not letting ourselves be held back by anything that would normally be seen as crippling or "world destroying."
"I look down as I step forward, passing by all those that stare, and hold fear in my heart. I stop and look up, I realize I am not afraid of what others think of me. I am afraid of of what I think of myself."

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Zerero
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Re: Why is Katawa Shoujo so beautiful?

Post by Zerero »

OtakuNinja wrote:But I also think it was because of the music (and Lilly c: ). Sebastien Skaf is a very talented composer. :D
Zykes wrote:It kind of gets you to really think about a lot of things.
+1

All the feels, bro!
Favorite girl: Lilly

Great game, too many feels.

Lilly>Hanako=Emi>Shizune>Rin
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