Like I mentioned in a previous entry, I'd never played (or is the proper terminology read?) a visual novel before. I've played games with heavy emphasis on romantic relationships (Catherine, Persona 3, and Persona 4 spring to mind) but never a game where romance was the defining aspect. I wasn't sure what to expect going into it, but I figured it would be pretty harmless to give Katawa Shoujo a shot and in the end I'm really glad I did.
The game uses a typical anime art style like traditional Japanese visual novels, although as far as I understand the developers of this particular title were mostly American. It was a collaborative effort over the course of five years stemming from an interesting premise. Although there are tons of anime, manga, and probably games as well that deal with high school relationships, I'm not aware of any that deal with the disabled, and especially not any that treat them with as much respect as Katawa Shoujo does.
Hisao Nakai is an average high school student until he collapses during a conversation with his soon-to-be girlfriend. He discovers later that he'd had a heart attack due to an undiagnosed cardiac arrythmia and spends around a year in a hospital bed because of it. He undergoes heart surgery that leaves permanent scarring on his chest. Hisao is dismayed to find that his lifestyle will forever have to change. He'll have to keep his activity very light and even then his life expectancy is in doubt. Even more depressing is that he's being transferred to a school for the disabled, leaving his girlfriend Iwanoko and his other friends behind.
Depending on which task the player chooses to take, Hisao can gain a new lease on life. He'll make different friends and make different decisions, possibly even resulting in his own death or serious injury. The relationships that you have the option of pursuing each have long, winding plots that reveal a lot of details about the girl in question, her friends, her family, and her personality. I felt that Emi, Rin, and Lilly's paths were especially well-written, but even Shizune and Hanako's stories had aspects that resonated with me.
Emi is determined to succeed at all odds despite having lost her legs in a car accident. She's runs track on prosthetics every day, never letting her disability hold her back. Despite being cheerful and upbeat, she has a hard time letting people in. Her closest friend at Yamaku is Rin, a very strange and interesting girl who has no arms. Evidently there were officials at the school that felt like the two would be able to help each other; Emi assists Rin with getting dressed in the mornings but it's not clear what Rin provides for her other than companionship. She is an artist that paints with her feet and has extreme difficulty expressing herself through words--not that that stops her from trying.
Lilly is a tall, serene half-Scottish girl who is at the center of a lot of social circles and a class representative. She is blind and relies on her very shy friend Hanako, who has severe burns on one half of her body. They have a symbiotic relationship. Lilly is Hanako's only real friend and treats her as a sort of maternal figure. Any social situations Hanako is introduced require Lilly's encouragement and support. It's reasonable to assume that Lilly keeping Hanako so close is preventing her from breaking out of her shell.
Shizune is the surly, deaf head of the student council. Although she cannot speak, she is never without her best friend Misha, who is very fluent in sign language and functions as an interpreter. Shizune is competitive and analytical, while Misha is bubbly and cheerful, which makes Shizune's words coming out of Misha's mouth seem at odds with her personality. Despite the superficial differences between them, they are very good friends and seem to have a lot in common. Hisao is unable to pursue a relationship with Misha, but she's still a very important part of Shizune's storyline, where Hisao will have to learn sign language.
I was disappointed when I finally finished Katawa Shoujo, as I grew pretty attached to the characters. The writing was sometimes inconsistent and the art occasionally sloppy, but I can forgive these flaws due to the really poignant storytelling. If I were to rank the paths in order of quality, I think I would go with Lilly > Emi > Rin > Shizune > Hanako, although Rin's was definitely the best in terms of interactivity, with Shizune's being the worst.
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