The Hanako Thread - Spoilers, obviously

[Poly]

Referring to point 1: I feel that this ending would bring the most satisfaction overall for more readers, as confining their future to a single ending would be far too sad for all the readers here who can clearly imagine a wonderful (or maybe not so) future for them already. I personally don't really mind them ending it at that point, but I did want to see what would've happened to the whole Hanako-birthday-freeze deal.

I would agree with you... but then I played Lily's path.

Hanako seems much happier and much more content there? I loved Hanako's path but the ending was left so open that I felt like nothing was "complete" it feels like a battle was won but the war will go on.

[Deltamon]

I would agree with you... but then I played Lily's path.

Hanako seems much happier and much more content there? I loved Hanako's path but the ending was left so open that I felt like nothing was "complete" it feels like a battle was won but the war will go on.

Hanako smiling from her fullest and kissing HIsao in the public in front of everyone, drawing plenty of attention to herself and not caring?

What ending did you actually see? And have you even paid attention to how she was before?

[Poly]

I would agree with you... but then I played Lily's path.

Hanako seems much happier and much more content there? I loved Hanako's path but the ending was left so open that I felt like nothing was "complete" it feels like a battle was won but the war will go on.

Hanako smiling from her fullest and kissing HIsao in the public in front of everyone, drawing plenty of attention to herself and not caring?

What ending did you actually see? And have you even paid attention to how she was before?

Oh she completely defeated the person she was before. She conquered her fears and changed completely, but the most we see of that is within that one scene.

Honestly writing it like that makes it sound as if it ended perfectly. I think the problem is I'm kinda comparing it to other endings in the game which seem more ... thought out? If that makes any sense. I think it leaves it open to the realm possibility more than anything. Not a bad ending by any means. I think it just feels.. "lacking" like there is more but yeah.

[Deltamon]

Oh she completely defeated the person she was before. She conquered her fears and changed completely, but the most we see of that is within that one scene.

Honestly writing it like that makes it sound as if it ended perfectly. I think the problem is I'm kinda comparing it to other endings in the game which seem more ... thought out? If that makes any sense. I think it leaves it open to the realm possibility more than anything. Not a bad ending by any means. I think it just feels.. "lacking" like there is more but yeah.

Well, I'm well aware of what you are trying to say especially since I just yesterday played through Lilly's path.. And while I agree that playing it through got me thinking how short the ending for Hanako's path felt.. But I guess it's just for me then, but I personally thought the Hanako's ending was just perfect considering what type of story it overall was and all the story elements towards the end fitted well together. While for example the sex scenes in Lilly's path do play little role in the overall story, but in Hanako's case it's way more dramatic part of the story and so on.. And then to be able to see Hanako genuinely happy like she seems in the end, felt like it was just the perfect spot to end the story instead of having to drag the story on, it leaves the image of them being really happy together from there on..

Oh btw, did anyone who has played Lilly's path think about the fact that Lilly will be coming back to Japan just to leave the country bit later for good in Hanako's path.. Which for sure will be hard for Hanako, but at least she'll now have Hisao on her side who's starting to understand her more and more.

[Poly]

Oh btw, did anyone who has played Lilly's path think about the fact that Lilly will be coming back to Japan just to leave the country bit later for good in Hanako's path.. Which for sure will be hard for Hanako, but at least she'll now have Hisao on her side who's starting to understand her more and more.

[/quote][/quote]

Yeah thats what got me started on Hanoko's ending. I just thought "Why couldn't they work with THIS" that would've been an excellent chance to build up something great, but I agree with you mostly Hanoko's ending is what it is a great ending to a great story, but in the distance you could see the perfect ending in a loving embrace of Hisao and Hanoko as they see Lily and Akira fly off for the last time. Hanoko hand in hand with Hisao and both agreeing to travel together once school ends.

Ok I'll stop talking now haha.
(I have a tendency to write fanfics if an ending to something is left too far open)

[VLSM]

Oh btw, did anyone who has played Lilly's path think about the fact that Lilly will be coming back to Japan just to leave the country bit later for good in Hanako's path.. Which for sure will be hard for Hanako, but at least she'll now have Hisao on her side who's starting to understand her more and more.

[/quote]

Yeah thats what got me started on Hanoko's ending. I just thought "Why couldn't they work with THIS" that would've been an excellent chance to build up something great, but I agree with you mostly Hanoko's ending is what it is a great ending to a great story, but in the distance you could see the perfect ending in a loving embrace of Hisao and Hanoko as they see Lily and Akira fly off for the last time. Hanoko hand in hand with Hisao and both agreeing to travel together once school ends.

Ok I'll stop talking now haha.
(I have a tendency to write fanfics if an ending to something is left too far open)[/quote]


That's when you should start to pray, hoping for a fandisc to be made, just to see her change and the continuation of the story ----

[Exterminator 2000]

I dunno, I consider Hanako's bad ending to be pretty damn bad. Not only does she kick Hisao out of the room, she says that she despises both Lilly and Hisao because rather than treating her like a person, they feel like she's a thing that should be protected, and to top it all off, it's implied that she very possibly went on to commit suicide.

Mhh, that's interesting. Perhaps I'm being overly optimistic here, but I thought the last words didn't imply that, merely an end to their relationship - and maybe even to the one between Hanako and Lilly? Regardless of her issues and what she has suffered, I wasn't under the impression that she'd do something like that.
Then again, looking at the way it is phrased it is certainly possible; though I like to think of her going her own way in case of the bad ending, just without Hisao (and Lilly?) being close to her. "Bad end" doesn't necessarily mean bad for her, I think...

I -still- can't get myself to go through any of the other routes (although I'm sorely tempted to try Lilly's & Shizune's), Something about Hanako's scenario just hits home and you just want to keep delving into it.

Yeah, it does have a certain je ne sais quoi quality. My thoughts keep wandering off to the story since I finished it. I've started on Emi's route (from the very beginning), though, but I am still in act 1. Has act 1 always been this long? In any case, I can't see any kind of 'connection' happening to her story like it did for Hanako. I'm still hoping for the best (and I'm really trying to be open-minded), though.

By the way, there is something I am not sure was answered in Hanako's story regarding the fire: How exactly did the fire start? What happened to her father? I remember her mentioning that her mother shielded her from the worst of the flames, sacrificing herself to safe Hanako's life. (Though that would mean at some point her mother's skin and flesh would've literally melted and merged with her own... What a horrifying thought. It would also give a whole new layer to her trauma, I think. )

[Rykn]

That's when you should start to pray, hoping for a fandisc to be made, just to see her change and the continuation of the story ----

And there we go. I know what I'm wishing for now.

[CosmicGhost]

That's when you should start to pray, hoping for a fandisc to be made, just to see her change and the continuation of the story ----

And there we go. I know what I'm wishing for now.

I am too, I just felt that I wanted more of Hanako and that I wasn't satisfied with her ending ending like that, I wanted to know (what the OP said) what has happen to their lives now that they confessed their love for each other? When that question popped into mind, I started making up stories for myself just to continue the story and satisfy me, but it just doesn't feel as satisfying as seeing it in the real game. Let's just hope that there are talented people out there that are good enough to make the greatest continuation to her story. Whoever that is, may that guy have the best of luck. Oh and a few chocolate jokes here and there wouldn't hurt too.

[deadlyMONK44]

hanako was my favorite,
manly tears were shed for that ending...
don't judge me.. lol

[Grayfox]

I dunno, I consider Hanako's bad ending to be pretty damn bad. Not only does she kick Hisao out of the room, she says that she despises both Lilly and Hisao because rather than treating her like a person, they feel like she's a thing that should be protected, and to top it all off, it's implied that she very possibly went on to commit suicide.

Mhh, that's interesting. Perhaps I'm being overly optimistic here, but I thought the last words didn't imply that, merely an end to their relationship - and maybe even to the one between Hanako and Lilly? Regardless of her issues and what she has suffered, I wasn't under the impression that she'd do something like that.
Then again, looking at the way it is phrased it is certainly possible; though I like to think of her going her own way in case of the bad ending, just without Hisao (and Lilly?) being close to her. "Bad end" doesn't necessarily mean bad for her, I think...]

That's why I say it was "implied." It's not a given, by any means, but knowing what I know about the character, everything that's stated, and a lot of the things that I know due to knowing people who have gone through similar ordeals, she mentions that she's grown to despise the only two people who both were interested in getting closer to her that she actually allowed to do so. She's made it clear that even if she wants to be treated like a normal person, or as closely as she can be, that the way she's been treated growing up, she is a bit of a mess, who can't (or won't) get close to anyone else. If she actually snapped and spoke up about this to Hisao, she'd likely be even more disillusioned towards other people, and be even farther from what she wanted, and that kind of thing takes its toll. Admittedly, a lot of this is speculation, and could very well be wrong, but it makes sense to me, given the situation and personal experiences. Even without that, I'd still consider the bad ending to be pretty damn bad if for no other reason than the whole Hisao has effectively killed at least two different relationships, and likely has caused even more problems with both Hanako, and very possibly Lilly, when she finds out that he ignored her advice, and things went the way they did.

[OmegaChosen]

That's when you should start to pray, hoping for a fandisc to be made, just to see her change and the continuation of the story ----

And there we go. I know what I'm wishing for now.

A fandisc would certainly be welcome, at least by some portion of us fans. It'd be WAFFy as all get out but hey, WAFF is nice too. Of course, with the dissolution of 4LS that wish looks to be like a far off dream. Though when you think about it, the fact that Katawa Shoujo exists here and now shows that even far off dreams can become reality. :3

Anyway, just a small thing I'd like to add about my personal view of the ending or at least what happens after. It seems to me that we do get at least a small glimpse into Hanako and Hisao's life after their ending in that cutscene during the beginning of Act 2. I can easily imagine that library scene happening at some point afterwards: normal school day, Hanako is where she normally is in the library. Though she's been very gradually coming out of her shell she still finds peace in her solitude. She looks up and sees Hisao, book in hand to read alongside her like so many other times. She covers her face and blushes, perhaps in reaction to what she thinks will come. Hisao smiles, affection at the very Hanako reaction. He leans down and shares a kiss with Hanako, both happy for what they now share. Then...well, you know...

Hisao keels over from all the WAFF. XD

That's my very hopeless romantic interpretation anyway. Man this is weird; the more time I spend away from actually playing Katawa Shoujo the more I end up liking Hanako.

[Engraven]

That's when you should start to pray, hoping for a fandisc to be made, just to see her change and the continuation of the story ----

And there we go. I know what I'm wishing for now.

A fandisc would certainly be welcome, at least by some portion of us fans. It'd be WAFFy as all get out but hey, WAFF is nice too. Of course, with the dissolution of 4LS that wish looks to be like a far off dream. Though when you think about it, the fact that Katawa Shoujo exists here and now shows that even far off dreams can become reality. :3

Anyway, just a small thing I'd like to add about my personal view of the ending or at least what happens after. It seems to me that we do get at least a small glimpse into Hanako and Hisao's life after their ending in that cutscene during the beginning of Act 2. I can easily imagine that library scene happening at some point afterwards: normal school day, Hanako is where she normally is in the library. Though she's been very gradually coming out of her shell she still finds peace in her solitude. She looks up and sees Hisao, book in hand to read alongside her like so many other times. She covers her face and blushes, perhaps in reaction to what she thinks will come. Hisao smiles, affection at the very Hanako reaction. He leans down and shares a kiss with Hanako, both happy for what they now share. Then...well, you know...

Hisao keels over from the all the WAFF. XD

That's my very hopeless romantic interpretation anyway. Man this is weird; the more time I spend away from actually playing Katawa Shoujo the more I end up liking Hanako.

Wow, I did not think of that. I was wondering why that seemed out of place, but now that I think about it you're probably right.

I dearly hope for a fandisc. Hanako's story desperately needs some epilogue.

[Exterminator 2000]

That's why I say it was "implied." It's not a given, by any means, but knowing what I know about the character, everything that's stated, and a lot of the things that I know due to knowing people who have gone through similar ordeals, she mentions that she's grown to despise the only two people who both were interested in getting closer to her that she actually allowed to do so. She's made it clear that even if she wants to be treated like a normal person, or as closely as she can be, that the way she's been treated growing up, she is a bit of a mess, who can't (or won't) get close to anyone else. If she actually snapped and spoke up about this to Hisao, she'd likely be even more disillusioned towards other people, and be even farther from what she wanted, and that kind of thing takes its toll. Admittedly, a lot of this is speculation, and could very well be wrong, but it makes sense to me, given the situation and personal experiences.

All this makes an awful lot of sense... I guess I wasn't taking this as seriously as I should have, considering my brain was still full of endorphines from getting the good end shortly before. Or maybe I just kind of expected the bad end to have blood and death everywhere.

Even without that, I'd still consider the bad ending to be pretty damn bad if for no other reason than the whole Hisao has effectively killed at least two different relationships, and likely has caused even more problems with both Hanako, and very possibly Lilly, when she finds out that he ignored her advice, and things went the way they did.

Mhh, for some reason I assumed that despite all things happening, her anger was mainly focused on Hisao and that she'd still make up with Lilly again. Then again, considering that there are so many things even Lilly knows only little or even nothing about, I guess their bond of friendship isn't indestructible, either.

Man this is weird; the more time I spend away from actually playing Katawa Shoujo the more I end up liking Hanako.

It's called withdrawal.

[Poly]

Oh btw, did anyone who has played Lilly's path think about the fact that Lilly will be coming back to Japan just to leave the country bit later for good in Hanako's path.. Which for sure will be hard for Hanako, but at least she'll now have Hisao on her side who's starting to understand her more and more.

Yeah thats what got me started on Hanoko's ending. I just thought "Why couldn't they work with THIS" that would've been an excellent chance to build up something great, but I agree with you mostly Hanoko's ending is what it is a great ending to a great story, but in the distance you could see the perfect ending in a loving embrace of Hisao and Hanoko as they see Lily and Akira fly off for the last time. Hanoko hand in hand with Hisao and both agreeing to travel together once school ends.

Ok I'll stop talking now haha.
(I have a tendency to write fanfics if an ending to something is left too far open)[/quote]


That's when you should start to pray, hoping for a fandisc to be made, just to see her change and the continuation of the story ----[/quote]

A fandisc would be nice or something by the writer telling us why they decided to end Hanako's story where they did when they had much more material to work with.

A guy I know is a little peeved that Hanako only gets one sex scene but I said thats the charm of Hanako's story that its all focused more around relationships, breaking out of shells, and telling oneself that they aren't alone in the world no matter how much it may seem like it, and thats why I'm kinda feeling why its kinda premature around Hanako's ending we just get to the true relationship building part and breaking down the walls that we keep seeing throughout her story when it ends. So it seems that just as her story is truly beginning it ends.

I think Hanako's story can be said its a Story of Beginning. A story that seems to be the start of something great.
Or so I would like to think.