@@Clowningaround326 more importantly, nobody would be openly talking on Twitter about that page of fanart they found in their anime porn. And even if somehow the project did start on Twitter, asswipes like you would immediately whine about how it's forced inclusivity until it was shut down. 4chan was the only place it could happen because nobody could call 4channers "Chinese bots with an openly far left agenda" without sounding insane.
A lot of memes originate on 4chan. The cycle goes like this: anon posts something original -> some loser steals and reposts it on redditwitter for internet points -> it becomes a meme and is spammed everywhere.
@@emoaf8555 you're forgetting Sturgeon's law. For every gem like this that came from an imageboard, there's ten instances of sheer depravity. Case in point: twitter's slow descent into becoming an imageboard with accounts because Musk wanted the anon crowd (or more accurately, the normies pretending to be anons crowd).
Honestly I think the cleverest part of the story is the fact that your protagonist is also disabled. A big part of Hisao's character development is that he has to learn radical acceptance of himself as a disabled man, and in the process, he's able to better relate to the girls as people; he accepts that they're disabled, and it means he can realise that their personal problems have little to do with their disabilities themselves. Hisao's main "problem" in life isn't that he has a heart condition, it's that developing a heart condition alienated him from his old life and he doesn't really believe he has any life left at all - he ended up being really lonely, which absolutely would be a relatable trait for 4Channers and other terminally-online weebs. The same applies to the girls; their disabilities contribute to their issues in life, but their main problems AREN'T "well she's blind/deaf/scarred/an amputee". He has his own story; notably, he responds differently to the letter from his crush depending on what route he's on, and where he is on his own journey to self-acceptance, and I really appreciate that. They COULD have been lazy and gone in the direction of "Some NORMAL Guy ends up living near The Disabled School and learns that disabled chicks are hot!" (which is, I think, what a lot of people who assume this game is ableist based on the premise think this game is about) but the story and characters would have suffered massively for that; the girls, inevitably, would have become an Exotic Other, rather than be allowed the space to breathe. Hisao having an invisible disability (which the girls can't exactly relate to either) forces the player to empathise with disabled people on a one-to-one level first, and THEN you have the opportunity to relate to the girls (and THEN maybe date them). idk, I like that they put the effort in, starting with Hisao. Love that.
PREACH This game is unironically a masterpiece, I think. The writing is just so damn good, and is always respectful about the topics it brings up. If anything, I think it shows that yes, disabled people CAN be sexual, and that it should be a normal thing, obviously as long as it isn't fetishized. Not to mention they were able to do something I don't think I've ever seen, and write a VN protagonist that not only has a well defined personality, but actually grows alongside the other characters. Hisao is a stand in cor the player not because he's devoid of all personality or he's a total creep, but because he's just a really average person with realistic reactions to his surroundings. Not to mention he has some very good traits people should emulate, which again makes him a really solid protagonist. Literally my only complaint is that not entering a relationship with anyone is a "bad" ending. I'm fine with it existing, but I would have loved a route where you just befriend the girls and grow that way rather than dating any of them, but this is a romance focused VN so I know it sounds crazy.
@@rustyshackle8000 Romance VNs are more and more allowing for space to just befriend your love interests and still get all of the growth and plot. Our Life Beginnings and Always does this REALLY well, in case someone wants to play another great VN
@@PichuElric I remember playing a bit of that, actually! Unfortunately I associate bad memories with it thanks to a toxic friends. Hopefully I can play through it entirely one day
@@rustyshackle8000 I'm so sorry about that 😓 I unfortunately can't watch certain favourite anime because of said ex-friends. I hope one day you can remove them from your memories of the game and play it!
It's also about getting used to the sudden change that he wasn't born with or having had to deal with for a long time. Having a sudden lifechanging even such as a heart condition that can literally cause a sudden heart-attack, is something you do not just get used to over a month or even a couple of months.
@@azahel542 yes, i accidentally got Emi on my first playthrough... and when i say accidentally i mean i fully intentionally wanted her and onnly heerr!
As great as Katawa Shoujo is it's only ranked #137 on the vn equivalent of mal. My point is that there are a lot of great visual novels that people should be giving a shot, especially considering that Katawa Shoujo was so heavily inspired by them.
One of the things I love about Katawa shoujo is that the MC Hisao feels like an actual character. So many VNs get lazy and use the MC as a stand in for the player, but Hisao actually feels like his own person with flaws and ways in which his disability impacts him and the story. Also, the soundtrack SLAPS and is so nostalgic to me everytime I hear it
Bro if I hear that menu music or certain parts of the OST out of the blue (like the start of this video even though I expected it) suddenly I'm sobbing like a bitch. Im a grown ass 25+ year old man.
That's a pretty clever approach, as makes the decision making process convoluted enough to incite involvement. At least that's what I felt when I gave it a run, because what you're feeling at any given moment wouldn't necessarily be coherent with the mood of the MC at such times and that's great 👍
In 2013, I started a project with a few others on the Katawa Shoujo forums known as Katawa Seiyū, a voiced play through on UA-cam, being one of the directors until I had suffered a mental breakdown and had been unable to continue my work on the project. This project was actually one of the early voice over projects for Sydney (including talents like LilyPichu as well). I wanted to apologize directly at some point for the working conditions and the lack of professionalism this project had, primarily due to my youth, lack of experience and maturity, and poor mental health. I don’t have any regrets for being the spark for this project starting, because even if it failed, it brought together talented individuals and helped bring a voice to one of the best visual novels I’ve ever read, even a full decade later removed from my initial reading. Sydney, if you do read this, I apologize for Katawa Seiyū not being a better project to work on, but thank you so so much for your hard work. I’m so proud to see how far you’ve come since then. Wha~haha~!
Bro I've literally been wondering what happened to this project for years. I followed it quite closely at the time, and then everything just stopped. I'd come back every now and then to see if the project had come back, but it just stayed dormant. I'm sorry it didn't work out for you, but I think at least some people would be curious if there are any clips that were recorded and didn't get released
Holy shit, talk about a throwback. I ended up here after the Steam release announcement and seeing someone from a project I was also involved with caught me by surprise, to be sure. On the off chance you see this after almost two years OP, don't blame yourself for Katawa Seiyu's collapse. None of us really knew what we were doing, so no one person is at fault, least of all you. :)
Having Sidney, Joey and Connor voicing comments cracked me up xD It's literally insane how this project advanced on sheer passion alone. So many times irl gets in the way of even important stuff, that the fact that they kept up at it is no less of a miracle. Can't even imagine how many times they thought individually - even i do all my story line, there's no way we will able to finish this. Thanks garnt for highlighting the story
Literally binged watch an entire gameplay with every routes of Katawa Shoujo due to leaving my PC on autoplay. ( *I have never been happier to witness such a true beauty of a visual novel* )
Katawa Shoujo helped me a lot getting through the roughest parts of my life. As a ADHD autistic kid who lost their father figure and grandfather 4 months apart I was torn apart mentally. Finding Katawa Shoujo in late 2014 through slyfoxhound it helped me relate to fictional characters with physical and mental disabilities like myself and gave me a sense of joy and happiness. Thank you Garnt for pushing this VN back into the limelight.
Bro watching sly's playthrough was what brought me to KS also, and it was literally my door into the world of anime as a whole and shaped a lot of my formative teen years (and a crippling hentai game addiction). If it wasn't for watching an idiot on youtube 10 years ago, I don't know if I'd be the same open minded, well rounded and empathetic individual that I've grown into today. This game is nothing short of magnificent.
Emi showed me determination and focus. Rin taught me about passion, the search for fulfilment while staying true to myself Shizune showed me commitment and responsibility Lily taught me about maturity and how to make the best out of my weaknesses And Hanako helped me overcome the chains of the past All of them taught me how to build trust in others and open up my feelings. Man what a fucking masterpiece
Shizune taught me that if you can find it in your heart to date a deaf girl, you might at some point get a chance to bang her much hotter pink haired friend. Yes I'm still salty that Misha doesn't have a route.
I think the story behind the production is just as moving as the visual novel. The amount of dedication and soul they pour into this project knowing that it can end at any moment is truly inspiring.
Katawa Shoujo was an impossible project that genuinely touched me, I struggled with empathy towards others but going through Hanako's story genuinely made me realise that I wasn't after sex but rather a meaningful relationship. The fact that the game actively pushed you away from going the horny route because of your characters heart condition actually gave you a moment to pace yourself and learn more about the characters. Also the line "Did your mother give birth to you in a minefield" is still referenced in my friend group to this day.
Honestly same, ironic as it is, katawa shojo genuinely helped me evaluate my life goals and set me on a more productive path than the self-serving lifestyle I might still be living today otherwise
I don't do VNs much, but this is such a great story, how this one was made, and it's the perfect opportunity to drop one of my all-time favourite quotes: “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On!' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” ― Calvin Coolidge
For a second my stupid tired brain thought the whole comment was a Calvin coolidge quote and I had to mentally stop and go, no, wait, he didn't play VNs
I always grew up thinking about my intelligence and talent as something that will inherently carry me but I never really focused on my persistence and determination. I struggle with motivation but people tell me I am smart which has given me a bit of an ego. Thanks for commenting this quote it actually has sustenance unlike a lot of quotes people post which are just switchy switchy word jumble.
In Russia, there is a project similar in history, called Everlasting Summer. Also born on imageboards and went through 9 circles of production hell, he came out and became dearly loved by domestic fans.
Garnt giving us a history lesson? It's time to get a weeb degree in 4channing. This, along with Snoot Game, just prove 4Chan just comes up with visual novel bangers all the time.
There is a really similar but still inspiring story about a novel "everlasting summer" , it also was made by a group of independent people who managed to produce the most popular novel in eastern Europe At least please give a chance to Everlasting summer and if it touches you there is hell a story to tell about it's development
I love that Katawa Shoujo came from 4chan, it makes you automatically think it's going to be vile and gut-wrenching, but it's gut-wrenching in a completely different way, it's too sweetly wholesome. It's not everyday that you hear about a game that changes lives and perspectives like Katawa Shoujo here.
I mean, from someone who was on 4chan during that era, it wasn't THAT bad, so that's not the reason I was initially against it. I thought they were making a cheap gimmick game based on disabled girls, but turns out they did it respectfully, and after an hour or so, the disabilities barely register in your mind anymore. Needless to say, this was ONE of my first VNs (right before my ToHeart2 phase, and right after the forgettable sex-only VN phase).
@@CrimsonKage Yeah people used to actually get shit done back then, I'm still pretty sad Bro quest never really went anywhere but /tg/ has a decent sized list of projects and translations they undertook.
Katawa Shojo was actually the first visual novel that ever made me feel shades of pain, joy, depression and relief in a single playthrough. I'm glad everyone else related to the collective gut punch that was this hentai game about broken people.
This was my first experience playing a eroge (or even visual novel), and it was great (maybe too great), I felt so many things and got so into it... never felt like that again LOL
I'm so glad Garnt came around to finally cover Katawa Shoujo, it deserves every bit of the spotlight it'll likely get now. Pumping 150 hours into this visual novel, getting to see all the different routes, it genuinely changed my perspective on countless things about life.
A quote that stuck with me throughout basically my while life was from the librarian. "I'd rather try and fail then, then never try at all, not knowing if I wouldve failed or not." something along those lines. It probably wasnt an original quote but damn did it hit me when I was 14.
I want to add that a very similar project was started on a Russian imageboard 2ch around the same time, where a ragtag group of devs began making a visual novel named Everlasting Summer, a touching story about a depressed shut-in who gets isekai-ed to a soviet pioneer campus on a bus, from where he can't escape, and has to find his way out, while romancing a group of well written characters. Some endings hit you so hard in the feels, you can hardly recover from them. The main character is so relatable and realistic, because the devs are really familiar with the imageboard culture. The game was too published for free to overwhelming critical praise. You should definitely check it out.
Everlasting Summer is in fact a gorgeously illustrated VN that I would also recommend. Haven't completed it but from what I have seen so far it is very nice.
@@spamspum928 Same. I've never played a VN in my life and that game is the only one I've tried and I fell in love with it. I can boldly say, it changed my life, and I can make that statement for just for a handful of entertainment media. The music, the atmosphere and the themes were otherworldly. I was also pleasantly surprised with the references to the pop culture of that period. The devs sure did their research. Being raised on soviet movies and cartoons this game was like a nostalgic trip for me, even though I wasn't alive at that time.
Ha! I'm playing their recently released second game right now, "Rock, Money, Rock 'n' Roll", and it's impressive to see how far they gone =D Everlasting Summer will always have a place in my heart by taking me by surprise and getting me interested in VNs. It's honestly "good /10" for a VN and "AMAZING /10" for a free VN.
I remember playing Katawa Shoujo back in 2019 and being utterly amazed at how well written and heartfelt a lot of it was. To this day I still feel immense emotion even thinking about Hanako’s route and playing through hers and Lily’s route still gives me a warm feeling I can’t find anywhere else. Hanako best girl, Katawa shoujo best VN
The genius thing about Katwa Shoujo in my opinion is that, while all the characters are disabled, all the girls are, in fact, in terms with their disability and already way pass that. It is the girls who help the main character adapt to his newfound disability, while the girls personal issues revolve around struggles that have little to do with their actual disability. It is genius.
I mean... *SPOILER* Hanako wasn't really in terms of her disability as she is still taking prescribed medicines and go to therapy.. And if I remember correctly Emi wasn't really over her accident either
@@RadicalPlasma Well, I don't tend to edit my comments unless I'm sure no one has seen it yet. Why is it so important though? It's just a little mistake.
I remember when this came out and a lot of people just being in awe that they actually completed it. Truely, the story behind the game is equally as grand as the story they made.
I binged every route in high school, and I never cried and felt so empty as much as when going through it. Gave me some true to life lessons and I'll never forget all the emotions experienced while going through it. Even learned some of the tracks on piano it's so good. This was beyond something else
Despite 4chans general degeneracy, it also is one of the few communities that has a magical ability to bond together and do incredible things. beyond katawa shojo, they also have shut down multiple CP rings, found and gotten people who abuse animals arrested, or on a more lighthearted note, finding a “he will not divide us” flag in a field weighing 24 hours by looking at the stars and planes flying overhead.
My favourite story from 4chan came from when they organised a birthday party to a elderly man who just posted it to facebook in the early 2010's. 4chan is and always has been pure cancer, but every once in a while, it's capable of delivering some positive stuff.
4Chan isn't complete cancer. The problem is the reputation spreads and people with undesirable traits come in thinking that's the perfect place for them. 4Chan generally tends to be pretty cool, it's just the reputation luring in the problem people who then feed into the reputation more. As it turns out, not everyone is a slobbering buffoon with horrible intentions.
It's a miracle that Katawa Shoujo exists and it never would have happened were it not for people passionate enough to see it become a reality. Katawa Shoujo is really something special and I'm glad you brought more attention to this wonderful visual novel.
such inspirations, a dumb project idea that brought a group of random to come together to do something for absolutely no reason and made a fucking masterpiece
Hanako’s route actually did break me. There’s a scene where you’ve been pushing past her boundaries for a while now and she’s always lets it slide/it’s been for the best because she keeps people out. But she sets a hard one “Leave me alone, I need to think.” If you push past again she screams at you that she’s not a child and sometimes she actually needs to be alone. You can apologize but the damage is done. Your relationship is never the same. The game actually has so much nuance and care in it.
Koipuff this actually got me by surprise when playing the game in 2013, searched everywhere to see where I fucked up in her route :( Suffice to say this game taught me how sometimes you need to push and sometimes you need to let go
Hanako's good ending broke me even worse than the bad ending. Some people complain that Hanako and Hisao were acting like irrational children that hardly grew during the route, but I believe that was intentional. Most of the other girls' disabilities were natural aspects of themselves they'd lived with for their entire lives, so they didn't see it as a hindrance to them. For Hisao and Hanako their conditions were not only acquired later in life but also came with immense amounts of trauma that undermined their own perceptions of themselves. Hanako in particular faces the greatest mental hardships due to her burn scars serving as a constant reminder of the fire that killed her parents and how, in a society that idolizes conformity, she will always stick out. And, while not as severe, Hisao has similar hang-ups due to his heart condition potentially acting as a time bomb if he isn't careful. Its easy to understand how such circumstances would cause them to put up more defensive barriers out of fear. Still, their good ending has them acknowledge the true feelings they have for one another and better understand the harmful aspects of their situation and how they may improve and grow as people. Its open for interpretation what happens afterward, but you get the sense that they are both able to start healing and looking forward to their lives again. In fact, that's the entire premise behind _Sisterhood,_ a continuation fanfic taking place after Hanako's good ending. The quality and emotional weight is up their with the main story itself and also offers a lot of great character moments for Lilly and her family situation as well. Its worth a read-through.
Garnt speaks about how improbable it is for so many talented people to congregate, but I believe that talent wasn’t something they had but something that developed through their unwavering perseverance and passion. I think it’s important to remember that talent isn’t intrinsic to anyone, it’s acquired and I’m in awe that people saw this project through. Simply wow.
I'm so emotional through the video. It's like a group of people desperately nurturing a spark of flame, shedding sweat and tears to one day see it ignite. It's such an inspiring journey the online community witnessed, an example of how far you can go through relentless effort.
I remember playing this from the 4chan downloads and the later full game. My lord, I’m so happy that this is now getting the Light it deserves. I played it not for the erotica, but for the wonderful portrayal of disability in an environment where they are accepted and aided. I read each chatbox to the fullest. I loved it. There were hiccups. There were cringe worthy moments. But thats life. That’s life for us with disabilities too. There’s moments almost exactly like what you see in the story. Self doubt, tears, and moments of anger. It took a team of social outcast and (according to one of the devs) even included a member with disabilities.
As a simmilar age person to yourself giggugk, who gets every single little neat reference you make and has been following your for over a decade now i must really say that this channel has come so damm far. The pinnacle is hands down your ability to story tell. Going from skechy rants to telling a story enthralingly enough for me te get glued to a screen, shed a tear in the middle and insta - download the thing you presented is truly amazing. Cheers man!
Lilly broke me IRL for a solid week. Like, that route was PAINFULLY hard hitting for me. Don't know why, but god damn it felt like I had Hisous heart problem for a solid week.
Yeah, but unfortunately for me Shizune route broke all magic of Lilly's storyline ending - the hell with all that drama of her moving forever to Scotland and not be able to participate with you in the festival, if Lilly will STAY in Japan even after the event if you would not romance her? Goddammit, it nearly killed MC after all!!!
I had to stop playing after lilly (my first and only route) cause of how sad I felt. Binged the whole route in a day too. I can't handle emotional stuff ;_;
As a game dev who has lost all motivation, due to making a game with no prio experience and with no payment, for the past 15 months, I have to say that this story makes my heart smile :') Thank you Garrnt and thank you 4leaf studios for givivng me the push I needed. I'll definetely check the game out.
What a fucking video. I've replayed Katawa Shoujo almost every year since the first time I played it back in 2015 after being told by some fellow music students to "just play katawa shoujo", and I can't express how grateful I am for that random message during a convo on Messenger so many years ago. As a video editor myself, I loved Bakashift & RBKapoor1's work here, and am so glad that another video about KS has come out talking about its legacy. Thank you Garnt and everyone who worked on this one! (now I will brb, gonna start crying again, Emi/Lily best girls)
I must finally confess my sins: I still haven't finished the Rin route. But for real, the contrast between the routse are really quite something. The VN is amazing and I can only respect the need to use different writers for each route... but I also can't help but notice the inconsistency between the routes.
@@syrusalder7795 Yup. The team of fan translators, called the Witch hunt, became an actual important part of the story. Ryukishi07 (the writer) also ended up making them his official translators for all of his works
@@spshouppe You ought to know the source. The source of sources, the "Hub", the Great Library, the Museum of forbidden Arts. The place that endlessly attracts and records every single piece, from the finest to mere doodles. A place that has not a will of its own, but its will was instilled in the visitors, so like a hive mind they continue to satisfy its - _and among lots of others', their own_ - needs.
Honestly one of my favorite pieces of media to have ever come out. This one hits HARD. And that guy who wrote Rin's story... My god did he hit on that one. A home run. Emi is my favorite girl, but Run has my favorite route just because of how emotionally heavy and beautiful it is.
That visual novel is the best piece of romance story that was ever written, and I'm saying this as someone who doesn't enjoy romance in general. Some of the characters are so masterfully written that they feel more real than some people I know irl.
I'm glad Gigguk can put Katawa Shoujo in the spotlight. It's an amazing game with a very interesting take on the dating VN genre. It also has one of the longest fanfictions ever.
I played Katawa Shoujo when it came out, I was like 17. I actually re-played it about 2 years ago, and it held up surprisingly well. Some of the story lines legit made me cry.
Rin's route is single handedly crushing the competition in visual novels, it's very hard to beat that Two greatly written endings of 2 people falling in love, and either accepting each other, or not The crying was very much there And the authors all made 10 believable characters (each one a girl, and their respective Hisao), that you wish to read more of I'm replaying rn on my phone, and it's just so good to read the script another time, reading in between the lines
Rin's route really is the one that messes with your head the absolute most because half the time you feel like she's speaking an alien language and you're wracking your brain trying to decipher it only to figure out in the end that the reason you couldn't understand was because we're too used to saying things we don't mean but have pre-agreed meanings usually everybody understands, but Rin only ever says exactly what she means. Her neutral ending is so incredibly heartbreaking as the amount of misguided effort you put into being with her ultimately ends up hurting her so much more, making her feel like the one who is failing you and you only realize it once it's much too late.
@@davidarvingumazon5024 well you either check out the script writer's interviews here on YT, or you read "KS Pre-Alpha Repaired". There's gotta be a tutorial on the net somewhere, Shizune's and Hanako and Lilly's routes are worth the read, as they show more insight to earlier characters There's also "Grid1", tutorials and the files are also out there
This feels like an old internet historian video he'd make in between the "he will not divide us" saga to remind us there is still good in this world. Excellent work.
@@seekingabsolution1907 well yeah, that's what makes it funny. This story about katawa shoujo was great and wholesome but most of the times 4chan is funny is when they do dumb, mean shit like telling people to microwave their phones or organizing a counterattack against a tumblr incursion.
Damn, props to those guys for not giving up no matter how many problems rose up or how much extra time it took, truly phenomenal work came from all that dedication !
Man… thanks for the video. my pal chose this video for me at random and ... in short, you turned my world upside down. I finally did something that I hadn't gotten my hands on for so long before - I didn't just play my first visual game (Lilly stole my heart), but also started watching anime ... it's like a catalyst in general. Thank you so much for changing my life!
It's been ten years. I recall playing this game as a dumb high school kid, going through un-diagnosed mental illnesses beyond childhood ADHD. Even now, as an adult, seeing Rin, my first route, still tugged at my heartstrings. I didn't really follow any guides and went with my gut choices and ended up with her. I still recall the tender fondness going through her route and almost crying when I got her good ending.
“What's the word for when it feels inside your heart that everything in the world is all right?” This part broke me. I bawled like a baby back in 2013.
Man her route was the hardest to figure out on getting the good ending. U can guess with an almost 100% accuracy to get the good endings for the other routes....but hers? It caused me so much anxiety and I didnt know wht I did was the right or wrong choice. lol
This was my first ever visual novel and I didn't know anything about the backstory of how it was made. It was one of the most wholesome stories I experienced I was shocked. Definitely recommend people experience the game and go through all the paths it is a gem.
Title appeared on my feed before the thumbnail loaded but I still knew what it was. Finally, this masterpiece gets the recognition it deserves. Played it years ago in college while depressed, and it...actually kinda helped a little. It's rare seeing VN characters that aren't just clichés, even if subverted, but actually feel like real complex people.
Entirely agree. Katawa came out at a fairly low point for me, also in college. It was a semester I just happened to not have a room mate and I was sorta spiraling, alone. Then the game came out and I thought it would be a good thing to try. See some romance and maybe it would wake me up some. And it kinda did. The highs and lows of it really reset some things in my thought pattern and brought me back some. The characters and situations just felt real and natural in their own way. So I'm glad to hear someone else also had the same reaction and felt better, if only a bit.
@@loveless131 Same here, it was second year of college, didn't have a roomate this time either, playing it was really calming and helped distract me from my own spiraling thoughts as well. Glad to hear it helped someone else like it did me, hope you're doing better now.
@@THExRISER So weird. Same, second year of college haha. Yeah I'm doing decent these days. Just needed time to be me, I guess. Spent most of my years up till then, and some further, jumping from one relationship to the next and didn't give myself time to be properly alone. Among other issues of course. The game sorta helped with that too. It's unreal how realistic some of the relationships were. Hope you are doing better these days as well.
First time hearing about Katawa Shoujo, but the way you told the story and the way the dev team kept on working throughout their struggles made me tear up. Never cared about dating sims, but i will 100% be playing this and getting every ending possible. Thank you so much.
I LOVE Katawa Shoujo. It is the peak of internet culture (in the nonironic sense). People being inspired by other works, and collaborating around the world to create something for the sake of creating something they're passionate about. That's just incredible to think about it happening, and originating from 4Chan of all places. (Emi best girl)
When the video reached the part of 4chan's reaction to the final game, my eyes got teary and I don't even know why. I must be getting old. I feel ready for this game to crush me.
dude I'm currently rewatching his whole catalog. this guys channel is like a guide to how2youtube. he checks all the necessary boxes; original ideas; bingable content, structured and fun narrative. there's a reason why he's the biggest anituber.
Knew this since his days as Anime Zone, he manages to phrase and deliver his words and content in such an entertaining, eloquent, and well thought way. Plus his editing is always on point, it’s honestly shocking how many times i’ve been captivated by his content. Hell i’ve even cried at some videos of his.
I never expected you to talk about this game. I adore it so much. It’s existence is a miracle, and it’s so genuine. 10 years went by, and it’s still wonderful. Thanks for talking about it. Cheers.
real talk I started reading the visual novel out of gigguk's recommendation, so far I've only finished emi and rin's routes, both good endings (because my god I don't think my heart could take the bad ones, or worse the neutral ones), I'm 23, this year I turn 24, in six months I'll finish college and I'm at the point where I feel so lost, I've made many wrong turns in my life that have left me pretty unhappy and without much hope for the future, but somehow, after reading it, it makes me feel like I still have time that I can somehow manage to be happy, looking forward to the next routes
Lilly's route just hits different. To me, it's the route that feels like it truly has an ending because Hisao and Lilly actually had plans for their future in it
I pour one out for Lilly every Valentine’s Day, I do the same for Monika on Halloween. Valentines is the day I meet her and found out about the game. I love her and I always will.
Man it truly does hit different, her theme and music box song is still stuck in my brain. Once in a while i'd play through it again and I'd feel things I thought I forgot
As a member of the still alive Katawa Shoujo community. It's great to see that people are still making content of this great game all these years later. It's definitely changed my life, as well as the lives of all my friends. We definitely wouldn't have met otherwise without this game. Great video Gigguk, thanks for bringing up all the memories.
I honestly don't think there are that many video games that were more passionately made than this. It's honestly nuts how great the story and characters ended up being and how fragile it seemed it could have all fallen apart at any moment.
The reason I don’t feel any interest in playing most video games made in the last decade is because they don’t feel like they had any passion in them. Sure graphics can be nice, a feature can be cool, but there is a completely different feel when the whole package is 10x greater than the sum of the parts.
@@alexanderrobins7497 well what type of video game you interest in ? for the one who loves adventure and action this past decade there is lot of masterpiece and fps there is lot of masterpiece too 😂😂😂
@@ad1h4rj48 I am not saying there are zero games made with passion anymore, but look at how many old major franchises have become zombified and refuse to die.
@@alexanderrobins7497 it's just what naturally happens when suits try to abuse emotions/nostalgia, they do it with any type of product. It's sad, but it's the nature of things. There will always be great minds creating great things among the sea of attempts and practice, but there will always be even more greedy baboons trying to take advantage of art they've had no hand in creating.
A friend of mine in college composed a bit of the music for this game, and told me a bit about the development process. It's such a miracle that this project came to be and was so damn good. My favorite tidbit that he told me is that Shenji's dialogue is 100 percent comprised of 4chan posts, mostly from /pol. This was such a nostalgic video, one of my favorites in a long time!
Ain't gonna lie this VN really changed my life back then around 2017 only hanako's route and 2019 as I finished the entire VN that time, I was a confused highschool student who rarely does my best both in school and life. Discovering this VN was like a light of hope in a place full of darkness. This game taught me how to value life despite the hardships, and how to feel as a human. Will never forget all the girls as long as I live, I can probably say as well that this VN saved my life, I was not suicidal, but I was heading in an uncertain path. I really owe 4 chan the life I have right now to be honest kekw, can't believe a single VN from the 2d non existing dimension can inspire more than a real human being can.
This is the first visual novel that I decided to try because Gigguk’s recommendations tend to be pretty good. This is the first piece of art that made me wish a fictional character was real. The character building was so surreal. Highly recommend giving it a go at least once.
Katawa Shoujo will forever live in my heart rent free. It caused me to give other visual novels a chance too and when I finished my first play through (Hanako best girl) I just had to sit there and absorb everything. When it was over it didn’t end it forever left it’s impression on me.
Yeah, after this and then Majikoi, I've kinda ruined my metaphorical tastebuds for visual novels. As in, they were both so good many other VNs feel bland/disappointing in comparison.
I played this in HS in 2012. The first ending I got was Emi's bad ending. I was not okay. It actually destroyed me for a couple of days. It was the first time as a teenager feeling such raw emotion about something I just didn't know how to handle it. Such a great story made by a random group of degens
I LOVED Kawata Shojo. As someone who was born with a disability, (cerebral palsy) it really showed that even with a disability it can't stop people from loving and caring about you.
@@anujnautiyal8539 but they also orchestrated trends like piss4equality or cutting4bieber, luring teenagers into selfharm, while also being informed about several schoolshootings the day before they happened.. wild place.
Katawa Shoujo remains one of the most important games of my life in terms of my emotional development and it affected in a small way how I perceive the world. It is, in many ways an optimistic game of overcoming a disability, physical or even mental, and as an autistic person who has experienced severe bouts of depression in my short life so far, I relate heavily to some of the characters. That it came from 4chan is even more surprising. I hope that more people can experience this game, and that the small amount of happiness hope and empowerment it gave me will be spead to others
Stumbling across this video tonight reminded me of lurking around 4Chan in the years this was being developed and remembering it was the only place at the time I saw any positivity about dating handicapped people. I was always at risk of losing a leg in my childhood and I was physically attacked pretty frequently, so sitting on 4chan one night and there is a sudden explosion of support in multiple threads was an unexpected light in the darkness. I havn't thought about that in a really long time.
Katawa Shoujo was my first VN and it was the reason that got me hooked to VNs. But regardless to say no other VN has made me feel the same that KS did. All these years I have been reading VNs to feel the same that I felt before. I don't consider Katawa Shoujo as just an eroge. It was more than any eroge. It made me feel something that I cannot express in words. Those moments of pain like when Lily left us or when we hear her music box in our hospital room. I genuinely fell in love with those characters and I genuinely was heartbroken. It's been a while since I have played KS but after watching this vid maybe I will go back again. Thanks Gigguk for this.
Idk if you played them already but Saya no Uta and Fullmetal Daemon Muramasa are also really good story and character-wise.They're a lot darker and edgier than KS but the characters in it are beautifully written, highly recommend them
Not the same theme of a VN but if you want another one that has a good chance to leave an impact on you, I would recommend Kimi to Kanojo to Kanojo no Koi (YOU and ME and HER: A Love Story). Be careful of spoilers and try to go in blind if you can.
Lily is my favorite route in the game. Before there was even a walkthrough I ended up on her route first and it had me balling when at the hospital scene. I have never had nearly that extreme a reaction in any other VN. I still tear up depending on the VN but not as hard as KS did it. Another one of my favoirte VNs is Princess Evangile. That one also made me cry in places
Rin's route really is the one that messes with your head the absolute most because half the time you feel like she's speaking an alien language and you're wracking your brain trying to decipher it only to figure out in the end that the reason you couldn't understand was because we're too used to saying things we don't mean but have pre-agreed meanings usually everybody understands, but Rin only ever says exactly what she means. Her neutral ending is so incredibly heartbreaking as the amount of misguided effort you put into being with her ultimately ends up hurting her so much more, making her feel like the one who is failing you and you only realize it once it's much too late.
@@CordovanSplotchVT it's very bitter sweet how this is her "true" end as well, because it's the first ending written, and it's the most obvious outcome if you think realistically (from Aura's words) She has a good end and it's the last choice because realistically people don't talk the way it leads to a good end But even the good end still makes sense and is very beautifully written, made me tear up once i finished it, and it being my first ending ever
Oh god, so many of those tracks you used brought back floods of memories. I remember this game coming out, and I wasn't even a 4chan member! To this day, I still often think about the game, it definitely changed me. Thank you for bringing more attention to this community, Gigguk. I hope that this results in many more people experiencing the beautiful journey we all did a decade ago! Also, for those that are part of the KS community, there is someone in the community that really needs your help! There is a post on reddit that they made, and we would all be super appreciative if you would help out NurseFactor, even if only a little! They've been around with us for a long time, and need help with the last bit of her cancer treatment!
Anyone working on projects at work with any kind of team knows how much problems or difficulties can occur during that, even with a team, that works well together. Especially with completely new projects. As we can see here as well. But it's legit insane how just some random strangers on the internet still decided to do that, some decided to see this through the end and actually managed to create and finally finish this. Thank you for talking about this, I'll download it and play it eventually.
I literally cried like 6 times during this video, I played KS at a very very dark time in my life. It wasn't my first VN but it shattered my heart. I was a horrible apathetic, nightmare of a teenage girl. Coming off of being forced to move from my small home town to this huge highschool in the city. I did so much wrong that I was only allowed a shitty netbook with an hour of internet per day. I finished KS the weekend I downloaded it. It gave me something that 14 year old me simply didn't have, hope. My life still isn't amazing, my parents disowned me for being gay, and kicked me out with nothing to my name. But I had an old phone with KS on it. I still play it sometimes even at 26 years old. If not tor that game I don't think I'd be happy like I am today.
As a visual novel supremacist this video warmed my heart but also reminded me of the pain that was attempting to read VN's back in highschool. With exception, people now don't know just how good they have it.
@@riku_dola8079 For comedy Its : Majikoi. For inspiration: Katawa Shoujo. For deep story telling: Steins Gate. For stressful suspense drama: White Album 1and 2 For Horni: Saishuu chikan Densha series.
@@SiriProject what a coincidence, I started reading Subahibi last week. On chapter 2 and I have to say, it's definitely not for the faint of heart. The scene with the chair... 🙃
@@riku_dola8079 I envy you, wish I could experience it again! I actually did read Cyrano right after finishing it, and the music and writing are both just so beautiful. Have fun!
Even though its been years since I've seen anything about Katawa Shoujo, I still love it to this day and see it as a masterpiece in visual storytelling. I remember the Lily, Emi and Hanako story paths move me to tears; and they still move my cynical 30 year-old heart to this day, over a decade after it initially released.
Im a sucker for any "look at the crazy thing 4chan did" videos. I'm also a sucker for unexpected great writing. So, as a nonweeb, i downloaded this game with serious trepidation. Pleasantly surprised and glad i did. An example of passion fueling quality, not money.
This game was responsible to make me start studyng arts, make 3 years in art school and actually get a job as a art professor just because of Rin, this game really just change lifes and is borderless because i'm brazilian and i still was able to enjoy this masterpiece
Katawa Shoujo isn't just a random visual novel, it is THE visual novel you should be playing right now. With or without the h scenes, it is truly one of the most touching games to ever exist, and not only that, it's completely free to play. It's an emotional roller coaster in all the meaning of the word. I recommend this game to anybody who loves visual novels or if you're just starting to delve into that genre. You won't want to miss it.
@@level3xfactor even though the VN costs money, Totono (“You and me and her” for short) is another amazing visual novel that you could check out. It’s a different type of visual novel, in the sense that it gives you a different perspective of what VNs actually are. Personally one of my favorites of all time
I haven't even played the game and this video is already hitting me in the feels. You are an amazing storyteller. The way you tell us about these things is just way better than anyone I have ever seen. I can't imagine the work you put into this video, and now I can't wait to see the work they put into that game. I have never played a Visual Novel, but this may be my first. Thanks!
I’m so happy this video is blowing up
Katawa Shoujo is a masterpiece
Edit: STEAM RELEASE BOYS WOOO
i remember randomly discovering it years ago not even knowing what VN was, but man am i happy i gave it a shot.
Is it still available?
@@Whatthescallop1776 cool I might check it out sometime
bruh i literally have it on my desktop icons i played about 30 min but there was nothing you know what i mean...
I believe the term is masterbate not masterpiece
Connor reading “I was prepared to fap but not prepared to feel” made me spit my water 💀
This. Fighting a cough right now, and this part had me wheezing and coughing like I was about to shuffle off this mortal coil any moment.
Words of a Genius
So true, everytime I rewatch this vid that line always gets me
Spit what water🌚
😂😂😂😂
I just can't believe how much passion was in the project. They were working for years without getting paid. Massive respect to them.
Damn
@@Clowningaround326 I mean they maybe degenerates, but they're not fools. They have something common that they can agree with, unlike Twitter.
never underestimate the power of autism, lust and depression
@@Clowningaround326 Twitter isn’t really built for stuff like this. Tumblr would be more likely.
@@Clowningaround326 more importantly, nobody would be openly talking on Twitter about that page of fanart they found in their anime porn. And even if somehow the project did start on Twitter, asswipes like you would immediately whine about how it's forced inclusivity until it was shut down. 4chan was the only place it could happen because nobody could call 4channers "Chinese bots with an openly far left agenda" without sounding insane.
It's crazy how 4Chan is always root of something on the internet.
Imagination runs deep there bc no restrictions.
One good thing about being obsessive weebs is the dedication
A lot of memes originate on 4chan.
The cycle goes like this: anon posts something original -> some loser steals and reposts it on redditwitter for internet points -> it becomes a meme and is spammed everywhere.
@@emoaf8555 you're forgetting Sturgeon's law. For every gem like this that came from an imageboard, there's ten instances of sheer depravity. Case in point: twitter's slow descent into becoming an imageboard with accounts because Musk wanted the anon crowd (or more accurately, the normies pretending to be anons crowd).
I just learned today that 4chan brought Scientology into public awareness in 2008
@@Loaves_of_Cat 4chan also made the sigma and gigachad memes, genuinely like 80% of all memes come from /pol/ or some other shitposting board.
Honestly I think the cleverest part of the story is the fact that your protagonist is also disabled. A big part of Hisao's character development is that he has to learn radical acceptance of himself as a disabled man, and in the process, he's able to better relate to the girls as people; he accepts that they're disabled, and it means he can realise that their personal problems have little to do with their disabilities themselves.
Hisao's main "problem" in life isn't that he has a heart condition, it's that developing a heart condition alienated him from his old life and he doesn't really believe he has any life left at all - he ended up being really lonely, which absolutely would be a relatable trait for 4Channers and other terminally-online weebs. The same applies to the girls; their disabilities contribute to their issues in life, but their main problems AREN'T "well she's blind/deaf/scarred/an amputee". He has his own story; notably, he responds differently to the letter from his crush depending on what route he's on, and where he is on his own journey to self-acceptance, and I really appreciate that.
They COULD have been lazy and gone in the direction of "Some NORMAL Guy ends up living near The Disabled School and learns that disabled chicks are hot!" (which is, I think, what a lot of people who assume this game is ableist based on the premise think this game is about) but the story and characters would have suffered massively for that; the girls, inevitably, would have become an Exotic Other, rather than be allowed the space to breathe. Hisao having an invisible disability (which the girls can't exactly relate to either) forces the player to empathise with disabled people on a one-to-one level first, and THEN you have the opportunity to relate to the girls (and THEN maybe date them).
idk, I like that they put the effort in, starting with Hisao. Love that.
PREACH
This game is unironically a masterpiece, I think. The writing is just so damn good, and is always respectful about the topics it brings up. If anything, I think it shows that yes, disabled people CAN be sexual, and that it should be a normal thing, obviously as long as it isn't fetishized.
Not to mention they were able to do something I don't think I've ever seen, and write a VN protagonist that not only has a well defined personality, but actually grows alongside the other characters. Hisao is a stand in cor the player not because he's devoid of all personality or he's a total creep, but because he's just a really average person with realistic reactions to his surroundings. Not to mention he has some very good traits people should emulate, which again makes him a really solid protagonist.
Literally my only complaint is that not entering a relationship with anyone is a "bad" ending. I'm fine with it existing, but I would have loved a route where you just befriend the girls and grow that way rather than dating any of them, but this is a romance focused VN so I know it sounds crazy.
@@rustyshackle8000 Romance VNs are more and more allowing for space to just befriend your love interests and still get all of the growth and plot. Our Life Beginnings and Always does this REALLY well, in case someone wants to play another great VN
@@PichuElric I remember playing a bit of that, actually! Unfortunately I associate bad memories with it thanks to a toxic friends. Hopefully I can play through it entirely one day
@@rustyshackle8000 I'm so sorry about that 😓 I unfortunately can't watch certain favourite anime because of said ex-friends. I hope one day you can remove them from your memories of the game and play it!
It's also about getting used to the sudden change that he wasn't born with or having had to deal with for a long time. Having a sudden lifechanging even such as a heart condition that can literally cause a sudden heart-attack, is something you do not just get used to over a month or even a couple of months.
Damn, I haven’t heard someone talk about Katawa Shoujo in years. Absolutely loved that VN, both for its plot and its PLOT.
And having best girl Emi on the thumbnail too!
I watched milbee play it years ago it was a fun journey
@@azahel542 yes, i accidentally got Emi on my first playthrough... and when i say accidentally i mean i fully intentionally wanted her and onnly heerr!
@@fusionxtras damn milbee, haven't heard that name in a while
As great as Katawa Shoujo is it's only ranked #137 on the vn equivalent of mal. My point is that there are a lot of great visual novels that people should be giving a shot, especially considering that Katawa Shoujo was so heavily inspired by them.
One of the things I love about Katawa shoujo is that the MC Hisao feels like an actual character. So many VNs get lazy and use the MC as a stand in for the player, but Hisao actually feels like his own person with flaws and ways in which his disability impacts him and the story.
Also, the soundtrack SLAPS and is so nostalgic to me everytime I hear it
💯
Bro if I hear that menu music or certain parts of the OST out of the blue (like the start of this video even though I expected it) suddenly I'm sobbing like a bitch.
Im a grown ass 25+ year old man.
Yeah, its great when the mc is their own character and not supposed to represent the player.
Wiosna man. Fucking Wiosna. Always felt like I got an actual hug when that song plays.
That's a pretty clever approach, as makes the decision making process convoluted enough to incite involvement. At least that's what I felt when I gave it a run, because what you're feeling at any given moment wouldn't necessarily be coherent with the mood of the MC at such times and that's great 👍
In 2013, I started a project with a few others on the Katawa Shoujo forums known as Katawa Seiyū, a voiced play through on UA-cam, being one of the directors until I had suffered a mental breakdown and had been unable to continue my work on the project. This project was actually one of the early voice over projects for Sydney (including talents like LilyPichu as well).
I wanted to apologize directly at some point for the working conditions and the lack of professionalism this project had, primarily due to my youth, lack of experience and maturity, and poor mental health. I don’t have any regrets for being the spark for this project starting, because even if it failed, it brought together talented individuals and helped bring a voice to one of the best visual novels I’ve ever read, even a full decade later removed from my initial reading.
Sydney, if you do read this, I apologize for Katawa Seiyū not being a better project to work on, but thank you so so much for your hard work. I’m so proud to see how far you’ve come since then.
Wha~haha~!
Bro I've literally been wondering what happened to this project for years. I followed it quite closely at the time, and then everything just stopped. I'd come back every now and then to see if the project had come back, but it just stayed dormant. I'm sorry it didn't work out for you, but I think at least some people would be curious if there are any clips that were recorded and didn't get released
Well I am no big fan of her but she ain't gonna see u
Wait, lilypichu worked on this?
nanami icon. based
Holy shit, talk about a throwback. I ended up here after the Steam release announcement and seeing someone from a project I was also involved with caught me by surprise, to be sure. On the off chance you see this after almost two years OP, don't blame yourself for Katawa Seiyu's collapse. None of us really knew what we were doing, so no one person is at fault, least of all you. :)
Having Sidney, Joey and Connor voicing comments cracked me up xD
It's literally insane how this project advanced on sheer passion alone. So many times irl gets in the way of even important stuff, that the fact that they kept up at it is no less of a miracle. Can't even imagine how many times they thought individually - even i do all my story line, there's no way we will able to finish this.
Thanks garnt for highlighting the story
Connor shouting, "I was prepared to fap, but I wasn't prepared to feel!" was gold haha.
Literally binged watch an entire gameplay with every routes of Katawa Shoujo due to leaving my PC on autoplay.
( *I have never been happier to witness such a true beauty of a visual novel* )
I was gonna say, is this about Katawa Shoujo? Lol
no one cares
@@dinogt8477 I'm sorry no one cares about you. I will friend. Take care of yourself.
@@dinogt8477 I care. Sorry that you're so miserable.
Why not play for yourself?
Katawa Shoujo helped me a lot getting through the roughest parts of my life. As a ADHD autistic kid who lost their father figure and grandfather 4 months apart I was torn apart mentally. Finding Katawa Shoujo in late 2014 through slyfoxhound it helped me relate to fictional characters with physical and mental disabilities like myself and gave me a sense of joy and happiness. Thank you Garnt for pushing this VN back into the limelight.
and here i was thinking i was the only one that saw sly's full playthrough of lilys route. It takes me back to a simpler time
Bro watching sly's playthrough was what brought me to KS also, and it was literally my door into the world of anime as a whole and shaped a lot of my formative teen years (and a crippling hentai game addiction). If it wasn't for watching an idiot on youtube 10 years ago, I don't know if I'd be the same open minded, well rounded and empathetic individual that I've grown into today. This game is nothing short of magnificent.
chilledchaos was how i found it, but sly's playthrough was really special as well
Emi showed me determination and focus.
Rin taught me about passion, the search for fulfilment while staying true to myself
Shizune showed me commitment and responsibility
Lily taught me about maturity and how to make the best out of my weaknesses
And Hanako helped me overcome the chains of the past
All of them taught me how to build trust in others and open up my feelings. Man what a fucking masterpiece
A masterpiece indeed
Shizune taught me that if you can find it in your heart to date a deaf girl, you might at some point get a chance to bang her much hotter pink haired friend.
Yes I'm still salty that Misha doesn't have a route.
Kenji taught me not to lean against fences on the roof while drunk
Misha didn't teach me a damn thing
@@brandonhughes4076 BAHAHAHA
I think the story behind the production is just as moving as the visual novel. The amount of dedication and soul they pour into this project knowing that it can end at any moment is truly inspiring.
Katawa Shoujo was an impossible project that genuinely touched me, I struggled with empathy towards others but going through Hanako's story genuinely made me realise that I wasn't after sex but rather a meaningful relationship.
The fact that the game actively pushed you away from going the horny route because of your characters heart condition actually gave you a moment to pace yourself and learn more about the characters.
Also the line "Did your mother give birth to you in a minefield" is still referenced in my friend group to this day.
Honestly same, ironic as it is, katawa shojo genuinely helped me evaluate my life goals and set me on a more productive path than the self-serving lifestyle I might still be living today otherwise
Gotta play it,i had to change my apathethic BEHAVIOUR after all.
I don't do VNs much, but this is such a great story, how this one was made, and it's the perfect opportunity to drop one of my all-time favourite quotes: “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On!' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”
― Calvin Coolidge
For a second my stupid tired brain thought the whole comment was a Calvin coolidge quote and I had to mentally stop and go, no, wait, he didn't play VNs
@@FFKonoko lol
talent + persistence will always take the place of regular persistence but yes
I always grew up thinking about my intelligence and talent as something that will inherently carry me but I never really focused on my persistence and determination. I struggle with motivation but people tell me I am smart which has given me a bit of an ego. Thanks for commenting this quote it actually has sustenance unlike a lot of quotes people post which are just switchy switchy word jumble.
even applies in most, if not ALL religions, he has a BIG big point.
In Russia, there is a project similar in history, called Everlasting Summer. Also born on imageboards and went through 9 circles of production hell, he came out and became dearly loved by domestic fans.
Ждал комментария про БЛ
Двачик так то, буквально снг адапиация фочана, и истории про эти две новеллы символично похожи
I assume you guys have a russian 4chan-like board?
@@crystyxn yep
@@crystyxn Yeah, called 2ch and IIchan
@@Fa1ust must be fun!
I 100%d this game on stream when i was 13, lots of memories for me hahaha
rustage?!
True gamer.
Katawa Shoujo Rap Cypher? Help bring it to people's attention.
Lol
You streamed when you were 13? I thought you only streamed music stuff starting in like 2016
I am still amazed at how Hanako had more character development in Lily's route than her own.
Lilly's route goes further into the future than Hanako's
If you want Hanako content look up "Sisterhood"
Hanako's original route was better tbh
@@CertifiedMayagendist what's wrong with hanako?
I'm mid act1, I just want to know if different girls have different lengths on their routes
@@megaturon1212 the lengths are almost the same, but in-game Time lilly's route ends about 2 months AFTER when the Ending of Hanako's occurs.
oh man, getting Joey, CDawg and Sydsnap to do voices reading 4chan comments was a great addition, I love it :)
@Be Straight imma buy air fryer
Madlad got his Degen queen wife to Ara Ara for a video LOL
20:24 Hearing the name Mike Inel blew my mind knowing what he does now and seeing what he did beforehand
Amazing world of gumball
anime adventure time
Garnt giving us a history lesson? It's time to get a weeb degree in 4channing.
This, along with Snoot Game, just prove 4Chan just comes up with visual novel bangers all the time.
DAD5 or anime bullshit science from the youtube channel *anime balls deep* you can get a degree there aswell.
Another zoomer wanting a useless degree lol
*Garnt
Garnt & Internet Historian collab when?
who the hell is this grant you are referring to
RIP Raide, director and main artist of Katawa Shoujo. Passed away too soon, 2 years ago.
RIP😢❤
What? What happened?
RIP
Rip o7
RIP o7
Every audio cue hits me like a brick. Man, Katawa Shoujo really is just that type of game that changes your life forever.
I know right! I still recognise every songs to this day
who asked?
@@dinogt8477 he's on the topic of the video. Why would there need to be questions?
FOR REAL hanako's theme hits me so hard
Bro even just the menu music hits me like some sort of buried childhood trauma.
There is a really similar but still inspiring story about a novel "everlasting summer" , it also was made by a group of independent people who managed to produce the most popular novel in eastern Europe
At least please give a chance to Everlasting summer and if it touches you there is hell a story to tell about it's development
Да, да, чёрт возьми!
@@braman2539 как вы понимаете английский...
@@h3d16 Никнейм на русском, можно на нём и ответить.
А так автопереводчик в Revanced есть
@@h3d16 берут и учат его - так и понимают
@@braman2539 ааа
Ну у меня vanced
I love that Katawa Shoujo came from 4chan, it makes you automatically think it's going to be vile and gut-wrenching, but it's gut-wrenching in a completely different way, it's too sweetly wholesome. It's not everyday that you hear about a game that changes lives and perspectives like Katawa Shoujo here.
I mean, from someone who was on 4chan during that era, it wasn't THAT bad, so that's not the reason I was initially against it. I thought they were making a cheap gimmick game based on disabled girls, but turns out they did it respectfully, and after an hour or so, the disabilities barely register in your mind anymore. Needless to say, this was ONE of my first VNs (right before my ToHeart2 phase, and right after the forgettable sex-only VN phase).
@@CrimsonKage Yeah people used to actually get shit done back then, I'm still pretty sad Bro quest never really went anywhere but /tg/ has a decent sized list of projects and translations they undertook.
Then theres games like Saya no Uta
yeah, it saved my life AND made me get 2 girlfriends.
if I ever want to court someone, I do a few routes of katawa shoujo before
Normals need to stop believing every single thing they're told at face value.
Katawa Shojo was actually the first visual novel that ever made me feel shades of pain, joy, depression and relief in a single playthrough. I'm glad everyone else related to the collective gut punch that was this hentai game about broken people.
This was my first as well
This was my first experience playing a eroge (or even visual novel), and it was great (maybe too great), I felt so many things and got so into it... never felt like that again LOL
Don't mind this link
ua-cam.com/video/5W7TYmqsjYg/v-deo.html
@@Kanitoxx Dude, same.
Absolute rin moment
I'm so glad Garnt came around to finally cover Katawa Shoujo, it deserves every bit of the spotlight it'll likely get now. Pumping 150 hours into this visual novel, getting to see all the different routes, it genuinely changed my perspective on countless things about life.
A quote that stuck with me throughout basically my while life was from the librarian. "I'd rather try and fail then, then never try at all, not knowing if I wouldve failed or not." something along those lines. It probably wasnt an original quote but damn did it hit me when I was 14.
it would hit me today. i failed miserably, but i'd have it no different.
I want to add that a very similar project was started on a Russian imageboard 2ch around the same time, where a ragtag group of devs began making a visual novel named Everlasting Summer, a touching story about a depressed shut-in who gets isekai-ed to a soviet pioneer campus on a bus, from where he can't escape, and has to find his way out, while romancing a group of well written characters. Some endings hit you so hard in the feels, you can hardly recover from them. The main character is so relatable and realistic, because the devs are really familiar with the imageboard culture. The game was too published for free to overwhelming critical praise. You should definitely check it out.
Everlasting Summer is in fact a gorgeously illustrated VN that I would also recommend. Haven't completed it but from what I have seen so far it is very nice.
I never thought my love of Visual novels and Soviet aesthetic would be answered.
Thank you for mentioning this game, excited to play it
@@spamspum928 Same. I've never played a VN in my life and that game is the only one I've tried and I fell in love with it. I can boldly say, it changed my life, and I can make that statement for just for a handful of entertainment media. The music, the atmosphere and the themes were otherworldly. I was also pleasantly surprised with the references to the pop culture of that period. The devs sure did their research. Being raised on soviet movies and cartoons this game was like a nostalgic trip for me, even though I wasn't alive at that time.
Bruuuuh. Dudes, really. As a russian myself, i highly NOT recommend to check Everlasting Summer. In comparison to other VNs - that's total bullsh*t
Ha! I'm playing their recently released second game right now, "Rock, Money, Rock 'n' Roll", and it's impressive to see how far they gone =D
Everlasting Summer will always have a place in my heart by taking me by surprise and getting me interested in VNs. It's honestly "good /10" for a VN and "AMAZING /10" for a free VN.
I remember playing Katawa Shoujo back in 2019 and being utterly amazed at how well written and heartfelt a lot of it was. To this day I still feel immense emotion even thinking about Hanako’s route and playing through hers and Lily’s route still gives me a warm feeling I can’t find anywhere else. Hanako best girl, Katawa shoujo best VN
Ah... I see that you're a man of culture as well...
YEEY HANAKO! Did her route because in DDLC Yuri is best girl! I love Danderes. Emi is next!
Demz fightin' words.
Sincerely, team Tezuka.
Only one I didn't like was Shizune.
Kinda wish that route branched off to Misha tbh.
Team Emi reporting in.
Team Lilly also reporting in.
The genius thing about Katwa Shoujo in my opinion is that, while all the characters are disabled, all the girls are, in fact, in terms with their disability and already way pass that.
It is the girls who help the main character adapt to his newfound disability, while the girls personal issues revolve around struggles that have little to do with their actual disability.
It is genius.
Genius? Or just ACTUALLY informed by the perspectives of folks with disability who know how best to represent stories like theirs?
@@JinxedJoker both nigga damn shut uo
@@JinxedJoker why not both? Not everyone with those perspectives could write it into a beautiful story
I mean...
*SPOILER*
Hanako wasn't really in terms of her disability as she is still taking prescribed medicines and go to therapy..
And if I remember correctly Emi wasn't really over her accident either
Katawa Shojo didn't teach 4chan how to feel. Katawa Shojo gave 4chan a reason to feel.
The fact they managed to maintain a consistent artstyle throughout the whole game is an amazing feat *in on itself.
Edit: *in and of itself
In and of itself*
@@RadicalPlasma Yeah, thanks.
@@VermillionPengu ight, then edit it 😐
@@RadicalPlasma Well, I don't tend to edit my comments unless I'm sure no one has seen it yet. Why is it so important though? It's just a little mistake.
@@RadicalPlasma aight, then edit it 🥰*
I remember when this came out and a lot of people just being in awe that they actually completed it. Truely, the story behind the game is equally as grand as the story they made.
I binged every route in high school, and I never cried and felt so empty as much as when going through it. Gave me some true to life lessons and I'll never forget all the emotions experienced while going through it. Even learned some of the tracks on piano it's so good. This was beyond something else
Don't, it's a bot. He's everywhere.
@@bullshitchannel5247 thanks
Literally me. Still know Wiosna on piano after learning in 2017
Despite 4chans general degeneracy, it also is one of the few communities that has a magical ability to bond together and do incredible things. beyond katawa shojo, they also have shut down multiple CP rings, found and gotten people who abuse animals arrested, or on a more lighthearted note, finding a “he will not divide us” flag in a field weighing 24 hours by looking at the stars and planes flying overhead.
Or finding the ISIS training camp and calling in a fucking russian airstrike. How the fuck did they were able to contact russian MoD?
My favourite story from 4chan came from when they organised a birthday party to a elderly man who just posted it to facebook in the early 2010's. 4chan is and always has been pure cancer, but every once in a while, it's capable of delivering some positive stuff.
4Chan isn't complete cancer. The problem is the reputation spreads and people with undesirable traits come in thinking that's the perfect place for them. 4Chan generally tends to be pretty cool, it's just the reputation luring in the problem people who then feed into the reputation more. As it turns out, not everyone is a slobbering buffoon with horrible intentions.
@@mrbones2235 4chan is humanity unfiltered... Which does indeed mean that it is cancerous sometimes.
It's a miracle that Katawa Shoujo exists and it never would have happened were it not for people passionate enough to see it become a reality.
Katawa Shoujo is really something special and I'm glad you brought more attention to this wonderful visual novel.
such inspirations, a dumb project idea that brought a group of random to come together to do something for absolutely no reason and made a fucking masterpiece
Yeah... And of all things, DONE RIGHT... Not fetishized but humanised...
Hanako’s route actually did break me. There’s a scene where you’ve been pushing past her boundaries for a while now and she’s always lets it slide/it’s been for the best because she keeps people out. But she sets a hard one “Leave me alone, I need to think.” If you push past again she screams at you that she’s not a child and sometimes she actually needs to be alone. You can apologize but the damage is done. Your relationship is never the same. The game actually has so much nuance and care in it.
Koipuff this actually got me by surprise when playing the game in 2013, searched everywhere to see where I fucked up in her route :(
Suffice to say this game taught me how sometimes you need to push and sometimes you need to let go
Hanako's good ending broke me even worse than the bad ending. Some people complain that Hanako and Hisao were acting like irrational children that hardly grew during the route, but I believe that was intentional. Most of the other girls' disabilities were natural aspects of themselves they'd lived with for their entire lives, so they didn't see it as a hindrance to them.
For Hisao and Hanako their conditions were not only acquired later in life but also came with immense amounts of trauma that undermined their own perceptions of themselves. Hanako in particular faces the greatest mental hardships due to her burn scars serving as a constant reminder of the fire that killed her parents and how, in a society that idolizes conformity, she will always stick out. And, while not as severe, Hisao has similar hang-ups due to his heart condition potentially acting as a time bomb if he isn't careful. Its easy to understand how such circumstances would cause them to put up more defensive barriers out of fear.
Still, their good ending has them acknowledge the true feelings they have for one another and better understand the harmful aspects of their situation and how they may improve and grow as people. Its open for interpretation what happens afterward, but you get the sense that they are both able to start healing and looking forward to their lives again.
In fact, that's the entire premise behind _Sisterhood,_ a continuation fanfic taking place after Hanako's good ending. The quality and emotional weight is up their with the main story itself and also offers a lot of great character moments for Lilly and her family situation as well. Its worth a read-through.
@Chad 007 I hate you
i want to play this game but first i must know if its more wholesome than degenerate
It' more wholesome than degenerate, and there's an option to skip that r18 scene off.
Garnt speaks about how improbable it is for so many talented people to congregate, but I believe that talent wasn’t something they had but something that developed through their unwavering perseverance and passion. I think it’s important to remember that talent isn’t intrinsic to anyone, it’s acquired and I’m in awe that people saw this project through. Simply wow.
Talent can't be developed, that's the whole definition of talent, natural aptitude, the word you're looking for is skill.
@@lurkie-o fair enough
That's beautiful. I love it.
I'm so emotional through the video. It's like a group of people desperately nurturing a spark of flame, shedding sweat and tears to one day see it ignite. It's such an inspiring journey the online community witnessed, an example of how far you can go through relentless effort.
I remember playing this from the 4chan downloads and the later full game.
My lord, I’m so happy that this is now getting the Light it deserves. I played it not for the erotica, but for the wonderful portrayal of disability in an environment where they are accepted and aided. I read each chatbox to the fullest. I loved it. There were hiccups. There were cringe worthy moments. But thats life. That’s life for us with disabilities too. There’s moments almost exactly like what you see in the story. Self doubt, tears, and moments of anger.
It took a team of social outcast and (according to one of the devs) even included a member with disabilities.
As a simmilar age person to yourself giggugk, who gets every single little neat reference you make and has been following your for over a decade now i must really say that this channel has come so damm far. The pinnacle is hands down your ability to story tell. Going from skechy rants to telling a story enthralingly enough for me te get glued to a screen, shed a tear in the middle and insta - download the thing you presented is truly amazing. Cheers man!
Hear hear.
Lilly broke me IRL for a solid week. Like, that route was PAINFULLY hard hitting for me. Don't know why, but god damn it felt like I had Hisous heart problem for a solid week.
Same bro, Lilly impacted me so much. Best girl hands down
It’s embarrassing to admit but ending Lilly’s route knowing it was over kind of felt like a breakup lol.
Yeah, but unfortunately for me Shizune route broke all magic of Lilly's storyline ending - the hell with all that drama of her moving forever to Scotland and not be able to participate with you in the festival, if Lilly will STAY in Japan even after the event if you would not romance her? Goddammit, it nearly killed MC after all!!!
I still keep the music box theme on my general playlist, and tear up a little when it surprises me
I had to stop playing after lilly (my first and only route) cause of how sad I felt. Binged the whole route in a day too. I can't handle emotional stuff ;_;
As a game dev who has lost all motivation, due to making a game with no prio experience and with no payment, for the past 15 months, I have to say that this story makes my heart smile :') Thank you Garrnt and thank you 4leaf studios for givivng me the push I needed. I'll definetely check the game out.
stick with it bruv, you got this. Kick the shite out of that project. You can do it.
You do some VN games?
@@robertkeaney9905 oi deh bruv. Ain't up Inna bits in crisps wif ye mum, ay govna? Cheerio innit bruv
You got this! I don't know who you are or where you are from, but I know you can make it!
Just do it!
Can we take a moment to also appreciate that this video itself has some S tier editing?
💯
This video needed to have S tier editing. It’s an S tier passion project
What a fucking video. I've replayed Katawa Shoujo almost every year since the first time I played it back in 2015 after being told by some fellow music students to "just play katawa shoujo", and I can't express how grateful I am for that random message during a convo on Messenger so many years ago. As a video editor myself, I loved Bakashift & RBKapoor1's work here, and am so glad that another video about KS has come out talking about its legacy. Thank you Garnt and everyone who worked on this one!
(now I will brb, gonna start crying again, Emi/Lily best girls)
I must finally confess my sins: I still haven't finished the Rin route.
But for real, the contrast between the routse are really quite something. The VN is amazing and I can only respect the need to use different writers for each route... but I also can't help but notice the inconsistency between the routes.
This reminds me of how a handful of people translated Umineko out of sheer passion and they ended up becoming a key part later on in the story
Never forget the witch hunters
@@Auditor1337 100+ hours and not a single error in sight. They did incredible work
im sorry, they what?
@@syrusalder7795 Yup. The team of fan translators, called the Witch hunt, became an actual important part of the story. Ryukishi07 (the writer) also ended up making them his official translators for all of his works
@@froufroudeluxe that's fucking awesome
Shout-out to Rtil for being the only artist I can think of still making fan-art for this game after all these years.
you gonna tell us that and not give us the sauce, brother?
@@spshouppe You ought to know the source. The source of sources, the "Hub", the Great Library, the Museum of forbidden Arts. The place that endlessly attracts and records every single piece, from the finest to mere doodles. A place that has not a will of its own, but its will was instilled in the visitors, so like a hive mind they continue to satisfy its - _and among lots of others', their own_ - needs.
Honestly one of my favorite pieces of media to have ever come out. This one hits HARD. And that guy who wrote Rin's story... My god did he hit on that one. A home run. Emi is my favorite girl, but Run has my favorite route just because of how emotionally heavy and beautiful it is.
That visual novel is the best piece of romance story that was ever written, and I'm saying this as someone who doesn't enjoy romance in general. Some of the characters are so masterfully written that they feel more real than some people I know irl.
I'm glad Gigguk can put Katawa Shoujo in the spotlight. It's an amazing game with a very interesting take on the dating VN genre. It also has one of the longest fanfictions ever.
Link to the Clip : 4chan situation
ua-cam.com/video/mCfYi7634rU/v-deo.html
here come the bots 😭
@@Idiosyncrasy
Just think of it as a form of measurement of a hit comment
Wait seriously? Can you give me the name?
@@janreiafrica not sure if it's really one of the longest ones of any fanfictions ever, but Sisterhood is pretty damn long
I played Katawa Shoujo when it came out, I was like 17. I actually re-played it about 2 years ago, and it held up surprisingly well. Some of the story lines legit made me cry.
I stopped browsing 4chan by the time this released, i cant believe the actual madlads did it.
16 year old youtube account and first name that pops up on your subbed list is Jerma, that checks out lmao
@@motrilfromthe6281 yeah I'm old. :( BACK IN MY DAY THIS USE TO USE FLASH
glad you're alive and kicking brother.
Rin's route is single handedly crushing the competition in visual novels, it's very hard to beat that
Two greatly written endings of 2 people falling in love, and either accepting each other, or not
The crying was very much there
And the authors all made 10 believable characters (each one a girl, and their respective Hisao), that you wish to read more of
I'm replaying rn on my phone, and it's just so good to read the script another time, reading in between the lines
Rin's route really is the one that messes with your head the absolute most because half the time you feel like she's speaking an alien language and you're wracking your brain trying to decipher it only to figure out in the end that the reason you couldn't understand was because we're too used to saying things we don't mean but have pre-agreed meanings usually everybody understands, but Rin only ever says exactly what she means.
Her neutral ending is so incredibly heartbreaking as the amount of misguided effort you put into being with her ultimately ends up hurting her so much more, making her feel like the one who is failing you and you only realize it once it's much too late.
Hey, how do you play on a phone if you don't mind me asking. I want to replay it but I don't have PC anymore.
i don't know about her route but i hate how Rin looks and talks
How can I read the scraps and drafts of Katawa Shoujo?
@@davidarvingumazon5024 well you either check out the script writer's interviews here on YT, or you read "KS Pre-Alpha Repaired". There's gotta be a tutorial on the net somewhere, Shizune's and Hanako and Lilly's routes are worth the read, as they show more insight to earlier characters
There's also "Grid1", tutorials and the files are also out there
This feels like an old internet historian video he'd make in between the "he will not divide us" saga to remind us there is still good in this world. Excellent work.
the best game of capture the flag ever
@@avroarchitect1793 impressive to be sure but rather spiteful and evil.
@@seekingabsolution1907 well yeah, that's what makes it funny. This story about katawa shoujo was great and wholesome but most of the times 4chan is funny is when they do dumb, mean shit like telling people to microwave their phones or organizing a counterattack against a tumblr incursion.
@@bonogiamboni4830 my favorite is when they managed to locate a secret terrorist camp and call in an airstrike via the Russians in Syria.
@@avroarchitect1793 oh yeah that one's a classic.
Damn, props to those guys for not giving up no matter how many problems rose up or how much extra time it took, truly phenomenal work came from all that dedication !
Man… thanks for the video. my pal chose this video for me at random and ... in short, you turned my world upside down. I finally did something that I hadn't gotten my hands on for so long before - I didn't just play my first visual game (Lilly stole my heart), but also started watching anime ... it's like a catalyst in general. Thank you so much for changing my life!
It's been ten years. I recall playing this game as a dumb high school kid, going through un-diagnosed mental illnesses beyond childhood ADHD. Even now, as an adult, seeing Rin, my first route, still tugged at my heartstrings. I didn't really follow any guides and went with my gut choices and ended up with her. I still recall the tender fondness going through her route and almost crying when I got her good ending.
Same with me and Emi. It's just a masterpiece
Man, I feel like a boomer. I remember how huge this was when it came out and how much it changed me as a person. Katawa shoujo is a masterpiece.
Crazy that the game is ten years old now, I definitely need to revisit it again sometime
I'm disappointed that the fact that /ksg/ *lost count* of how many generals they had made didn't make it into the video.
Casting Connor as someone who has played a visual novel is the most immersion breaking part of this vid
You just know Connor isn't one to play this (or any VN for that matter) because there's not enough movement for him
@@AveragePunEnjoyer “ninja moment”
3:30 just HEARING concord gets me teary, that’s how emotional playing this game was for me.
Goddamn Katawa Shoujo is so good.
“What's the word for when it feels inside your heart that everything in the world is all right?”
This part broke me. I bawled like a baby back in 2013.
Man her route was the hardest to figure out on getting the good ending.
U can guess with an almost 100% accuracy to get the good endings for the other routes....but hers? It caused me so much anxiety and I didnt know wht I did was the right or wrong choice. lol
@here is the full clip OI, EVERYONE ELSE, THIS LINK DOESN'T LINK TO ANYTHING OF THE SORT, IT LEADS TO A FUCKIN POTATO WEDGE RECIPE OR SOME SHIT??
@@PyreOManiac Potato wedges? Shit, this might be the first time I've ever been tempted to click one of these links since Endless Summer.
@@rabidporcupine0 i would've preferred burgers
@@Daigon95 I couldn't remember much about her route but that scene I can remember clear as day. I forgot how I got that.
This was my first ever visual novel and I didn't know anything about the backstory of how it was made. It was one of the most wholesome stories I experienced I was shocked. Definitely recommend people experience the game and go through all the paths it is a gem.
garbage novel
Katawa Shoujo shows what the internet can be capable of, it really is a miracle
Damn I actually bursted crying at the end remembering how this game made me feel
Title appeared on my feed before the thumbnail loaded but I still knew what it was.
Finally, this masterpiece gets the recognition it deserves.
Played it years ago in college while depressed, and it...actually kinda helped a little.
It's rare seeing VN characters that aren't just clichés, even if subverted, but actually feel like real complex people.
Entirely agree. Katawa came out at a fairly low point for me, also in college. It was a semester I just happened to not have a room mate and I was sorta spiraling, alone. Then the game came out and I thought it would be a good thing to try. See some romance and maybe it would wake me up some. And it kinda did. The highs and lows of it really reset some things in my thought pattern and brought me back some. The characters and situations just felt real and natural in their own way.
So I'm glad to hear someone else also had the same reaction and felt better, if only a bit.
seek help freak
@@loveless131 Same here, it was second year of college, didn't have a roomate this time either, playing it was really calming and helped distract me from my own spiraling thoughts as well.
Glad to hear it helped someone else like it did me, hope you're doing better now.
@@THExRISER So weird. Same, second year of college haha. Yeah I'm doing decent these days. Just needed time to be me, I guess. Spent most of my years up till then, and some further, jumping from one relationship to the next and didn't give myself time to be properly alone. Among other issues of course. The game sorta helped with that too. It's unreal how realistic some of the relationships were.
Hope you are doing better these days as well.
First time hearing about Katawa Shoujo, but the way you told the story and the way the dev team kept on working throughout their struggles made me tear up. Never cared about dating sims, but i will 100% be playing this and getting every ending possible. Thank you so much.
You are in for a treat.
I LOVE Katawa Shoujo.
It is the peak of internet culture (in the nonironic sense). People being inspired by other works, and collaborating around the world to create something for the sake of creating something they're passionate about. That's just incredible to think about it happening, and originating from 4Chan of all places.
(Emi best girl)
Naw lilly
@@grimgreycastle5141 My man! Lilly best girl
When the video reached the part of 4chan's reaction to the final game, my eyes got teary and I don't even know why.
I must be getting old.
I feel ready for this game to crush me.
I just realised how absolutely cracked gigguk is at story telling.
I mean, that was kinda obvious since the first vid of his I've seen. That's why his content is so entertaining.
dude I'm currently rewatching his whole catalog.
this guys channel is like a guide to how2youtube. he checks all the necessary boxes; original ideas; bingable content, structured and fun narrative.
there's a reason why he's the biggest anituber.
Knew this since his days as Anime Zone, he manages to phrase and deliver his words and content in such an entertaining, eloquent, and well thought way. Plus his editing is always on point, it’s honestly shocking how many times i’ve been captivated by his content. Hell i’ve even cried at some videos of his.
The fact a animator legendary like Mike Inel was involved in this is mind blowing
Yeah, that name drop made me rewind the video and double-check that I wasn't tripping.
I spit my drink when I saw his name, I was genuinely surprised to see him in the project
I mean, it's mike inel, this type of stuff is right up his alley
He really went on to become a big shot after that huh
@@melithetrap3004 fr fr
I never expected you to talk about this game. I adore it so much. It’s existence is a miracle, and it’s so genuine. 10 years went by, and it’s still wonderful. Thanks for talking about it. Cheers.
real talk I started reading the visual novel out of gigguk's recommendation, so far I've only finished emi and rin's routes, both good endings (because my god I don't think my heart could take the bad ones, or worse the neutral ones), I'm 23, this year I turn 24, in six months I'll finish college and I'm at the point where I feel so lost, I've made many wrong turns in my life that have left me pretty unhappy and without much hope for the future, but somehow, after reading it, it makes me feel like I still have time that I can somehow manage to be happy, looking forward to the next routes
Lilly's route just hits different. To me, it's the route that feels like it truly has an ending because Hisao and Lilly actually had plans for their future in it
I pour one out for Lilly every Valentine’s Day, I do the same for Monika on Halloween. Valentines is the day I meet her and found out about the game. I love her and I always will.
Best girl
Man it truly does hit different, her theme and music box song is still stuck in my brain. Once in a while i'd play through it again and I'd feel things I thought I forgot
I havent played it ill just agree
Yeah but the guy completely fucked his heart up on that route, so I doubt there's much of a future there.
Emi route on the other hand...
As a member of the still alive Katawa Shoujo community. It's great to see that people are still making content of this great game all these years later. It's definitely changed my life, as well as the lives of all my friends. We definitely wouldn't have met otherwise without this game.
Great video Gigguk, thanks for bringing up all the memories.
I agree. Katana Shoujo was actually my very first Visual Novel that a friend recommended to me. And I loved it. ❤️♥️💕💞 Still love it to this day.
go get a job
I honestly don't think there are that many video games that were more passionately made than this. It's honestly nuts how great the story and characters ended up being and how fragile it seemed it could have all fallen apart at any moment.
The reason I don’t feel any interest in playing most video games made in the last decade is because they don’t feel like they had any passion in them. Sure graphics can be nice, a feature can be cool, but there is a completely different feel when the whole package is 10x greater than the sum of the parts.
@@alexanderrobins7497 well what type of video game you interest in ? for the one who loves adventure and action this past decade there is lot of masterpiece and fps there is lot of masterpiece too 😂😂😂
@@ad1h4rj48
I am not saying there are zero games made with passion anymore, but look at how many old major franchises have become zombified and refuse to die.
It's a indie game thats all i need to know
@@alexanderrobins7497 it's just what naturally happens when suits try to abuse emotions/nostalgia, they do it with any type of product. It's sad, but it's the nature of things. There will always be great minds creating great things among the sea of attempts and practice, but there will always be even more greedy baboons trying to take advantage of art they've had no hand in creating.
Katawa Shoujo and the production story itself deserve an Anime series
A friend of mine in college composed a bit of the music for this game, and told me a bit about the development process. It's such a miracle that this project came to be and was so damn good. My favorite tidbit that he told me is that Shenji's dialogue is 100 percent comprised of 4chan posts, mostly from /pol. This was such a nostalgic video, one of my favorites in a long time!
You know what? Having actually played the game half-blind to a point that I got the worst ending first, that actually makes so much sense.
@@Brown95P Never expected the quick bad ending if you dont get on any route, I found it hilarious LOL
@@Brown95P My first ending was Kenji's as well, to this day one of the funniest wtf moments I've ever had in a VN.
Oh that is so perfect to know, thank you for sharing this. Who is the friend, if you don't mind me asking?
@@somebonehead not sure what they went by during the project, but they have gone by Grail on discord for years, so that'd be my best guess
Ain't gonna lie this VN really changed my life back then around 2017 only hanako's route and 2019 as I finished the entire VN that time, I was a confused highschool student who rarely does my best both in school and life. Discovering this VN was like a light of hope in a place full of darkness. This game taught me how to value life despite the hardships, and how to feel as a human. Will never forget all the girls as long as I live, I can probably say as well that this VN saved my life, I was not suicidal, but I was heading in an uncertain path. I really owe 4 chan the life I have right now to be honest kekw, can't believe a single VN from the 2d non existing dimension can inspire more than a real human being can.
Real human beings made it. Every word you read came from a real human being with the intention of making you feel
Gigguk should do more story telling based videos, this was some of his best work
Yeah that was an absolutely fantastic video.
Hey gigguk, more history on weebdom please!
This is the first visual novel that I decided to try because Gigguk’s recommendations tend to be pretty good. This is the first piece of art that made me wish a fictional character was real. The character building was so surreal. Highly recommend giving it a go at least once.
Katawa Shoujo will forever live in my heart rent free. It caused me to give other visual novels a chance too and when I finished my first play through (Hanako best girl) I just had to sit there and absorb everything. When it was over it didn’t end it forever left it’s impression on me.
Yeah, after this and then Majikoi, I've kinda ruined my metaphorical tastebuds for visual novels. As in, they were both so good many other VNs feel bland/disappointing in comparison.
I played this in HS in 2012. The first ending I got was Emi's bad ending. I was not okay. It actually destroyed me for a couple of days. It was the first time as a teenager feeling such raw emotion about something I just didn't know how to handle it. Such a great story made by a random group of degens
I LOVED Kawata Shojo. As someone who was born with a disability, (cerebral palsy) it really showed that even with a disability it can't stop people from loving and caring about you.
Dam man, this was a throw back
Thanks for making this video, loved every hour I put into Katawa Shoujo!
24:57 Connor saying "I was prepared to fap, but I wasn't prepared to feel!" Sent my sides to the moon
Katawa Shoujo is literaly the single best thing 4chan ever gave humanity, full stop
"They" also Airstriked an ISIS trainingcamp, the US Government was not able to locate.
They also doxxed two girls from Florida who burnt a tortoise alive
@@anujnautiyal8539 but they also orchestrated trends like piss4equality or cutting4bieber, luring teenagers into selfharm, while also being informed about several schoolshootings the day before they happened.. wild place.
@@CRIZZZLPT internet's a wild place
@@CRIZZZLPT welcome to the internet
Katawa Shoujo remains one of the most important games of my life in terms of my emotional development and it affected in a small way how I perceive the world. It is, in many ways an optimistic game of overcoming a disability, physical or even mental, and as an autistic person who has experienced severe bouts of depression in my short life so far, I relate heavily to some of the characters. That it came from 4chan is even more surprising. I hope that more people can experience this game, and that the small amount of happiness hope and empowerment it gave me will be spead to others
Stumbling across this video tonight reminded me of lurking around 4Chan in the years this was being developed and remembering it was the only place at the time I saw any positivity about dating handicapped people. I was always at risk of losing a leg in my childhood and I was physically attacked pretty frequently, so sitting on 4chan one night and there is a sudden explosion of support in multiple threads was an unexpected light in the darkness.
I havn't thought about that in a really long time.
Katawa Shoujo was my first VN and it was the reason that got me hooked to VNs. But regardless to say no other VN has made me feel the same that KS did. All these years I have been reading VNs to feel the same that I felt before. I don't consider Katawa Shoujo as just an eroge. It was more than any eroge. It made me feel something that I cannot express in words. Those moments of pain like when Lily left us or when we hear her music box in our hospital room. I genuinely fell in love with those characters and I genuinely was heartbroken. It's been a while since I have played KS but after watching this vid maybe I will go back again. Thanks Gigguk for this.
Idk if you played them already but Saya no Uta and Fullmetal Daemon Muramasa are also really good story and character-wise.They're a lot darker and edgier than KS but the characters in it are beautifully written, highly recommend them
Yeah I am gonna start another play through it’s been 3 to 4 years since I last touched the game
Not the same theme of a VN but if you want another one that has a good chance to leave an impact on you, I would recommend Kimi to Kanojo to Kanojo no Koi (YOU and ME and HER: A Love Story). Be careful of spoilers and try to go in blind if you can.
Lily is my favorite route in the game. Before there was even a walkthrough I ended up on her route first and it had me balling when at the hospital scene. I have never had nearly that extreme a reaction in any other VN. I still tear up depending on the VN but not as hard as KS did it.
Another one of my favoirte VNs is Princess Evangile. That one also made me cry in places
Pingu: In the city is a good VN, Umeniko is alrite i guess.
i legit crying after finishing Rin's route for the first time, it broke me so much and i can't even sleep without thinking about it
Since i read KS there's not a day i live without remembering about the Katawa Girls с,;
It's just so well written and the feels are immense
Rin's route really is the one that messes with your head the absolute most because half the time you feel like she's speaking an alien language and you're wracking your brain trying to decipher it only to figure out in the end that the reason you couldn't understand was because we're too used to saying things we don't mean but have pre-agreed meanings usually everybody understands, but Rin only ever says exactly what she means.
Her neutral ending is so incredibly heartbreaking as the amount of misguided effort you put into being with her ultimately ends up hurting her so much more, making her feel like the one who is failing you and you only realize it once it's much too late.
@@CordovanSplotchVT it's very bitter sweet how this is her "true" end as well, because it's the first ending written, and it's the most obvious outcome if you think realistically (from Aura's words)
She has a good end and it's the last choice because realistically people don't talk the way it leads to a good end
But even the good end still makes sense and is very beautifully written, made me tear up once i finished it, and it being my first ending ever
Oh god, so many of those tracks you used brought back floods of memories. I remember this game coming out, and I wasn't even a 4chan member! To this day, I still often think about the game, it definitely changed me. Thank you for bringing more attention to this community, Gigguk. I hope that this results in many more people experiencing the beautiful journey we all did a decade ago!
Also, for those that are part of the KS community, there is someone in the community that really needs your help! There is a post on reddit that they made, and we would all be super appreciative if you would help out NurseFactor, even if only a little! They've been around with us for a long time, and need help with the last bit of her cancer treatment!
Anyone working on projects at work with any kind of team knows how much problems or difficulties can occur during that, even with a team, that works well together. Especially with completely new projects. As we can see here as well.
But it's legit insane how just some random strangers on the internet still decided to do that, some decided to see this through the end and actually managed to create and finally finish this.
Thank you for talking about this, I'll download it and play it eventually.
I literally cried like 6 times during this video, I played KS at a very very dark time in my life. It wasn't my first VN but it shattered my heart. I was a horrible apathetic, nightmare of a teenage girl. Coming off of being forced to move from my small home town to this huge highschool in the city. I did so much wrong that I was only allowed a shitty netbook with an hour of internet per day. I finished KS the weekend I downloaded it. It gave me something that 14 year old me simply didn't have, hope. My life still isn't amazing, my parents disowned me for being gay, and kicked me out with nothing to my name. But I had an old phone with KS on it. I still play it sometimes even at 26 years old. If not tor that game I don't think I'd be happy like I am today.
inspiring story
So you were fourteen when you played this game that's been out for less than 11 years now, but you're 12 years older than you were?
@@KCzz15 Ok and? Checks out fine considering birthdays and people not remembering exactly when stuff happend.
@@no3ironman11100
If you don't care, why respond?
damn bro.. ure like me
As a visual novel supremacist this video warmed my heart but also reminded me of the pain that was attempting to read VN's back in highschool. With exception, people now don't know just how good they have it.
What's your favorite VN?
Mine is Dies Irae
@@riku_dola8079 For comedy Its : Majikoi.
For inspiration: Katawa Shoujo.
For deep story telling: Steins Gate.
For stressful suspense drama: White Album 1and 2
For Horni: Saishuu chikan Densha series.
Wonderful Everyday is something else, and the best of all in my experience
@@SiriProject what a coincidence, I started reading Subahibi last week.
On chapter 2 and I have to say, it's definitely not for the faint of heart.
The scene with the chair... 🙃
@@riku_dola8079 I envy you, wish I could experience it again!
I actually did read Cyrano right after finishing it, and the music and writing are both just so beautiful. Have fun!
Coming home drunk at 2 am and being hit by the nostalgia feels of katawa shoujo was not what I was expecting but it certainly is a mood.
Came home fried as balls at 3am 5 minutes ago and saw this upload, absolutely an unfathomable vibe
Same.
Even though its been years since I've seen anything about Katawa Shoujo, I still love it to this day and see it as a masterpiece in visual storytelling. I remember the Lily, Emi and Hanako story paths move me to tears; and they still move my cynical 30 year-old heart to this day, over a decade after it initially released.
Im a sucker for any "look at the crazy thing 4chan did" videos. I'm also a sucker for unexpected great writing. So, as a nonweeb, i downloaded this game with serious trepidation. Pleasantly surprised and glad i did. An example of passion fueling quality, not money.
I'm back because I need to know who wrote Lilly's story. Holy hell that was well done.
@@smallpiper2 ikr !
why are you on this channel if not a weeb /curious
@@smallpiper2 damn bro really played it lmaooo
@@felipemurta9160you should, too. it's very good
This game was responsible to make me start studyng arts, make 3 years in art school and actually get a job as a art professor just because of Rin, this game really just change lifes and is borderless because i'm brazilian and i still was able to enjoy this masterpiece
Rin's endings have burned themselves into my heart and memory forever, especially the neutral one that feels so much worse than the bad one.
I liked it too. CPnsidering it was made by random 4chan schizos I am very surprised how right they got how a heart disease actually feels like.
Katawa Shoujo isn't just a random visual novel, it is THE visual novel you should be playing right now. With or without the h scenes, it is truly one of the most touching games to ever exist, and not only that, it's completely free to play. It's an emotional roller coaster in all the meaning of the word. I recommend this game to anybody who loves visual novels or if you're just starting to delve into that genre. You won't want to miss it.
People not playing or limiting themselves to one route did themselves a disservice this game holds up
@@sithmaster4305 sorry, after getting a good ending with Emi I was kind of sad that I died in my second run :(
I'm glad I'm playing it now. I might need to seek out other VNs of similar quality. No idea where to start though.
@@level3xfactor even though the VN costs money, Totono (“You and me and her” for short) is another amazing visual novel that you could check out. It’s a different type of visual novel, in the sense that it gives you a different perspective of what VNs actually are. Personally one of my favorites of all time
I haven't even played the game and this video is already hitting me in the feels. You are an amazing storyteller. The way you tell us about these things is just way better than anyone I have ever seen. I can't imagine the work you put into this video, and now I can't wait to see the work they put into that game. I have never played a Visual Novel, but this may be my first. Thanks!