Emotional Attachment to KS

[UncleJellyfish]

Then I played Rin's route. Got the bad ending, neutral, then good in a single night. I even continued to play Shizune's route a little afterwords too but it wasn't the same. I realized I had been completely emotionally devastated by Rin's route and had fallen in love with her. I wasn't prepared for the game to be so emotional and even philosophical. Sure, I had seen people's reactions but I never thought it would get to me so much and it did. All this week I've really only been able to think of Rin. The only other things that have really gave me the Feels even close to this extent, ironically both of which are visual novels, are Clannad and G-Senjou no Maou. (Highly recommend, both. Especially G-Senjou no Maou. Which is also know as The Devil on G-String)

ANYWAYS. I did manage to play through all the other routes but as I was playing through them, I felt hollow. Not really the right word but I never got that feeling of being highly emotionally invested. I mean, I got emotional and I liked pretty much all of the routes but something was always off. I did enjoy them though so don't get me wrong there.

You'll have to pry Rin♥ out of my cold, dead clutches.

On another note, I felt the same way after playing through Rin's♥ arc. Granted, I did play Shizune first, and I did sort of feel like I was cheating on her at times, but once I got to Act 2 of Rin's♥ arc, I had completely forgotten about Shizune. By the time I finished Rin's♥ route with the good ending, I really couldn't fine myself getting as emotionally invested in the others. Luckily, I played Emi's route, next, which I didn't really like anyways, so I had a buffer zone between Rin♥ and Hanako/Lilly, but the hollow feeling remained.

[veritasx6]

First reply on the site, so good to meet you all.

As I've read through this post, I really enjoyed hearing the how's and why's behind each individual's particular attachment. Escapist's reason was because he always wanted to date a girl like Hanako and share in similar activities, while InfinteBladeWorks talked about how he went to lengths to take his dad's pc to play it well into the night.
I think the most amazing thing is when people play the game, and they get something out of it that they can take from it. While it might not be the emotion attachment in the extreme sense that I think a lot of posters have been using it, I think games like this will always give us memories that will carry with us through life.

For myself, I ended up being emotionally attached to Hanako's story because of my fiance, Kim.
I knew that I wanted to play Hanako's path right from the start because Hanako's traits were so similar to my fiance that it was a little uncanny. Everything from the long purple hair, the quiet personality, and even the newsy hat took me back to when I first started dating my fiance three years ago. All I needed to do was replace Hanako's physical and emotional scarring with Kim's dad who died from cancer and her depression caused by his death, and Hisao's heart condition with my difficult family life, to be able to a strong enough parallel between the story and my own life.
The ending really hit home, because we both did what Hisao and Hanako did with sex, and I feel pretty ashamed yet glad to be reminded of that valuable learning experience.

I'll be honest, I've been feeling pretty uneasy lately about getting married, but playing this game reminded me of the time when we first started dating, and the building we've done together as a couple that has gotten us to where we are today, and for that, I'm eternally grateful to the creators of this game.
I think I'll always be emotionally attached to this game in some way, even if the emotional roller coaster will level out to become a steady going train.

[Maakasu_Taihaku]

Yes i admit im attached to teh game.... and Hanako....

[newnar]

Damn! Playing Lilly's arc is such torture!!!

[Maakasu_Taihaku]

Damn! Playing Lilly's arc is such torture!!!

i think i might do her next, but seeing Hanako all the time will hurt

[alien.marksman]

Greeting all..
First time poster, long time lurker (really only made an account to say this and a few other things)

But yes, and emotional attachment to KS.. Most definitely.
I purposely avoided playing the Demo/Act 1, because I honestly didn't want to experience some thing that may have been great.
Only to have to suffer the bitter disappointment if it was never completed.
But now having played though the game I can say this.

Why after playing KS do I remember what it is like to love again?
To feel the highs and lows of sharing triumphs and defeats with another entity.

It's not my place to proclaim who's story arc was the best.. That's a matter of the individuals opinion.
But I found Shizune's Competitive nature fueling my own Competitive Spirit. I honestly felt a connection with the character.
And after playing Shizune's Good End, I followed it up with her Bad End.
The image of her sitting so dejectedly on those steps was akin to a swift kick to the guts. It's an image that will haunt me for some time.
I went from a giddy state of euphoria that one would normally get from being in love.. To, well, I still feel terrible about it.
(even after a full play though again to get the good ending)

A credit to the Writing and Art Teams to stir such emotions in this particular player.
I had to force myself to explore every characters possible Ending in an effort to achieve 100%.
Not doing so would be a discredit to the folk at 4LS if I didn't examine every facet of their work.

KS reinforced to me the importance of looking past first appearances, and to value the person inside.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to play through it all again.

[KSmaniac]

..Guys its just a game. Luckily, its a VN which doesn't bored us reading this.

Well, KS teaches us on how to socialize other people (even its is crippled, abnormal or normal), well its kinda useful to me .
I think the writer is such a psychological genius..

[Maakasu_Taihaku]

A credit to the Writing and Art Teams to stir such emotions in this particular player.
I had to force myself to explore every characters possible Ending in an effort to achieve 100%.
Not doing so would be a discredit to the folk at 4LS if I didn't examine every facet of their work.

KS reinforced to me the importance of looking past first appearances, and to value the person inside.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to play through it all again.

Well said

[newnar]

Damn! Playing Lilly's arc is such torture!!!

i think i might do her next, but seeing Hanako all the time will hurt

You have no idea. NO FRIGGIN IDEA. I was like FUCK THIS GUY!!! Hisao just left Hanako to wallow in her room by herself on her birthday when she didn't go to class that day! Shit I'm so riled up in pure disbelief. Damn! It's so hard to concentrate on two girls at the same time. I just can't get my head off Hanako. Hisao just acts COMPLETELY OBLIVIOUS to her throughout Lilly's arc. Douche! My mind tries to justify it by saying,"Hey, it's LILLY's arc, so it's not that much of a surprise." But hell this hits me 10,000 times harder than when I played Rin's arc right after Emi's.


Hisao: I am an idiot. She(Lilly) must have thought I was calling to talk with her, but I only asked for help with Hanako.

God I'm so gonna punch his face in. Hanako is apprently a worthless pile of junk who isn't even worth calling Lilly for. "ONLY" asked for help with Hanako. ONLY. Like it's as important as asking Lilly where she placed her favourite recipe.

[Maakasu_Taihaku]

I didn't read all just incase i spoiled anything...but from what i read...sounds harsh...man.... that makes me regret even more, not doing her last... i plan on doing Hanako again but it will hurt so much seein her like that

[themocaw]

Getting to the other emotional end of the scale. . .

I remember punching the air and nodding at the moment in Emi's route where Hisao has a choice between chasing Emi and talking with her mom, and I chose to speak with her mother. Not simply for the emotional value, but because I realized that the writer had been leading up this point literally the entire route. If Mutou's lecture didn't hammer the point in, the fact that the entire route is about following and chasing Emi. . . but also knowing when to let her go and run on away from you.

[xakdublin]

(I'm new here.)

I just had to vent my thoughts about this VN, which is my first I've done, I actually only knew about Katawa Shouju from another forum I goto, a thread came up about it.

I thought I was really starting to have a breakdown because of this game, but at least I see I'm not the only one with emotional ties to the game. I'm sure it's due to other stresses in life, with KS's well written story arc pushing my emotions over the top. I actually had a long venting with a friend I hardly know well (play L4D and have been apart of the same forum for years, but nothing close) after having a really hard bout with depression, which somewhat was contributed to by this game, as well as work and my life in general.

I played through Emi's arc first, and found the story more interesting than I expected. I pretty much assumed the game was one ending, as I just chose the answers that seemed right to me, and all the other characters were supporting. I finished the game, felt saddened that it was over, and skipped through scenes to see what the other choices did, and saw it took me down another path and started from the beginning to see where it would take me. I ended up with Shizune and Rin following Emi (I have yet to do Hanako or Lilly).

I found myself thinking about things the game brought up, although my own interpretations of the concepts, related to my own life up til now, and whenever I was playing, I enjoyed it and couldn't stop, but when I quit, I was thinking about it. Then if I beat the game I wanted to see what happens afterwards, but I'd go for the bad endings and feel depressed.

The sad thing is, I'm not usually into these things, but I've found it has gotten me sucked in, and I've actually gotten to the point where my life is kind of shot because it's on my mind now. I want to finish the other 2 arcs, but I also want it out of my head so I can focus. I know if I start the other two, which I'm obsessing about doing, I'll be back into the shame spiral I'm in now.

I haven't even told my fiance about my feelings like this, I just feel stupid letting myself get so attached to 6 characters in a story.

So, like I said, I'm new here, my idea of what I was writing kind of lost it's intended direction midway through, and this was the story of how Katawa Shoujo is ruined my life, and how I'm letting it.

[Maakasu_Taihaku]

No problem man, this VN really gets to people

[Tomate]

Damn! Playing Lilly's arc is such torture!!!

i think i might do her next, but seeing Hanako all the time will hurt

You have no idea. NO FRIGGIN IDEA. I was like FUCK THIS GUY!!! Hisao just left Hanako to wallow in her room by herself on her birthday when she didn't go to class that day! Shit I'm so riled up in pure disbelief. Damn! It's so hard to concentrate on two girls at the same time. I just can't get my head off Hanako. Hisao just acts COMPLETELY OBLIVIOUS to her throughout Lilly's arc. Douche! My mind tries to justify it by saying,"Hey, it's LILLY's arc, so it's not that much of a surprise." But hell this hits me 10,000 times harder than when I played Rin's arc right after Emi's.


Hisao: I am an idiot. She(Lilly) must have thought I was calling to talk with her, but I only asked for help with Hanako.

God I'm so gonna punch his face in. Hanako is apprently a worthless pile of junk who isn't even worth calling Lilly for. "ONLY" asked for help with Hanako. ONLY. Like it's as important as asking Lilly where she placed her favourite recipe.

Man this is kind of silly, no? Hanako is not some fragile weepy girl, she actually fares better by herself in Lilly route, she doesn't need a White Knight.
And calling your girlfriends who happens to be in the other side of the world and just ask her about other girl is insanely rude.

I'll never understand why people get so attached to one route and refuse to play the others, each route is a opportunity to lean, a new universe to explore.

[Maakasu_Taihaku]

didn't read into ur post, just what i could see just finishing up lillys now, its not so bad still feel bad at times for Hanako, but i don't agreee with the few that says she better off in Lillys arc shes gets into a easy role, not truly improving as much as she did in her story(though harsh at times it can be), i know shes not weak atleast not as u get to know her, just timid, shy and can be fragile in certain situation, but if she didn't have some sort of strength in order to get through what she has been through...then i highly doubt she would've made it as far as she has.

i did attach myself to Hanako and still i am. But im still doing the rest of the stories, then going back to Hanako

btw i like ur profile pic XD Fus Ro Dah!